Waterfell by Amalie Howard

Goodreads Blurb

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age. 
Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

Going into this, I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about it. The reviews I saw were mixed and my friends ranged from hating it to loving it completely. And I'm a mermaid girl, so I was definitely curious.
Before going in though, I was worried and already grimacing a bit. Lo Seavon. Lo SEAvon. And Nerissa Marin. Like Marine?

Oh this would be good. (I just wasn't sure if I'd meant that sarcastically or not when I'd though it.)

So first things first, I was actually a bit...confused by this book. There were a lot of contradicting plot lines that might have had to do with my copy being an ARC, but I digress. More than that, the actions and twists of the book were so...sudden. There was nothing leading up to it, no tension built or anything. The twists just jumped at you from the book and not in a particularly stunning way.

Nerissa...Nerissa wasn't my favorite character in the world of YA. She was whiny and, like Seipo brought up (and promptly apologized for) selfish. She did things however she wanted, pretty much regardless of the consequences and the toll it would take on those around her. She didn't seem to realize what people were sacrificing for her and she was...so naive. She believed that she was strong enough with very little training. She believed that she could take on the one person who managed to kill her powerful father. And she never thought once to suspect the people around her even though there were so many hints about it.
Bringing me to that little bit of information. Nerissa was also behind and oblivious. I figured things out three to ten chapters before her and I found it ridiculous that she herself pointed out things that should've tipped her off, but didn't. And now I wander into the plot discussion.

The pacing was actually quite fun and I loved the action bits, but the entire story was really quite predictable. While there were a few things that surprised me, the largest twist was something I'd seen coming a mile away and was actually pretty cliche and sort of made me want to bang my head on the wall.

And while the plot was pretty decent, the story focused mainly on the romance--insta love. Their relationship was so "electric" and insta lovey I cringed a few times as Nerissa described Lo's eyes as "matching the depths of the ocean" for the hundredth time and couldn't help but laugh every time she tried to deny her feelings for Lo. Which I honestly didn't understand. She didn't have plans to go back to her world, why would admitting she had a crush on him hurt her in any way? It was really ridiculous how much she tried to fight it despite her getting jealous and snapping at him when he talked to another girl for even ten seconds.

What is sort of fascinating, but weird, is that our characters...are not mermaids. No, they're alien water dragon-like creatures who resemble the Loch Ness monster, I'm assuming.That part was actually intriguing, and I do wish we focused more on the other aspects of the story besides Nerissa falling in love with Lo.

Pages: 360

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

Series: The Aquarathi #1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: Oct 29, 2013

Rating: 2 stars

September Girls by Bennett Madison

Goodreads Blurb

When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn  to him. 
Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here.

Oh, it's case of the deceiving cover again. I mean, the cover was absolutely gorgeous and the synopsis was definitely intriguing! But the actual story was, I found, very different from what I expected. 

So the first thing was the writing. It was a bit awkward sometimes and the cussing was...extreme. Every few sentences and almost every paragraph had a cuss word and it got super old super fast. The way it was written was also a bit awkward and while there was an air of mystery surrounding the story, it was also a bit obvious and a bit boring.

Also, *spoiler* the way to break the curse was also pretty messed up.

The plot also left a lot to be desired for. It didn't have any twists whatsoever and was actually pretty boring most of the time. It was nice to read, I guess. But what really disappointed me was that we never found out exactly what the girls were, and their parents...didn't make a whole lot of sense. We never went in depth with their situation, and since the book really sort of revolved around that, the story lacked. Also, very repetitive and there were a ton of things just suddenly popped out at you that made no sense whatsoever.

I was also a bit confused as to how DeeDee was really that different. The only reason she was "different" was because she'd rather read than party, but for all he knew, she was the only one he stumbled in on. It was coincidence after coincidence and it got super frustrating seeing DeeDee actually act like all the other Girls. 

