HarperCollins Children's recently sent me The Deep by Helen Dunmore to review. This book happens to be the third in a series about the magical and mysterious underwater world of Ingo. Not having read the first two books prior to beginning The Deep, I must admit that I started out a little confused as to what was going on and with whom. However, the story soon captivated me and I was swept away.
The book takes you on a journey with Sapphire, a girl that is mixed with both Mer and human blood. She does not truly fit into either world and yet she must adapt to this new life of not belonging and the internal struggle that it causes. But when the Mer people's lives depend on her, she does everything she can to save them.
Sapphire and her friends show us that it is okay to be different. That sometimes our differences are what make us so special that we can do things that others can not. I applaud Dunmore for not only writing such a captivating story, but also for addressing issues that are everywhere today and showing how they can be dealt with and accepted.
The book takes you on a journey with Sapphire, a girl that is mixed with both Mer and human blood. She does not truly fit into either world and yet she must adapt to this new life of not belonging and the internal struggle that it causes. But when the Mer people's lives depend on her, she does everything she can to save them.
Sapphire and her friends show us that it is okay to be different. That sometimes our differences are what make us so special that we can do things that others can not. I applaud Dunmore for not only writing such a captivating story, but also for addressing issues that are everywhere today and showing how they can be dealt with and accepted.
Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
New troubles loom for Saffy, her brother, Connor, and their friend, Faro. Not just because the Kraken - an ancient monster of the deep - has threatened to destroy Ingo unless the Mer give over their young. A new danger is rising, with aspiring leader Ervys gaining strength by encouraging prejudice against those who aren't full-blooded Mer.
Faro's mentor, Saldowr, believes the people of Ingo have another option in Saffy, who entered the deep and managed to survive - an impossible feat for all but a handful of the ocean's inhabitants. He presents Saffy with the monumental task of returning to fight and defeat the Kraken.
Despite the brewing tensions between Ingo and Air, Saffy and Connor agree to help, on the condition that they're allowed to see their father (who traded life as a human to become Mer) upon their return. Armed only with Granny Karne's rowan seeds and Saldowr's magical mirror, Saffy, Connor, and Faro embark on a perilous journey inside the mouth of a whale.
While it's easy enough to dive right into THE DEEP without reading the first two books in Helen Dunmore's INGO series, I highly recommend all of them. I was so eager to follow the events of Saffy's life and discover the source of her family's connection to the sea, I gobbled up these books in a matter of days.
THE DEEP is a page-flipping installment which takes the three main characters to the edge of an unknown world, forcing them to confront their deepest fears against a treacherous enemy.
New troubles loom for Saffy, her brother, Connor, and their friend, Faro. Not just because the Kraken - an ancient monster of the deep - has threatened to destroy Ingo unless the Mer give over their young. A new danger is rising, with aspiring leader Ervys gaining strength by encouraging prejudice against those who aren't full-blooded Mer.
Faro's mentor, Saldowr, believes the people of Ingo have another option in Saffy, who entered the deep and managed to survive - an impossible feat for all but a handful of the ocean's inhabitants. He presents Saffy with the monumental task of returning to fight and defeat the Kraken.
Despite the brewing tensions between Ingo and Air, Saffy and Connor agree to help, on the condition that they're allowed to see their father (who traded life as a human to become Mer) upon their return. Armed only with Granny Karne's rowan seeds and Saldowr's magical mirror, Saffy, Connor, and Faro embark on a perilous journey inside the mouth of a whale.
While it's easy enough to dive right into THE DEEP without reading the first two books in Helen Dunmore's INGO series, I highly recommend all of them. I was so eager to follow the events of Saffy's life and discover the source of her family's connection to the sea, I gobbled up these books in a matter of days.
THE DEEP is a page-flipping installment which takes the three main characters to the edge of an unknown world, forcing them to confront their deepest fears against a treacherous enemy.
