School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-This first book in Donnelly's new series introduces Serafina, a 16-year-old mermaid princess and future ruler of the underwater kingdom Miromara. Sera awakens from a strange dream on the morning of the Dokimi, a ceremony in which she and Mahdi, crown prince of Matali, are to be betrothed. In the dream, a sea witch called to Sera, urging her to join five others in stopping an ancient evil. Sera dismisses the dream as nonsense, but that evening during the ceremony, her kingdom is brutally attacked. In the confusion, she and her best friend, Princess Neela, swim away to safety, only to find that they are being pursued. With the help of some unexpected allies, the two mermaids gather all the magic and strength within them in an attempt to save their kingdoms. As narrator, Bea Miller creates unique voices for the characters and maintains a brisk pace to prevent the story from lagging. Listeners may have occasional difficulty telling the characters' voices apart. Donnelly uses strong sensory detail to create an imaginative and inviting underwater world. Fans of mermaids and Anna Banks's "Syrena Legacy" books will enjoy this book and eagerly await the sequel.-Amanda Spino, Ocean County Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.