What do you think?
Rate this book
The Water Kingdom
For seventeen-year-old Nell, life is about to take a chilling turn.
Raised by a workaholic uncle and used to being over looked in a crowd, Nell has found life to be rather dull and uneventful…Until the day of a school field trip out to White Shell Lagoon. Going against her nature, Nell bends a rule – and makes a shocking discovery.
Now she has a secret that no one will believe, one that whispers danger even as it seems to call to her very soul. What really lurks beneath the glassy waves… and how much will finding out cost her?
All she knows is that she’s caught the attention of a strange boy with special abilities and violet eyes, a boy she is certain cannot be human.
Trapped by rules and tradition in a deteriorating kingdom, Sebastian feels he has no other choice except to act. Taking matters, and fate, into his own hands, the daring young man enters the realm of humans to retrieve what was once taken. The land beyond the waves is no friend to his kind, yet to save his home, he will do what few before him have ever dared. He is prepared for almost anything… except meeting a girl who somehow poses a threat to his identity, his hidden world and to everything he has ever known.
As the two fight for their own agendas it becomes clear that they may just have more in common than either realizes...
Raised by a workaholic uncle and used to being over looked in a crowd, Nell has found life to be rather dull and uneventful…Until the day of a school field trip out to White Shell Lagoon. Going against her nature, Nell bends a rule – and makes a shocking discovery.
Now she has a secret that no one will believe, one that whispers danger even as it seems to call to her very soul. What really lurks beneath the glassy waves… and how much will finding out cost her?
All she knows is that she’s caught the attention of a strange boy with special abilities and violet eyes, a boy she is certain cannot be human.
Trapped by rules and tradition in a deteriorating kingdom, Sebastian feels he has no other choice except to act. Taking matters, and fate, into his own hands, the daring young man enters the realm of humans to retrieve what was once taken. The land beyond the waves is no friend to his kind, yet to save his home, he will do what few before him have ever dared. He is prepared for almost anything… except meeting a girl who somehow poses a threat to his identity, his hidden world and to everything he has ever known.
As the two fight for their own agendas it becomes clear that they may just have more in common than either realizes...
- GenresFantasy
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2016
5 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Deborah J. Gray
3 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 20, 2016
Nell is a nobody, a loser. That girl whose goal in life is to just make it through another day. But when she sneaks onto a field trip against her uncle’s wishes, her life is suddenly thrown upside down. Sebastian is a future king, and he’s gone on a rogue mission from the water kingdom in attempts to rescue the long-lost future queen, only to get stuck on earth with no way back unless he can find the queen and a special locket. He certainly never expected to cross paths with Nell...
I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this book! The back-and-forth from Nell’s POV to Sebastian’s POV was a bit annoying in the beginning, and I thought that it would take away the fun, mysterious factors of the story and make it less thrilling. But it really wasn’t like that at all. After I got used to the switches, it seemed to work out wonderfully, and I think that the story couldn’t have been told properly if it had been written any other way. Nice call on the author’s part there.
I might criticize Nell for being a bit of a “damsel in distress” kind of character with too many weaknesses and not enough strengths to the point of her being over-victimized, but again... I feel like that’s just WORKED for this story. I actually really loved Nell and could relate to her, cheered her on, and found her to be a very realistic character. Sebastian was also a total doll, and his cluelessness (and mentioning the “non-beads”) had me cracking up throughout the book.
Overall, an excellent book, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series!
I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this book! The back-and-forth from Nell’s POV to Sebastian’s POV was a bit annoying in the beginning, and I thought that it would take away the fun, mysterious factors of the story and make it less thrilling. But it really wasn’t like that at all. After I got used to the switches, it seemed to work out wonderfully, and I think that the story couldn’t have been told properly if it had been written any other way. Nice call on the author’s part there.
I might criticize Nell for being a bit of a “damsel in distress” kind of character with too many weaknesses and not enough strengths to the point of her being over-victimized, but again... I feel like that’s just WORKED for this story. I actually really loved Nell and could relate to her, cheered her on, and found her to be a very realistic character. Sebastian was also a total doll, and his cluelessness (and mentioning the “non-beads”) had me cracking up throughout the book.
