Deepest Blue is a dreamy, magical novel that has a lot of interesting concepts.
The book is set in Panduri, an Italian-esque magical city-state. Panduri is something like a traditional Faerie kingdom. Matteo is the second son of the Duca and the destiny mapped for him is as one of the city’s Protectors. He is meant to serve at the border between Panduri and the Outside, a destiny he is looking forward to. However, his older brother Antonio, the Heir to the Duca, is determined to defy his fate; he takes Matteo’s place at the border instead and sets Matteo up to plot the star charts in his stead. This rebellion ultimately sends the two of them, and the rest of their family as well, spinning off-course.

Overall I think this book was a little bit too deep and not for me, but I’m sure the right audience is out there.

This was different to what I would typically read but I really enjoyed it. It gave me Neil Gaiman vibes and I enjoyed reading this book

I didn't manage to get past 20% of this book. The narrative was so confusing and, as lyrical as the writing might be, I struggled to grasp what was actually going on which, ultimately, alienated me from the story more than the magic and whimsy of the writing attracted me to it.

Let’s start with the style, the lyricism was spectacular and the world building delicious(a word I use rarely.) The plot and follow through were not as strong unfortunately but I had no regrets reading this novel. Sometimes the style alone is enough for me even if this isn’t usually so for most readers.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I was thoroughly confused throughout and I did not like the writing style of the book. The premise sounded really good but it didn't live up to it in my opinion. Maybe I'll try Mindy Tarquini again on a later stage as there seems to be a lot of people really liking her.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I found this book to a bit of a challenging read, as it drops you into a world that is slightly different from ours and yet does not do an adequate enough job to tell you how it works.

I found myself struggling to understand why things were happening, and how. I felt it took away from the story (which also had some backstory too confusing to follow) and left me frustrated.

A book for fans of Neil Gaiman? Yep, i'll take that. An ephemeral Italian-inspired city named Panduri that can only be seen at Twilight? Right up my street! The premise of 'Deepest Blue' had me extremely excited and desperate to begin reading, but, ultimately, I found it a very frustrating experience as it felt like the author had a truly magical and fairly original idea, but that the execution of said idea fell short of the mark. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement as I thought this had the potential to become a bestseller and catapult Tarquini to the top. I have to mention the dreamy cover art too. Stunning.

Here, the writing style is either one you will love or hate depending on individual preferences. It is often quite lyrical but as I appreciate wonderful descriptions, this was one of the aspects I particularly enjoyed about the story. That being said, I think if you are not a fan of this type of prose you are likely to feel that the plot doesn't move as quickly as you'd like. I had an issue with the fact that the plot jumped around a lot with no prior warning leading to confusion. I enjoy complex narratives and would like to think I am a fairly astute reader, but this was far too complex for me. If felt like we were missing a lot of vital background information that was essential to understand the characters' motivations - it almost felt like joining a series in the middle as I was so lost. As a seasoned crime reader I am used to having to piece together clues, however, here, I felt that there wasn't enough clues to be able to understand how the world works. I felt sad that this didn't work as its positive message of resilience in the face of adversity is one most of us need right now with the current state of worldwide affairs. Vague, confusing and frustrating but with some joyful, unique and magical moments thrown in for good measure. I yearned for the story to blow me away, it felt like that sort of book, but alas, I was left absolutely gutted.

I am under no illusion, this could've been a exquisite book, but there were too many things that let it down for me. I do hope that Tarquini continues to write as I would try another of her titles should she publish more in the future. I just hope she can hone her skills because she certainly shows promise in my opinion.

Many thanks to SparkPress for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Oh I struggled with this book… I restarted it four times in total, getting to about 35% of the way through each time, before I finally managed to push myself to try and finish it (to be honest I still have about 20 pages left but they are probably not going to effect my thoughts).

This needed to be an epic fantasy over a novel. All the way through this book I have felt I had missed pages, hence the going back and starting again. I felt I was just missing so much information. I love books that throw you in the deep end and let you figure out the world on your own but there just wasn’t enough clues to piece the world together and get swept up in its magic. Midsummer plays an important role within the life of the inhabitants of Panduri, described as being where they reflect on there lives and their destiny. However, wither it was due to the layout of the ARC not clearly defining the passage of time in delineated sections or the story telling itself, we just seemed to fly thorough Midsummers every few pages. You would just be getting a little bit of story finally catching on to who these characters are and then boom its the next Midsummer, boom something happened, then boom next Midsummer! The pace is so blisteringly fast that I found it hard to keep pace with the characters which is why I put the book down so many times.

For me the staccato nature of the characters narratives took so much attention that it detracted from my enjoyment. One particular instance that sticks clearly in my mind (as i read it four times) is the quickest form of insta-love I have ever witnessed and I read a lot of YA! One line a character is bemoaning his lot to his parents, just 10 lines later he is declaring his love to a woman that has not even been given a name or a description other than beautiful, a few lines later he is back defending his sudden finding of love and how that should not change his prescribed destiny. It took a lot of time for me to unpick the goings on while the reader was rattled around like a pinball.

