Review: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Genre: Fairy Tales | Mermaids

Synopsis:

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant--until Celia meets Lo. 

Lo doesn't know who she is, or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea--a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid--all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy names Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection, Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for the Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her...and steal his soul. 

Review:

Jackson Pearce amazed me once again with her unique story-telling. She has such an amazing talent for capturing the essence of fairy tales and making them something new. Fathomless is a retelling of the famous story The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. I loved the combination of the mermaids and the three sisters, who remind me of the Fates in Greek mythology. 

Normally I don't care for the double perspective, but Jackson made it work. It worked in Sisters Red and it worked in Fathomless. I loved her descriptions of the ocean. She made it so ark and mysterious. Even the mermaids reflected the vast darkness of the deep water. This was not your typical Disney fairy tale. These mermaids are mindless creatures that kill for the hope of stealing a human's soul to become an angel. Once becoming a mermaid these girls lose all touch with their humanity and memories. It is only by returning to the shore that they can begin to regain their past lives. 

Celia was the typical third sister that doesn't feel as if she good enough in comparison to her sisters. She feels out of place and lonely. The narrative between Celia and Lo has multiple layers of complexity that really add dimension to the plot. I especially liked the subtle ties from the previous books. I can really see how the stories are beginning to intertwine. 

My only complaint is that there was almost too much angst. It started from the first page and didn't end. I didn't feel like that angst was fully resolved by the end; however, this is a continuing series so I expect that I will have that in the next installment. 

Overall, Fathomless rose to my expectations. I love this series. Jackson definitely delivered once again.

Rating: 4 out of 5 owls

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Reviews: Sisters Red | Sweetly

Review: Promises by Amber Garr

Genre: Fantasy | Mermaids

Synopsis:

Sometimes following your heart can end up destroying the ones you love. When seventeen-year-old Eviana Dumahl is faced with the responsibility of an arranged marriage and clan leadership, she is forced to choose between the life required of a mermaid and one of a teenage girl simply infatuated with the wrong guy. 

Kain, her devoted fiance, would make a wonderful husband except that she's been in love with Brendan, a shape-shifting selkie, ever since they were kids. Choosing to abandon her family, her clan, and her life with Kain will have dire consequences far beyond anything she could have imagined. 

A war is brewing amongst the clans and Eviana unwittingly becomes a pawn in the intricate schemes of a twisted mastermind. With Brendan's life on the line, she has no choice but to involve those she once considered friends. Amidst encountering senseless tragedies and immense loss, Eviana discovers that she is more valuable as a clan leader than anyone ever suspected. Her survival is not only dependent upon the loyalty of her friends, but also on her acceptance of a life she so adamantly tried to escape. Promises is the first book of The Syrenka Series trilogy following Eviana and her friends through the perils of growing up in a discrete world that inherently threatens human society.

Review:

This novel is jam-packed with teenage angst and drama. Eviana is smitten with her childhood friend, Brendan, a handsome and smooth-talking selkie. Despite how determined Eviana is to be with Brendan, I couldn't help but hope that she would change her mind and fall for Kain. 

The selkies were probably the most exciting aspect of the novel. Every so often I will come across a novel that mentions them, but Promises really explores the mythology and makes selkies the stars. 

I enjoyed the plot, but had some issues with the characterization. Eviana is extremely immature for a seventeen-year-old. Maybe Garr did this to really emphasize how much she has to develop when leadership is thrust on her; however, her personality made her very unrealistic. She acted like she was thirteen, not a noble with an immense amount of responsibility.

Overall, I enjoyed Promises. It was a very quick read. I think it's worth checking out.

Rating: 3 out of 5 owls

Nook | Kindle

Book Trailer:

Book Release: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Fathomless was released on 9/04 this month and I can't wait to read it. Jackson Pearce's novels Sisters Red and Sweetly are amazing, so I have high expectations for the third installation in the series. 

Synopsis: Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets, and the one with the least valuable power, Anne can see the future, Jane can see the present--therefore essentially read minds--and all Celia can do is see the past.

