The Deepest Blue audiobook

A stretch of shallow sea lay between the ship and the lovely sand with its bounty of fruit. The stunningly clear water looked picturesquely perfect: the reef below, with schools of silvery fish. A brilliant green sea turtle glided lazily over delicate fan-like coral that waved in its wake.“It looks like a trap,” Palia muttered beside her. I still love this universe.It makes me sad that more people aren't reading these books. I've enjoyed all three books in the first Renthia trilogy, and now this companion novel has introduced me to a part of the world we didn't get to see in the other books-- the archipelago of Belene.The power system in Belene is different from Aratay. Here the queen's power is not absolute, and she must rely on the aid of the Families and the Silent Ones to maintain peace. When young women are discovered to have an affinity for the spirits, they are given a choice: Become one of the Silent Ones, or participate in the Akena island challenge. Stay alive on the deadly Akena island for a month and become a heir; or die.Mayara has been keeping her gifts secret for years, but when a spirit storm ravages her wedding day, she has no choice but to use her powers and reveal herself. Then she chooses the island. Along with eleven other girls, she must stay alive on Akena island. Even as angry spirits attack. Even as she begins to suspect that something else is happening on the island. Something that might not be caused by the spirits.There's so much I love about this series, but I especially love the emphasis it places on women working together. No matter what those with power tell you, no matter how hard they try to persuade you that other women are your enemy, it's ALWAYS better for women to have each other's backs. That message is at the centre of these books and I love it so much.I also love the importance of smarts and resourcefulness in this series. It's not just one of those fantasy series where more and more powerful magic is required to beat the villains, but is about characters who are not necessarily the strongest or most talented using their brains to figure out the situation, and working with other women to make the most of all their individual strengths. So many strong, flawed female characters. So much friendship, loyalty, jealousy, jokes, bickering and warmth. So little romance. Also, the sociopathic Garnah is back and she is one of the most fabulous characters ever. This was her actual choice, she realized: Accept that she was doomed… or fight fate.“Let’s chase death,” Mayara said. And, finally, I love the setting. It's a gorgeous place - both Aratay and Belene - full of beaches, coves, and lush vegetation, all hiding unspeakable horrors *shivers* Please don't let this be the end.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

I read this book only because it came in my once upon a book club book box , it’s not something I normally would have chosen, that being said I actually enjoyed the book. It is about a cluster of islands that are constantly under attack by spirits there are wind spirits, wood spirits, earth spirits, water spirits you get the point, and there are girls born with abilities to fight them off but if they show powers they are immediately taken to choose between a test that can kill them or becoming a silent one . If they choose test they are sent to an island they with 11 other spirit sisters to fight off spirits for a month who ever survives becomes an heir and is trained to fight and can become queen if the existing queen dies. If they choose to be a silent one they are cut off from who they are their family basically every part of who they are and are sent to police all the islands. Our main character is Mayara and is getting married and on the day of her wedding a huge spirit storm hits and no silent ones are sent to protect them so she uses her power to save her people on her island and is taken to choose , and that is where our story begins. It’s a pretty complicated story line but there was alwAys something happening so it was never boring. I really enjoyed it . So if you are looking for an action packed fantasy this is the book for you.

Even though I haven't read the original trilogy to this series, I am familiar with Ms. Durst writing and I just knew I would be able to jump right in and have no issues at all. I do love being right! Not being familiar with how the trilogy ended I was a bit worried I wouldn't get a feel for the world that Durst created, however, after the first few chapters she quickly put my mind at ease with her detail to characters and her setting. I felt like I was stepping into a brand new book, not a continued series. I had no trouble at all quickly becoming immersed in the imaginative and creative world that is this series.Full of spirits and demons, monsters of both the supernatural and human kind and love story and family ties that defies them all, this was such an easy story to get caught up in. Fantasy or not, I could easily picture it all. From the islands to the ocean, I was right there with them through the whole journey. It truly was original and fun and makes me want to go back and read it all over again, but this time starting from the very first book. Truly a fun and magic filled ride that I don't regret jumping blindly into. *ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

"Let’s chase death."After reading The Queens of Renthia trilogy earlier this month, I was so glad to already have this new book set in this amazing universe. I hope very much that Sarah Beth Durst will write more books like this ones, because there's so much potential for others tales of Renthia!In this new book, we're not in Aratay anymore, but in Belene. Without giving away anything, things are different in Belene. Once again, Sarah Beth Durst came up with an amazing world-building, storyline and a new main character, Mayara. I love how different and unique all the female characters are in the Renthia universe, both in the trilogy and in this book, and how the relationships between female characters have such an important place.While it is a standalone that could technically be read on its own, I very much recommend to read The Queens of Renthia trilogy first. I came to know about it because of a review for The Deepest Blue on my feed, and the person recommended when I asked that I read said trilogy first. I don't regret it, because I think so much is explained in this trilogy about this universe, the spirits, everything, that starting The Deepest Blue with that background knowledge will allow you to have a better reading experience.

