Genre: Paranormal Romance

Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs (Book Review)

Posted July 11, 2012 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 2 Comments

Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs
Series: Tempest #2
Also in this series: Tempest Rising, Tempest Revealed
Published by Walker Children's on June 5, 2012
Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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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.

So… I have ranted numerous times about how the middle book of a trilogy is usually pointless, boring, and frustrating. OH MAN. This is not so with Tempest Unleashed. The book lives up to its name, as Tracy unleashes the insanity. I mean, I was on the edge of my proverbial seat, flipping through this book as quickly as I possibly could. To be honest, it’s better than the first one. SO much better. And I’ll warn you right now, if you have not read Tempest Rising, the first book in this trilogy, this review will spoil that book for you. If you’re interested in an exciting mermaid story, definitely go check out my review of book one, and see if it sounds like something you would enjoy. Anyway, onto my review of book two! As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. Like I said, this book is much better than the first one. That’s so rare! It was more exiting, though, and the bulk of the book took place under the water this time. We got to learn more about Tempest, her family, and her gifts.

2. I love mermaid books because I really enjoy reading about underwater scenes and worlds. The descriptions were glorious.

3. The writing was very pretty, and I can see major growth and development in Tracey’s writing since the first book.

4. Tracy’s imagination is amazing! She came up with the craziest looking creatures. I’m not sure if she did a ton of mythological research, or if she made these up on their own. Regardless, they were fascinating. Also, the descriptions of Tempest’s powers were enormous, and so detailed! I found myself flying through these smoothly-written passages, eager to devour every single word faster than my brain wanted me to.

5. Tempest has grown up a little, and has this sense of responsibility and duty. She’s so much more mature now, and I liked her a lot more. She wasn’t selfish at all this time, thought through every decision carefully, and was so brave. I’m so happy to see this new change in her. And I really love how she treats her family. She’s so motherly and caring. I really like Tempest.

6. Kona got much less likeable. He’s not this sweet, swoon-worthy guy in my eyes anymore. He’s grumpy, controlling, pushy, lacks compassion and sensitivity, and has major anger management issues. I’d be scared of him if I were Tempest. Every once in a while, the old Kona would shine through, but I’m thinking his true colors are opposite of what I thought about him from the first book. I don’t like him anymore!

7. Mark is still sweet, but now he’s passionate and giving as well. He’s amazing, and I found myself switching my loyalties from one male in the love triangle to the other, which I almost never do. Mark is willing to give anything, do anything, sacrifice anything for Tempest. She’s a mermaid, and he’s not, but he’s willing to commit to her anyway. Kona has never said anything like that. And the passion with him is so much more fiery than what Tempest has with Kona. I actually love that Tracy did this. I love that she changed my mind. I mean, I loved Kona. LOVED him. And now I love Mark instead. Tracey had me feeling the way Tempest was feeling, which is the sign of a truly wonderful author.

8. That ending was pure insanity! I loved it! There was so much build up to an amazing climax that had me staying up so much later than I had planned. I can’t wait for the next book.

Really, you just need to read this. I have never had such a change of heart from book one to book two in a trilogy like this. I wasn’t even fully excited to read this after reading the first one, but I am SO glad that I did. The writing, the characters, the flow, the plot… all of it was SO much better! And if you loved the first one, just think of how much you’ll love this one! If mermaids are your thing, I think you’ll really like Tempest’s journey.

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs (Mini Book Review)

Posted June 27, 2012 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 6 Comments

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
Series: Tempest #1
Also in this series: Tempest Unleashed, Tempest Revealed
Published by Walker Children's on May 10, 2011
Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

This is one of those reviews that’s a little hard for me to write, because I just can’t think of a whole lot to say about the book. I liked it, but it did not have me going crazy with love (or hate), so I’m feeling some writer’s block. I absolutely love mermaid books, and have been reading quite a few lately. This one started out a bit slowly for me, though.

I did not love Tempest as much as I had hoped I would. She’s annoying, selfish, lacking in common sense, and completely self-destructive. I enjoy a heroine with a good head on her shoulders, and Tempest was really dumb sometimes. Some of her decisions had me smacking my forehead. Her silly banter/flirting back and forth with Kona seemed forced and unbelievable. I cringed reading it sometimes. You can tell they were trying to tease each other, but it just did not work. And the insta-love. OH MAN. This book is dripping with it. Seriously, this kind of instant “I will die for you or wait an eternity for you to love me back” is completely unbelievable, and I’m getting tired of it! Tempest’s thoughts regarding her mother also really bothered me. Her mom chose to live the life of a mermaid, rather than living on land with her beloved family. Tempest hated her for this, but then goes and makes the same decision (this is not a spoiler… it’s in the book summary on the back of the book). So… why can she do it, but not her mother? It just bothered me. Talk about a double standard. I loved her little brothers. They were so cute, and I really liked her dad. I always love reading about heroines who have extremely strong relationships with their dads.

Kona is wonderful, sexy, and completely swoon-worthy. He’s also a creature of the water, but you’ll have to read the book to figure out what he is. I really liked him and his world, though. He has a lot of honor, compassion, and mystery. I also liked Mark, her other love interest. You know YA novels! They almost always have a love triangle. Mark is also sweet, but I like him more as a brother or best friend than a love interest. Tempest’s guy friends are also a fun group to read about, but we don’t get to know them very well.

I enjoyed Tracy’s descriptions of the underwater world. The sea life and the scenery were so beautifully described, which is what made the story exciting to me (and also what made me give the book an extra star). I never used to enjoy a lot of detail in my stories, but I’m evolving into a lover of world building. I was left wanting more, though. I wanted the focus to move away from Tempest and Kona, and focus some more on those underwater creatures.

Overall, Tempest Rising left a few things to be desired, and left me shaking my head a little bit. The character development and relationships between most of the characters felt forced and made me uncomfortable. I loved the underwater world and would have enjoyed reading more of that than the silly teenage “Who am I? What do I want?” drama. I am planning to read the next book, and hope that Tempest will grow up a little, and that we’ll be able to learn more about merfolk and life under the sea.

Cicada by Belle Whittington (Book Review + Giveaways!)

Posted June 18, 2012 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway, Young Adult Fiction / 4 Comments

Cicada by Belle Whittington
Series: Cicada #1
Also in this series: Firefly, Monarch
Published by CreateSpace on September 13, 2011
Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction
Pages: 220
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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Summertime for Blair Reynolds and her friends had always been carefree and fun... until the summer they happened upon something that was not human. As they band together in a fight for their lives, Blair's true love becomes something more than human. Something unnatural. And their survival depends entirely upon their ability to keep a secret.

Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog as I help kick off the AToMR blog tour for Belle Whittington’s Cicada, book #1 in an exciting and suspenseful young adult sci-fi trilogy (haha. Long sentence there!)! When you are finished reading my review, make sure to find the complete schedule of tour events at the bottom. Also, find the opportunity to win one of 12 ebook copies of Cicada and/or an electronic firefly in a jar in honor of the upcoming sequel to Cicada, called Firefly. Both Rafflecopters are at the bottom of this review. :)

Going into this book, I was not really sure what to expect at all. I mean… cicadas are bugs. And they are noisy little guys! I used to live in Louisiana, and every summer night was accompanied by the sounds of cicadas in the trees. One time I saw one and flipped out. I’m really against bugs in general. And then I read the book blurb, which does not tell you much, and saw the “not human” and thought: Oooo! Aliens! And sci-fi. And hopefully not huge bugs, because I would have a major problem with that. Cicada surprised me! I was not expecting such a suspenseful, romantic, creepy, mysterious, and exciting story. I’m a huge lover of reading conspiracy theories (I don’t believe most of them, but they are fun to think about!), so when crop circles and aliens and UFOs and secret government agencies came into play, I was up all night reading. This was a great story! As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. This is a way different kind of story than most sci-fi books I’ve come across lately. It’s kind of a mix of the movie Signs and the Wings series by Aprilynn Pike. Weird, I know. That sounds crazy. Seriously, though! You’ve got the aliens and the crop circles and the “I’m freaking out about the fact that you’re outside in the dark right now” feeling, mixed with the “my boyfriend, who I thought was normal, is not normal at all and is changing and becoming a new person, and I might not see him for a while, but I need to pull through this and be strong” kind of situation.

