Hassana and Husseina's story begins with a brutal raid that completely changes their lives. The twin sisters are separated from that day and while each learn to become their true selves, they also battle the desire to reunite. Unbelievably, after years the sisters are able to reunite and work past their changes and differences to work on their sisterly bond. This story was moving and the prose was beautiful and evocative. I would highly recommend this novel.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Deep Blue Between introduces you to twin sisters, Hassana and Husseina. Their home is currently in ruins after a raid, but that's not the only thing that has disrupted their lives. No, they actually end up separated and now have to travel on their new journeys alone. One is in Brazil and the other is in West Africa.

Even though they are apart they are still somewhat connected. Mostly within their dreams though. It was very interesting how they put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to figure out where the other was. Me? I would not have figured that out just by water alone. If I could use a lifeline like phone a friend, ask Siri, or use google - then maybe I could figure it out. Then again, I don't have twin to worry about.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the narrator for this. They ended up doing a great job integrating the storylines together. I was kind of hoping for two narrators though that way the sisters could be more defined to my ears. Still ended up enjoying everything though.

In the end, it kind of felt like things were a bit rushed towards the last chapter. Or maybe things were just easier to complete? Not exactly sure but that's how I feel right now. I also wanted more of sibling dynamic as well. It was a very interesting book, though, but had potential to be a bit better in my eyes. I'm still really happy that I got the chance to jump into this and look forward to the next book Ayesha writes!

The deep blue between tells the story of twin sisters who were separated after a raid on their village in 1892 and hope to find each other again.

I struggled with this story. I was able to finish, but it didn't seem to flow for me. The beginning felt slow, and although it did seem to pick up a but, it slowed back down again

This is a test review because I work for the publisher and don't want to skew the results but need to get these off my shelves.

A quant love story. I liked the cultural elements interwoven. Not what I was expecting from the story and ended up being middle of the road for me.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The Deep Blue Between tells the story of twin sisters who are separated and who end up in Brazil and the Gold Coast of West Africa. They have both similar and very different experiences yet, they stay connected through dreams. This was an intriguing and interesting book that is saddening and hopeful. While this is billed as YA, I could see older teens and new adults connecting with it more, as the coming of age story follows the sisters more in their older teen ages.

Such a tiny book packs a punch in my latest book review. I was drawn in by the premise of twin sisters being separated during a raid that landed them in slavery, and I was interested in how the story would shape once these twins found each other. Unfortunately, the book fell a little bit flat for me.

TDBB didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I thought I'd see grit and hardship. I wasn't expecting anything brutal because it is a children's book, but a little more pushback going against the mission? Everything felt too easy. While the characters did reach their objectives, it wasn't the big huzzah I was looking for.

I did enjoy the girl's journey of learning about religion and faith. When we connect slavery with religion, it's always forced teachings to diminish whatever God or Devil they worshiped. Here, the girls got a chance to explore and choose whether they believed in the creed and wanted to practice it. I also liked the twin's connection through their dreams. I always found it fascinating that two people will always be connected because they share the same DNA. That will always be a mythical wonder to me.

In turn, I didn't know how I felt about the book. One minute I'm super into it, and then the next, I'm bored. It read very middle grade. It had a little childlike suspense, like we were about to see something devastating and epic, but it lulls as the author shies away from further trauma.

Beautiful story of growing into adulthood as a young woman and each twin goes on her own journey. Being torn apart makes for a traumatic start to their maturing and we go right beside them as they each figure out their life's purpose and as they try to find each other again.

Hassana and Husseina are twin sisters that are separated and given different paths after their home is raided.

This book is a historical fiction with a coming of age story between twins who have to find their way back to each other. Each twin experiences vastly different ways of life after their home was raided. I enjoyed learning about Candomble religion that Husseina experiences and practices! This book made me want to research Nigeria and Brazil during the 1890s with abolishment of slavery and how Europeans were involved there as well. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the character development of both the twins!!

Disclaimer: I received The Deep Blue Between as an ARC through NetGalley and I'm voluntarily leaving this review.

I spotlighted The Deep Blue Between as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms.

This book took me from the Gold Coast to Brazil and back. I loved learning the culture and history of the late 18th century. Although slavery was not the main focus, this book shows how slavery impacted their lives and was the turning point to it. The chapters alternating between the two sisters really allowed the reader to feel for both sisters and allowed us to see them grow into women. I loved how the author showed us how different of lives both sisters lived and how that impacted how they saw life as a whole.

