Rating: 
Summary: Charming Nia of Atlantis
Review: Nia, a sixteen year old mermyd, has always wanted to be an Avatar. There are trials in Atlantis whenever an Avater steps down or in other words they sort of retire. Unfortuantly... Garun, her cousin is chosen to represent the Bluefish clan. Nia knows she is way better qualafied and is crushed that her dream is over. Garun is just...boring. He's not very fast either. So she starts investigating why she was not chosen. Even her grandfater, Dynosis will not tell her the truth and that is so unlike him.
Nia also loves Cephan, who was also chosen to represent his clan. One day, Cephan shows Nia a secret. He is a guard of Ma'el and his Farworlder, a Avater in prison and is unknown to most. Ma'el was banished and is evil and powerful still, Cephan, she discovers, is not as he seems. Everything in her world is not as it seems and Atlantis is in danger... Nia discovers surprise after surprise. Surprises of her true family, love, betrayal, and her destiny.
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Summary: The thrilling first book in a new fantasy trilogy.
Review: Sixteen-year-old Nia loves her home, the beautiful and peaceful underwater city of Atlantis. And her greatest wish is to be one of the ten Avatars that rule the city alongside the ancient alien race known as the Farworlders. Now that one of the Avatars and his Farworlder companion are retiring from the Council, Nia finally has the chance for her dream to come true. When another from her clan, the Bluefins, is selected to compete for the honor instead, Nia is devastated. How could her untalented cousin Garun be chosen over her? When Cephan, whom Nia secretly loves, shows her a secret that challenges her deepest beliefs about her home, she is crushed. Has everything she has always held to be true really a lie? Cephan seems to care about her, but is he holding something back? Nia is on her own, and if she wants to uncover the secret of Atlantis, time is running out. I loved this book and I can't wait to read the other two books that will complete this trilogy. I highly recommend this book to teens who enjoy fantasy novels or who are interested in the legend of Atlantis.
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Summary: Brilliant Start to A Wonderful New Series
Review: Sixteen-year-old Nia, a member of the Bluefin Clan, has held one wish close to her heart for as long as she can remember - to follow in her Grandfather's footsteps and become an Avatar to her beloved birthplace and home, known as Atlantis. However, becoming an Avatar is quite a challenge. For only ten Avatars are chosen to rule the undersea city, along with the ancient Farworlders, a creature whose magic helps to keep the world of Atlantis alive. Avatars are respected, and hold quite a large heap of honor and responsibility, which is why Nia hopes to have the chance to take her place among the ten. And she is in luck, for she now has a chance to see her dream come true, as it is time to choose a new Avatar, and Nia knows that she is over-qualified. However, there is one thing holding Nia back, the fact that for her wish to come true, Atlantis would be destroyed forever as we know it.
Kara Dalkey has done an amazing job in creating a world unlike any I have ever read about. Her vivid descriptions of the towns, and people of Atlantis are utterly breathtaking; and her characters are intriguing, while at the same time filled with their very own individual quirks that makes the book as good as it is. While this is a story about mermaids, it features many different creatures never even read, or heard about, which will please both male and female readers of all ages. Overall this is a remarkable start to an enchanting new series, that will be loved by many.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven, but quite readable
Review: The cover art is gorgeous. Well, it is. The most ecstatic of my praise for Ascension undoubtedly goes to the cover, although it doesn't quite match Kara Dalkey's description of Nia. The book itself is a fairly decent read, but at the risk of being facetious, about half a star of my rating goes to the designer and illustrator of the covers for the trilogy.I imagine that it is exceedingly difficult to write a book about a culture completely submerged in water, and Kara Dalkey clearly puts some thought into the creation of this society, with attention to details in the type of houses, foods, materials, social classes, and schools. I particularly liked the pun inherent in the academy, where pupils swim after the instructor in a group, rather like a school of fish. Dalkey goes to considerable lengths to invent life in Atlantis, and many of the elements, such as the Farworlders and their Avatars, are intriguing and pleasingly exotic. But for all that, it's still hard to, er, completely submerge oneself in Nia's watery realm. For one thing, I have never managed to hold coherent conversations underwater; even a single word usually comes out hopelessly garbled. There is no evidence that they speak any differently than humans-- if giggles result in a stream of bubbles, surely speech does too? But what is more jarring to any feeling of complete integration in Nia's world is not the occasional inconsistency, but the feeling that it is a carefully fabricated, intricately thought out work of imagination, a sensation that the best works of imagination