The writing its self is gorgeous and I could see a magical, mystical world unfolding if we, as readers, were just given more time to explore and let ourselves be enveloped by all the marvellous sights and sounds instead of ushered through as a breakneck speed. The use of musical language as descriptors was enticing and the descriptions of the flora and fauna of Panduri, when we got them, were enchanting. I could have seen myself falling in love with this magical realm if I had been allowed to relish in the world-building. This book definitely demands commitment, the actual plot is quiet rewarding if you manage to follow and unpack it all. It is not one you can jump in and out of when you have the time.

Overall, I did actually enjoyed the book once I got into it. I would recommend taking some time with the book as the lyrical writing and the overall plot are worth it, but it needs time and your full attention.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and excited by the description. It sounded exactly the kind of book I love - fantasy, based in mythology, a unique world - however, once I began reading, I was thoroughly disappointed.

This book throws you right in the deep end, straight into a world full of characters you have no understanding of. When done properly, this can be a very effective literary technique, however I felt that the novel never really delivered the backstory and world-building which is required to ensure the audience properly understand the plot.

By halfway through the book, I still had no idea how Panduri worked, what it looked like, where it was, or even what species its occupants were. Vague comments would occasionally be thrown in about grass-covered streets or bowers made of branches, but immediately followed by descriptions of offices and conservatories,; this led to much confusion, on my part, about the kind of world Panduri was, and made it very difficult for me to picture.

The plot jumped around so much that I rarely knew what was happening which, combined with seemingly random and unannounced changes in character perspective, made for a very confusing read.

Overall, I was unfortunately unable to enjoy this novel.
With some more world-building, and a more streamlined plot, it could have been great; but in its current form I think it is a very difficult story to understand and, therefore, enjoy.

For a good part of this book I felt like I was missing something... a good explanation,or maybe a previous book.
The whole thing was confusing me..... I still don't quite know how time worked,because either it moved quickly or midsummer was every few months.
When I sat down to a chunk of reading though,the book was charming... I loved the idea of sprites taking messages for sweets. . The songs,the music,the offer of barter with rainbows... there was magic there.
Magic and a whole heap of confused family drama.... 
I think I've finished the book knowing who was who and what relation to everyone else...

Ah! It feels so good to be back. 

Don't get me wrong, vacation was wonderful and I loved every moment of it, but there is something about being back in my own home and my own bed that is just so peaceful.

This year we took a vacation to our favorite beach, and it was just what I needed! 

No beach vacation would be complete without some beach reading, so naturally, you'll see plenty of reviews coming.

Look at that cover!

I couldn't resist requesting this beauty from NetGalley.

In Panduri, an enchanted city seen only at twilight, everyone’s path is mapped, everyone’s destiny decided, their lives charted at birth and steered by an unwavering star. Everyone has his place, and Matteo, second son of Panduri’s duca, is eager to take up his as Legendary Protector—at the border and out from under his father’s domineering thumb. Then Matteo’s older brother pulls rank and heads to the border in his stead, leaving Panduri’s orbit in a spiral and Matteo’s course on a skid. Forced to follow an unexpected path, resentful and raw, Matteo is determined to rise, to pursue the one future Panduri’s star can never chart: a life of his own.

Guys, I really wanted to love this book. It has everything I look for in fantasy titles--magic, world building, mythos. The story was interesting and compelling, too.

But it was also really confusing.

I love novels with complicated world building that just drop you right into the middle of the story and tell you to swim, (Anne Bishop and N.K. Jemisin, I'm looking at you.) so that's what I did. I put my head down and I swam, looking for shore, and I never found it.

About 2/3rds the way through, I started to understand some aspects of how Panduri operated, but there was not enough clarity to just sit back and enjoy what was happening, and there was no point at which everything clicked and I had that 'aha' moment. 

I like to think I'm a pretty astute reader and complexity is something I look for in books, but this one was totally over my head. 

I feel almost uncomfortable reviewing  Deepest Blue. It's not a bad book. The writing is good and the characters were interesting, but I just wish I could have grasped more of the world that was built around them.

Three out of five stars.

I received an ARC from SparkPress, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions provided are mine.  Deepest Blue goes on sale September 25th, 2018.

The premise for Deepest Blue sounded amazing! Likened to Neil Gaiman?! Yes please! An emphemeral city that can only be seen during Twilight?! Yes!! However, this one just did not deliver for me. The writing and structural styles of this book were both unnecessarily convoluted; the sentences were incredibly long and cluttered, and the plot jumped around so much that I could not follow it and ended up being incredibly confused. Although I can remember the general premise, the intimate narrative details continue to elude me, even after finishing this novel.

Thank you for the early copy.

I picked this up because of the stunning cover and found a unique science fiction novel. A interesting and well done novel. I recommend this for fans of science fiction!