A Kingdom Submerged
by Deborah Grace White
Series: The Vazula Chronicles #1
Series Rating:
Published by Luminant Publications
Publication Date June 17, 2022
Genres: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult
Written for: High-School/Young Adult, Middle School
Pages: 367
Synopsis:
A determined mermaid, the powerless son of a magic-wielding line…two worlds never meant to collide
In spite of being a nameless orphan, Merletta is determined to win the prestigious rank of record holder. And she has no intention of letting a little thing like universal disdain stop her.
Lord Heath knows nothing of mermaids, but coming from the noble House of Dragonfriend, he’s no stranger to magic. Except, in spite of having a dragon for a best friend, Heath is the only magic-less member of his family. Not that he covets the power around him. All he wants is to defuse the growing tension between the power-wielders and their royal cousins.
These two worlds couldn’t be further removed…until Heath’s search for solutions takes him to the forgotten island of Vazula. Now the kingdoms of both land and sea are set on a new current, one which will carry both Heath and Merletta beyond the limit of everything they thought they knew. Because with someone underwater trying to do much worse than push Merletta from the program, and someone on land targeting Heath’s family, the insurmountable barriers keeping Heath and Merletta apart might just be the least of their problems.
A Kingdom Submerged is the first book in The Vazula Chronicles, a YA fantasy series of four installments, which should be read in order. In addition to irritatingly inscrutable dragons, the series features a clean slow burn romance between a mermaid and a reluctantly magical human. If you enjoy adventure, fantasy, mystery, and hard-won happily ever afters, discover the world of The Vazula Chronicles today!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
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I’ve heard about this series for a while. Author Deborah Grace White mentioned in a newsletter at the end of her Kyona Chronicles series that she was working on a mermaid series. Then, she did a detour to The Kingdom Tales series, set in a new kingdom. I’m not sorry she did that but am very glad that The Vazula Chronicles is now getting its debut.
Merletta is an orphaned mermaid who overcame many obstacles to achieve her dream of training for work as a record holder. Surprised to experience prejudice because of her upbringing in the poorest of the Triple Kingdoms, she was not only oppressed by her fellow trainees but was also discounted by the instructors and found her life in danger more than once.
Those with magic and those without, conflicted and fearful over those differences, caused division in the kingdom on land. Heath is the grandson of Jocelyn, from The Legacy of the Curse. Heath is caught in the middle as a royal without magical powers in a family of those with powers. He is insightful and peaceable, unlike his brother Percival, who speaks rashly and causes all manner of trouble.
I loved that Rekavaur had such a major role in the story as a friend of Heath. At least as much as a dragon is capable of being considered so. He continued to delight as he took everything he heard quite literally…
Having read other books about mermaids, I’ve still never felt so completely submerged in an underwater kingdom. Idioms related to breathing were adjusted to make sense in this world. I easily pictured Merletta swimming around the city, not forgetting it was underwater as I read.
This fantasy adventure promises to entertain young adult and adult readers alike. It does end with a cliffhanger, but not to worry, the next books are being released in quick succession.
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About Deborah Grace White
I’ve been a reader since I can remember, growing up on a wide range of books, from classic literature to light-hearted romps. The love of reading has traveled with me unchanged across multiple continents, and carried me from my own childhood all the way to having children of my own.
But if reading is like looking through a window into a magical and beautiful world, beginning to write my own stories was like discovering that I could open that window and climb right out into fantasyland.
I cannot believe how privileged I am to actually be living that childhood dream and publishing my own novels. I do so from my hometown of Adelaide, Australia, where I live with my husband and our two, soon to be three, little munchkins.
I’ve never outgrown my love of young adult stories, and my first series, The Kyona Chronicles, is a young adult fantasy series of four novels and two novellas.
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