never convey. I was never fully convinced in the existence of Kara Dalkey's Atlantis as I was in, say, Lloyd Alexander's Prydain or Paula Volsky's Vonahr. Often the abundance of detailed descriptions do not provide a sense of realism and smooth integration into Nia's world so much as make the book seem like a stilted tour guide to Atlantis, complete with information on local delicacies, transportation, entertainment, and customs. From a book written from Nia's perspective, even with the third person narration, there are too many explanations that a native of Atlantis such as Nia probably wouldn't even think twice about. Occasionally, such as in the school scene, things become even more bogged down with awkward, bulky history lessons about Atlantis. What really saves Ascension is Nia herself. Unlike the other rather flat and/or undeveloped characters in the book, the villains in particular, she is completely believable, realistic, and likable despite-- or because of-- her flaws. Nia's emotions as the startling events in Atlantis occur are realistic without being overdone or sickeningly melodramatic; for a character who isn't even human, she's a much more convincing teenager than many other fictional, human, teenagers. Ascension isn't really a complete tale of itself, unfortunately, and while it doesn't end on an outright cliffhanger, having the rest of the trilogy on hand would probably be a good idea. Despite the Water trilogy's flaws, I do think that it is a series worth reading, particularly when in later books more mythology become entertwined in surprising ways. Readers who liked Ascension might also enjoy Diana Wynne Jones's The Power of Three, which deals partially with mermaids (of a sort, anyway)...
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Summary: An undersea legend comes alive!
Review: The legend of Atlantis comes alive in the 3 part Water Trilogy. We again can read about the exotic, beautiful, and peaceful undersea world. 16 year-old Nia has dreamed of nothing more that to become an Avatar in her home, the city of Atlantis. Avanters and the ancestor alien race called the Farworlders rule alongside one another in the undersea world. Nia, a mermyd of the aristocratic Bluefin clan, finally has her chance when a member of the Council steps down. Nia feels that she would definitely be chosen to represent her clan in the trials. body. Nia's dream is shattered however when her grandfather passes over her and chooses a cousin, Garun, to represent their clan in the trials. Her world further falls apart when the object of her affection, Cephan, is picked to represent his clan in the trials. However Nia learns that Atlantis has dark secrets too when Cephan shows her a person who should not exist at all and Nia finally begins to piece together things about herself. . . Can she find out all of the truth in time to save her beloved Atlantis? Nia's struggle with feelings of betrayal, disappointment, and budding romance are realistically depicted. I can't wait to read the next book in this Trilogy.
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Summary: This book was really good!
Review: This book had a good twist having to do with Atlantis. I thought that it was very educational and enlightening. It is about a 16-year-old mermyd named Nia. She has to face evil and everything else along the way. I really liked this book. If you like fantasy, then I suggest that you read it!
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Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: This book is excellent! It is about a 16 year old merymd named Nia who lives in Atlantis. Nia has always dreamed of being an avatar--a merymd that rules Atlantis. When one avatar steps down, a new one will be chosen. Garun, a boring and slow merymd gets chosen to compete from her clan, Nia is crushed and confused. Nia must find out why he is chosen. This book combines mystery, adventure, and romance.
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Summary: Once youve had Atlantis, you'll never go back
Review: This book is the most thrilling, exciting, etergetic,glorious spectacular,wonderful stupendous story i have ever read!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i could go on FOREVER about how much i adored this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Words hardly even describe the heart alterring storythat lies right before them. The author makes you think that you are apart of Nia's life! After I read this, I wished that Atlantis was a real place, and I could grow gills and live in the lost city of Atlantis!!
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Summary: Mermyds!
Review: This is the first in a trilogy called 'Water' set in a underwater Atlantis. The main character, Nia, is a member of the Bluefin clan. All her life she has dreamed of becoming an Avatar, ten of which make up the ruling body of Atlantis. When one of the Avatars retires, Nia feels that her dream will soon come true. She knows that she has all the requirements, physical health, magical ability, thinking skills, and a desirer to serve Atlantis. So when her clan choses her cousin Garun to compete, instead her, she feels that something is vary wrong. This feeling is heightened when she finds out that the council is helping Garun to cheat in the tests. Can Nia solve this mystery and save Atlantis?
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