2. Welcome to a young adult romance without a love triangle! Do you know how much I loved the fact that the main story was not centered around two boys fighting over one girl? It was glorious! Everett, the geeky guy in the group is Blaire’s best friend, and things develop from that. It’s a natural, common kind of real life relationship and I was very happy to see that surface in a sea of books with love triangles.

3. The characters were a lot of fun, but Blair was not my favorite at all. She was kind of an ordinary heroine to me. Her brother Andrew, though, was so great to read about. He is this sweet big brother who has a whole bunch of secrets, and really adores and protects his sister. Blair’s mom kind of weirded me out. She spoke to Blair a lot in sing-sing rhymes, which I found… well, weird. Haha. David is a baseball stud, whose batting skills came in handy and made me like him a lot. He’s also a very caring friend. Then there’s Natalie… and her role in the story confused me. She and David have a thing for each other, but don’t act on it because college is coming up and they will have to part ways. But they are still cuddly and dependent on each other, and then all of a sudden, the relationship escalates, but we were given no clues that it was happening! That romance was a bit unconvincing, but it’s probably because they are supporting characters, so we don’t get much info on them.

4. The creep-factor in Cicada had this chicken quivering under every blanket she owned. There’s just something about people walking through really dark, dense woods in the middle of the DARK. Plus, as Blair and all her friends started to get more and more involved with this non-human situation at hand, they became targets of a very dangerous group of people who were out to kill them. Now me, I’d hide in my closet. Or I’d move. Join a convent. Flee the country. What did they do? They went searching for these people! They entered mysterious buildings with green lights inside in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Because surely, waiting until it’s light out is not at all practical. You know how you watch a movie, and the main character hears a noise outside, so they walk out to see what it is? And they’re all, “Hello? Is someone there?” And you’re like, “DUH! GETINSIDERIGHTNOW!” Yeah. Exactly. Would you go snooping around scary city in the middle of the night? No, I think not. I was so creeped out that I called my little sister at 2:00 in the morning and asked her to go with me when I brushed my teeth, so that I would not have to walk across the dark hallway alone (because I swear I heard an alien out there). Yes, I’m admitting this to you. And I’m a chicken. This might be something your mom would read as a bedtime story to a 7-year-old you. Don’t judge me if you read this and are not scared. Toast popping out of the toaster has me practically running in place.

5. I wish there was a bit more substance. There was a lot of riding around “in the darkness” and searching a building and four-wheeling and visiting a storage facility. I wish we had been given some more character development and a few different events. The story was relatively short, though, so maybe we’ll get more in book #2. :)

6. The main climax of the book moved really quickly. It took a while to build up, which I enjoyed, but then BAM! Crazy thing happens, and then crazy thing is somewhat resolved within a few pages. I would have liked a little more time between the crazy and the resolution. We are led to believe (through what the characters say) that fixing this major, major problem is going to be extremely hard, but they do it rather easily within just a few pages. I wanted to go through more turmoil and more worry. I wanted the characters to have to struggle more. This is really hard to explain without spoiling things. If you’ve read the book, you know what I mean.

