Review: Entertaining and thought provoking romance and self discover in the world of global warming
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2014
Into the Deep by Missy FlemingOn the surface this book looks to be a sort of cross between little mermaid and Splash, but don't let it deceive you; it's much more than that. It has elements of familiar tropes but manages to go just a bit beyond those tropes to reach out to the reader.Zoey is in some way your typical teen girl living a life that's a lie that she doesn't realize and that's going to change. But down further is this young girl who at the age of six lost a limb to a shark accident.  She has a great mother, but she knows nothing about her father. Her mother at one time was very much into water sports and that's why they were out on the ocean that day of the accident. Since that time Zoey has had a fear of the water and the dangers within and her mother has been helping to cultivate that fear.Zoey is reaching the age of 16 and her mother is starting to act a bit strange about the upcoming event. At the same time Zoey is trying to conquer her fear and has decided to go to an underwater exhibit. In Zoey's world there is great reason for her to do this now because the melting waters of the ocean are causing all sorts of changes and what this exhibit has to show may soon all be gone. Also she and her friend Charlotte are making other plans to join a night on the beach with other students and this might upset her mother so she's kept those plans to herself.Strange things happen at the aquarium that further frighten Zoey and events on the beach are destined to change her life forever when she finds herself draw toward the sea despite her own fears.This book contains elements of Romance and Lost Love, Self Discovery and Reunion, Royal Blood and Betrayal.At the heart of it all is Zoey who is coming of age and discovering a whole new world of magic and danger that she must come to terms with quickly in order to stay alive and to keep the ones she loves safe. She may even discover she is in the right place at the right time to save the world.This is a well paced story with some few twists and turns that all make perfect sense as the reader breaks the surface and dives into the deep with Missy Fleming.J.L. Dobias