Overall, an excellent book, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series!
August 8, 2016
Seventeen-year-old Nell has always been overlooked in school, crowds, and even by her distant uncle. Until she meets Sebastian, a young man who has taken upon himself to accomplish a dangerous mission to safe his deteriorating kingdom. While the protagonists have seemingly different lives, the two begin to learn how much in common they actually have.
Written in alternating perspectives, Ms. Gray, has created a mystical world where the reader can easily be swooped into. I am excited for the next one in the series since it seems like the actual Water Kingdom will truly be explored! This novel focuses more on the build up of the Water Kingdom. Though this is a young adult read, both characters are mature for their age. In turn, it makes the story more pleasant to read.
My favorite parts to read were when Sebastian interpreted things in the land world as something strange and new. Not being human, Sebastian's somewhat innocence, though someone to not mess with, makes him an extremely likable character.
I highly recommend this read to those who enjoy young adult fantasy reads. Also, for those who would like to like to explore a new type of world - one filled with water!
I received a free copy of this book from the JGBS Review Library in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own and no compensation was received.
Written in alternating perspectives, Ms. Gray, has created a mystical world where the reader can easily be swooped into. I am excited for the next one in the series since it seems like the actual Water Kingdom will truly be explored! This novel focuses more on the build up of the Water Kingdom. Though this is a young adult read, both characters are mature for their age. In turn, it makes the story more pleasant to read.
My favorite parts to read were when Sebastian interpreted things in the land world as something strange and new. Not being human, Sebastian's somewhat innocence, though someone to not mess with, makes him an extremely likable character.
I highly recommend this read to those who enjoy young adult fantasy reads. Also, for those who would like to like to explore a new type of world - one filled with water!
I received a free copy of this book from the JGBS Review Library in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own and no compensation was received.
January 31, 2018
I really enjoyed this - it was the most entertaining young adult fantasy romance I've read in a while. Sort of like Looking for Alibrandi meets Twilight - but with interesting sea-people instead of vampires. It was fun and well-paced and I'm intrigued to find out what happens next!
February 24, 2018
A very enjoyable book, that i couldn't put down. It is a good mix of action, romance, humour and adventure and i really liked the interactions between the characters (especially wayne and sebastian).
March 27, 2019
I quite enjoyed this interesting story until I ran into a cuss word! Bummer! I don't read stories with cussing in them, so I didn't get very far into it.
March 15, 2016
The Water Kingdom is a teen/young adult novel with two separate narratives telling the stories of Nell, a 17-year-old girl living in the human world, and Sebastian/Saebeorht, who has crossed over from another realm to fulfil a self-appointed mission. The story opens with Sebastian's crossing, pulling the reader immediately into the action and throwing a bunch of unanswered questions their way. We then move into Nell's POV and switch between the two for the rest of the novel.
Nell and Sebastian have their own distinct narrative voices and it's interesting to see their individual stories unfold and how their characters develop, even though the story only takes place over the course of less than a week. I found Nell's side of the story to be less interesting than Sebastian's; generally, I find any storyline set in a school to be tedious, and the background characters within this setting seemed to read like cookie-cutter additions with little depth.
Sebastian was a much more mysterious character while Nell was open and honest about her emotions. I found Sebastian and his companion Waed's speech patterns a little confusing - they've never been to the human world before and have been brought up to be extremely well-mannered, yet Waed frequently comes out with phrases that are distinct to modern-day teenagers, and even Sebastian's high-class speech sometimes lapses in the passages from his POV.
Given that it's a YA book about a boy and a girl, I was expecting them to fall in love somewhere along the line. Insta-love is not my thing, but within the context of this story and the circumstances that throw Nell and Sebastian together, it does make sense and they do suit one another. I like that they each bring out one another's fiery side.
The writing style of this book was well-paced and succinct without any lengthy descriptions to bog it down. Personally I thought the story was the perfect length and the ending wrapped this section of the series up nicely while leaving the viewer eager to find out what happens next. Unfortunately there are frequent typos - I don't mark down for typos but it's worth noting because it can be a little distracting. I also thought the plot direction was too easy to work out, for me at least. Once I figured out one part of the story, I could easy figure out what effect it would have from there, and given the mysterious circumstances of the very beginning, I personally would have enjoyed it more if the story's secrets had been left closer to the end.