7. The vague blurb was obviously written vaguely for a reason, so I’m not going to spoil anything for you. I find that sometimes a book’s back cover summary gives way too much away. This one leaves you with a lot of questions, which brings me to my next point: this book has left me with SO MANY QUESTIONS, which really frustrated me! Haha. I’m glad there’s a couple more books coming out in this story, and hopefully I’ll know what’s going on by the end of those. :P

This is a really nice debut from Belle Whittington. Of course, there is room for improvement, but isn’t there always? I’m excited to see what she does with the following stories, and it’ll be fun to watch her writing style and storytelling develop as her books continue. The sign of a great author is that each of their books are better than the ones before. I can see Belle being one of those authors. I enjoyed the story a lot, and am going to be on the lookout for the next one. I’d recommend this to lovers of sci-fi romances and conspiracy theories.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here’s a link to a video of what the electronic firefly looks like. Very cool!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
These giveaways include everyone on every stop of this blog tour, so there is no guarantee that one of my readers will win. Also, I’m not the one in charge of choosing the winners. They are. :)

Follow the tour! Here’s the schedule.

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (Book Review)

Posted May 21, 2012 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 6 Comments

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Series: The Syrena Legacy #1
Also in this series: Of Triton, Of Neptune
Published by Feiwel and Friends on May 22, 2012
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance
Pages: 324
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Before I get into my review, can I gush a little about something? I am SO excited about this book, and not just because I loved it. I had been wanting this book SO bad! I knew it was coming out while I was in Europe, and I would probably not get it while I was gone. But… I was really not wanting to wait a day longer than I had to, because mermaids and mythology are my THING. So I figured, “Hey! What the heck? I’ll try to write and request this from the publisher!” This was my first attempt at requesting a book, so I was kind of nervous. I found the contact info and wrote out a nice little e-mail, not expecting anything to come of it since my blog is still a little young. About a month later, a package arrived at my door, and I opened it without really thinking about it. And GUESS WHAT? It was OF POSEIDON!!! And seriously, I hugged it for about an hour, stroking and staring at the cover. My first attempt at requesting a book from a publisher had worked, and it was for a book I was DYING to read! I swear, it has been a very long time since I was that excited about anything. And let me tell you. I was totally justified in my drastic efforts to get this book early, because it is AMAZING. Make sure you clear your calendars, set aside some uninterrupted time, and prepare to be transported to another world! As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. This book is funny! Right at the beginning, Emma meets Galen by slamming face first into his bare chest at the beach in Florida. She was completely mortified. Her inner dialogue is hilarious. I was trying really hard not to laugh, because I didn’t want anyone to hear me in the middle of the night. And the things she says out loud are funny too! “Ohmysweetgoodness.” is a common outburst, along with “Fan-flipping-tastic”. I could just hear them as I read them, and I’ll admit I kind of giggled every time. There are serious moments as well, but I was not expecting the humor at all. It was a pleasant surprise.

2. I really liked all the characters. Emma is quirky, funny, a little eccentric, dramatic, a bit of an accident waiting to happen, and extremely skeptical. Her mom is ultra-protective, so much so that it becomes completely unbelievable, but funny at the same time. She means well, though. Galen is tall, dark, and handsome, and he is so sweet with Emma. Utterly swoon-worthy. I liked that he was not overprotective (although he’s the jealous type, which I LOVE), but still showed how much he cared for her. His serious nature was a nice compliment to Emma’s huge personality. I totally fell for him. Galen’s “mom”, Rachel is a human who is really Galen’s assistant. She makes sure he knows everything he needs to know about humans, manages his money, and takes care of his on-land necessities. She’s pretty funny as well. Then we have Galen’s sister, Rayna, who has been “mated” (married) to Toraf without her consent. She’s this rude, bitter, spunky grump who has a soft side if you’re willing to take the time to find it. Her husband (whom she despises), Toraf is the concerned big brother type that pretty much everyone wishes they had in their own family. He’s so funny, and I felt bad for him because of the way Rayna treated him. Heck, I’ll take him if she’s going to be such a brat about it! The entire cast (including unmentioned supporting characters) are all very likeable, and different enough from one another that you don’t forget who’s who.

3. I really loved the dual perspectives, with each chapter switching back and forth between Emma and Galen. I have a thing for male protagonists, so I loved jumping into Galen’s head as well.

