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bluegirl_69's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a new author for me and I am glad I read this book. The way she doesn’t really describe Rayne and Sadie lets you imagine what they look like in your mind. This story is full of Action, thrills, supernatural, Great world building, Page-turner, Romantic, scary parts, and creative.
laylawinx35's review
No. The first page was about her car and the music having to be happy so it wouldn’t ruin her perfect day. I’m out.
nakaido's review
I feel the writing is geared towards the younger of the YA audience. For me, it was too difficult to get through it. I also felt lost as there was too much filler sentences and when something was happening it felt too brief and not detailed enough to understand thoroughly what was going on.
Perhaps I didn't give it long enough of a chance but that's the main reason I'm DNFing this one.
Perhaps I didn't give it long enough of a chance but that's the main reason I'm DNFing this one.
rlisaacs's review
2.0
This... was a struggle for me.
Warnings up front (though if you've read any of my reviews, you probably already know this), but potential spoiler-type things ahead. You've been warned.
So... I don't want to say this was a bad book, per say. But I think it is definitely geared towards the younger adults. For me, I'm talking early high school or even middle school level. There were entirely too many descriptions for me about Sadie's inner thoughts, when we basically already know what she's thinking. There was too much pointless explanations involved here, and then not enough descriptions of other things to really make me feel invested in this story. Like... Sadie is supposed to be in some kind of danger. I wanted to feel that! I wanted to feel like there was a need to be afraid! Nope. Not even when a gun was presented. I get that there are villains in books who act completely casual about the topic of doing their bad and dastardly deeds... but this was ridiculous. There wasn't enough there to make me feel the threat was real, and yet there was more than enough (way more than enough) to make me think Sadie seriously needs to get a grip. And not just because of the special water nonsense.
And Rayne? I'm sorry, I do think he was a sweet guy. He cares about Sadie, he really does. But one minute he's pulling away, and the next he's coming on being overprotective and stuff. He tells her that it's not real and that it can't be, but then he keeps doing things that clearly leave the door open for stuff to happen going forward. He's supposed to be the adult here. He might not look it, but he's supposed to be the mature one, and he acted like... well, he acted like the age he actually looks, if not younger than that, in my opinion.
I just... I couldn't get invested here. This book was too easy to put down and walk away from. It was hard to pick up again because I already knew, at like twenty-five percent or sooner, that I wasn't really going to enjoy it. But I'm one of those people, I can't not finish the book. I found myself skimming a lot of stuff, and honestly didn't feel like I was missing anything crucial, which is not how it should be.
I won't be continuing this series. But again, I want to stress, I don't think this book was necessarily bad. I mean, I didn't like it and it was definitely not for me. I just think you have to be part of the younger crowd to get any enjoyment out of it. Like, some young-adult books can be enjoyed by everyone, and some have to be read when you're young in order to like it, and I think that's what happened here with this one.
Warnings up front (though if you've read any of my reviews, you probably already know this), but potential spoiler-type things ahead. You've been warned.
So... I don't want to say this was a bad book, per say. But I think it is definitely geared towards the younger adults. For me, I'm talking early high school or even middle school level. There were entirely too many descriptions for me about Sadie's inner thoughts, when we basically already know what she's thinking. There was too much pointless explanations involved here, and then not enough descriptions of other things to really make me feel invested in this story. Like... Sadie is supposed to be in some kind of danger. I wanted to feel that! I wanted to feel like there was a need to be afraid! Nope. Not even when a gun was presented. I get that there are villains in books who act completely casual about the topic of doing their bad and dastardly deeds... but this was ridiculous. There wasn't enough there to make me feel the threat was real, and yet there was more than enough (way more than enough) to make me think Sadie seriously needs to get a grip. And not just because of the special water nonsense.
And Rayne? I'm sorry, I do think he was a sweet guy. He cares about Sadie, he really does. But one minute he's pulling away, and the next he's coming on being overprotective and stuff. He tells her that it's not real and that it can't be, but then he keeps doing things that clearly leave the door open for stuff to happen going forward. He's supposed to be the adult here. He might not look it, but he's supposed to be the mature one, and he acted like... well, he acted like the age he actually looks, if not younger than that, in my opinion.
I just... I couldn't get invested here. This book was too easy to put down and walk away from. It was hard to pick up again because I already knew, at like twenty-five percent or sooner, that I wasn't really going to enjoy it. But I'm one of those people, I can't not finish the book. I found myself skimming a lot of stuff, and honestly didn't feel like I was missing anything crucial, which is not how it should be.
I won't be continuing this series. But again, I want to stress, I don't think this book was necessarily bad. I mean, I didn't like it and it was definitely not for me. I just think you have to be part of the younger crowd to get any enjoyment out of it. Like, some young-adult books can be enjoyed by everyone, and some have to be read when you're young in order to like it, and I think that's what happened here with this one.
whit_brantley's review against another edition
4.0
Hello Lovelies!
Like the novel featured in my last review, Flight of Life by E.L. Todd, I must also commend Christie Anderson for the innovation and ingenuity used in the creation and writing of Deep Blue Secret and the other two books in the The Water Keepers series. As a reader of many fantasy novels, I can honestly say that I have never read something with similar ideas. Personally, I really enjoyed Sadie as a character. While not only kind, beautiful, and intelligent, Sadie also has moments of brokenness that make her relatable. I only have one word to describe Rayne, DREAMY. Please don’t be expecting an action-packed plot. This is your typical romance “we-fell-in-love-immediately-but-can’t-be-together” type of book, but unlike most mushy lovey-dovey writing, Rayne and Sadie’s love affair didn’t make me gag and sprint for the nearest toilet. The amount of depth in their relationship genuinely touched me. Deep Blue Secret stood out to me for its expertly crafted characters, engaging dialogue and internal monologues, and inventive writing.
-Whimsical Whit
http://whimsicalwordsofwhit.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/diamond-eyes-strikes-again-deep-blue-secret-by-christie-anderson/
Like the novel featured in my last review, Flight of Life by E.L. Todd, I must also commend Christie Anderson for the innovation and ingenuity used in the creation and writing of Deep Blue Secret and the other two books in the The Water Keepers series. As a reader of many fantasy novels, I can honestly say that I have never read something with similar ideas. Personally, I really enjoyed Sadie as a character. While not only kind, beautiful, and intelligent, Sadie also has moments of brokenness that make her relatable. I only have one word to describe Rayne, DREAMY. Please don’t be expecting an action-packed plot. This is your typical romance “we-fell-in-love-immediately-but-can’t-be-together” type of book, but unlike most mushy lovey-dovey writing, Rayne and Sadie’s love affair didn’t make me gag and sprint for the nearest toilet. The amount of depth in their relationship genuinely touched me. Deep Blue Secret stood out to me for its expertly crafted characters, engaging dialogue and internal monologues, and inventive writing.
-Whimsical Whit
http://whimsicalwordsofwhit.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/diamond-eyes-strikes-again-deep-blue-secret-by-christie-anderson/
susanthebookbag's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, I have to say right up front, that this cover is so beautiful! Even if I wasn't reading this book for it's blog tour, it would have caught my eye. I am so shallow sometimes, a beautiful cover always gets me!
And then the book grabbed me! The story starts off pretty intense, with someone trying to escape from the area that he has been condemned to and left to die. He does manage to escape and the story leaves you wondering what he did and why he was there.
After that, we are taken into the life of a high school girl, Sadie, who is trying to understand why things are changing in her life and why she, herself, is changing. Sadie has a great life, a wonderful, caring mother and good friends. But then things start to happen and a certain someone comes into her life. She is just trying to understand it all.
I immediately liked Sadie very much and admired how mature she was. Things become very tough for her but she just kept on going with her positive outlook.
The last part of the book is very fast paced and action packed. I found myself reading much later than I should have because I just had to find out how it ended. I love that in a book!
This is book #1 in The Water Keepers series. I cannot wait for book #2!! The author is currently working on it.
Hurry up, Ms. Anderson!
And then the book grabbed me! The story starts off pretty intense, with someone trying to escape from the area that he has been condemned to and left to die. He does manage to escape and the story leaves you wondering what he did and why he was there.
After that, we are taken into the life of a high school girl, Sadie, who is trying to understand why things are changing in her life and why she, herself, is changing. Sadie has a great life, a wonderful, caring mother and good friends. But then things start to happen and a certain someone comes into her life. She is just trying to understand it all.
I immediately liked Sadie very much and admired how mature she was. Things become very tough for her but she just kept on going with her positive outlook.
The last part of the book is very fast paced and action packed. I found myself reading much later than I should have because I just had to find out how it ended. I love that in a book!
This is book #1 in The Water Keepers series. I cannot wait for book #2!! The author is currently working on it.
Hurry up, Ms. Anderson!
ellelainey's review against another edition
3.0
Book – Deep Blue Secret (The Water Keepers #1)
Author – Christie Anderson
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
Would I read it again – Undecided.
