Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Release Date: October, 22, 2013

Series: Teardrop (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy

Subjects: mythology, magic, supernatural, love, Louisiana

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 441 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.”

My Review: Teardrop was both similar and very different from the Fallen series. It still has the beautifully southern set paranormal romance feel, but with a very unique mythology. Eureka is a much stronger and self-sufficient main character. She’s imaginative, stoic and independent. She cares a lot about her little half brother and sister. She has friends that care about her, and they’re very supportive of her, since her mom died months ago.

I loved her friend, Brooks, in the beginning, but something unfortunate happens to him. Cat is a really awesome friend and she has a good sense of humor. The love interest/mysterious boy in this book is Ander. I personally like Daniel from Fallen better (but he was an angel, so I’m being biased). Ander is blond and blue eyed and pale. He’s no Edward Cullin, but he is a bit stalkerish. He’s kind of like a merman, minus the tail.

I really loved the setting of this book. I’ve not read many books set in Louisiana. I’ve seen plenty of shows set in New Orleans, through.  The bayou is such a creepy and mysterious place, with swamps and gators. It’s not the kind of setting I would expect a book about a girl whose tears can raise Atlantis I would expect. It made me really want to visit, even if hurricanes happen there often. There were mentions of Katrina and other hurricanes and storms. And if Eureka started tearing up, the weather would turn stormy.

I usually don’t enjoy books written in 3^rd person POV, but Lauren Kate does such an amazing job in bringing out a character’s inner voice with 3^rd person limited, that it almost felt like 1^st person. Lauren writes in a lyrical, easy to read way. The story was a page turner once I got into it. I really wish I could’ve read it faster, but I’ve been so busy that I had to take my time and read in little bites.

The plot wasn’t what I expected. There wasn’t as much romance as Fallen, but there was just as much mystery and magic. It was very entertaining. I especially loved the love bird Polaris that the fortune teller owned. Based of the description, it sound more like a parrolette than a love bird, or maybe one of the masked love birds. I used to own love birds. 2 at a time. We’ve had 4.

I can’t wait to find out about book 2. The cover has to be even more gorgeous than this one! I recommend this book to fans of the following books: Beautiful Creatures, Siren by Tricia Rayburn, Poison Princess, Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini, Wake by Amanda Hocking, Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs. If you like books about the Bayou, or anything with mythology, check this out.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover so much. I love the colors and the water dress. It’s so beautiful. The title is awesome to. And the cover’s so shiny and blue. I have an ARC, so I’m not sure if the actually cover has a texture or special paper. I love the embossed title and dress and the shimmery paper.