Overall, a well-paced and nicely written story melding together two distinct narratives in an intriguing way. I plan to check out the next one to find out what happens in the next stage of the characters' journey.
Nell and Sebastian have their own distinct narrative voices and it's interesting to see their individual stories unfold and how their characters develop, even though the story only takes place over the course of less than a week. I found Nell's side of the story to be less interesting than Sebastian's; generally, I find any storyline set in a school to be tedious, and the background characters within this setting seemed to read like cookie-cutter additions with little depth.
Sebastian was a much more mysterious character while Nell was open and honest about her emotions. I found Sebastian and his companion Waed's speech patterns a little confusing - they've never been to the human world before and have been brought up to be extremely well-mannered, yet Waed frequently comes out with phrases that are distinct to modern-day teenagers, and even Sebastian's high-class speech sometimes lapses in the passages from his POV.
Given that it's a YA book about a boy and a girl, I was expecting them to fall in love somewhere along the line. Insta-love is not my thing, but within the context of this story and the circumstances that throw Nell and Sebastian together, it does make sense and they do suit one another. I like that they each bring out one another's fiery side.
The writing style of this book was well-paced and succinct without any lengthy descriptions to bog it down. Personally I thought the story was the perfect length and the ending wrapped this section of the series up nicely while leaving the viewer eager to find out what happens next. Unfortunately there are frequent typos - I don't mark down for typos but it's worth noting because it can be a little distracting. I also thought the plot direction was too easy to work out, for me at least. Once I figured out one part of the story, I could easy figure out what effect it would have from there, and given the mysterious circumstances of the very beginning, I personally would have enjoyed it more if the story's secrets had been left closer to the end.
Overall, a well-paced and nicely written story melding together two distinct narratives in an intriguing way. I plan to check out the next one to find out what happens in the next stage of the characters' journey.
September 5, 2016
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
For Sebastian, the only choice he feels he can make is to take action himself and look for the missing queen, even if it means he can never go home again. This way at least someone is actually doing something, not just sitting around. Nell has lived a structured and rigid life, never breaking a rule, but never feeling she fit in either. Stowing away on a field trip that she never got permission to go on is the biggest rule break she has ever done, and she is sure something bad is going to happen to her for it. The Water Kingdom (The Water Novels Book 1) tells the story of Sebastian and his quest, and what happens when he accidentally runs into Nell. Author Deborah Gray takes a fantasy/fiction story of two different worlds, and mixes it with coming of age, romance and finding your voice to give young adult readers a meaningful and rich story.
The Water Kingdom is titled to be the first in a series, a let me warn you now, the end is a cliffhanger! Its a natural ending point, but at the same time, there are just too many unanswered questions, so a second book feels like a must! Author Deborah Gray writes in an easy, confident manner that engages the reader and has to identifying with the characters, remembering people from your own high school experience just like them. Although it is set in a fantasy/fiction setting, the plotline and issues of not fitting in, feeling alone, and not having a choice in life are issues that teens today all feel that they are faced with. This is a great book for all readys, it is clean, there is no sex or graphic violence, so I recommend it for any age.
For Sebastian, the only choice he feels he can make is to take action himself and look for the missing queen, even if it means he can never go home again. This way at least someone is actually doing something, not just sitting around. Nell has lived a structured and rigid life, never breaking a rule, but never feeling she fit in either. Stowing away on a field trip that she never got permission to go on is the biggest rule break she has ever done, and she is sure something bad is going to happen to her for it. The Water Kingdom (The Water Novels Book 1) tells the story of Sebastian and his quest, and what happens when he accidentally runs into Nell. Author Deborah Gray takes a fantasy/fiction story of two different worlds, and mixes it with coming of age, romance and finding your voice to give young adult readers a meaningful and rich story.