GUYSSSS holy fuckingggg shiiiiitttAwesome review on the way stars stars stars

Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2019/0...While this is the first book from Tales of Renthia that I’ve read, it’s not my first book by Durst. I read Fire and Heist last year, and while I really enjoyed many parts of the book, I ultimately felt like it was aimed at a younger audience, parts of it feeling almost middle grade. I was happy to find The Deepest Blue did not feel this way at all.The Deepest Blue is a standalone book that quickly drew me into the world and story. This book read extremely well for being new to the world. I never felt like I was missing backstory or information that might have been relayed in other books. As a reader new to her Renthia works, I found this to be an excellent start. I suppose its possible there are references in here that might be potential spoilers for her existing series, but someone who has read it would have to speak to that. I find I enjoyed this one enough that I’m honestly not too worried about it.The Deepest Blue is a wonderful story that starts by introducing us to Mayara, a strong and independent young woman whose fierceness and determination in her deep dives is met only by her equally fierce love for her fiance. I could not help but immediately love her and want to see her happy in all things, especially her relationship. I will say it is rare to open with such a strong love story component and have it work well for me, but this one really did. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a book where romance overshadows the plot, it is just that her relationship with Kelo is so obviously part of who she is, and the happiness they find in each other is just something I didn’t want to end.But of course, what fun would a book that is all happy happy be? A wild spirit storm makes Mayara’s life take a turn that she is not sure she can recover from. When a disaster hits their small village, Mayara is forced to put her entire life, the life she has always known and wanted, at tremendous risk in order to protect those she knows and loves. Her heroic actions that prevented further disaster from the spirit storm do not bring her praise or thanks, but instead rip her away and place her in a battle for her life that reminds me a bit of the Hunger Games. It’s not really the same, but it is a live or die scenario where every person is supposed to be out for themselves as malicious spirits try to destroy them.The book has a great balance of action, characters and even a twist or two to keep the reader engaged. And of course there is the romance that I couldn’t help but root for the entire time as well as well as some very good friendships that are developed. Reading this book has definitely placed her other Renthia books higher on my priority list as I found it to be a wonderful read.

4 Solid StarsA good story that kept me mostly entertained. There were a few lagging spots though that I found easy to put the book down. But the anticipation of how the story would progress had me picking it back up to continue.

I started this book a couple of years ago but didn't make it past 50ish pages. (view spoiler)[Until her husband died. (hide spoiler)] I decided to try one more time. (view spoiler)[Good thing, since we soon find out he is alive. (hide spoiler)]The plotline was probably the weakest part of the book. I didn't like the entire part with the island, which was the main plot. It doesn't even make sense. You need girls who have the power to control spirits to protect your nation, so you throw them on a deadly island with three days of training? There could've been a good twist but it was immediately obvious. (view spoiler)[The minute we learn the queen has a daughter under the "protection" of the families I knew who she was. There were too many clues. (hide spoiler)]The spirits were such a unique creation. They kind of reminded me of ayakashi. I wish they had more depth as opposed to just wanting to kill humans. Smart ones were mentioned but nothing was done with them. Same with the spirit controlling powers. Mayara doesn't know how to use her abilities, nor does she ever really learn. Most of the magic is done by others. It was a wasted opportunity. Mayara tells 80% of the story with Kello and Queen Asana each having a little POV. Mayara and Kelo are both good characters. Their relationship was sweet and I'm glad there wasn't drama there. I really can't stand Roe. She's so stupidly self righteous. (view spoiler)[They're barely surviving on a hellish island, so what does she want to do? Go in the open to disable traps. Who's to say whoever set them won't just set more, or that by disabling them you're saving anyone? And since she's still injured Mayara volenteers to go so Roe doesn't get herself killed. And Roe's totally okay with Mayara risking her life for this stupid plan. (hide spoiler)]On the other hand I loved lady Garnah. I don't know what that says about me since the woman is a poisoner with no morals. Shrugs. But she was entertaining and absolutely not stupid.(view spoiler)[Talia was such a hypocrite! Talia kills the queen to protect her daughter, because she doesn't trust that the queen won't put her own daughter before the kingdom again. So instead of a queen who knows what she's doing, she prefers an untrained nut job who's tried to kill her and everyone else on the island... Yeah, that makes sense. (hide spoiler)](view spoiler)[I was liking Roe when she got all revengeful but of course it couldn't last. Before long she wants to save the psycho who killed her mom. (She foolishly thinks Lanei can save them...) I'm so glad that didn't happen. That psycho as queen, would not be a happy ending. (hide spoiler)]Quite possibly the perfect ending! There really were a lot of good lines in this book. The end was particularly packed with goodness. (view spoiler)[I actually loved the leviathans. I wish they'd been in it more! Their thoughts were hilarious! (hide spoiler)] I was waffling between 3 and 4 stars but the ending cinched it. Deepest Blue is definitely a good book. I probably won't reread it but I'm glad I gave it another chance.