4. Anna’s take on mermaid and Greek mythology was very refreshing. In this book, Poseidon is presented as a ruling Syrena (merman), rather than a Greek God. The Syrena have violet eyes, and can switch between having a fin and having legs. They can sense the electric pulse of one another in the water, which causes a lot of “duh dun” moments like in the movie Jaws, with some unknown Syrena swimming up and grabbing another one. The Syrena can also blend into the water, and become invisible. I thought it was pretty awesome. Oh, and Emma can talk to and control sea life. Can I do that?

5. There were some really intense moments! I was totally captivated and drawn in to them. I love a little suspense, and since this deals with the ocean, a scary place in my mind, I found myself biting my nails and burrowing deeper into my bed while I read.

6. The underwater scenes are gorgeous! This is why I love mermaid books. The author can turn the ocean into anything they want, and describe it any way they want. Pure imagination at its finest.

7. Ahhhh! The ending! I’m dying! Major cliffhanger, people, and my jaw completely dropped! But I LOVED IT! Is there a sequel? There has to be!

I would definitely recommend this to lovers of a new take on Greek mythology, mermaids, swoon-worthy male leads, a book that keeps you guessing, and some on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments. LOVED this book!

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (Book Review)

Posted February 15, 2012 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 8 Comments

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
Published by Point on June 1, 2009
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance
Pages: 292
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gift
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Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship. . .and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

I’ve been a fan of mermaid romance novels for quite a while now, and have read many of them. There’s so much an author can do when they are talking about a setting that is so mysterious and unknown to land dwellers like us! That’s why I decided to read Sea Change. It’s not necessarily a mermaid book, but it does deal with mythological themes centered around the ocean. While it was not what I was expecting, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the story.

Let me start by saying that the cover is beautiful! It’s even prettier in person than it is on screen because it shimmers! This mystical story of young love lacks a bit in plot, but makes up for it with charm and magic. Miranda is a very likable, relate-able character. She’s been hurt by people in her not-so-distant past, and is trying to heal during her summer on Selkie Island. She’s warned on the ferry of mystical water creatures and is told to avoid the native islanders because they are “different.” Right when she arrives, she knows this island is unique. She thinks nothing of it, but begins to understand as she explores her aunt’s house and the island itself.

She’s a bit of an odd man out on the island, which is full of rich and snobby socialites. The first night she’s there, she’s invited to an heiress party (she’s an heiress since she inherited her aunt’s estate). It’s stuffy, and the “friends” she makes care mostly about money, fashion, and getting in bed with a hot, young, rich, preppy boy. Miranda’s not that kind of girl. She’s a brainy good girl from the big city and has to work to survive. That’s another reason I like her. She’s real. In her quest for getting away from the snobs, she goes to a marine center on the island. There, she meets the mysterious Leo. He’s extremely attractive, and someone Miranda feels she would never have a chance with. He latches on to her, though, and they form a very sweet bond that’s surrounded by mystery and intrigue. They have to sneak around since he’s a native, and the heirs and heiresses of the island shun natives. I really liked Leo. He’s down-to-earth, honest, caring, chivalrous, and sweet. It’s no secret either that he’s a very different kind of person.

While the story does not have a complex, fast-paced plot, it is quite intriguing. The reader is given different lessons on mythology and history. You are kept guessing, along with Miranda, until the very end. Unfortunately, I was still guessing after the book was over. I doubt there will be a sequel, but there certainly is room for one. I would have enjoyed learning more about the mythology that lives on Selkie Island, but perhaps we’re meant to make that up in our own minds. The descriptions of the island and the houses were beautiful.

My only real complaint was that the story took so long to build up, that the ending was quite rushed. Miranda and Leo’s story went from casual to intense rather quickly. There was plenty of room to slow it down and make it seem more realistic. All in all, though, this was a very sweet book with a lot of southern charm and pure, innocent love. I think it’s the perfect beach read… or the perfect man-it’s-so-cold-outside-I-wish-it-were-summer read if you can’t wait for summer!