*Starts singing ‘Under the Sea’ – ok wait wrong story similar setting but oodles of way more intense. I’m excited to be part of the Blog Tour and to have Jennifer Donnelly tell us today about each of the characters in DEEP BLUE.
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One of the best things about being a writer is that you get to be your characters – at least for a little while. I’ve lived in the 19th century. In London and Paris. Been a farm girl. A guitar player. A tea merchant. A doctor. And I’ve loved every minute of trying on these different lives. With DEEP BLUE, for the first time, I get to be something totally different. Something magical and mysterious – a mermaid. When I was a kid, there was nothing else I wanted to be. It’s been so much fun shoaling with quicksilver fish. Swimming through underwater ruins and palazzos. Sparring with a deadly mirror lord. Meeting a powerful river witch….and a very handsome merboy. I hope you enjoy getting to know these mermaids as much as I’ve enjoyed writing about them.
– Jennifer Donnelly
MEET THE CHARACTERS of DEEP BLUE
Four thousand years ago, six wise rulers with mystical powers oversaw the golden realm of Atlantis.
When an evil force overtook the mythical island, sinking it into the sea, Merrow, the leader of the ancients, beseeched the gods to grant her drowning people the power to breathe underwater. Those who survived, their legs magically fused into tail fins, formed an undersea civilization called The Mer.
From their Mediterranean realm, five others grew to form six undersea nations, led for generations by descendants of the ancient Circle of Six. Now, the evil forces that consumed Atlantis threaten destruction once again. The Mer nations’ only hope lies with six teenagers, descended from the ancient rulers, who’ve inherited their magical powers. Together, they form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood to save their worlds.
Seraphina
Loyal, brave, just, and strong—with copper brown hair, bright green eyes, and a nascent gift more powerful than all the others—Serafina is descended from the ancient ruler Merrow. Heir to the original civilization of Merfolk, Sera has been raised with the expectation that one day, she’ll be their ruler. When the undersea nations come under threat and Sera’s mother, Queen Isabella, is poisoned, Sera’s destiny leaps to meet her. She must embark on a journey to find and vanquish the evil forces at work. Her powerful magic—the gift of a love so powerful she would sacrifice herself for those around her—will guide her as she leads the mermaids in their quest. By her side is her best friend Neela…
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Neela
Sassy and daring, with a non-stop sweet-tooth, jet-black hair to her tail fin, and a bioluminescent body that emanates a bright blue light, Neela is descended from Navi, ancient ruler of the waters of India,
a kind and good-hearted leader who used her riches to build hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the poor. It was said Navi could hold light in her hands as well as her heart, pulling down beams from the sun and moon and stars and bending them to her will. She gave her people hope in their darkest hours. Neela, able to create and throw powerful formations of light, is the intrepid inheritor of these gifts.
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Ling
With a gentle but powerful nature and a keen intellect she’s not afraid to show, Ling—with almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and a sword in a scabbard slung over her back—is descended from Sycorax, who ruled from the shores of the Qin in China. An omnivorax, Sycorax spoke the languages of all creatures—people, animals, birds, flowers and trees. She was Atlantis’ supreme justice, a peace- keeper and negotiator of treaties between realms. Ling is the able and ready inheritor of these gifts.
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Becca
Fierce and quick—with curly red hair, blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles—Becca is descended from Pyrrha, who ruled the shores of Atlantica, the ancient realm between South America and Africa. Pyrrha was a brilliant and strategic military commander, but she was also an artisan—a blacksmith who could bid fire. She had a forge on Atlantis where she transformed farm tools into weapons; when her people came under attack, Pyrrha saved her people with her quick thinking. Becca, her descendant, will do the same.
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Ava
Wise, witty, frank and prescient—with glossy black braids, deep brown scales, sunglasses, and a guide-pet piranha she keeps on a leash—Ava is descended from Nyx who ruled the fresh waters that flowed from the Mississippi River. Nyx was blind, but he could feel things he could not see. He never flinched from what he felt, or from speaking his visions truthfully. The magic bestowed him by the gods strengthened his gift and transformed it into prophecy. Ava is the knowing inheritor of this gift of prescience and foresight.
