Do you ever start reading a book and your so confused by what’s going on? That was me when I was first reading this book then out of nowhere it hit me. This book is about twin sisters who were sold into slavery and then seperated. The chapters then follow the sisters on their two seperate journeys to find eachother but they have no idea where one another is until they feel deep sadness and they dream the same dreams. Throughout the story the author touches on a lot of topics such as religion, loss, slavery, oppression and grief.

This book was so beautiful and I loved that it was told in both of the sister's perspectives. It was so interesting to see how different the two sisters grew and developed as characters. Hassana and Husseina are two very strong yet individual characters who are thrown into new lives without each other's support and constant presence.

I really liked the idea of the two being connected by their dreams even when they are miles apart. It meant that they were never truly apart and I loved that! I have a sister and could never imagine being away from her for so long with no form of communicating!

The flow of this story is just beautiful and I admire the way the author brings so many important topics to the forefront, such as slavery, oppression, religion, loss and grief. I also loved her ability to portray such vivid details and descriptions which felt like I was transported to the countries and what was happening at these times.

With sisterhood at it's core, this was a lyrical YA novel with such a strong ending that left me feeling satisfied and content. I recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Books that thoroughly transport their readers are having a bit of a moment right now and it’s perfectly understandable, considering we can’t travel to these incredible places. Regular readers will know how much of a love I have for Pushkin Press’ books too, so I was delighted when I was accepted for this beautiful YA story set in the 19th century on NetGalley.

Twin sisters Hassana and Husseina are torn apart, when their village is raided. Hassana is taken in by a tyrannical slave owner with their older sister Aminah on the Gold Coast of West Africa while Husseina is eventually taken in by a kind old woman and taken to Brazil. Throughout their separation, the twins see each other’s dreams and feel an unbreakable connection that continues to tug them closer together.

The girls’ dreams are described in vivid, gorgeous prose that took me to stunning, soothing places. Although, terrible things took place in these beautiful settings, they shimmered with a calm that I’ve really needed but struggled to find in recent weeks. These dreams are what connects the twins over the miles and water between them and the air of magic around really shines through the pages.

Hassana is rescued by a British scholar and she develops a love of books. This shapes her young adult life and her determination to better herself and the lives of others. Watching her grow up and do great things that she wouldn’t have been able to do if she hadn’t been able to read and write really hammered home the importance of education for everyone but particularly young black girls, who so often get overlooked.

As the shy twin, Husseina finds a sense of freedom in the separation from her sister. She sees it as a chance to reinvent herself and become the confident girl that she felt she couldn’t in Hassana’s shadow. Her apparent lack of desire to reunite with her sister can come across as a little cold but I completely understand her need to be her own person. I would imagine that as an identical twin, carving out your own identity is even harder than it is for most of us.

There is also a lot of West African mythology, talk of the orixas and a wealth of magical folklore included. The author has Ghanaian origins and I loved how she united her culture with that over in Brazil. I learnt a lot about ancient African deities and how they continue to protect their descendants. These beautiful stories are expertly woven into the plights of these two girls and it appears that even at the very end, Hassana and Husseina are forever protected by their celestial guardians.

At times philosophical and at times fantastical, The Deep Blue Between is a soaring story of family, grief and identity. The characters are so richly developed and both of the girls’ stories are so profound, steeped in cultures which aren’t their own. I closed the book feeling significantly better-educated and newly inspired to live life on my own terms.

The Deep Blue Between is a wonderfully written historical story that is about so much more than colonialism and slavery. These are sweeping, incredible narratives that belong to individuals who were caught up and lost in the horrors of these things. It’s about growing up while cut adrift from your family and the things you know amidst brutal circumstances. It’s about being entirely and completely yourself.

A wonderful about sisters and family. Very well written and left me wanting to keep reading. It was completely captivating and I can't wait to read more from this author.
I would really recommend this book and it was such an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

This was a heart-wrenching read at times, a story of two twin sisters, together and then separated. They were separated as far from one another as could be imagined and their journeys were very different. There were a number of moments where I felt like I was reading through my hands but there was also a thread of hope throughout.

