Aqua Marine, by Melanie Dawn Dixon

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Aqua Marine is an apocalyptic young adult novel set in the near future, written by Melanie Dawn Dixon. Since she started reading adult books as a young child she now shamelessly reads the kids’ and teens’ books that she missed back then. She also enjoys writing for teens, but feels that certain themes are overdone. Instead, she has created an apocalyptic novel where a powdery blue substance rains down upon the city, suffocating everyone in its path. 

In Aqua Marine, the novel begins with the traditionally rebellious teenage girl named Aqua. She’s already discovered what she wants to do in life, against the wishes of her mom. At the start of the disaster she loses contact with her mother, and her friends. After the city goes into lockdown, she and her cat are refused entry to the city bunker. Aqua and her newly found friend Mark, who is wheelchair-bound, must find access to another bunker. Along the way they are attacked by zombies, which is the least of their worries. 

Often writers are told to write about what they know, but this wasn’t the case for Mel. She chose to do research about sea creatures and aquatic life. She also created a fictitious powdery blue substance, called bleed in the books, which is the main antagonist of the story. In order to go outside when it is raining bleed, a human must suit up with a respirator. Strangely, animals and plants are not affected by the bleed. Aqua and Mark must survive outdoors until they can find the entrance to a bunker run by the Canadian Marines. 

Readers will quickly find that Aqua Marine isn’t your standard teen supernatural novel. While it does have zombies, it also has an apocalyptic theme with a unique twist, as it’s set in a gigantic world called Aquaria, located beneath the city of New Westminster.

Aqua Marine will be a refreshing read for those seeking a different type of young adult novel that has a unique setting, and a diverse list of characters. It’s Book One of a three part set called the Aquaria Chronicles. If the characters of Aqua Marine were here right now, they would say that the safest place to be is in the water.