Short & Sweet Reviews: mermaids

Showing posts with label mermaids. Show all posts

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Death Doesn't Bargain by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Death Doesn't Bargain Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Deadman's Cross # 2

Hardback, 384 Pages
Publication: May 8, 2018 by Tor Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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The Deadmen are back...
But so are the demons who have broken free of their eternal prison and are bent on mankind's destruction. The worst of the lot is Vine, determined to claim their lives for taking hers. She will see the world burn...and has the perfect lure to destroy them all. One of their own.

Kalder Dupree has never known a day of mercy. Born to the cruelest of mer-races, he sacrificed himself for his crew and is in Vine's hands. He expects no mercy or rescue.

Yet Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser, it's her calling, and she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation.

To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. If Vine thought she had her hands full before, she hasn't seen anything nearly as powerful as Cameron's resolve.

Death Doesn’t Bargain continues the saga of Devyl and his crew of deadmen. After the events of Deadmen Walking, Kalder Dupree was captured by Vine, Devyl evil ex-wife. The crew was about to jailbreak Kalder from Vine’s grasp when they discover Kalder back with them and among the living. But their reunion is cut short when a mythical sea beast puts everyone in danger and the only way Kalder could save everyone was to send them through a portal to his home, the undersea kingdom of Wyneria.

A new book in the series meant new lead couple, featuring Kalder and Cameron. Both of whom I adored in the first book. What I really liked about the Deadman’s Cross series is while there’s a different lead couple, the over storyline, arc of the story is connected between all books in the series. This isn’t the norm, or at least from what I’ve seen in the Paranormal Romance genre. I only read two other series that follow the same format, which I also enjoyed and they usually keeps me along for the ride. I’m not a big fan of standalone novels.

In the first book readers were taken aboard Devyl/Mara’s ship and were on the high seas, so it was only fitting that we went under the sea this time… to Kalder’s home. I loved the change of location and focusing on Kalder’s family, the merfolks. Mermaids are so underrated in the Urban Fantasy/Fantasy genre so it was refreshing to see them taking center stage. I also like how Kenyon incorporated different mythology into the series, albeit at times a bit random like Kalder’s true lineage. And while I haven’t read Kenyon’s other series, I know of them and their characters’ name due to their popularity; and many of the characters make an appearance towards the end of the book.

Overall Death Doesn’t Bargain was a good sequel. I thought it started strong but by the time we got toward the end everything fizzled a bit. The ending ended with another kidnapping, this time two crew-members, so it will be interesting to see how the deadmen plan to rescue them and defeat Vine for good!

Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Mermaid Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon

Title: The Mermaid Handbook
Author: Carolyn Turgeon
Genre: Fiction
Series: N/A
Hardcover, 240 Pages
Publication: May 15, 2018 by Harper Design

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Beautiful, seductive, mysterious, and potentially dangerous, the mermaid is a global literary and pop culture icon whose roots date back to ancient sea goddesses and Greek mythology. From Homer’s Odyssey and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Little Mermaid to T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, this sea vixen has long seduced popular imagination. Cosmetic companies have drawn inspiration for their makeup lines from mermaids, as have designers throughout fashion history, from Jean Patou to Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. The fishtail dress is a perennial long red-carpet staple, favored by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Sofia Vergara, and Blake Lively.

Divided into four sections—Fashion and Beauty; Arts and Culture; Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them; and Food, Entertaining and Stories of the Sea—The Mermaid Handbook is a unique and sumptuous compilation filled with creative ideas for decorating and living inspired by these beauties from the deep. Learn to make a sailor’s valentine; a mermaid comb and crown; and a pearl and sequin paillette necklace. There are recipes for mermaid-themed poke bowls, aquatic-themed honey gingerbread cookies, and the official cocktail of the 1960s-era mermaid attraction Aquarama.

HarperDesign, Turgeon and the designers hit it out of the park once again with The Mermaid Handbook, a stunning compendium of all things Mermaid. Following up with last’s years gorgeous novel, The Faerie Handbook, The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.

The Mermaid Handbook is presented in a sturdy turquoise hardcover compendium with a high quality image of a mermaid resting atop a jagged rock. To tie everything together the cover and spine is embossed with rose-gold foiling, the pages is gilded in rose-gold and is finished off with a baby blue satin ribbon. I loved the color scheme chosen, it definitely conjures up images of mermaids and the sea.

This compendium is a wealth of mermaid knowledge. The book is divided into four sections: Fashion & Beauty, Arts & Culture, Real Mermaids &Where to Find Them and Food, Entertaining & Stories of the Sea. Readers will learn how the mermaid mythology has inspired all aspect of our lives from clothing, to makeup, the vast stories from all around the world to yearly camp and parade dedicated for our love of mermaids; where you can learn to become one yourself and embrace your inner siren…because let’s face it, every one of us has dreamed or wished we were a mermaid at one point in our lives; I sure did!

