Promise Bound by Anne Greenwood Brown

Series: Lies Beneath (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance

Subjects: mermaids and mermen, love, supernatural

Setting: Present-day, Bayfield, Wisconsin and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. And the depths of Lake Superior. It’s set in May.

POV/Tense: past tense,1^st person alternating POV between Calder and Lily, and later on, other characters

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 353 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Random House: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “Calder and Lily never imagined falling in love would mean breaking apart. But ever since Lily started wearing a glass pendant that once belonged to Nadia, Calder's adoptive mother, she's been having vivid dreams of what life was like for the mermaid matriarch. In fact, she's been dreaming as if she were Nadia! And Nadia, it seems, made a promise before her death. A promise to reunite Calder's biological mother with her son. Lily knows merfolk are bound to keep their promises. Calder's not buying into it, though. He chalks up the dreams to stress. He wants Lily to focus on the future—their future, not the past. Which forces Lily to send Calder away. Calder goes, feeling rejected and more than a little tempted to revert to his hunting ways.  

What both of them overlook is the present: Calder's sisters, Maris and Pavati, are fighting for control of the mermaid clan, and now that Lily and her dad have transformed into mer-creatures, both mermaids vie for daughter and father as allies. Which of the two mermaids can be trusted? Will Lily make costly mistakes, forcing her to descend to the depths of Lake Superior? And if Calder returns, will he be the same merman Lily grew to love? The stakes are high, with many lives at risk, but Calder and Lily must confront the past as well as their darkest impulses if they want a chance at being together.”

My Review: This was such an epic conclusion. This is probably my favorite mermaid series I’ve ever read. It’s full of interesting characters and crazy twists and a beautiful setting. This final book isn’t just from one character’s perspective, but it alternates between Lily and Calder. I wish the first two books did this. Lies Beneath was completely Calder’s POV, and Deep Betrayal was from Lily’s POV. I love how well differentiated the narration is between their parts. Calder is self deprecating and sarcastic and very much a guy. Lily is more poetic and quirky and also sarcastic. The narration of this series is just so well done.

I like the other characters beside the two main ones. Despite everything, I think Pavati is pretty awesome. I wish we could get more of her story. She had a baby and handed it off to Daniel, the father, but she really cares about that baby. Daniel cares for it too and I hope they do stay together despite mermaids’ tendency to not stay with mates. I loved seeing how Danny dealt with the baby. He seems not like the best choice for a father figure, but he really likes the baby. I don’t really like Maris because she’s kind of cruel.

I also love the setting. I’ve been to Lake Superior multiple times. Never to Bayfield specifically, but near there. I’ve been to Ashland, and Park Fall, Butternut (where my great uncle lives) and other places in the North Woods of Wisconsin. I have travel brochures and a post card of Bayfield, so I can picture the town easily. The Apostle Island are a beautiful places and I hope I actually visit them someday instead of look at them form a distance. 

Other important events in this book include Lily’s dreams in which she’s Nadia, and Calder’s search for his real parents. Lily’s sea glass necklace is letting Nadia’s spirit show her the past and what’s she’s shown leads her to believe that Calder must find his family. Calder doesn’t believe Lily and she tries to convince him what he must do. She sends him off to Thunder Bay, Canada and he promises he will try to find them. Meanwhile, Maris and Pavati are fighting over who gets Lily and her dad on their side. The turn of events near the end resolves the story well. I wish there was more and that the story didn’t have to end yet, but I’m pretty happy with the ending. 

If you haven’t read the Lies Beneath series then you are missing out. It’s great for anybody who likes paranormal romance or mermaids. 

Cover Art Review: Nice underwater photo, but the girl kind of looks dead. Maybe that’s the point. It’s and okay cover because it fits with the previous books.

Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick

Series: Ashes Trilogy (bk. 3)

Genera: Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: survival, zombies, post-apocalyptic, Michigan

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 671 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Egmont

Summary/ product description: “The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now.

When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse-until the doctors found the monster in her head.

She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death.

Now, with no hope of rescue-on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit-she discovers a new and horrifying truth.

The Change isn't over.

The Changed are still evolving.

And...they've had help.

With this final volume of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick delivers a riveting, blockbuster finish, returning readers to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and hope is in short supply.

A world where, from these ashes, the monsters may rise.”