This book, to me, was deeply evocative of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. The storytelling was deep and painted very vivid and lush images of the setting and the characters themselves. While moving and emotionally intense, it was still accessible and could certainly be used in classroom learning. I very much enjoyed this work.

Wonderful read and hauntingly beautiful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is so good i I gave it 5 stars I love the story plot and the characters .

I highly recommend

The Deep Blue Between was a beautiful story about two young twin girls, Hassana and Husseina, who were torn from their home and each other by a conquering nation. During their time apart both twins grow in their own identities, learn new languages and cultures, travel across both Africa and the world, and develop new relationships by choice and by force. Attah captures the nuance of leaving one’s home and family, not by choice, and coming into oneself beautifully in this story that is simultaneously a coming of age story and a longing for home once lost. Throughout their respective journeys these twins stay connected through their dreams, which give them insight into the life of the other without sharing any great detail.

One component of each girls’ journey was their relationship to religion and the development of each of their respective belief systems. I found this aspect of the book particularly compelling, not because each twin develops a unique belief system, but because of the opportunity to learn more about a new religion and culture. Before reading this book I was entirely unfamiliar with Candomblé, a religion that developed in Brazil among the African diaspora. In the Deep Blue Between this religion is practiced through a series of ceremonies in which the practitioners make offerings to specific orixás or spirits with whom individuals may be particularly connected. Without giving too much away, one of our twins is claimed originally by a specific orixá and her incorporation into this spiritual community is a key method through which she develops a sense of identity. Rituals, which our twin takes active part in, involve drumming, singing, and dancing as key components. I am by no means an expert on this religion now, but this has sparked my interest in learning more!

This book was written for young adults, and particularly middle grades students, and I would recommend it for adults, but I would especially recommend it for that audience. The Deep Blue Between addresses major challenges of becoming independent, developing a sense of identity, and learning how to connect with others around you in a way that I believe would truly connect with this age group. The discussions of culture, war, slavery, religion, and puberty are all developmentally appropriate and provide valuable insights into each topic without becoming graphic. It’s a book that I plan on purchasing for my classroom library in the hope that students who read it might become more curious about places like Ghana, Nigeria, and Brazil, as well as their histories and cultures.

REVIEW:

The Deep Blue Between is a story that will stick with you for a long time simply because you feel like you truly get to know and grow with these characters. With a premise similar to The Vanishing Half's premise, this book's main themes revolve around sisterhood and choices made that can impact a family's lives forever.

The descriptions of setting were some of the most vivid parts of this book for me. Aside from being a sucker for all things sister related, the descriptions were top notch from this read. That being said, some of the descriptions can get very dark and gruesome at times. I would definitely recommend looking up trigger warnings if you are able, but the characters in this book are exposed to and face some tough and downright depressing things.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good multigenerational family story, stories about sisterhood, or just family dramas in general. I'm excited to read more from this author in the future and hope everyone else picks this one up when it comes out March 1st!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication.

Hassana and Husseina are the types of sisters you want in your family. I loved how they both are going through real issues and you get to follow along with them. I feel like another sister.

I very much enjoyed the aesthetics of this novel. I felt like I could see the different locations (even before I Googled them, because why not). The author wonderfully wove in history and folklore and I often found myself looking up more information on a word or topic. I love a book that leads me to new information. I struggled a bit with the cohesiveness of the overall story as it did jump around a bit (not just because it alternated narrators), as well as the sisters names sounding so similar to my Western ears. This may not be the case for everyone. Overall I really did enjoy this book and will continue to pursue more stories of Yemanja.

I will start by saying I think that this is a lovely story, with a heartwarming plot about the connection between two sisters that have been separated. It brought up a lot of good themes and highlights parts of not just searching but reunification that can be much more challenging than one would expect. I think this genre/writing style isn't quite for me though. That doesn't mean it wasn't good, just not my cup of tea. I found the pacing a little too slow and descriptive for my tastes, and I didn't feel as engaged with the characters as I wanted it to be. This reads more like a story being told long after it happened, rather than being in the moment with the characters. I think that works for the kind of story it is, but if you're like me and tend to prefer stories that have more present-focused action to suck you in, it may just be a slower read. I'd recommend for anyone who does like more lyrical prose and deep themes.

Twin sisters are separated and sold into slavery in West Africa in the 1890's. They dream of being reunited. Filled with religious rituals [both Christianity sand Candomble] and terminology in Portugese, Gua and Bantu with no glossary make this difficult to follow.