The Mermaid Handbook is a must have for all mermaid lovers, the believers, the water babies, and anyone who dreamed of swimming in the underwater kingdom and living in the deep depth of the ocean. This is the perfect companion novel to Turgeon’s The Faerie Handbook and the perfect book to get you ready for the summer which is sure to filled with days full of sun, sand and the ocean!

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

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!

Thursday, December 28, 2017

[Blog Tour] Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer Excerpt

PUBLICATION: JANUARY 9, 2018 BY PAGE STREET!

PRE-ORDER|AMAZON|B&N|

Can't you hear it, Tali?

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.

CHAPTER 7 EXCERPT

The fever latched tight onto her mother, and wouldn’t let go.

One week. Two. She slept poorly; she woke frantically. Captain Oblaine’s opium supply dwindled—it was the only thing that made her easy again.
At the beginning of the third week, Talia got his permission to bring her mother to his private quarters, a small chamber adjoining the great cabin.
There, at least, she could sit in bed and look out the windows to the sea. Oblaine’s willingness to do so would have surprised Talia,
if not for the marked pity in his eyes when he looked at them.

He felt sorry for the woman driven mad by her banishment.

He felt sorry for the girl clinging desperately to the idea that her mother would soon be perfectly well again.
His pity made Talia angry, but she accepted it anyway.
Her mother was lucid, sometimes. She would wake in a quiet confusion,
scoot up against her pillows and take Talia’s hands in hers.
She’d say she was sorry for bringing this upon them, but they would build a new life together in Ryn, take care of each other.
She would smile at Talia, and then her eyes would slide over to the windows, a wild panic seizing her.

“I need to watch the sea! I need to protect the ship!
If I’m not watching she will come—she will break us—she will drag our souls into the depths and there will be no rest—”

“Hush, Mama,” Talia whispered into her ear, trying to soothe her even through her own fear. “All is well. There isn’t any danger. Don’t worry.”

But her mother wept and wouldn’t listen. Sometimes she wrested her way out of bed, stumbling through the Captain’s quarters and out onto the deck toward the rail, toward the sea. Once, she made it all the way, and Talia was terrified she meant to throw herself overboard.

But she didn’t, just stared into the water and crumpled to her knees. “She’s so angry,” she sobbed. “So angry.”

Hanid and Captain Oblaine both appeared at Talia’s elbow, and helped half carry her mother back to bed.

Her mother’s wrist didn’t heal. She was forever knocking it on something in her ravings, and Oblaine could do nothing but continue to bandage it, continue to knot a sling around her neck.

It was easiest when her mother slept. Those were the only times Talia left her, to wander listlessly about the deck, or climb up into the riggings and tuck herself against the main mast. She clung to the ropes and cried, shuddering in the icy wind. She ached with homesickness, and worry for her mother ate her from the inside. She couldn’t fix her mother, couldn’t help her. She couldn’t do anything, and she hated it.

One night, when her mother had been ill an entire month, Talia left her sleeping quietly in the captain’s cabin and shimmied up the riggings to the crow’s nest, her favorite spot. She wrapped herself in the blanket she’d brought and stared out at the stars as they burned white and cold in the vast sky. They seemed close enough
to touch, as if she could step from the mast and pluck one like an orange from the heavens.

The moon rose, round and silver, from out of the sea, and her mind jumped back to the night of her arrest, where moonlight had flooded into the ballroom. For a moment, she let herself long for the life Eda had stolen from her.

Hanid was right: this was outside of her control. She could no more crown herself Empress of Enduena, or shake the shadows from her mother’s mind,
than she could take a star from the sky. But that didn’t mean she was helpless, either.

Her mother would get better, when they landed in Ryn—Talia just needed to get her away from the sea. And they didn’t have to stay with Eda’s wretched baron, they could scrape out a living of their own. Talia would find work somewhere, make enough money to give her mother all the comforts she deserved. They didn’t need a grand life in Eddenahr to be happy.

The moon blurred a little before her eyes. My mother is still here, she told herself fiercely. That hasn’t changed.

She sensed movement below her and peered down to see a lantern bobbing on the deck. “Your mother is asking for you, Miss Dahl-Saida!” came Hanid’s voice.

She blinked the tears away and scrambled down in a hurry.

About the Author

Joanna Ruth Meyer is a writer of Young Adult fantasy. She lives with her dear husband and son in Arizona, where it never rains (or at least not often enough for her!). When she's not writing, she can be found teaching piano lessons, drinking copious amounts of tea, reading thick books, and dreaming of winter.