Title: The Deepest Blue (Tales of Renthia #1)
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: 2019
Genre(s): fantasy, action and adventure
Part of a Series: Yes, Book #1 (and likely adjacent to another book)
Rating: 
Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club pick
Summary: The kingdom of Belene is constantly besieged by the spirits that control nature all around them. The queen of Belene controls the worst of these spirits, the leviathans that dwell in the deepest blue of the oceans that surround the nation of tiny islands. Those who have the power to control the spirits are taken and given a choice: renounce everything – including their own identity – to become a member of the Faceless, guardians who fight the spirits, or take their chance to become an heir to the queendom, which requires facing an island of trials that will likely kill them. When Mayara reveals her powers to protect her village from an attack on her wedding day, she is taken and chooses to face the island. She starts to learn the truth of the system that she has believed keeps her home safe. Will she be able to survive? And if she does, will she have the courage to change everything she has ever known?