The Water Kingdom is titled to be the first in a series, a let me warn you now, the end is a cliffhanger! Its a natural ending point, but at the same time, there are just too many unanswered questions, so a second book feels like a must! Author Deborah Gray writes in an easy, confident manner that engages the reader and has to identifying with the characters, remembering people from your own high school experience just like them. Although it is set in a fantasy/fiction setting, the plotline and issues of not fitting in, feeling alone, and not having a choice in life are issues that teens today all feel that they are faced with. This is a great book for all readys, it is clean, there is no sex or graphic violence, so I recommend it for any age.
May 31, 2016
The Water Kingdom (The Water Novels, Book 1) by Deborah J Gray
Seventeen year old Nell lives with her very busy Uncle. She is a bit of a loner and doesn't have any friends. She goes on a class trip and soon discovers something unbelievable and amazing. Deep below the sea holds many secrets, Nell is soon to uncover. She meets a boy with beautiful purple eyes, she is certain he is not human.
Sebastian is from another realm, and he wants to reclaim what was once taken. This may not be easy, and it certainly is dangerous. Then he meets a human, which will complicate things even further. Will Nell and Sebastian s two worlds collide, or will they be able to unite and do what must be done?
A fantastic fantasy that is very original, moves at a steady pace, filled with danger, drama, secrets and a splash of love. Nell is very likable, she has been dealt a "bad hand in life" and just wants to be "normal" and happy. Sebastian is also very likable, he is sensible, responsible and does what he feels he must do in life, to make it a good one for him and all he loves. Overall I foundThe Water Kingdom an enjoyable read, and suggest to Y/A (and Adult) readers who love a great fantasy!
Seventeen year old Nell lives with her very busy Uncle. She is a bit of a loner and doesn't have any friends. She goes on a class trip and soon discovers something unbelievable and amazing. Deep below the sea holds many secrets, Nell is soon to uncover. She meets a boy with beautiful purple eyes, she is certain he is not human.
Sebastian is from another realm, and he wants to reclaim what was once taken. This may not be easy, and it certainly is dangerous. Then he meets a human, which will complicate things even further. Will Nell and Sebastian s two worlds collide, or will they be able to unite and do what must be done?
A fantastic fantasy that is very original, moves at a steady pace, filled with danger, drama, secrets and a splash of love. Nell is very likable, she has been dealt a "bad hand in life" and just wants to be "normal" and happy. Sebastian is also very likable, he is sensible, responsible and does what he feels he must do in life, to make it a good one for him and all he loves. Overall I foundThe Water Kingdom an enjoyable read, and suggest to Y/A (and Adult) readers who love a great fantasy!
April 18, 2016
An enjoyable teen adventure that kept me up a little too late last night. The Water Kingdom is competently written with a well-paced plot and an intriguing background mythos. The direction of the plot was, perhaps, a little too easy to put together, and felt a little too convenient, especially later in the novel when a certain Uncle was conspicuously absent, for reasons I do not truly understand. I was hooked fairly early, but did find my attention somewhat waning around 70%, especially after the climatic confrontation... the winding up and ironing out the details went on perhaps a little too long, and lacked somewhat in tension.
However, for a debut novel, The Water Kingdom certainly kept me engaged and entertained.
However, for a debut novel, The Water Kingdom certainly kept me engaged and entertained.
November 1, 2017
Deborah J. Gray, The Water Kingdom
I liked the book very much.
The protagonists feel real, the diference between their worlds is nice. A good idea to let them speak in different modes of speach: both peak English, but his is very stilted.
This is not only a story of two different worlds, it is also a story of growing up, choosing what you want to do with the rest of your life, realizing there will always be restrictions.
I am looking forward to part two.
I liked the book very much.
The protagonists feel real, the diference between their worlds is nice. A good idea to let them speak in different modes of speach: both peak English, but his is very stilted.
This is not only a story of two different worlds, it is also a story of growing up, choosing what you want to do with the rest of your life, realizing there will always be restrictions.
I am looking forward to part two.
October 6, 2022
I loved this book. As a debut novel it was well-written, fun, filled with suspense and easy to read.
I found the characters believable, and the entire plot easy to follow and I'm now looking forward to the next instalment.
I found the characters believable, and the entire plot easy to follow and I'm now looking forward to the next instalment.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews