The glory of mermaid friends without the silly puns.

I read Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly for CBR6, and I was excited to hear that the sequel, Rogue Wave would be coming out this last January. Well. My library didn’t get a copy for like two months, and the wait has been awful. But I tore through it this evening, and it was well worth the wait.

Thankfully, the mer-puns have been replaced by much weightier plot points and character building moments. This book, however, carries heavier tales of chaos and destruction. The beautiful kingdom that Serafina grew up in has been torn apart by evil. She and her five companions are trying to find the talismans that will enable them to stop the evil creature Abbadon. And it is in the middle of her quest that she discovers a traitor in the kingdoms’ midst. Will she have the courage to continue her quest, even through a broken heart? I won’t say anymore, because I don’t want to give anything away.

I’m slightly concerned that the love story aspect took over some of the delightful girl-friendship parts of the last book. But it wasn’t overpowering, and I found this narrative much more interesting. It builds the intriguing world that Donnelly had briefly sketched out in the last book, and it makes the world richer and more interesting. You understand where Neela comes from, and how her upbringing and her current quest are at odds with each other. These young women are strong and resourceful, and certainly examples I would have looked up to as a tween reader. I enjoyed this book far more than the first book, and I hope Donnelly builds the momentum in this saga.