The cover is a vibrant as the story that was told and descriptions of the different places these sisters navigated. At times, I found the narrative voice a little abrupt in flow but I did adjust to the storytelling style the more I got into it. I did feel a bit left in the lurch over tying up the story of one the sisters.

This was a good read with an important story of slavery, oppression and the journey towards freedom.

Please check out some own voices review on this one. Thank you to Pushkin Press for the early review copy.

A beautiful story about love, loss, and staying hopeful in the darkest of times.

Throughout the whole story, there were moments that I felt truly moved by the love between Hassana and Husseina and enchanted by the bond they shared as they made their way back to each other. I liked the descriptions of each location as well as the religious integrations that gave more depth to the story.

I liked how the chapters had a different tense depending on whose point of view it was. I struggled at times with the structure of this book. I felt the writing was quite disjointed at times and certainly in the first quarter of the book struggled to understand exactly what was happening. It also made it hard to connect to the characters as I spent more time figuring out what was happening to them.

The Deep Blue Between is a strikingly historic tale about love, loss, family, and hope. It tells the story of Hassana and Husseina, twins who are separated as children and grow up with an ocean between them. The only thing that connects them are their dreams, as they long to be united once again.

Ayesha Harruna Attah’s vivid and enchanting descriptions Brazil and the Gold Coast brilliantly establish the impassioned atmosphere for this book. Her writing style stirs up a courageous spirit that makes The Deep Blue Between a really comforting read. She highlights the complexities of sisterhood through well-rounded characters and their individual journeys of growth and self-discovery.

The book has a dual narrative, and although twins tell the story, the differences in their personalities are evident. They could very easily blend into one voice, but Attah subtly forms slight contrasts between the two, which only develops as they mature in different environments. Their voices complement each other flawlessly, which is the biggest highlight for me.

The Deep Blue Between really forces the reader to empathise with Hassana and Husseina. It becomes a window into a mindset built on conviction and loyalty, during times of slavery and colonialism. The impact of culture and society is also explored alongside the twins’ hardships. This beautiful story is rich in both culture and emotion. It takes place during a dark era of history but emphasises the importance of endurance and faith during the most difficult of journeys.

This is such a gorgeous story about family, faith and connections and follows 2 brilliant p, strong female characters. I love reading about twins and this showed such a beautiful mix of cultures and beliefs

A story ultimately about love, loss, survival, and most importantly, maintaining hope even in the darkest of times.
I want to preface this review by encouraging you to find own voices reviews of this book, prior to reading mine as although I can talk critically about the book I feel as if the story itself may be more influential and meaningful for a different audience and would like to highlight them.
This book is a historical fiction novel following two twin sisters who have been separated during a raid and are forced into slavery. This book primarily takes place after slavery has been deemed illegal and the sisters each begin taking their own individual journeys of growth and self-discovery.
The historical setting was really rich and I enjoyed seeing the differences in the various countries and cultures and I hadn't seen that represented before in the historical genre. I also think the representation of the story is really important as similarly, it is a unique story in literature but ultimately one that was a harsh reality for people in years past.
The individual tones of voice are recognizable and separate which I think is so important considering our main characters are twins and I enjoyed the story as a whole despite it not being as engaging as I would have liked. It is a short book however so although the pacing is slow it isn't as major of an issue. The ending was realistic and slightly bittersweet in parts which was a strongsuit in my opinion.
I wasn't interested all the way through, it did take me a while to get through. I also wasn't drawn to continue reading as much as I had hoped so that has affected my rating, this is a personal preference however and would recommend this primarily for fans of historical fiction or contemporary literature.
Overall a 3.5 star read for me

This is a beautiful work of historical fiction which highlights the challenges of sisterhood in the best ways. Hassana and Husseina are separated when their home is raided at just 10 years of age. Hussaina, the quieter twin, ends up in difficult circumstances until a kind woman takes her to Brazil. Hassana escapes her own difficult circumstances and remains on the Gold Coast of Africa.

