Review: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
Series: Standalone
Published: June 2nd, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
416 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary YA
Acquired this book: Via Edelweiss in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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{Read my 5-star review of Twenty Boy Summer}

 

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .     

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler is an absolutely gorgeous story. The only other book I’ve read of Ockler’s so far is Twenty Boy Summer, and I couldn’t imagine loving another book of hers more than that, but I did. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids completely enchanted me and stole my heart from beginning to end.    

Elyse d’Abreau’s is defined by two things: the sea, where she was born, and her beautiful singing voice. Her identity is wrapped up tightly in music and the sea. Except that both have betrayed her in a way, leaving her with no voice and scars that are both physical and emotional. She leaves her home and family in Tobago and moves to Atagatis Cove, Oregon. She needs to figure out who she is without her voice, without her music, without her family, and what her future holds now that the future she thought she had has been ripped away from her. 

I adored Elyse. She was smart, strong, and brave. The lessons she learns through the course of the book range from small, quiet things to huge lightbulb realizations. She learns so much about herself, as well as lessons about family, friendship, love, and life. I loved her relationship with Christian and that he was more than he appeared to be. Elyse needed someone like him - someone to see her, listen to her, and really be there for her. Their tentative friendship and then blossoming romance was a joy to watch. There were other stellar characters in the book, too - Elyse’s aunt and cousin, Lemon and Kirby, her new friend Vanessa, and my personal favourite, Christian’s little brother Sebastian. That kid was ridiculously cute, plus so intelligent. I loved his passion and excitement, and how easily he accepted Elyse and never seemed to notice her differences. All the side characters had a purpose in the story and added something special. They each had something to teach Elyse, and they helped her in many ways.

Besides the unique story and the fantastic characters, the writing was beautiful. This story was so full of emotion and made me feel so many things. I laughed and cried. I loved how sex-positive the story was and that Ockler didn’t shy away from portraying a healthy, safe sexual relationship. I also enjoyed the slow unfolding of what happened to Elyse to make her lose her voice. It, along with many other aspects of the book, was heartbreaking. I also loved learning about Trinidad and Tobago and what life was like for Elyse there. It was so vivid and descriptive, I could picture it all perfectly.

On a personal note: My brother is deaf, and while he has some speech, he won’t talk in front of everyone. Growing up with him and being surrounded by other deaf people, I can easily imagine how frustrating, saddening, and even maddening losing her voice must have been for Elyse. To not be able to speak, whether it’s a simple hello, or pouring your heart out, is huge. When some people realize you can’t speak, they dismiss you, assume you’re stupid, or don't want to be bothered trying to communicate. I’ve seen all of this firsthand. Unless you’ve seen or experienced it, it might be hard to understand, but I think Ockler did a fantastic job of showing Elyse’s situation and the effect it had on her.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is a beautiful story about conquering fears and finding your voice. These characters and their story will stick with me for a long time. This book is not only one of my favourite books of 2015, it’s earned a spot on my list of all-time favourites.

Have you read The Summer of Chasing Mermaids? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Review: Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Series: Lies Beneath, Book #2

Published: March 12th, 2013

Publisher: Delacorte/Random House

320 pages (e-galley)

Genre: Young adult paranormal/urban fantasy

Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley

Warning: May contain spoilers

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 {Read my review of Lies Beneath}

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. . . . 

 

 

Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown is the sequel to Lies Beneath, a tale about deadly mermaids. I thoroughly enjoyed Lies Beneath and had high hopes for Deep Betrayal, so it makes me sad to say that I was left feeling really disappointed.

I really liked Lily in Lies Beneath, so I was looking forward to a story from her perspective. She was strong and independent in the first book but she kind of annoyed me in this one. A good chunk of the beginning was dedicated to Lily counting down the days she’d been apart from Calder, and being miserable. The rest was just a lot of angst and drama - revolving mostly around Calder, Lily’s dad, and Jack (the crazy merpeople-obsessed boy in town). I spent a lot of time being irritated with not just Lily, but also Calder and her dad. Their distance, their decisions, and their actions just seemed off to me.

The whole story felt really long and filled with unnecessary side stories. 320 pages isn’t all that long for a book, but it took me over a week to get through because it was so slow. Besides my annoyance with the characters, I didn’t feel the sparks I felt between Lily and Calder in the first book. Their romance intrigued and excited me in Lies Beneath, but it was really lacking in Deep Betrayal.

There were a few redeeming factors in the book: the writing was good, the mystery was tightly woven and had me stumped, and I enjoyed Ms. Greenwood Brown’s version of the origins of merpeople.

Overall, Deep Betrayal unfortunately wasn’t for me. The pacing was too slow, the characters I once loved were too different, and the excitement from the first novel was lacking. Of course this is only my opinion. If you enjoyed Lies Beneath, I encourage you to read Deep Betrayal and decide for yourself. 

 Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.

*Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book for review.*

 

Have you read Lies Beneath or Deep Betrayal? What did you think? How do you feel about mermaid books in general?

 

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Book Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Wake by Amanda Hocking

Series: Watersong Book #1

Published: August 7th, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

309 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Young adult paranormal/urban fantasy/mythology

Acquired this book: From the library

Warning: May contain spoilers

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Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs.  She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door.  He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back.  Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever.  She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove.  They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price.  And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

I’ll be honest - the beautiful cover of Wake is what initially drew me to the book. I didn’t know much about the book before I read it, but I’d seen dozens of other bloggers talking about it, so I was curious.

Unfortunately - and I really do hate to say this - the cover was one of the only things I liked about Wake.

I didn’t really like Gemma or Harper, nor was I able to connect with them. I didn’t feel like there was much depth to them, and neither of them really developed as characters. Gemma’s love of the water was pretty much the only thing that defined her, and Harper’s domineering personality was a bit much to take at times. At one point Gemma called her sister ‘a bossy, know-it-all control freak’ and that pretty much sums it up.

Daniel was pretty much the only character I liked, and that was really only because he had more personality than any of the others. Alex was okay, but I got tired of hearing about how he’d gone from a geek to a total hottie practically overnight without anyone noticing, as if he wasn’t worth noticing until he became hot.

The pacing of the book was really slow, and I thought Hocking probably could have written one really good book instead of breaking this into a trilogy. Not much happened in Wake - in fact, it felt like the book was mostly made up of dialogue, and I found myself skimming a lot. What little there was about siren mythology was interesting, but I wish it had been expanded upon.

Overall, Wake just didn’t do it for me. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters or the story, and I felt like I waited most of the book for something - anything - to happen. If you enjoy stories about mermaids/sirens or mythology, this book might be for you. 

2.5 stars

Have you read Wake? What did you think? Do you enjoy books that weave in elements of mythology?

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Book Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Series: Lies Beneath, Book #1

Published: June 12th, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

313 pages (ebook)

Genre: Young adult paranormal/romance

Acquired this book: From NetGalley/Random House

Warning: may contain spoilers

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Synopsis: 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, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him. 

 

In Lies Beneath, debut author Anne Greenwood Brown weaves an intoxicating tale that is dark and somewhat disturbing, but also thrilling, romantic, and, at times heartbreaking. This was the first mermaid book I’ve read, and I can definitely tell you it won’t be the last. 

There’s no wasting time in the beginning, the story jumps right in and we’re introduced to Calder, who is wishing he could avoid his yearly reunion with his mermaid sisters. I have to admit, there was part of me that didn’t want to like Calder. He was a monster and a murderer, but it didn’t take me long to realize he was so much more than that, and the ‘monster’ and ‘murderer’ in him were part of his nature. It would be hypocritical of me to hate him for that when I love vampires and other supernatural killers, right? Plus, Calder wanted so badly to separate himself from his inherent nature and not be like other merpeople, especially his dangerous and deadly sisters.

I really started to like Calder when he began interacting with Lily. It was a struggle for them at first, because Calder didn’t know how to act human, and he made Lily nervous with his forthright nature, and the fact that he always seemed to be around. At first, Calder did his best to keep things impersonal - he had a mission, and he couldn’t let anything get in the way. Only, something did get in the way - his growing feelings for Lily.

Lily was very different from a lot of other girls in books. I wasn’t sure I would like her at first, because she seemed so determined to be different, but then I saw that it wasn’t necessarily that she was trying to be different, she was different, and she just wanted to express herself. She was free-spirited and fearless with a touch of a rebellious soul, but there was also this sweetness and innocence to her that was refreshing, and that made me love her.

My favorite scenes were definitely the ones where Calder and Lily were together. Things built slowly between them, and I loved the anticipation. There were scenes that were so sweet, but also kind of sexy, where every little moment or touch held so much tension it made me sigh and silently cheer them on.

I enjoyed learning some of the back story of merpeople - how they were born or made, and what it meant to be part of a mermaid family. Calder’s sadistic sisters fascinated me, and I wish we had seen a bit more of them and learned more about them. One thing is for sure: I’ve always been afraid of open water, and I don’t think that’ll be changing any time soon after reading this book!

The pacing of the story was great - little tidbits of the puzzle were revealed throughout, and by the time the climax hit, I was shocked. I really didn’t see any of it coming, and I love when that happens. This book genuinely kept me guessing, and I was so desperate for Calder and Lily to be together, but no matter how many scenarios I played out in my head, I couldn’t see a way that would work.

Overall, Lies Beneath is a captivating debut that shouldn’t be missed, especially if you enjoy mermaid books, but more than that, stories about love, redemption, revenge, human (or inhuman) nature, secrets, and family ties.

Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.

*Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book for review.*

 

Have you read Lies Beneath? What do you think of mermaid books in general? How about stories told from a male's perspective?