Plot – good, interesting, original – definitely a teen read
Characters – relatable, funny, interesting (at the start)
(end up) boring, repetitive, childish
Movie Potential - ★★★☆☆
Ease of reading – easy to read.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Story:
This book began with a great start. I was instantly intrigued but happy to float for a while before stepping right into the action. This feeling dwindled gradually as the book went on and more increasingly 'floaty' areas occurred.
The idea of the sad song on the MP3 really reminded me of Beautiful Creatures, and the playing of '16 Moons' with Lena. I was completely entranced by the description and atmosphere the 'Rose and Driftwood' picture created in the story. I think it was pure genius. It was a real 'moment' for me, and for Sadie. I really looked forward to meeting 'Rain' but I did think it took too long to get to the point of his part in it all. Yes, the mystery built tension and confusion in Sadie, but when the big 'reveal' happened, it was a little anti-climactic.
I do have a few niggles with the writing. E.g. - the use of 'sight' instead of 'site' and so forth. To me 'sight' is vision and 'site' is location and that wasn't how it read in the story. Sometimes there's speech at the beginning of a paragraph and a little description in the middle, but often there's no speech mark to show that it's gone from description to speech, which can get confusing since the whole thing is in first person.
I found that the further I went into the story, instead of the action hotting up, it stayed kind of level with the beginning, which made it feel a little slow. I kept taking breaks from reading when it slowed down, to do other things, and I would lose my motivation to start up again. I think there were a few chunks we could have done without. I know Sadie is sad and depressed and confused, but I don't think we need to be reminded of it quite so often. And I'm not sure I like her being this super nice, super pretty, 'understated' girl that all the boys fight over. I don't think it's needed here and it's a little overdone in the genre, I think. It's a little disappointing to see when her character began so differently.
Characters:
I like Sadie as a main character. She's nice, grounded, sweet and normal. She's a teen girl who has all the usual teen drama with some added extras. I'm really not sure about Heather. She goes from nice and fun to weird and almost unnatural at times and it gets a little confusing trying to decide if her character is good or bad. I'm not if that was intentional, but that was how I read it.
By the end of the first chapter, I was totally ready to trade in the intriguing Nick and the stalkerish Justin, who slightly peaked my interest, for the mystery dude with coordination issues and iridescent skin. Talk about unique!
I really love the connection and innocent need there is between Rayne and Sadie. It's sweet and age appropriate enough to keep this book YA. It's also nice to have an MC girl who isn't totally desperate for a boyfriend, or who wants nothing but fluffy pink hearts and romance in her life. This attitude does tend to slip, the more Sadie is around Rayne, but the fact that it's there at all, is a nice change from the usual YA's I read.
However, I did tend to forget Sadie's name as I was reading. It was only mentioned sparingly, and I mean nearly not at all, during the first 30% of the book. Once things began happening, there was more of it creeping into the story, reminding us of our main character's name and identity. But it did take too long. I write my review notes as I read, so that I don't forget important points or reactions and I kept having to write MC instead of Sadie, because it took too long to look back and find her actual name. Being told in the 1st person, it does make sense that it's not mentioned a lot, since Sadie isn't self-centered or focused on herself that much, but it feels silly to forget her name at all, since she is the MC.
I was very interested in Vass and the Cayno prison. It was a nice addition to the story. I could see this having a really big impact on the story, however that didn't really happen. It had a lot of potential, but it was kind of rushed through and then ignored later.
Syreen was a very interesting character, when she was first mentioned. I had my suspicions about her and Sadie, but I really did have to wait and see how that panned out, because it felt like forever before she came back into the story again. I loved the way Sadie wrote letters to her father, even though she doesn't know who he is. I think it was a great way for her to feel connected while venting her feelings. It was a very original and heartwarming option.
I have to say that Justin and Nick made even ME want to strangle them. I got very angry with Heather during the whole issue with the two boys. If I were Sadie, I wouldn't have gone to her house for any reason, never mind stayed long enough for anything to happen.
I had a few issues with the big 'confrontation' at the end of the story as well. Voss and Rayne do 'battle' over Sadie. But to be quite honest, the really good fight scene was vastly overshadowed by the pathetic whimpering thoughts of Sadie. Here are my big issues -
1. She only got 'caught' because she's a stupid idiot who doesn't listen to people who are trying to protect her.
2. Why did Rayne sit there like a lump, mooning over her body instead of taking her to safety first? Why? Because the author knew that doing that would delay them in time for Voss to find them. But that's unrealistic. A guy trained like Rayne, with sole concern over Sadie's safety would instinctively get her to safety and THEN make sure she was okay, knowing they would get caught if they stayed too long. I have no issue with the confrontation, since it's necessary, but the way in which it was engineered didn't fit the personalities of the characters.
