Book Review: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

The Vicious Deep (The Vicious Deep #1)

Zoraida Cordova

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication: May 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 372
Format: e-galley
Acquisition: Received via NetGalley for review

Synopsis:

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he's heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he's suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea...and now it wants him back.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts
Wow! I devoured this book! Stories about merpeople have been more miss then hit for me lately but fortunately The Vicious Deep was a huge hit! I really loved the male protagonist POV and his family and friends. I really loved the world the merpeople live in. I really loved the myth behind the story. I really loved...the entire book!

Seriously though, there is little I can say I don't love about The Vicious Deep. Maybe the ending...or the lack of an ending really. It wasn't so much a cliff hanger as just a hanger, if that makes any sense. The story was going along just fine and then the book was over. Which means - A LOT more story to tell in book 2! Sometimes it upsets me when this happens but it actually kind of worked this time.

I think my favorite thing about The Vicious Deep is it's male protagonist. Maybe I've just been burned by too many week females but there is something about an imperfect male lead that gets me every time! Another thing that really got me was the romance - or rather, the subtle hint at a possible romance. Too many YA books throw love around like it happens in a instant and it's usually a turn off for me. Two characters that start off as friends and work their way up to love? Much more believable and enjoyable to read.

Will I continue the series?
Yes! Book 2 will release next month and I can't wait to add it to my shelves.

Rating

5 / 5 Stars

The Vicious Deep Series
#1 The Vicious Deep
#2 The Savage Blue

Book Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

***2012 Debut Author***

" I couldn't get past the awkwardness of the characters to really enjoy the story line..."

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 336
Series: 1st in a series
Acquisition: I received a free ARC for review from the publisher

Summary:

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen — literally, ouch! — both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
Of Poseidon was a book I really really wanted to like. I love the ocean and I love mermaids but YA mermaid stories have been hit or miss for me in the past and unfortunately, Of Poseidon was a miss.

There are quite a few little things I didn't like and some very specific points that didn't work for me but overall if I had to pick one issue I had with this book it would be it's characters. I never felt a connection to any of them and really, not one of them was believable. The things they did and the things they said and the way they interacted with each other...it just didn't feel plausible in the least.

For instance, Emma agrees to go out on a date with Galen after he convinces her she already said she would before she walked into a door and got a concussion. After about a day, they both agree that it is wise to tell Emma's mother that they are dating so it wouldn't be weird if they spend time together. A relationship is born - complete with a bout of caveman behavior in which Galen practically drags Emma off by her hair while she's on a date with another boy.

To say I wasn't a fan of the 'romance' in Of Poseidon would be an understatement. There was nothing sexy about Galen for me and his way with Emma really made me want to slap him. Emma is a very weak female character. We are given the impression that she is tough and has a lot of snark but she lets people treat her pretty badly and then asks for more. That kind of personality never works well with me. And Galen really is a jerk most of the time.

Not appealing at all.

Final verdict:
I'm going to put this one in the 'not for me but maybe for you' category because unlike some YA paranormal romance books that I would hesitate to recommend to anyone, I think Of Poseidon will appeal to other readers. I couldn't get past the awkwardness of the characters to really enjoy the story line but I do feel like the underlining story is a strong one. Lots of myth and some mystery with a lot of things left open for book 2 to flesh out.

Will I be picking up book 2? Probably not but if you do enjoy Of Poseidon I think you'll be eager to see how Emma and Galen's story plays out.

Overall Rating:

2 / 5 Stars

Books in the Series:
#0.5 Legacy lost
#1 Of Poseidon
#2 Of Triton (2013)

Author's website / Goodreads / IndieBound

Book Review: Between The Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: October 2011
Pages: 240
Series: no
Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary:

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
I picked up Between the Sea and Sky and literally couldn't put it down. A couple of hours later, I was done and I wished I weren't. I very easily got lost in the world of merfolk and winged folk. What a fabulous world this is! Humans and fanatical creatures living in a Victorian like time. Such a great fantasy setting!

I pretty much fell in love with Esmerine and Alander instantly. Each is such a unique character and each has such a complex background but when it really comes down to it, they want the same things most people do. They want to be loved and accepted. They want to be happy and thankful for what life has to offer. It was so wonderful watching these two discover the possibilities that their lives could offer them if they just gave it a chance.

I very much felt transported into Esmerine and Alander's world. A fantasy world yes, but one that also felt very real to me. Fantasy at it's best!

Like I said, I really couldn't put this book down! If you're a fan of Jaclyn or really just a fan of fantasy, you'll love Between the Sea and Sky as much as I did, I'm sure!

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love
Bloomsbury
Author's Website
Goodreads
IndieBound

Book Review: Everblue by Brenda Pandos

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: July 2011
Pages: 304
Series: 1st in a series
Acquisition: received for review

Summary:

Best friends share everything with each other. Or do they? Seventeen-year-old Ashlyn Frances Lanski is tired of her boring, single life. Spending time with her best friend Tatiana, dreaming about kissing Tatiana's twin brother Fin, and swimming competitively are her only sanctuary. The girls plan to leave their drab lakeside town far behind for college. But when Tatchi fails to return home after a family emergency, and no one knows where the family has gone, Ash chooses to do something drastic to find them.

Ashlyn is about to discover what she’d thought to be true her whole life, wasn’t, and the truth, too fantastical to imagine. Secrets lurk beneath the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, secrets that will change Ashlyn's life forever. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
I love the name of this series - Mer Tales - because that's exactly what it is. A tale of merpeople. Mermaids and mermen and the world they live in and the rules that govern them. There's more though. Action and love and friendship and devotion. It's all wrapped up together making for an engaging and thrilling story.

