As a book reviewer of Islamic fiction and Islamic rep in books, I often go out on a limb to find books that I think might feature a Muslim character or be written by a Muslim author. With the author's name of Ayesha Harruna Attah and characters named Hussaina and Hassana and Aminah I thought surely there is going to be an Islamic presence, but alas the characters are not Muslim, there are a few side characters that are, the story however, is that of twins and their journey away and back to each other. The characters are interesting and compelling, and perhaps I didn't fully understand all of the details of the book, but I found myself unable to stop reading: the richness used in describing the tribal faith, the role of the Christian missionaries, the friendships built and lost, the colonialism, the dreams, it weaves together a beautiful engaging story for ages 13 or 14 and up. There is physical and sexual abuse, a romantic kiss, and some maturity I think needed to appreciate the political and systemic abuses that occurrs to the characters in West Africa and Brazil in the 1890s..

I'm glad I read this OWN voice book with details that transport you to a different place and time with ease and precision. I think the characters and their lives will stay with me, and I look forward to learning more about the "real" environment that this fictional story takes place in. A family in Lagos that one of the twins lives with is Muslim, they lady covers, they fast in Ramadan, and identify as such. The other twin sees a house with a crescent and moon on it in Brazil, and recognizes it as a mosque. When she needs help and advice she seeks out Baba Sule, "who is not of the Candomble' belief, but is wise." There is nothing more really, but it was nice to see those details remarked upon by the main characters, and makes me all the more curious to know the presence of Islam in the late 1800s in communities that are mentioned in the book.

I loved the story that unfolded throughout this book. It is based around two twins that have been separated due to the slave trade. They are trying to find their way back to each other and can only see where the other is through their dreams. There are so many nice people that help the girls throughout their journey to make sure that they get back to each other. It was interesting to see how each girl responded to the situation that she was put in and how they were both given the same advice, but at different times. Their lives became completely different and made it so that when they reunited, they found nothing in common. Teenage girls are often influenced by what they have gone through, and if they cannot relate to what happened to someone else, they tend to give up on them and move on to someone that they can relate to. Even though they are twins, they do not have to have the same life experiences. I really enjoyed how different this was from what I have been reading lately.

This book was a love story between sisters and the diaspora. Attah’s language was haunting and beautiful, I can’t wait to read more as this was the first book I’ve read by them. I also LOVED the idea of spirit connecting two separated souls (or maybe I was reading too deeply into that).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. We read the story of two twins who are separated after being kidnapped and held captive. As they grew older, found their own families, and recognized the importance of their twin power, readers went on quite the ride. I appreciate that the storyline was not predictable. Readers got the perspectives of both twins, Hassana and Husseina. Though the sea separated them, they were bonded by their dreams and twin connections. The power of family and the love of sisters is beautiful. Their established communities and families were also a delight to meet and get to know.

I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed how the author wrote about both characters' perspectives and the historical context of this book was amazing! I highly recommend this YA book.

This book split perspectives between 2 twins who had been torn apart after their village was raided--i learned after reading that they (and other characters) were introduced in a previous book, which might have helped me? The narrative from one twin, written in the first person, was really lush and engaging, but i had a hard time switching into the third-person approach of the half of the book narrated by the other twin. I think that even the difference of having both perspectives as first person would have made me more able to be pulled through it.

this is a beautiful story about sisterhood, rich with history and culture and meaningful discussions of intersectionality of all of these. highly recommend if you're interested in this kind of narrative.

— thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book.

This is the story of twins Hassana and Husseina stolen apart at the age of 10.One stays in Africa the other to Brazil where she dwells in faith and spirits. In the background is the need to be together instilled by the dreams they both keep having. Told in the two points of view, the chapters are long and make it harder to understand the passing of time and how important they are to each other. The cultures need a learning curve on the reader's part as the are unfamiliar.

The Deep Blue Between is wonderfully historical, rich with character and detail, and well worth sharing with readers (young and old).

This was an incredible story, sometimes sad but sometimes comforting. The pacing was a bit slow at times but worked with the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I enjoyed learning about the history and cultures, but struggled to connect with the characters. I don’t think I realized it was YA when I requested it. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either…I just felt it was missing something. Love the cover!

A beautiful and rich story following twin sisters who were tragically separated at childhood

Twin sisters Hassan and Husseina are separated during their childhood after a raid of their village. The story switches between both sisters points of view and follows their journey as they grow up along different paths. Hassana, ends up in Accra where she learns english and works toward social change. While Husseina is taken to Brazil where she was taken in by a Candomblé group, and adopts the name Vitóra. Both sisters retain a connection to one another through dreams, and this is how Hassana comes to find out her sister is in Brasil. Being separated by an ocean, as well as different cultures, Will the sisters be reunited?

I enjoyed the culturally rich story following both Hassana and Husseina’s journey through childhood to adolescence and finally into adulthood. Although the sisters retain their connection to each other their experiences differ drastically and these experiences are what shape them into unique individuals. Seeing each sister’s journey and their growth kept me reading to see if they would be united, and when they were how they would get along.

I appreciated that I could read and learn about a new context of history that I wasn’t familiar with and loved the cast of rich characters that supported both sisters through their Journeys. I did find the switch between first person (for Hassana’s story) and third person (for Husseina’s story) a bit difficult to switch between at times, and also made it difficult for me at times to really connect with Huseeina. Overall the book shows the strength of the sisters and how they meet and overcome the challenges in their world to find what they really want, so I would definitely recommend it.

This is such a beautiful story of how two twins who are forcefully separated work to find one another again. Each girl goes on her own journey through childhood, adolescence, and then teenage years. They are twins, but each grows into her own person with her own passions and strengths. They lead their own lives and make their own paths. Their journeys to self discovery is so real and powerful. This is such a well done and beautiful book (and that cover is simply gorgeous). I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.

Thank you to Ayesha Harruna Attah, Lerner Publishing, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.