3. Why does Sadie stand there, useless, and not go for the gun right away? She could have done a lot of things, that she didn't because all she did was stand there and panic. That wasn't helping any one.
Overall -
The book started well and had promise. The plot was unique and interesting and it kept my attention for the first 20% of the book. However, at that point, it got increasingly difficult to continue reading. My interest in the story waned and everyone began acting out of sorts. As a reader, I wasn't getting any answers and that diminished my interest in continuing the story. By 70%, I'm sorry to say that I gave up. My really big issue with this story is that the more I read, the more immature Sadie seems for her age. She's supposed to be 17, but she acts more like a fourteen year old with a first crush. It doesn't gel. There's this big mystery about Voss and what he's up to, but by this point I've lost my will to care what the answer is.
I don't understand the ageing process of Rayne and his people, or why it's necessary for the story. It just seems like an odd addition that makes the story even more unbelievable. Sadly, when I find a story unbelievable, even a fantasy/paranormal story, I can't get into the story well enough to see it through. I may finish this book one day, but it won't be right now. Or even very soon.
I really feel like the more Sadie discovers, which isn't much, and falls for Rayne, the more childish she gets, which makes the story more difficult to follow or care about. I got to the 'slap' incident and I'm very sorry but that was the end of the line for me. The whole scene was a little ridiculous. But like a trooped I kept going. And it didn't get much better.
This book has taken me what seems like forever to get through It was good to begin with and then as the story got more elaborate and more complicated and more secretive, the less interested I was. I'm sure other people will love it and find it highly intriguing, but it's giving me a headache trying to keep all the pieces together to figure out what's going on. I think maybe it's a little too much crammed into one book. If it were half the length, it may have been easier to get through, with the end nearer in sight, but it's not and that's a shame.
Author – Christie Anderson
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
Would I read it again – Undecided.
Plot – good, interesting, original – definitely a teen read
Characters – relatable, funny, interesting (at the start)
(end up) boring, repetitive, childish
Movie Potential - ★★★☆☆
Ease of reading – easy to read.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Story:
This book began with a great start. I was instantly intrigued but happy to float for a while before stepping right into the action. This feeling dwindled gradually as the book went on and more increasingly 'floaty' areas occurred.
The idea of the sad song on the MP3 really reminded me of Beautiful Creatures, and the playing of '16 Moons' with Lena. I was completely entranced by the description and atmosphere the 'Rose and Driftwood' picture created in the story. I think it was pure genius. It was a real 'moment' for me, and for Sadie. I really looked forward to meeting 'Rain' but I did think it took too long to get to the point of his part in it all. Yes, the mystery built tension and confusion in Sadie, but when the big 'reveal' happened, it was a little anti-climactic.
I do have a few niggles with the writing. E.g. - the use of 'sight' instead of 'site' and so forth. To me 'sight' is vision and 'site' is location and that wasn't how it read in the story. Sometimes there's speech at the beginning of a paragraph and a little description in the middle, but often there's no speech mark to show that it's gone from description to speech, which can get confusing since the whole thing is in first person.
I found that the further I went into the story, instead of the action hotting up, it stayed kind of level with the beginning, which made it feel a little slow. I kept taking breaks from reading when it slowed down, to do other things, and I would lose my motivation to start up again. I think there were a few chunks we could have done without. I know Sadie is sad and depressed and confused, but I don't think we need to be reminded of it quite so often. And I'm not sure I like her being this super nice, super pretty, 'understated' girl that all the boys fight over. I don't think it's needed here and it's a little overdone in the genre, I think. It's a little disappointing to see when her character began so differently.
Characters:
I like Sadie as a main character. She's nice, grounded, sweet and normal. She's a teen girl who has all the usual teen drama with some added extras. I'm really not sure about Heather. She goes from nice and fun to weird and almost unnatural at times and it gets a little confusing trying to decide if her character is good or bad. I'm not if that was intentional, but that was how I read it.
By the end of the first chapter, I was totally ready to trade in the intriguing Nick and the stalkerish Justin, who slightly peaked my interest, for the mystery dude with coordination issues and iridescent skin. Talk about unique!
I really love the connection and innocent need there is between Rayne and Sadie. It's sweet and age appropriate enough to keep this book YA. It's also nice to have an MC girl who isn't totally desperate for a boyfriend, or who wants nothing but fluffy pink hearts and romance in her life. This attitude does tend to slip, the more Sadie is around Rayne, but the fact that it's there at all, is a nice change from the usual YA's I read.