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Astrid
Headstrong, bold, and possessed of a deep well of magical power, Astrid—with cascades and braids of white-blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and the black and white markings of an orca—is descended from Orfeo, who ruled the arctic waters around Greenland. A musician who played the lyre to soothe the sick and suffering, he was a healer whose people loved him. Of the six who ruled Atlantis, his powers were unsurpassed. But it was Orfeo who mysteriously defected from the Circle of Six, unleashing a monster of his own creation whose wrath destroyed Atlantis. Like her father, Astrid turns away from the group. Unlike her father, she will rejoin them…but not until she tests them first.
Enter the giveaway courtesy of the publisher Disney Hyperion, for a chance to win a hardcover copy of your own. 2 winners will each received 1 hardcover copy of DEEP BLUE. You must be a US or CA resident to enter. Watch for my review of DEEP BLUE coming in a few days!
The first in a series of four epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.
Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.
When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin’s arrow poisons Sera’s mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin’s master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world’s very existence.
Find the Book: Amazon | Indiebound | Book Depository | Amazon UK | Goodreads
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
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Emily @ Oh Magic Hour
This sounds so freaking good! I haven’t read a lot of mermaid books, but I’m feeling a change in that coming on very soon.
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
You know I honestly don’t know yet if it’s any good…since I’m behind and haven’t finished reading it yet *cackles madly*
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blodeuedd
I like what I hear about the premise
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
It does sound interesting doesn’t it =)
Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Sharon Lynn Fisher dishes on the Sci-Fi Fantasy of BioPunk & Giveaway
Richelle Nicole
Mermaids!! Yup, have to read it! It sounds fantastic. Thanks for adding yet another book to my “must read” pile 🙂
Tabitha (Pabkins)
You know I actually have another mermaid book that I need to read soon. Summer of mermaids it seems.
Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Sharon Lynn Fisher dishes on the Sci-Fi Fantasy of BioPunk & Giveaway
Melliane
Oh I read this one a few days ago and it was quite nice. I’m curious to see what will happen next. I love books about mermaids! Thanks for the post!
Tabitha (Pabkins)
I’m glad to hear you liked it. I had heard some not so nice things. I’m still struggling to get into it but I think its the name and new terminology and info dumping that is causing me a hard time.
Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Sharon Lynn Fisher dishes on the Sci-Fi Fantasy of BioPunk & Giveaway
BookaholicCat
I’ve seen this book around lately and I like the blurb. The characters also sound interesting. I’m sure this is a book I could enjoy.
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
Cool, I hope you entered the giveaway then!
Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Sharon Lynn Fisher dishes on the Sci-Fi Fantasy of BioPunk & Giveaway
Celine
This sounds so good! I’m glad, because I’ve yet to find a good mermaid book :\ I’ve heard some good things about this one, though.
Thanks for sharing <33
Celine recently posted…Review: Royally Lost by Angie Stanton
Tabitha (Pabkins)
I really liked Of Poseidon and Of Triton and the third will be out soon. This one I am still having a time getting into.
I do know of an adult non mermaid but still sea oriented book I loved called THE GOLDEN CITY. I highly recommend that one.
Hope you entered the giveway!
Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Sharon Lynn Fisher dishes on the Sci-Fi Fantasy of BioPunk & Giveaway
Nikki
Holy freaking crap this sounds awesome. When I first heard of it, it reminded me A LOT of this anime I used to watch (YEAH YEAH) but now with these character profiles…holy effing crap
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
Wow you sound super excited haha. It does sound really good I hope the book itself ends up being that good. I still haven’t finished it yet. I haven’t heard of that anime so I’ll have to check it out. I’m an anime fiend as well!
Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Sharon Lynn Fisher dishes on the Sci-Fi Fantasy of BioPunk & Giveaway
Jessica @ Rabid Reads
Great post! I’ve been looking forward to this book since I heard about about–I LOVE stories about Atlantis 😉
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
I wonder if mermaid books are hard to do. I think there is something about things taking place under water that have always seemed odd to me.
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Kel
Reading about mermaids…it had me singing “Under the Sea” too. >.>
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Tabitha (Pabkins)
I think it was because it was under water where several other of the mermaid books I’ve read take place mostly above water.
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Mary G Loki
OMG I sooo need to read this! 😀
Tabitha (Pabkins)
I hope you entered the giveaway then!
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