4.5 StarsDeepest Blue is the latest installment in The Queens of Renthia series of novels which give us moral heroines who find unique ways to make peace with nature in the form of various elemental spirit entities (fire, air, water, earth, ice, wood, etc.) In this installment, Durst explores an island region of Renthia, Belene, and the harsh fate that awaits those with the power to control the spirits, who are charged with the duty of protecting their region of Renthia in spite of any alleigiance to family or loved ones. In this fourth book in the Renthia series we meet Mayara, an oyster diver in Belene who saves her community and loved ones from a storm driven by the malicious ocean spirits that surround Belene on her wedding day. This novel gives us more of an established set of relationships and commitments and lets us feel the impact on heirs to the various regions of Renthia. Much as the reader felt the plight of Daleina in the Renthia trilogy, Deepest Blue elaborates on the theme of communal welfare versus personal commitment.I continue to enjoy this series in which Nature fights back against the human transgression. Durst gives us a world in which all the successful leaders are those who find a way to create a sense of equilibrium or meaningful co-existence with Nature. That's an optimistic world view that I enjoy. Mayara's story is another fine installment in the Renthian world.I received a Digital Review Copy along with a paper review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: The author sent me a free finished copy of this novel for the purposes of reviewing.Once again, Sarah Beth Durst absolutely captivates me with a fantastical story which in some ways reminds me of a beach side Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games. I absolutely adored Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst which I first read in December and I was delighted when she reached out to me and asked me to review The Deepest Blue.The Deepest Blue is the story of a young spirit sister in the fictional world of Renthia. Life is simple for Mayara. She has a fiance and her mother and father whom she loves as well as a large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. Her fiance is the love of her life and the story really starts with the tale of their wedding which heads for disaster when a spirit storm reaches their side of the island. Mayara, who has hidden her power of being able to control the spirits, must use them to save the people she loves. In doing so, she has now exposed herself to the Queen who send the Silent Sisters after her. She tries to flee with Kelo, her now husband, but when the Silent sister catch up she has to choose to abandon her life that she loves – and Kelo – to join them, or she must choose to battle on the island for a spot as an Heir or die trying, and only the strongest survive. Her sister died on this island.The world building in this novel is phenomenal and so important to moving the story along. I loved this world and the spirits that are the magic of this fantasy world. It was easy to feel like I was in this world with the characters. Sarah Beth Durst does such a good job jumping right into the action of the plot and moving it along in a quick, but understandable way.There are a lot of characters in this world, but each character has their own persona that makes them easy to tell apart and relate to. One of my favorite characters is the Queen who leads a complicated and emotional existence. You can tell she really struggles with who she is in the position she is put in which I really related to.One of my favorite aspects of this world was the idea of spirits, although most are vengeful, the spirits ranged from human like, to sea foam, to dragons, to birds. Everything seemed to have its own life which made the setting and the characters very united. I loved the idea of tiny sea foam spirits dancing on top of the waves and when Mayara took control of the dragon spirit at the beginning of the novel, I was absolutely taken with the idea of her powers.Although this is a standalone, this book takes place in the same world as Sarah Beth Durst’s other series: The Queens of RenthiaI recommend this book to fans of Game of Thrones for complex characters in a complex world and fans of The Hunger Games for the same feeling of survival. I also recommend to any 16+ readers who love a good fantasy novel. I ended up giving this novel 5 out of 5 stars!

Finally getting around to reading this companion to the Queens of Renthia trilogy. Pretty good as a stand alone, but I think it definitely serves to read the trilogy first. This book felt VERY much like a Hunger Games readalike, at least in the first part, and that might have turned me off a little (because we've already had soooo many Hunger Game wannabes). Eventually, though, the story went in its own direction and I read the later half much quicker than the beginning.(Random quibble: There's one scene where the main character is wrapped in an "old sail" as a burial shroud, whilst pretending to be a corpse. Later, while lying in the shroud: "The sail was porous, letting the night breeze in." Does that strike anyone as odd? Isn't the point of a sail to be the exact opposite of porous and breezy? Ok, maybe this sail was SO old that its weave had loosened up some....but still, would it have loosened to the point of letting in a breeze?)I'm not sure what it is that keeps me from LOVING this series. Like, I think it's pretty good, and it checks off a lot of boxes. There's a cast of characters that are primarily women who are all flawed and complicated, and I definitely appreciate the fact that there's very little romance......But I dunno, none of these books really hits more than four stars for me. Maybe I'm just not as into high fantasy as I used to be. Still, worth a read and worth a place on my own bookshelves.