Sam was also pretty shallow--and oh my gosh the number of times I wanted to punch him are innumerable. 

What I did like? The switching POVs. We got few glimpses into the supernatural world through this other POV which I can't reveal, and those were, by far, my favorite chapters. I did like Kristle though, despite her faults, and found her a strangely refreshing blunt kind of character, even if I did want to strangle her sometimes. (No, all the time)

Characters. Flat, obnoxious, disgusting, sex-crazed, etc.

The book sort of not really redeemed itself in the fact that it had a sort of impact on me and hit me as one of those raw kind of books. Maybe not beautiful, and maybe not gritty, but somewhere in-between. It's one of those books that you can sort of understand, not on a fictional level, but in the message the author was trying to send. But oh, it was so not worth the read. 

But, ermm, if I may offer a sort of snarky version of this review? (I restrained. I'm sorry. But)

Okay, I really wanted to punch all the characters so many times for being idiotic, drug addicts, and so demeaning, especially the guys. It made me want to throw a brick at something, preferably something glass. So the way it was written was sometime pretty, and it did give a raw message, but still. The characters? The plot? Eh. Also, hello? Can we please get some closure? I possibly hate this, and sort of like it because of the rawness. I think. My feelings are mixed. So mixed. But seriously. Lots of drinking, mostly sex, lots of objectifying, and a lot a lot a lot of anti-feminism/females-are-only-good-for-certain-ahem-things.

Pages: 256

Genre: Supernatural

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 21, 2013

Rating: Uh. No.

Lullaby by Amanda Hocking

Goodreads Blurb

Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of beautiful girls, Penn, Thea, and Lexi, everything changes. Vowing to get her sister back no matter what the cost, Harper must face dangers unlike any she's ever experienced. Fortunately, she has Daniel by her side, a gorgeous guy who's devoted to helping her find her sister—and who's immune to the girls' dark powers. 
While Harper searches for her sister, Gemma struggles to adjust to her new life. Gemma's powers are growing by the day, and the longer she lives with her new "sisters," the harder it is to resist entering their magical world. It's a realm both dark and beautiful, and where she's plagued by strange hungers and unspeakable needs. Just as she's drifting far away from her old life, Harper and Daniel find her...but no one can deny how much she's changed. All she wants is to return to her family and the mortal world, but how can she do that when she's become something else entirely—and will they still love her once they learn the truth?

So I decided instead of writing another badly written review in my short amount of time, I'd write another joint review except less...messy than before. All white writing will be Eileen and all neon blue will be me! I basically replied to Eileen's review and she replied, then I did, etc.

Lullaby wasn't what I expected it to be. The plot that I expected was there, but I didn't expect to be that blown away by the story. I'm not that big a fan of mermaid books, I've found, but I really loved this one.

Trust me, it wasn't what I expected either. :P Same for the plot (boring for me)...and I'm a giant fan! Have you READ Of Poseidon or Monstrous Beauty? But that's probably why I didn't like this one. Compared to other mermaid books, this was kind of disappointing...not to say it was bad!

I read Of Poseidon and also really loved it! That was probably one of the exceptions, but I haven’t read many intense mermaid books so maybe that’s what I was really drawn to it.

Right?! It was amazing. :) And hmmm...maybe. I've read about mermaids since I was little and knew about their bloodthirsty legends since I was like, 6. So I guess it just depends on whether or not you've read about them or not! 

The only mermaid book I ever read when I was six was The Little Mermaid. HA.

 | Dang...I was a messed up kid.

Lullaby begins right where Wake left off, and Harper is stopping at nothing to find her sister, Gemma. From missing posters to blogs to calls to anything you could think of, Harper's got her hands full. She preoccupies herself so completely with finding Gemma that she has to sacrifice things that she really wants to do. The loyalty I found from Harper was so admirable and it really enforced that family dynamic that was present in Wake. Harper would do literally anything to keep Gemma safe and sound, even if it meant risking her own life in order to do so, which I thought was not only extremely noble but it reminds you of how much siblings can love each other.