However, I did tend to forget Sadie's name as I was reading. It was only mentioned sparingly, and I mean nearly not at all, during the first 30% of the book. Once things began happening, there was more of it creeping into the story, reminding us of our main character's name and identity. But it did take too long. I write my review notes as I read, so that I don't forget important points or reactions and I kept having to write MC instead of Sadie, because it took too long to look back and find her actual name. Being told in the 1st person, it does make sense that it's not mentioned a lot, since Sadie isn't self-centered or focused on herself that much, but it feels silly to forget her name at all, since she is the MC.
I was very interested in Vass and the Cayno prison. It was a nice addition to the story. I could see this having a really big impact on the story, however that didn't really happen. It had a lot of potential, but it was kind of rushed through and then ignored later.
Syreen was a very interesting character, when she was first mentioned. I had my suspicions about her and Sadie, but I really did have to wait and see how that panned out, because it felt like forever before she came back into the story again. I loved the way Sadie wrote letters to her father, even though she doesn't know who he is. I think it was a great way for her to feel connected while venting her feelings. It was a very original and heartwarming option.
I have to say that Justin and Nick made even ME want to strangle them. I got very angry with Heather during the whole issue with the two boys. If I were Sadie, I wouldn't have gone to her house for any reason, never mind stayed long enough for anything to happen.
I had a few issues with the big 'confrontation' at the end of the story as well. Voss and Rayne do 'battle' over Sadie. But to be quite honest, the really good fight scene was vastly overshadowed by the pathetic whimpering thoughts of Sadie. Here are my big issues -
1. She only got 'caught' because she's a stupid idiot who doesn't listen to people who are trying to protect her.
2. Why did Rayne sit there like a lump, mooning over her body instead of taking her to safety first? Why? Because the author knew that doing that would delay them in time for Voss to find them. But that's unrealistic. A guy trained like Rayne, with sole concern over Sadie's safety would instinctively get her to safety and THEN make sure she was okay, knowing they would get caught if they stayed too long. I have no issue with the confrontation, since it's necessary, but the way in which it was engineered didn't fit the personalities of the characters.
3. Why does Sadie stand there, useless, and not go for the gun right away? She could have done a lot of things, that she didn't because all she did was stand there and panic. That wasn't helping any one.
Overall -
The book started well and had promise. The plot was unique and interesting and it kept my attention for the first 20% of the book. However, at that point, it got increasingly difficult to continue reading. My interest in the story waned and everyone began acting out of sorts. As a reader, I wasn't getting any answers and that diminished my interest in continuing the story. By 70%, I'm sorry to say that I gave up. My really big issue with this story is that the more I read, the more immature Sadie seems for her age. She's supposed to be 17, but she acts more like a fourteen year old with a first crush. It doesn't gel. There's this big mystery about Voss and what he's up to, but by this point I've lost my will to care what the answer is.
I don't understand the ageing process of Rayne and his people, or why it's necessary for the story. It just seems like an odd addition that makes the story even more unbelievable. Sadly, when I find a story unbelievable, even a fantasy/paranormal story, I can't get into the story well enough to see it through. I may finish this book one day, but it won't be right now. Or even very soon.
I really feel like the more Sadie discovers, which isn't much, and falls for Rayne, the more childish she gets, which makes the story more difficult to follow or care about. I got to the 'slap' incident and I'm very sorry but that was the end of the line for me. The whole scene was a little ridiculous. But like a trooped I kept going. And it didn't get much better.
This book has taken me what seems like forever to get through It was good to begin with and then as the story got more elaborate and more complicated and more secretive, the less interested I was. I'm sure other people will love it and find it highly intriguing, but it's giving me a headache trying to keep all the pieces together to figure out what's going on. I think maybe it's a little too much crammed into one book. If it were half the length, it may have been easier to get through, with the end nearer in sight, but it's not and that's a shame.
singh_reads_kanwar2's review against another edition
3.0
Review: The story about a girl who met with a bad accident while got driven by her classmate and got herself badly injured, in hospital a healer came to save her, they are a secret society which can't shown to anyone that is there job policy but she see him and fall for him. He save her and told her what he is and how the society work and they have a secret to keep there identity unknown, and a liquid that they have to give to those whom they are assigned by there authorities . He also told her they are guardian of the blue potion of life. He saved her many times
Girl fall in love with him, and don't want him to go away from her but he has to leave but he gave her diary that they will be in contact throughout via a magic diary they use.
After months when he not return she was disturbed and not in mood but on the prom night he was there to convey his love for her dance with herhe role of the keepers are bigger everything they used is to be correct and the role is much bigger than then show us...