It felt like a magical Hunger Games. 😉

In the lands of Renthia there are spirits of land, sky and sea who endanger its people. Those of the land have long ago been subdued and restrained by the queens but those of the sea are still wild. The duty of protecting the islands and its peoples from these wild spirits and for keeping the leviathans slumbering falls to the queens and their heirs, heirs who must survive the Island of Testing and only a very few do. These heirs are chosen from women who are proven to have an affinity to control the spirits and when on her wedding day, in order to save those she loves, Mayara reveals she has this affinity, her future is sacrificed and she is faced with the Island of Testing. The same fate that befell her older sister years ago and from which she never returned.Stepping into this novel I fell in love with the characters and their relationships with each other - there were so many that are just open and warm hearted (and some more complicated ones such as that with Mayara and her mom) but mainly what stood out was the encouragement, love and humanity that came through in so many. The span of this ranged from the sweetness of Mayara and Kelo's romance, to the exasperating affection of Mayara's extended family, and then beyond Mayara's initial circle to her fellow heirs who come together (well kind of mostly) as they seek to win through. We also get to meet some characters such as a darkly entertaining poisoner who is caustically too blunt about somethings but has her own appealing steadiness.As much as I loved the characters, and the fact that this was a swift flowing read of a novel, I haven't given it 5 stars and this may be solely because it was not an overly intricate story, but it did have emotional depth and a resonance around dealing with suffering and decisions that cost. However, as I sometimes tend to gravitate towards fantasy books with more grim and shadowy political machinations or with multiple plot points I may have been looking for more in this area. Though, I do need to note that 'The Deepest Blue' has some compelling political shenanigans of its own, surrounding both Mayara's journey to becoming a heir candidate and surrounding Queen Asana and the decisions she is faced with in handling how to lead and protect her people while also navigating the power constraints placed around her rule by her land's power families.Hmmm, this all probably sounds like the novel should hit all the buttons for a 5 star and I have to admit I can't quite place my finger on that ephemeral feeling for why it didn't for me. It definitely though easily and solidly hit 4 stars for me -especially when you add in the wry and playful humour that is threaded through the text.Quotes:"Death can’t catch me if I chase it.""I must increase the relief efforts in Olaku. And send a 'Congratulations, you must be so proud' letter to the parents of our newest spirit sister. She was all that kept it from being a massacre. An act of heroism that I rewarded by sending her to her probable death, yet another horrible thing in Belene I can't stop or change.""You know," Garnah said mildly, "sometimes I get the impression that you don't like being queen."At that, the queen of Belene laughed so hard that she cried.The following extract is a sample of Mayara's early interactions with two other potential heirs:"Three days to train," Roe repeated. "You can do this!""Maybe it will be enough," Palia said. "Maybe you won't die." “Optimism, Palia?” Row asked. “I’m proud of you.” “I’m lying through my teeth,” Palia said. “Obviously we’re all going to die. But I didn’t think it would be helpful to say that.”Mayara almost smiled, painfully. "You just said it.""Thatta girl." Palia patted her shoulder. No more panicking. Gather your courage and all that. Just because it's hopeless doesn't mean we can't act like it's not.""You're really terrible at comforting people," Mayara told her."I blame my upbringing," Palia said. "And Lord Maarte. And the queen. And the archaic traditions that put us in this position. I also blame the spirits, bad luck, and an unripe mango I ate for breakfast. It really didn't agree with me."The url below links to the first three chapters of the book where Mayara and her relationships to Kelo and her family shine through:http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/Deepest...

I think Sarah Beth durst is very underrated. This book is the exact kind of fantasy I love. Developed world, strong characters and an interesting premise. I see the comparisons to the hunger games and agree. But it’s still different enough that I works. I liked seeing the view point of the queen and seeing that no matter how strong she is, she still has her hands fairly tied. I liked how her compassion was show in a good light. The traits that were more feminine, were show positively within the book and still allowed the female characters to be very strong. That’s something that I think is not shown enough in books. I also loved how the world was so different from the world we saw in queen of blood. It’s described as a beautiful ocean focused world and I love stories that focus on sea/ocean/lake towns. I wish more people were reading Sarah beth Durst books and this one in particular. I highly recommend it!

huh, I for some reason thought this was like a novella bound up (totally my doing cause this summary is pretty straight forward).I honestly love how this whole world ALWAYS seems to focus on the relationship of children with their parents and family as a whole. I really loved getting a new political structure and conflict while seeing a new type or structure of the spirits. This world just continued to get fleshed out and developed and BETTER with each book.

If "Queen of Blood" was Druid Harry Potter then "The Deepest Blue" is Druid Hunger Games and I am HERE FOR IT.