The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Cordova

Series: The Vicious Deep (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Fantasy Adventure

Subjects: adventure, magic, magical creatures, merfolk, mermaids, mermen, mythology, supernatural,

Setting: Coney Island, New York and in the Atlantic ocean

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Tristan Hart

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 317 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $16.99

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Summary/ product description: “This epic clash of sand and sea will pit brother against brother-and there can only be one winner

In two days, the race for the Sea Court throne will be over-but all the rules have changed. The sea witch, Nieve, has kidnapped Layla and is raising an army of mutant sea creatures to overthrow the crown. Kurt, the one person Tristan could depend on in the battle for the Sea King's throne, has betrayed him. Now Kurt wants the throne for himself. Tristan has the Scepter of the Earth, but it's not enough. He'll have to travel to the mysterious, lost Isle of Tears and unleash the magic that first created the king's powerful scepter. It's a brutal race to the finish, and there can only be one winner.”

My Review:  What and interesting and adventurous ending! Tristan and his friends must bring the pieces of Triton’s trident/scepter together and defeat the silver mermaid Nieve. He, Nieve and Kurt are after the throne. Kurt is also being manipulated somewhat and now wants to kill Tristan. Nieve of course want to rule the seas. I had a hard time remembering what happened in the previous books so I was lost for a while.

The first part of the book was really interesting and pretty different from the rest of the series. Tristan arrives at an island where the river tribe lives. He also finds Dylan, Brendan and Kai there. Time move differently there, it’s many days on the island before a day in the real world passes. The river tribes were not merpeople, but could turn into water. The leader was a woman and she was nice to Tristan, but secretive. One girl named Yara helped Tristan. He is given a task to defeat a creature called the Naga and he is given some training. Something happens and when he leaves the island, he has another addition to his group.

Tristan meets with more oracles and searches for answers in unexpected places. His circle of friends and followers grows and he gather’s a sorta-army to fight Nieve and her merrows. He gathers land locked merpeople, vampires, demon and other creatures living in New York City. His shape shifter friend Marty helps too. There’s fun along the way, including underground speed dating (hilarious) and a giant turtle.

This series has been fun and crazy. It may not be my favorite mermaid/merman series, but I really enjoyed the narrator and the humor. I love the mix of paranormal creatures too. There’s a touch of romance between Layla and Tristan. The action, adventure, magic and mythology. I’d definitely recommend the Vicious Deeps series to fans of Percy Jackson and The Olympians and Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown.

Cover Art Review: I love the big crystal scepter. It does look like quartz, but not the usually crystal structure. Way too pointy. The cover work well with the previous books’ covers. 

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.

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. 

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.