I'll admit that her loyalty was pretty sweet, but I was so annoyed because Harper was like...ugh. I hated how she didn't think about anything else and while that could be thought as sweet, I just felt as if she didn't care about anything else and…I just can't put this right! But I wanted to smack her. Of course, this may have something to do with me not wanting her to find Gemma.

I can see where you’re coming from, but if you’re kid sibling disappeared, you knew that she had run away, and you knew that who she was staying with was pure evil, would you be like, “Oh hey, I have a lead on my sister! No, it can wait, I’m going to go get a smoothie”? Personally, if my younger brother disappeared in that fashion I probably wouldn’t have been as calm.

True, but I'm more talking about her own life. I liked how Daniel put it. You have to move on. Not saying give up, but I felt like she should've concentrated, just a LITTLE more, on her own life. To me, she sort of felt like a Gemma-finding robot sometimes. 

Image: “I must find Gemma. Gemma is my leader.” *robotic moving arms*

Once again, Daniel didn't fail to make me laugh. He was obviously extremely devoted to Harper and trying everyday to help and take care of her, while convincing her that he wasn't the "loser" he was when Harper first ran into Daniel, which, let me say, was an equally hilarious and mortifying situation. Lullaby's secondary characters were probably my favorite part out of the entire novel. Harper's best friend Marcy was snarky but caring underneath her constant remarks, and one of the sirens Thea was supportive and helped Gemma through her phase as she was transitioning into a blood-thirsty siren.

Another reason I didn't like Harper. She was so annoying when it came to Daniel! He just wanted to be there and help and she just...she was like "deny deny deny." And SO TRUE! The secondary characters, in my opinion, were so much better than the main ones.

Okay, I agree. Harper kind of irked me at times with the “I’m trying to keep you safe, don’t talk to me anymore” speech, but it was kind of endearing how she tried to make sure nobody else got involved, although for Daniel it was kind of too late for that.

See? And I guess, though I felt it was more of an "I don't want people to think I'm crazy" kind of thing sometimes, you know?

Gemma herself also had a heart of gold. She always tried to do the right thing and she rarely ever let her hunger win and get the best of her. She was imperfectly perfect, in a way that made my heart ache for her but at the same time I was cheering her on, because Gemma had some fight in her. She was persistent, aggressive, and loved Harper just as much as Harper loved Gemma. Everything Gemma did was for Harper and to make sure she stayed safe, as well as the rest of her family and other people she loved.

I LOVED GEMMA. Erase my last comment! I agree with all of that! I loved seeing how Gemma would transform into her siren abilities and I think that was my favorite part. But I think she did it partly for herself. Trying to avoid the hunger, but making the best of it? She seemed to enjoy some of her powers. SOME of them.

RIGHT? I think she was such a refreshing character and when she was turning into a full-fledged siren it was absolutely fascinating to read!

YES! I loved her transformation so I was so disappointed when she was found. Honestly, this may sound evil, but I kept waiting for Penn to come and get her back. The ending? Not my favorite. (P.S. WHAT WAS GEMMA THINKING? It was sweet, but not very...smart. We must talk about my questions later.)

Yeah it wasn’t really smart of her. Kind of impulsive, but also a little sacrificial and I was like, “Aw, sad feelings.”

Yeah....but I sort of focused on the not smart/impulsive. I was in a bad mood at that scene. 

While I wouldn't recommend this to people who don't like mermaid books, to people who have had a fairly good track record with them, check this one out. The unique spin on the classic siren tale, making it more gruesome than most people remember, will hook you, and then the characters and the hilarious dialogue will take over after. Not only will you fall in love with Gemma and Harper, you will leave Lullaby feeling equal love for every secondary character: Alex, Daniel, Thea, etc.

