Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: 48fourteen Publishing
Publication: March 24th, 2014
Pages: 379 (Kindle Edition)
426 (Paperback)
Purchase via: Amazon
Rating: 
Synopsis:
Sharp,
sleek, and golden. Like the dagger she has worn since childhood,
eighteen-year-old Aeva is all three of these things. But there is
something else that this mermaid and her prized weapon share – they
are both hunted.
Hidden
within the caves off Iceland’s dark shore, Aeva waits to take her
place as the next ruler of the Meriads. But when Aeva uses her potent
and alluring song to save a drowning human, she disrupts a delicate
balance. Realizing she has unexpectedly bound herself to Gunnar, Aeva
is torn between duty and love.
Aeva
severs one life to begin another, and soon finds herself not only
rejected by the sea, but also stalked by an old enemy. As the worlds
of myth and man intertwine, Aeva will challenge fate to protect her
own sacred relic and the man she loves.
But legends and lies cast
an intricate net. With time and safety quickly unraveling for Aeva
and Gunnar, there is only one clear course: Find and defeat Delphine
before she can shift again.
My thoughts:
I had been unsure toward this book when I first heard of it for two simple reasons:
1. I'd never read a book that had real mermaids in it with tails and living in sea.
2. I didn't like The Little Mermaid.
However, it turned out to be a huge surprise and also from the pleasant kind. Of course it wasn't perfect, none of the books really is, but on the whole it was a very nice reading. But what was the positive things and what the flaws?
Things I liked:
The language
The mermaids in the book speak a little bit older English, with a lot of flourishes. Despite the fact that therefore it was a subtle bit harder reading than some books (it wasn't rather difficult, though) it was marvelous.
Aava
Aava was quite a lovable female protagonist. She was kind and self-sacrificing, yet courageous and real. I could relate her on a really high level and I just loved her whole character.
Gunnar
Although Gunner didn't turn out to be one of my favorite MMCs, I liked him. He's not a cliché, he's not snarky, nor the sexiest male being on Earth, but he's affable, loving, and timid, maybe even a bit shy. I was glad that he stood out of the common line.
The dagger and armlet
I don't want to spoil anything so I won't spill a lot about it, but I found this one really original. Aava wore an armlet, which is a kind of jewelry only this one is more, and a dagger in it. It had a relevant role in the story and I liked how it was feeling and sort of lived.
The peacefulness
I was thinking a lot how to define this fondness, but eventually I stuck to peacefulness. I mean by this that the book was definitely not fast pacing and it was somehow so calm, like an aura. I feel this sometimes with not action-packed books and it's a totally positive feeling. It means for me that the book wasn't boring it was just different, not so centered around action. (Not like I have any problems with that.)
The plot
It's an obscure definition I know, however, I don't know how else to say it. I liked what was happening, because it was an array of exciting and intriguing events. I liked it. Period.
The places
I was fond of the beautiful places I could explore though the even more beautiful place descriptions.
Things I did not like:
Edgy characters
I said I loved Aava and Gunner and honestly I did, but every characters except from Aava, yes even Gunner though he only seldom was, sometimes a bit edgy. Okay, not so a bit. Sometimes the most calm and nice characters felt off. Like suddenly too angry/protective/resigned, in one word, exaggerated even in regards to the difficult/sharp situation.
Minor awrinesses/contradictions
Because there were some. I won't mention all of them, but two: How can you be kissing underwater? Is it set in the past or in the present then? Etc.
Eventually he did start to gasp for air, but I think it still was a bit long for a kiss. Not only that it was long, but seriously I imagine that you should breathe to kiss. I might be wrong, but this is how I imagine.
As for the tense question, there were signs referring to the prior (mobile, laptop) and signs referring to the latter (how they were living, clothing).
The can't-be-pronounced names
I was debating whether to mention it or not, since it's not indeed a flaw, but finally I decided to do so. It's not something that should put you off reading the book, however, it did bug me. Almost all the names, names of locations and people, were so difficult if I'd had to read it aloud, I swear my tongue would have got twisted. I ended up just pronouncing them as I fancied, probably wrong.
Rating breakdown:
Cover: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Style/Writing: 5/5
World building: 5/5
Originality: 4/5 (Only because it was basically a very very altered The Little Mermaid story. There were quite a few original ideas in it though.)
About the author:
When it comes to books on her bedside table, young adult lit has always been a favorite (Blue Balliett, Libba Bray, and Stephenie Meyer, to name a few.) But it was actually an old, yellowing copy of Scandinavian Folk and Fairy Tales that planted a particularly relentless seed. Shapeshifters and sea nymphs began forming the seed of an idea that would eventually grow into Lyndsay’s debut novel, Fire of the Sea.
When she is not writing, you can find Lyndsay spending time with her family in the Rocky Mountains of Utah. She enjoys sitting in dark theaters, trying new gluten-free recipes, watching breaking storms over the peaks out her window, and secret naps.
The tour is hosted by
Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. :)
Delete