Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Title: Beneath the Haunting Sea
Author: Joanna Ruth Meyer
Genre: Fantasy
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 400 pages
Publication: January 9, 2018 by Page Street Kids

Source: I received a review copy from Saichek Publicity in exchange for a honest review.

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Can't you hear it, Talia?

Can't you hear the waves singing?

Sixteen-year-old Talia was born to a life of certainty and luxury, destined to become Empress of half the world. But when an ambitious rival seizes power, she and her mother are banished to a nowhere province on the far edge of the Northern Sea.

It is here, in the drafty halls of the Ruen-Dahr, that Talia discovers family secrets, a melancholy boy with a troubling vision of her future, and a relic that holds the power of an ancient Star. On these shores, the eerie melody of the sea is stronger than ever, revealing long-forgotten tales of the Goddess Rahn. The more dark truths that Talia unravels about the gods' history--and her own--the more the waves call to her, and it may be her destiny to answer.

 Beneath the Haunting Sea was a wonderful surprised. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and who would’ve known that this was exactly the book I needed to read. Not only was the imagery and writing beautifully detailed and written but it was also the perfect self-discovery, fantasy adventure that we need more of. Many reviewers mentioned that this was very Jane Austen-ist, and I couldn’t agree more. Beneath the Haunting Sea is in the same vein as Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, and Stardust…so if you’ve enjoyed any of the aforementioned novels; then you’ll love Beneath the Haunting Sea.

Meyer hits the ground running with her debut young adult novel as readers are introduced to Talia, who was destined to be a future queen one minute and an exiled princess the next. After the coup d'etat, Talia found herself shipped off to Ruen-Dahr and betrothed to a boy she’s never met. It is there that she learns about her true lineage; that has her and her betroth Wen’s lives entangled. I haven’t read many novels involving sirens or sea gods/goddesses, so picking this book up was a breath of fresh air amid all the Urban Fantasy books I’ve been reading. I loved Meyer’s writing, she had me glued to the story from page one. And while I normally hate flashback scenes, Meyer expertly woven them into the story/dialogue that I found myself looking forward to hearing the tales of Rahn and the Billow Maidens.

Talia was a pretty good protagonist, most of the time. She is without a doubt independent and brave considering everything she’s been through and it is a lot. But I couldn’t help find her interaction and infatuation with Caiden vexing. On one hand, yes I know she’s just a teenager and she sees a handsome young man that she’s bound to be swooned by his charm but by when you reached the end of the book, everything was for naught. Meaning, the story line involving Talia and Caiden was pointless and brought nothing to the story except some teenage angst. This would be my only complaint because it took up a fair amount of page time which I thought could’ve been utilized better but It didn’t make me enjoy the book any less. I also really liked Wen, Talia’s betroth, he’s such a caring sweet heart. Although I felt bad for him for the majority of the book, he definitely got the short end of the stick. On a random note, can I just saw how awesome are these characters names? I thought it was perfect for each of the characters…Talia, Wen, Caiden, Blaive…love it!

Beneath the Haunting Sea is what I’d call a hidden gem of 2018. I haven’t heard much press about it until it was put on my radar for review and I glad for it! Beneath the Haunting Sea is a story about fate, love, selflessness and embracing who you are. I highly recommend Beneath the Haunting Sea to all Gothic Victorian, Fantasy, Jane Austen-lovers; this is a debut you don’t want to miss!