Complete opposite here. I wouldn't recommend it for people who love reading about mermaids since it sort of fell flat for me. On the other hand people who aren't used to mermaids? This would be the perfect introduction to them! I loved the spin on it definitely, but I would've liked to see more to it. More siren parts, less Harper searching parts.

Hmm possibly. I could see someone who wants to ease into the mermaid genre to start with this one, seeing as it is kind of more of the characterization and less of sirens.

Yeps! I'd definitely recommend it for someone who wants to save best for last!

From heartwarming characters to a unique plot, Lullaby will touch you in its "tail" (Get it? No?) about family, love, and loyalty. Any mermaid fan or Amanda Hocking fan will love this story.

#Punny. ;P

Why thank you!

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Goodreads Blurb

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

I am completely stunned with Monstrous Beauty! It wasn’t a mermaid tale in the way that the current ones are. Yes, killer mermaid, but it seemed like Elizabeth Fama used the old legends to create her story. She didn’t try to make it into a modern fish tale, she worked on the legend and created a spectacular story.

There were two story lines entwined and I loved both. But you knew what had happened, you knew what caused this, and you knew what caused that. You knew what would happen, but instead of making this book boring and predictable, it made it even more amazing and it made me even more antsy, waiting for the characters to realize what was happening. You guys have no idea how much I wanted to scream out “I know what happened!” to the characters! My anxiety kept growing until finally, finally they discovered everything. And hey. That’s totally a good thing! But there were a lot of surprising twists as well, and a lot of times, the outcome wasn’t as clear as I thought.

And a YA book isn’t a YA book without romance right? I loved the romance! It was definitely different from the rest, but why, you’ll have to read it for yourself! Let’s just say it’s a tragedy, not a HEA. Trying not to spoil anything, I’ll just say that it’s definitely not insta-love despite what you’d think and that history repeats…sadly. The romance is definitely a key point and is definitely something special.

Character-wise, I felt like the characters weren’t very dimensional. They did have separate personalities, but they just felt…unreal. And no, not because Syrenka was a mermaid and Ezra was…well, anyways. I enjoyed reading about them, but I felt like if I met them, I would feel as if they were fake. Hester resembles a lot of other characters and I couldn’t find anything very likeable about her. I just couldn’t connect with them, but it wasn’t very obvious, and honestly, I almost didn’t notice!

The tag line on the back of the ARC fits perfectly—Scary, Sexy, Soulful. Chilling and Dark, Monstrous Beauty was an incredible read that made me shiver and stare. Beautiful prose, amazing plot, and stunning twists, this is definitely one to add to your TBR!

Pages: 304

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy/Romance/

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Release Date: September 4, 2012

Rating: 4.5 ---> 4

"She screamed underwater, a high-pitched wail with a rapid burst of clicks that caused the sea life around her to scatter. It was as Noo'kas had foreseen. She had dared to love, and she had lost everything."

Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs

Goodreads Blurb

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.

I know I was supposed to review Lost Code but I couldn’t get into it. I think it was because it was around 11 PM…But anyways, I started reading Tempest Unleashed soo…here’s my review!

Unfortunately, I did not love it, or even like it. It had a good plot, but the characters! Tempest seemed incredibly annoying, naïve and thought she knew everything. It just annoyed the hell out of me when she made everyone feel guilty when she was the one who was wrong. Really…she also kept switching from Kona to Mark. From Mark to Kona. From Kona to Mark. From Mark to…you get the point. It really did annoy me, even more when she said that she loved them both. And (SPOILER NEXT) I can’t believe she abandoned Kona when he needed her most. Instead she picked Mark of ALL PEOPLE. Obviously, I’m Team Kona here. (SPOILER END) But even so…I just couldn’t fathom how Tempest could be so oblivious, naïve, unforgiving, and smart-mouthed (when she really shouldn’t be).