My Review: As final books go, Monster was a real monster of a book. Extremely long. I’ve only read 1 or 2 books longer. It was painful to lug it around and read while laying down. I usually don’t read books this weighty. It could have definitely been 200 pages shorter, or even possibly 2 separate books. Shadow, the 2^nd book was more than 100 pages less than this. Monsters dragged on with to many perspectives and side characters. Even with the character backstories in the back of the book, I still couldn’t keep track of all the characters. Why couldn’t it just be Alex’s perspective. I enjoyed her perspective. She’s funny and smart, and I loved how she was in Ashes. She’s got survival skill. I liked her inner dialogue, even in 3^rd person. I loved the saying that repeated: “Sometimes you just feel like a nut.”

The other thing that I loved about this series was the setting. I love Michigan. In summer 2012 I camped in the Porcupine Mountains state park. We hiked and went swimming in Lake Superior. I hunted for copper and agates on the beach and on trails. It was fun and beautiful and I’d love to go back there even if the flies are horrible. This book describes the UP perfectly in some parts. I’ve never been there in winter, but I feel like I was now.

The one issue I had was all the made up places the author wrote into the book. Both Oren and Rule are made-up. As are Mirror Point and the Waucamaw forest. They are based off of real places, like Ontonagon and the Ottawa national forest. Real places mentioned in the book: Houghton and Hancock, which I visited, and Isle Royale located near Thunder Bay. There are timber wolves in the UP, and Bears. I didn’t see any wild ones.

As far as conclusions go, I don’t feel like the story wrapped up well. There was too much mind jumping/perspective switching. I also often found myself skimming the book, or only reading dialogue. I was hoping for more development in the Changed, or the mystery behind why this all happened. I’m very disappointed in the overall direction this series went. I loved the 1^st book, Ashes. I wanted closure, and only had more question. And it’s the final book!!!

I recommend this series to fan of Forest of Hands and Teeth, the Benny Imura series, the TV show Revolution, fans of the Gone series by Michael Grant. If you like sci-fi horror, or Stephen King, you may like this.  

Cover Art Review: I love how the typography and imagery is integrated. The green smoke and the girl in the title. The forest in the background is barely noticeable, but it’s there!

Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Series: Lies Beneath (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: supernatural, Lake Superior, Wisconsin, mermaids, mermen, merfolk, love, murder

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 303pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Random House: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “It's been thirty days, two hours, and seventeen minutes since Calder left Lily standing on the shores of Lake Superior. Not that she's counting. And when Calder does return, it's not quite the reunion Lily hoped for. Especially after she lets her father in on a huge secret: he, like Calder, is a merman. Obsessed with his new identity, Lily's dad monopolizes Calder's time as the two of them spend every day in the water, leaving Lily behind.
Then dead bodies start washing ashore. Calder blames his mermaid sisters, but Lily fears her father has embraced the merman's natural need to kill. As the body count grows, everyone is pointing fingers. Lily doesn't know what to believe—only that whoever's responsible is sure to strike again. . . "

 

My Review: Awesome sequel! I read Lies Beneath and Deep Betrayal back-to-back, so I’m happy I got to read Calder’s perspective, and in this book, Lily’s perspective. I think I like Lily’s perspective the best. I wonder who’s perspective the third book, Promise Bound, will be in. My bet is on both based off the description.

Lily’s personality is fun and quirky at times. She’s really into poetry and geeky about it. She dresses in her own unique way. And she has a merman for a boyfriend. And she’s a strong, female heroine who in no way is similar to Bella from Twilight. Calder’s no Edward either. And there’s no love triangle, thank goodness, because we want Calder to be happy so he doesn’t have to kill people to survive. Lily’s feeding him love.

Lily’s also developing some abilities beyond her resistance to cold water. And her father, who transformed at the end of the last book, is learning to be a merman. And while that’s going on, there’s also almost-drownings that authorities are calling rip-currents, but based on what witnesses say, Lily and Calder believe it’s possibly Maris or Pavati’s doing. So, a lot is happening and the other possibly suspect is Lily’s dad, because he hasn’t been home much.

Still, my favorite part of this book is the setting. I went to Superior last year, and the Porcupine Mountains. I didn’t visit Bayfield (we stopped in Ashland though) or the Apostle Islands, but I did accumulate a lot of travel guides and maps and post cards, so picturing the setting is very easy. I love the Great Lakes, and Lake Michigan is the closest to Chicago obviously, but Lake Superior is so much more natural and clear. And has better rocks to find on the beach. See some of my photos below:

 

 

 

Of course, parts of this book did take place in Minnesota. In the beginning and near the end. There is no Copper Falls in any Minnesota State parks. I looked it up. Copper Falls State Park I’ve been to twice and its south of Ashland, WI. So some places in the book are made up, but essentially based off of real places. The author did a lot of renaming and rearranging for creativity’s sake.