We are treated to 2 points of view. Ashlyn or Ash is a human, senior in high school who isn't very popular and doesn't seem to be all that sure of herself. Then there is Finley, or Fin, almost 18 and not human at all :) His sister Tatiana and Ash are best friends and have been for a long time. But as Ash discovers, there is a lot her friends haven't been telling her.

I did like this dual POV but for the first half of the book I felt like I was reading two completely different stories. Fin, Tatch and their parents leave, without telling Ash anything. So we have Ash going through the motions of high school with her rather obnoxious friend Georgia and then Fin, living in his people's underwater city, trying to fit in and figure out what is going on with his family. There is only 1 short chapter before Fin and Tatch leave so the story didn't really flow that well for me in the beginning.

And as much as I liked reading about Fin and his world, I was a little bored reading about Ash. I never warmed up to her and the way she acted, especially around the stereotypical 'hot guy' at school bugged me. This made it a little hard to root for her in the end. I would have liked to see more of Fin's world. There seemed to be a lot of layers to his people's lives and I really hope book 2 will give us more background and details.

Though, once Ash and Fin's worlds collide? Pretty much couldn't put this book down. I needed to know what happened and maybe at some points the story dragged a little but overall it didn't distract from the adventure.

Without giving too much away, I do need to say that I am not a fan at all of the romance in Everblue. It's almost calculating, as in, it has rules to follow and really? These rules take all the joy out of the relationship for me. We don't get to see the two love birds together very much until close to the end and then once they are together it's instant, I can't live without you love, which never sits well with me. But again, it's following a sort of order that the rules of the story have set forth so while it might not be my cup of tea, it makes sense for the storyline and the characters involved.

Final verdict:
Overall, I very much enjoyed Everblue. Brenda is awesome at weaving a story together and making you feel like you're there with the characters. And while I might not have liked all the characters or elements in Everblue, I felt engaged as a reader and really, that's more important to me.

Labeled as Book One, I can only assume there will be a Book Two and I for one know I will be reading it. Not so much a cliff hanger as a pile of unresolved issues was left at the end of Everblue and I'm really excited to see what happens to Fin and Tatch and hopefully learn more about the fabulous world they live in.

Overall Rating:

4 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Author's Website
Goodreads

Book Review: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

***2011 Debut Author***

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 10, 2011
Pages: 352
Series: no?
Acquisition: received ARC for review

Summary:

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
It's been a little hard for me to write this review. Mostly because I know this book just wasn't for me. Tempest Rising is not, by any means, a badly written book and the story is actually very interesting. In the end, there were just too many elements that rubbed me the wrong way.

First off - there is a love triangle. I don't like them - and that's just my opinion. You might be the type that  enjoy this type of 'love' in your readings. I also have to put 'love' in quotes because really? Everyone in this story seemed pretty selfish to me. Especially Tempest. She says she cares for her family and her friends and her boyfriend but really? I didn't see it. Even when she was trying to help everything was still all about her.  I never warmed up to her and I didn't like the choices she made.

Also, and again, this is just a pet peeve of mine. A 200+ year old paranormal / magical being 'loving' and hooking up with a 17 year old? Even if that 17 year old is also not quite human? It grosses me out. It's the main reason I couldn't stomach the Twilight Saga. A 200 year age difference - no matter how young someone looks or acts is very unappealing to me.  So, there was that.

Otherwise? I actually really enjoyed the storyline. The fact that Tempest knew about her mother's past and knew what she herself was from the very start of the book was refreshing. The underwater world that Tempest's mother comes from was fascinating to read about.

But in the end, the love triangle and outrageous age difference between the complete stranger Tempest finds herself draw to for no reason did it for me.

Final verdict:
I've been reading other reviews of Tempest Rising so I know I'm in the minority as most people loved this book. You might too. If you like mermaids, you'll like it. If you like what has (to me at least) become the norm for YA romance plots, you'll like it. If you're looking for refreshing newish paranormal elements, you'll like it.

As for me? I'm filing this one in the 'not for me but probably for you' file :)

Overall Rating:

2.5 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
Bloomsbury
Author's Website
Goodreads

Tidbits:
*Tracy Deebs is a pseudonym of Romance novelist Tracy Wolff. Tempest Rising is her YA debut.

Book Review: Haunted (Dreaming Anastasia #2) by Joy Preble

**Spoiler Free**

Publication Date: February 2011
Pages: 290

Series: 2nd in a series
Acquisition: received a copy for review

Summary:
Goodreads Link

My thoughts:
I was somewhat reluctant to pick up Haunted. After reading Dreaming Anastasia, I wasn't really sure that Anne's story needed more telling. Unfortunately, this feeling stayed with me through about a quarter of the book.  However, once I was fully immerged in the storyline, I was very happy that Anne's story wasn't over.

Book 1, Dreaming Anastasia, had a lot going on. Haunted has even more. The almost constant action helped move the plot along but the addition of Ben - point 3 in a frustrating love triangle - fell kind of flat for me. I guess I understand why he was added to the story, but at the same time, I didn't think his character really had anything to contribute. Also, I didn't really understand why Anne was so mad at Ethan. I didn't get that vibe from her at the end of Dreaming Anastasia so her hostility was a little confusing to me.

Final verdict:
Overall though? Haunted packed quite a punch. I thought I knew what was going on - and I was right - sort of. Lots of mystery to this tale. Lots of stories within stories. The part of me that craves intricate layered fantasy loved this aspect.

Pretty sure there will be more books in this series and I'm looking forward to it. I'm really interested in how much more of Anne's story we don't know.

I also really enjoyed Joy's writing. She's on my radar now and I'll defiantly be picking up her next work - whatever it may be :)

Overall Rating:

3.5 / 5 Stars

Books in the Series:
Dreaming Anastasia
Haunted

Linkage Love:
Sourcebooks
Author's Website