The Deepest Blue

February 1, 2019

In the island nation of Belene, the spirits are as wild as they are on the mainland (subject of Durst's "Queens of Renthia" trilogy). Here, too, a queen and her heirs provide protection. Women with powers over the spirits must turn themselves over for testing or be charged with treason. Unfortunately, the risk of death is about the same in both cases. When Mayara is found to have abilities during an attack on her home village on her wedding day, she's given a choice: forsake her past or attempt to survive and become an heir. Mayara chooses the test and discovers that the conditions of training are a matter of literal survival. Making friends with other trainees leads her down a path she would have never chosen herself, for if the Deepest Blue awakes, no one in Belene will survive. VERDICT This intriguing dive into the powers that attempt to control Renthia yields an action-packed fantasy. [Prepub Alert, 10/1/18.]--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2019
This follow-up to the Queens of Renthia fantasy trilogy (The Queen of Sorrow, 2018, etc.) shifts to the island nation of Belene, where the vicious nature spirits are mainly aquatic but the human predators seem much the same.Oyster diver Mayara is forced to reveal her power over the spirits on the day of her wedding to her beloved childhood friend Kelo when a violent spirit storm overwhelms her fishing village. That brings her to the attention of the queen, her heirs, and the queen's magically gifted guard, the Silent Ones. Now, Mayara has a choice: give up her family and her voice by joining the Silent Ones, or compete to become one of the queen's heirs by surviving 30 days on the deadly island of Akena, swarming with bloodthirsty nature spirits. Believing Kelo to be dead, Mayara makes the more dangerous choice of the island, where she befriends Roe, another potential heir, and learns that the spirits aren't the only peril on Akena. Meanwhile, Queen Asana has her own troubles. Although she possesses great magical power, enough to keep the leviathans of the ocean depths asleep, she lacks the political power to rule the people of Belene; that lies in the hands of the powerful noble families who hold her parents and daughter hostage. Can the current system be overthrown, or are there some traditions it's too hazardous to lose? It's delightful to re-encounter the sociopath Garnah, the brutally honest alchemist and poisoner who is also the mother-in-law of Queen Daleina of Aratay. Now serving as Queen Asana's adviser, she is the only character to carry over from the previous books, but unfortunately, the basic plot from the previous books carried over, too.Although changing venue from deep forest to the coast breathes a certain amount of fresh life into the series, this is now the fourth book involving a battle for rule and a race to the coronation grove; it would be nice if future books explored other conflicts and possibilities in Renthia.

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In this stand-alone audiobook related to the Queens of Renthia trilogy, Khristine Hvam returns to narrate the story of a complicated world surrounded by spirits who must be kept at bay. She succeeds in portraying the protagonist, Mayara, as strong yet vulnerable. Because Mayara displays her power to command the spirits, which she reveals while trying to save her village from a storm, she is taken into custody and forced to endure a test for the sake of her religion. It's a lose-lose situation--she will either die in the effort or succeed and be cut off from her family. Complex relationships and loyalties are central to this character-driven tale, and Hvam portrays them flawlessly. J.E.M. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 1, 2019
Whenever wild spirits seek to attack the islands, the queen senses their approach and dispatchers her heirs to repel them. Except when she doesn't. Durst revisits the fascinating world of Renthia with a stand-alone tale set on the island nation introduced in The Queen of Sorrow (2018). Renthian queens are powerful, but all is not well on the island of Belene. The self-interested ruling families have an inexplicable amount of control over the queen. Villagers died in savage spirit attacks when the nobles had the kingdoms' defenders, the heirs, sent to secure another location. And every female with an affinity for spirits lives in fear of exposing her magic: if discovered, she must choose between lifelong service in perpetual silence or submitting to the deadly test to become an heir. On her wedding day, a young woman must use her hidden power when a spirit storm descends on her village. Having revealed herself, she will be forced to make the choice, but which will it be?life in silent service or a lethal fight to attain a future she never wanted? Fans will be eager to reenter Renthia and discover another queen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)