Thursday, September 27, 2012

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama


Series: It may be a stand-alone

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Mermaids, supernatural, seaside towns, Massachusetts, history

Age/Grade Level: Upper Teens

Length: 295 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: FSG

Summary/ product description: “Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.
Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.”

My Rating: êê

My Review: This book is part of the Fall 2012 Fierce Reads lineup. Sadly, it wasn’t as awesome or Fierce as I hoped for. I’m really not a fan of historical fiction, paranormal or not. But even the parts with Hester in the present weren’t compelling enough. 3rd person can be boring, and it makes you care less for the characters. I think I liked the character Peter the best out of all of them, but most of the time I was confused and not sure what I was reading. Near the end it gets more interesting with the mermaid parts, but still I think this is probably the worst mermaid book I’ve ever read. Worse than Lost Voices by Sarah Porter, which had a very awesome sequel that redeemed the bad first book. There are plenty of great mermaid series out there completely outshine this book. If you like late 1800’s history set in a New England town, mixed with mermaid folklore, then you might like this. I prefer present day, 1st person perspective, and hot guys. This book was particularly romantic. It was kind of dark. But even then, it wasn’t “evil mermaids.” This book is not really for fans of Of Poseidon or Siren or even Tempest Rising. If you’re looking for a fun, sexy mermaid tale, then I don’t recommend this. Read it if you like what this book is about. I really hate giving bad reviews, but it just wasn’t for me.  

Cover Art Review: The ARC cover/original cover looks so much better than this one. This is too minimalistic and kind of boring.

 

~Haley G

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