Lo doesn't know who she is or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea--an undine, a nymph, a mermaid; all terms too pretty for the soulless creature she knows she's becoming. The other ocean girls, her "sisters," tell her there's only one way for her to earn her soul and humanity back--convince a mortal to love her, and steal his.  

Lo thinks a soul is within her grasp when she saves a guitarist, Jude, from drowning. When Celia intervenes, she accidentally reads Lo's past, calling out Lo's long-forgotten human name. The two forge a friendship, meeting by the shore to remember Lo's old life, to talk, to share secrets they'd never tell their "real" sisters.

Yet, remembering makes Lo more desperate than ever for a soul--and despite Jude's blossoming romance with Celia, she can't resist longing for his. Straddling the line between humanity and darkness, Lo struggles to find her place on either side, while Celia wonders just what she and her power have unleashed. But the sister you choose can be more powerful than those you're born with--in a fight against Lo's sisters and the waves themselves, Jude and Celia risk their lives to save Lo from her own darkness. But it is a soulless, wanting existence better than none at all?

Read my review here

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Monday Mania--Mermaids

Ascension
Kara Dalkey

Sirena
Donna Jo Napoli

Between the Sea and Sky
Jaclyn Dolamore

The Forbidden Sea
Sheila A. Nielson

The Undrowned Child
Michelle Lourie

Breathless
Cole Gibson

Review: Madly & Wolfhardt by M. Leighton

Genre: New Adult | Fantasy | Mermaids

Synopsis:

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.

Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?


Review:

I was very impressed with Leighton's combination of mermaid folk-lore with fairy tales. Madly and Wolfhardt features the story of Little Red Riding Hood with a twist. Don't worry, I won't give away the ending. Madly is the princess of Atlas charged with the task of saving bother her home and all of humanity. No pressure, right? Add to that a healthy dose of mystery and a forbidden romance and you have a winner. Jackson, a sentinel and Madly's guardian,  is a sexy hunk of man-flesh. I was relieved when Madly and Jackson finally embraced their attraction for each other. Considering that Madly and Jackson are tied, I was relieved when Aiden, Madly's intended, found someone else to care for. He was such a sweet character I didn't want to see him heartbroken. Leighton definitely amped up the intensity in both the suspense and the romance in the second novel in her Madly series. Her novella was great, but Wolfhardt is amazing. I'm very interested in seeing the direction Leighton takes in the next installment, and I'm also going to check out her other books.



Rating: 4 out of 5 owls



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Book 1: Nook | Kindle

Book 2: Nook | Kindle

Review: Black Waters by Maija Barnett

Genre: Fantasy | Mermaids

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old mermaid Abby Carson thought she had her secret under control. Who cares if after "the change" took place, she became so beautiful that all the girls at school hated her. And the boys, well, when they look at her, hate isn't exactly what's going through their minds.

But when Abby witnesses a teenage girl's murder by a preternatural creature off the coast of Cape Cod, her carefully controlled life slips into chaos. Hiding in the water until the killer's gone is a must. Getting spotted by Brian Baker, a boy from school, isn't. Neither is falling in love with him. That definitely wasn't part of the plan.

Combine all this with the mysterious mermaid box Abby receives as a postmortem birthday gift from her dad, and she's pulled even deeper into the world of shades and monsters. Once the full force of Abby's deadly siren powers are revealed, the only one she can hurt more than herself is the boy she loves.

Review:

Maija Barnett's Black Waters is a very interesting spin on the classic siren mythology. From the beginning I was intrigued by the darker aspects that surround Abby's existence. Sure, she's the stereotypical gorgeous girl that all the boys lust after and the girls hate; however, the twist that Abby is actually a siren instead of a mermaid was delightful and added more complexity to her character. Though her character is completely gullible and often annoying, Abby is endearing in the sense that she is so desperate for her mother's attention that the reader forgives her flaws. The story's transition from a disturbing murder mystery to scenes full of woeful teenage angst keeps the audience engaged and appeals to a variety of readers. Overall, what I enjoyed most from Barnett's novel were the intense and suspenseful plot devices that kept me on my toes and second guessing my instincts. 

Book Trailer:





Rating: 4 out of 5 owls





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