The plot was great and fun and Tempest learned more about her mom, and though she didn’t completely forgive her mom, she started understanding just a bit more. She practices her powers more, learning both how to use them and trying to discover how to defeat Tiamat once and for all. I loved how Tracy Deebs described how Tempest channeled her power and I absolutely adore the underwater world she created! It was enchanting how all the pieces came together in their world and I found it just a tad amusing how all the “land-lubbers” didn’t have a clue! Except Mark, but he’s another story

All in all, it would’ve been a pretty good book (4 stars?), but I highly disliked Tempest in this book, so it dropped by 2 stars. I feel as if, even though Tracy Deebs did do a good job writing the story, Tempest was too…irritating. And characters are a MAJOR part of my reviews so…it’s just how it happened.

Pages: 352

Series: Tempest #2

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release: June 5

Rating: 2 stars 

"My breath hitched, as if my gills had suddenly stopped working.If it makes you feel better, I kind of scared myself too.
That doesn't make me feel better at all, actually. He skimmed his mouth along my jaw, paused to nibble at my right ear. I jumped a little, tangling my fingers in his hair and pulling him closer as delicious shivers worked their way down my spine."

Lies Beneath by Ann Greenwood Brown

Goodreads Blurb

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 irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting 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

So I felt kind of bored this week and decided to write a surprise review! Happy Readings!



Calder is a mermaid. Or, a merman I should say. Along with his three sisters, he’s bent on revenge. And the chance for it comes in the form of Lily and Sophie Hancock, the daughters of the one man who should’ve died in place of their mother. And, they decide, the best way to get to the father is through his daughters. And that’s where Calder steps in. He’s to seduce Lily, gaining their father’s trust slowly, until they lure him to the water. And make sure he never wakes again. Calder’s up to it. He knows he can do it; after all, he’s been waiting all his life for this chance. But what happens when he falls in love with his prey? What happens when feelings that he can’t understand develops? What happens when secrets tumble out in a shocking wave? And what happens when it’s him against the world?

I’ve always liked mermaids, more so than angels or demons. Especially twisted ones. They just seemed all the more dangerous and even as a little girl I remember reading stories online about mermaids, sirens, and selkies. All sea creatures who lured and killed. I’m starting to think I had a few crazy genes. Anyways, when I heard of Lies Beneath, I was hooked. Evil mermaids, predator-falls-for-prey romance, and revenge all mixed into one? I’m there.

Anne Greenwood Brown really does know how to weave an edgy underwater story. And in a male’s POV? Talk about different. I really wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a male’s perspective simply because other books I’ve read with those haven’t exactly turned out great. I really shouldn’t have doubted. Lies Beneath does have some overused ideas, and yet, the way that they’re used makes it seem new and refreshing. Does that even make sense? I mean, Ms. Brown doesn’t really create her own species of mermaids, but instead uses the ones of myths and legends already there, and yet, they just feel even more vile (old word) than usual.

This book was fast paced and action packed, leaving me stunned and giddy. There were twists and turns, a really big one that I guessed, and I absolutely fell in love with our narrator. He was full of stubbornness, cockiness, and he was dangerous and knew it. I loved Lily, the love interest, because of her persistence and stubborn as well. Even better (spoiler)? She was smart enough to figure things out. Not many characters actually figure it out until someone tells them the big fat juicy (almost always) dangerous, life threatening secret.

After three paragraphs of fan girl sentences, here are some things I didn’t like:

·         The secondary characters.  There was no way I could actually imagine them as actually people. They were just a tad stereotypical, a bit too good to be true (or too bad to be true).

·         The ending. The book just leaves you hanging, and I get that there will be a sequel, but some things just didn’t tie up right, even for a first book.

·         Sophie suddenly just went from important supporting character to barely there at all. She was one of my favorites.

 Pages: 303

Series: Lies Beneath #1

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Rating:  5 stars

 "Forget everything you think you know about merpeople. Forget that freaking Ariel, think Silence of the Lambs, think Friday the Thirteenth."