The sisters both share dreams, and at the beginning with limited understanding of world Geography, they don't understand how difficult finding each other will be when the ocean separates them.

It's an interesting story that takes twins and grows them in different environments. They both experience different cultures, learn different languages, find different religions. Over a course of 7 years, the breadth of history that Ayesha Harruna Attah covers is incredible (especially in only around 250 pages) - detailed but not boring. The character development still shines through, making it a really beautiful read. I am a huge fan of stories about sisters and this one explores the love, the angst, the confusion in such beautiful ways.

The ending is absolutely amazing and a strong finish to a story I didn't know I needed. I learned so much about this period of history in a countries I've hardly read about. Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC

Let me start by saying that I don’t read many YA novels but this book caught my attention. And I’m really impressed! Beautiful written, full of lovely details of culture and history.

You were on the other side of this," said Hassana, spreading her fingers at the sea. "This was separating us." "But it also brought us back together," said Vitória...

Husseina (AKA Vitória) and Hassana are twins connected by their dreams. The two are separated after their town is left in ruins due to a merciless raid. Clues in shared dreams that Hussana can only get when she is deeply sad, is the only way she can find her sister. With Hussana being in the Gold Coast and Husseina in Brazil, will fate bring them back together?

Set in the late 19th century, the young girls are separated in terms of distances tongues, cultures and faiths. The great blue ocean separates them, however they long for each other.
Beautifully written story about the fate of two young girls who, through their childhood and teenage years spend time missing their other half. The author does a fantastic job of incorporating different places, languages, cultures and faiths in the story.
I absolutely loved the descriptions used from Hussana's perspective. She describes a woman 'wearing yellowish hair' as she meets a white woman for the first time. Having new experiences through Hassana's eyes made her so charming to me. Innocent and curious as anyone would be in her context. A beautiful story of how the bond of two sisters is unbreakable regardless of what comes their way.

3/5

A stunning story filled with culture and the meaning of sisterhood.

Twin sisters Hassana and Husseina's home is in ruins after a brutal raid. But this is not the end but the beginning of their story, one that will take them to unfamiliar cities and cultures, where they will forge new families, ward off dangers and truly begin to know themselves.

This is a YA book, that NetGalley kindly gifted to me a few months ago, set across the Golden Coast of West Africa and a post-colonised Brazil. Unbeknown to many, Brazil was “home” to more enslaved African citizens than any other country in the world. It is with this as a backdrop that Attar narrates the lives of two twins that have been separated by slave traders, aged 10. For those reading a variety of non-fiction titles on the atrocities of slavery at the moment, I believe this title is the perfect book to complement both your learning and your empathetic understanding. There aren’t a lot of young adult books within the African literary space (yet), so, this book will certainly be making waves when it’s released in October.

I think this title’s discussion on faith, family and identity in the aftermath of colonialism is incredibly educative. In particular, the faith Candomblé – with its soul-guiding deities and enchanting dance ceremonies – fascinated me. Through this book, a dark era of history came to life and illustrated the complexities that have been faced in post-colonised cities. All the while, the subtle nuances that slowly unfold between Hassana and Husseina in response to this environment is interesting to experience as a reader. Indeed, although they are twins – often thought of as sacred in many West African faiths – they are unfortunately forced to grow as individuals. While, at times, their journeys are difficult to read, the ongoing narrative attempts to explore their pursuits of discovering who they are without the other.

Although the dual narrative works pretty well for the most part, it does slow down the plot substantially. I believe that Attar has understandably focused far more on this title’s historical accuracy than the actual narrative itself. This is logical provided the justice one wants to give a tale such as this. However, characters do lead plot and, unfortunately, the motivations of these characters weren’t always as focussed as I wished them to be. I often lost sight of where each girl was headed. As such, while the backdrop was frequently very immersive (and impressive) this cramming in of historical mise-en-scene, for me, detracted away from the progression of the central plot arc and, ultimately, the emotiveness of the twin’s reunion. This being said, I understand that there are times when a sense of place comes paramount to any kind of plot device. So, although the pace was a little slow for me, I did respect the attention to detail when representing the young girls’ environments and era.

