I liked the first book in the series a bit more, although Duane does a lot of nice world-building here, both regarding the deep ocean and the whales, and Nita’s family (Dairine, mom, and dad).
While I was still fascinated with the world Duane builds, and the very poetic language she uses, I felt that she mostly re-used the first book’s plot, relocating it to the ocean. It also got a bit too dramatic for me; since I didn’t believe that Nita would actually have to die, the foreshadowing and plot was clear. Then again, it’s a book aimed at children, so I can’t really complain here.