About the Book:Title: Emerge (Mer Chronicles Book 1)
Author: Tobie Easton
Pub. Date: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Month9Book, LLC
Pages: 300
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis:
Lia Nautilus may be a Mermaid but she’s never lived in the ocean. War has ravaged the seven seas ever since the infamous Little Mermaid unleashed a curse that stripped Mer of their immortality. Lia has grown up in a secret community of land-dwelling Mer hidden among Malibu’s seaside mansions. Her biggest problems are surviving P.E. and keeping her feelings for Clay Ericson in check. Sure, he’s gorgeous in that cocky, leather jacket sort of way and makes her feel like there’s a school of fish swimming in her stomach, but getting involved with a human could put Lia's entire community at risk.
So it’s for the best that he’s dating that new girl, right? That is, until Lia finds out she isn't the only one at school keeping a potentially deadly secret. And this new girl? Her eyes are dead set on Clay, who doesn't realize the danger he's in. If Lia hopes to save him, she’ll have to get closer to Clay. Lia’s parents would totally flip if they found out she was falling for a human boy, but the more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to deny her feelings. After making a horrible mistake, Lia will risk everything to stop Clay from falling in love with the wrong girl.
So it’s for the best that he’s dating that new girl, right? That is, until Lia finds out she isn't the only one at school keeping a potentially deadly secret. And this new girl? Her eyes are dead set on Clay, who doesn't realize the danger he's in. If Lia hopes to save him, she’ll have to get closer to Clay. Lia’s parents would totally flip if they found out she was falling for a human boy, but the more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to deny her feelings. After making a horrible mistake, Lia will risk everything to stop Clay from falling in love with the wrong girl.
Review:
This book is a little difficult to review because I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. It definitely didn't live up to my expectations (or the pretty cover), but it wasn't a bad book at all. It was a cute, short mermaid story that will appeal to a lot of YA readers. However, it is kind of hard to tell you exactly what I didn't like about this book (which is also why I debated on whether or not I wanted to review this story at all).
Tobie Easton created a unique world and I liked the approach she took with the story. The plot offers a creative spin on the Little Mermaid tale and had likable characters. However, these two things are also where I had a little bit of a problem. You are thrown into this magical and exciting world with very little backstory. The writing was a little too excitable at times (if you read this novel, you'll see what I mean), but overall was very well done. By this I mean that Tobie Easton seamlessly incorporated the "mermaid" terms into the story and you really weren't confused. I really liked the idea of how mermaids "got their legs," and it was these little tid-bits that made the book really fun to read. There was always something new you were discovering throughout the novel. Unfortunately, these were spaced out and only small parts of the book. I just wish there was more backstory so that I could fully immerse myself in Lia's (our MC) world. Also, even though the characters were all teenagers, Lia sometimes came off sounding a little younger than her age. This in turn made the story feel geared toward a younger audience at times.
Lia was an interesting character, but I never truly connected with her. Perhaps it was because this was a short book, or maybe it was just how she spoke in parts of this book where she came off extremely immature. However, there were a lot of times (like her interactions with her cousin Amy) that made me love her character. She was extremely relatable and the absolute sweetest. You could tell that she wanted the best for her cousin (and her sisters). They were all very supportive of each other, and exactly what each other needed. I didn't completely buy the "romance" she had with Clay either. I actually felt that she had more of a connection with one of her best friends, Caspian, than with Clay. Nevertheless, I didn't mind the relationship that blossomed between Lia and Clay. I would be interested to see where their romance would go in a second book.
Overall, this is a quick read that will appeal to fans of cute YA mermaid books. Is it the best I have ever read? No, but there is a lot of action and excitement towards the end of the book that makes it worth checking out. I'm not sure if I want to read the second book, but I guess I'll see what it's about and then consider giving it a shot. This series has a lot of potential, and Tobie Easton obviously has a gift with words. I will certainly be checking out more from her in the future!
Tobie Easton created a unique world and I liked the approach she took with the story. The plot offers a creative spin on the Little Mermaid tale and had likable characters. However, these two things are also where I had a little bit of a problem. You are thrown into this magical and exciting world with very little backstory. The writing was a little too excitable at times (if you read this novel, you'll see what I mean), but overall was very well done. By this I mean that Tobie Easton seamlessly incorporated the "mermaid" terms into the story and you really weren't confused. I really liked the idea of how mermaids "got their legs," and it was these little tid-bits that made the book really fun to read. There was always something new you were discovering throughout the novel. Unfortunately, these were spaced out and only small parts of the book. I just wish there was more backstory so that I could fully immerse myself in Lia's (our MC) world. Also, even though the characters were all teenagers, Lia sometimes came off sounding a little younger than her age. This in turn made the story feel geared toward a younger audience at times.
Lia was an interesting character, but I never truly connected with her. Perhaps it was because this was a short book, or maybe it was just how she spoke in parts of this book where she came off extremely immature. However, there were a lot of times (like her interactions with her cousin Amy) that made me love her character. She was extremely relatable and the absolute sweetest. You could tell that she wanted the best for her cousin (and her sisters). They were all very supportive of each other, and exactly what each other needed. I didn't completely buy the "romance" she had with Clay either. I actually felt that she had more of a connection with one of her best friends, Caspian, than with Clay. Nevertheless, I didn't mind the relationship that blossomed between Lia and Clay. I would be interested to see where their romance would go in a second book.
Overall, this is a quick read that will appeal to fans of cute YA mermaid books. Is it the best I have ever read? No, but there is a lot of action and excitement towards the end of the book that makes it worth checking out. I'm not sure if I want to read the second book, but I guess I'll see what it's about and then consider giving it a shot. This series has a lot of potential, and Tobie Easton obviously has a gift with words. I will certainly be checking out more from her in the future!
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
Great review! I've been meaning to check this one out. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I would definitely recommend it if you like fun mermaid books :) I hope you like it!
Delete~Cassie
Ooh nice! I was debating about this one. Still am actually. Heard a good slew of mixed opinions on it which doesn't really help when I find myself in the middle on it as well! LOL. Glad you seemed to like it if not love it. Might wait to see what people think of book 2 before giving it a go. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThanks :) It's always so hard when there's mixed reviews haha because then I never know what to do. But I would definitely recommend this one as a quick, fun read!
Delete~Cassie