Essentially, I believe that putting ourselves in the shoes of those afflicted – via the likes of literature – is vital to forming a deeper comprehension of the atrocities that were faced by slaves across the world. While neither the central plot drive nor the pace were quite what I anticipated reading this book’s blurb, the literary journey was still incredibly compelling.

This was a wonderful read and has made me think long after I finished reading it. It is a story of a set of twins who were separated during a raid on their home in Africa. The story is written from the perspective of both girls and is done in a very clever way. The book spans years and continues past the point where they finally reunite. Their lives up to that point were not all straightforward, and neither is their lives after that meet up. Oceans cannot keep them apart but when they do it's not as straightforward as they had hoped. So much has changed.

A beautiful story about family, friendship, love and belonging.

The story is told through dual narrators, twins Hassana and Husseina, interwoven with dreamscape images linking the two. It follows their struggles to find themselves, and each other, when forcefully separated. The book provides a window into different beliefs and cultures and paints a harrowing picture of some of the struggles faced due to slavery and colonialism. It is an emotional and immersive read.

Whilst I did enjoy the story, I found some parts difficult to follow and some of the references were lost on me, making the narrative somewhat of a challenge to track at times. I would recommend it to children aged 11 and over as it deals with some difficult issues that I feel may be a little too mature for younger readers.

This book follows the story for Hassana and Husseina, twins that have been kidnapped and separated, and their struggle to find each other and be one again. This book stirred a variety of emotions while reading it and kept me glued to me seat wanting to know how their stories will develop.
This story alternates between their two stories and the writing changes between the two narratives. I very much enjoy reading a story from different perspectives and this one came together beautifully. Personally, I liked Hassana’s story and use of language, but Husseina’s was full of vivid descriptions of Bahia and the Candomble belief.
The book delves into the African-Brazilian culture and the different languages spoken, the beliefs people fought for and religions in Brazil and Africa and their importance. The story also talks about slavery, European colonisation, and the impact of these on the local people and their lifestyle.
I have enjoyed this story, but I would recommend reading in paperback as it will be easier to go back and forth. At times I felt the need to go and re-read parts of a previous chapter for clarification and on a Kindle, this is not easy.

ARC from NetGalley

Here we have a beautifully crafted tale about twin sisters torn apart at a very young age who never give up trying to get back to each other. Their twin connection makes it that bit more magical. We follow their journeys across half the world and through most of their childhood and teenage years and luckily enough with plenty of hardship also comes plenty of good people along the way.

Overall I enjoyed this story because tales of sisterhood always appeal to me. It did happen on several occasions that I felt a little lost in the story but that's probably due to not having enough time to dedicate to it in one sitting. It pulls you right in but you can lose the thread of thought if you don't get back to it the same day.

Writing was absolutely gorgeous.

The writing is a nice and the story moves slowly before your eyes. It tells the story of two sisters with a special bond, desperate to find one another.
It is a great book.
However, I didn't find a way ro connect to the characters and story, which made it too hard to keep up with it.

The Deep Blue Between – Between oceans, cultures, languages and faiths, two sisters' search for one another aided by dreams makes for a ethereal, dreamy read.

This was such a comforting read to get wrapped up in. For a novel that blends dual narratives, the descriptions of loss and familial longing are lyrical throughout.

Following the story of two sisters, I did favour Vitoria's chapters, with the vivid descriptions of Candomble. Interestingly, the Afro-Brazillian religion plays a huge role, especially in the closing chapters with the parallels between the syncretism of Orixas and Catholicism and how Hassana and Husseina's world views are shaped through their respective struggles.

In all, this a great read, one that explores an era and topic not widely written about in YA and New Adult fiction. I'd recommend for anyone who has read and enjoyed West African inspired YA such as Tomi Adeyemi's Children's of Blood and Bone series.

Completing the full triangle of West Africa, Europe and the Americas makes for a nuanced novel, not solely about colonialism and slavery, but with characters full of depth and heart in their own right.