 Bond Falls, MI:

 

Pattison State Park, WI

 

Below: Copper Fall State Park, Brownstone Falls.

 

 PHOTO BELOW ARE NOT MINE

 

 

We also get a bigger taste of the mermaid mythology and legends. I’m not sure if they are based off of real Native American legends, or if the author made them up, but I’m sure Google has the answer. There’re probably Lake Monster legends (I only know of the Loch Ness Monster, and Lake Champlain legend). I didn’t pay attention to that stuff last year on vacation because I was too busy asking where the best places to collect copper were. (I found a very small nugget).

And then the ending of this book was pretty epic. I didn’t think it would happen, but it did. Wow. And who’s the killer? You’ll just have to read the book to find out. I never suspected.

I recommend this series to fans of the Siren trilogy by Tricia Rayburn, Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs, or other mermaid books or books about lakeshore/seaside towns and natural areas. Seriously, if you love watery setting or nature in general, take a virtual vacation on this series. Go on Google Earth or Google Maps and look up Bayfield and look at the photos. Imagine you’re there. This sequel is the perfect summer read.

Also, I want Promise Bound ASAP!!! Anyone have an ARC handy?

Cover Art Review: I like the photo. I know the girl is supposed to be Lily because the hair color. I love the lighting of the photo. Looks awesome with the metallic stock paper. The stones remind me of the lake bottom. I still don’t like the san-serif typeface they chose for the title.

 

 

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Series: Lies Beneath (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: supernatural, Lake Superior, Wisconsin, mermaids, mermen, merfolk, love, revenge

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 303pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Random House: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “Fans of Amanda Hocking's novel, Wake, will dive into this paranormal romance featuring mermaids--the killer kind--and won't come up for air!
Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.
It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.

One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.
"Riveting! A cold-blooded tale of secrets, revenge, and forbidden love that will leave you terrified to go in the water."--Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess
"Scary and spooky . . . I really enjoyed reading this."--USA Today
“A haunting tale of revenge and romance.”--Justine Magazine

 

My Review: This book makes me mad that we didn’t visit Bayfield last summer. I drove through Ashland, WI on our way to Superior, and Pattison State Park, but I never got to go up on the Bayfield/Apostle Island Peninsula. That goodness for Google Earth, because it has photos and street view.
I absolutely LOVE the setting of this book. I love the North Woods region, and I’ve been there twice. I've been to Lake Superior 3 times, but only last year was I old enough to really enjoy it. And I of course took a million photos, some of which are below. Sadley I'm not part of the whole YA Roadtrip tour. The 1st photo was taken in Superior, WI. Notice the red waves. They rest were in Pocupine Mountains State Park in Michigan. All  the photos are of Lake Superior.

 

 

Lake Superior is way cooler than Lake Michigan. It has better rocks (I found copper, prenite, thompsomnite, greenstone, agate and various other rocks, some fossils) and reddish to clear water. It has the most amazing lake shores and some dunes too. If I could move the UP or someplace near the lake shore, I would. But I hate biting flies.

 Here's some of the travel stuff I have on Bayfield and Lake Superior. I got the post cards from the Ashland visitor's center.

 

That said, I loved more than just the setting. The characters, dialogue and paranormal elements were also interesting. Calder and his 3 sisters were all different in personality and all had their own motivations. Tallulah was the nicest one, Pavati liked to manipulate and memorize people, and Maris was the tough-love leader, the one in charge. In part of the book, Calder stalked Lily a lot. I found it funny. And Calder’s narration reminded me of other books I read with guy narrators. The voice felt right-on.

Lily, the love interest of Calder, was very unique. She liked poetry and dressed in crazy outfits. Lily had a sister, Sophie and her mom and dad. There were also side characters, like Jack, who also liked Lily, and Jack’s sister, Gabby. There was fun dialogue and bickering between Calder and his sisters. And Calder and Lily.

The mermaids in this book were like energy-vampires. They can see aura, absorb energy when they drown someone and emit electrical shocks, like an eel. And they had tails, like the mermaid of fairy tales. But they’re killer mermaids. At least they don’t eat the people they kill. They also have a silver ring around they’re neck when submerged, and I wasn’t sure what that would look like.

I recommend this book to people who enjoyed the Siren series by Tricia Rayburn, other mermaid books, or the Beautiful Creatures series.

Cover Art Review: Love the photo. Looks like one of Calder’s sisters, probably Tallulah or Maris. The pink on the water’s surface looks like blood. I love how the light shines through the ripples. I don’t like the san-serif typeface they chose for the title.