Review: Luminaire by Ciye Cho

Luminaire

Author: Ciye Cho

Publication Date: December 1st, 2012

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Being the only human in a world of merfolk... isn't easy. Florence Waverley chose to stay in Niemela, but things have gone awry. Secrets have risen and the prince she cares about has pulled away. All the while, dark dreams warn her of a tragedy that only she can stop. But in order to save the merman she loves, Florence will have to enter the Life Path tournament: a brutal test of fear and madness. The tournament is a rite of passage--a maze where young mermaids and mermen battle to find their purpose. It is also a place where Florence will face grave danger: mermaids with evil magic, tunnels filled with sea fire, and guardians who wish to use her as a pawn in their secret plans. But will Florence be strong enough to survive the tournament... or will she perish inside it? Everything hangs in the balance: her life, her world, and her love.

My Thoughts: I was quite pleased when Ciye asked if I was interested in reading the second book in the Florence Waverley series. I read Florence a little while ago, you can find the review here. and I really enjoyed it, so of course I accepted his offer right away.

I'll start by saying this was a really great sequel. We got to pick up right where we left off. We were led on some high strung, fast paced, edge of your seat adventure. We learned about some brand new dangers that come with living within a mer world while still holding onto previous enemies. Florence is continually trying to find her place among the mer. They are still not overly receptive, but her determination refuses to let her give up. She is beyond selfless and she feels she needs to be there to help in any way she can.

I was happy to again be immersed in Ciye's incredible vibrant world. It's definitely what I enjoy most about this series. The bright colorful images painted within this story are just beautiful. I just love sitting there and envisioning this awe inspiring world he has created. What I wouldn't give to be Florence for a day. Or even to live in Ciye's creative mind for a day to see where all the inspiration comes from.

The romance development was heart breaking at times. It's obviously not easy to be in love with a merman, let alone the king of mermen. Same goes for Rolan, it does not put him in an easy position to be a strong leader who is in love with a weak little human. Not to mention the fact that if a human and mermaid fall in love, the human supposedly loses their soul. So yeah, definitely not an easy pairing here. But their feelings for each other are ever growing. Will they be able to find a way to make it work? Or will Rolan's stern nature drive her back to the surface?

In an attempt to find her place and prove she is not just some weak little human, Florence enters the life path tournament. Which in itself is incredibly dangerous and not everyone survives. But this year, things are even worse due to unforeseen enemies.

You'll have to read it yourself to fill in the blanks. It's a good read and fun for fantasy lovers. It's great if you're looking to experience a brand new and unique world. And, obviously if you are into mermaids than this is your next read :).

Review: Waterdancer by Samantha Combs

Waterdancer

Author: Samantha Combs

Publication Date: September 7, 2012

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Thank you Musa Publishing for the review copy

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

For Bailey Wasserman, being Bailey has recently become an incredible challenge. It's not enough that she must come to terms with her mother's new husband, their new life, and a new surfer boyfriend. When she meets her real father for the first time, she discovers a secret family trait that will alter the course of her own life and those she loves…maybe forever.
Bailey and her mom have always met life’s challenges as a team of two, more like best friends than mother and daughter. But her mom’s recent marriage has changed all of that, and having her little brother Landry is the only good Bailey can find in that union. The move to wealthy Del Mar from their humble beginnings has turned Bailey sour, until a chance meeting with surf hottie Jack West. Then Bailey’s father, with his annoying Zen-surfer lingo and a talking turtle he claims is no less than her spirit guardian, reenters her life and threatens the only relationship Bailey thinks is working in her world. She soon finds out that’s not all his arrival will do. His presence and their shared family trait could ultimately force Bailey to make a decision that will alter the course of her own life and those she loves…forever.

My Thoughts: I’m not entirely sure what I thought of this book, which is strange for me since I normally have quite strong opinions. There is a bunch of ways I could examine this novel and come up with a variety of different conclusions on it. I have decided to treat Waterdancer like a fairytale, because it certainly reminded me of one.
The surfer-lingo in this book had me laughing at times and gave me a throw-back to the 90s, but I found it hilarious. I don’t know much about surfing, even though I lived by the ocean my whole life. We got the highest tides, not the highest waves.
The characters, for the most part, were likeable. I wish the book had been a little longer only so that we could have seen more character development.
The novel is a short, quick read which I strangely liked. It moves fast and some parts are kind of hard to believe (like reactions from people), but I believed it flowed with the feel of the whole story and worked. There were a few things that I would have liked clarification on, since it went so fast, but since it had a fairytale sort of feel to it, I can forgive it for that. An explanation as to why the whole curse happened in the first place, for instance, would have added.
I enjoyed Waterdancer as a quick, light read. If I had been looking for something more I would have been disappointed. It would make a great addition into the classic fairytales.

Review: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Fathomless
(Fairytale Retellings #3)

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publication Date: September 4th, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Fantasy / Fairy Tale Retelling

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Synopsis:

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo. Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality. When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

My Thoughts: Alright, Jackson Pearce is so utterly amazing. This is the only the second book I've read by her, the first being Purity, I freaking loved them both!!! (I know, I'm terrible for not having read the other fairy tale retellings, but now I want to even more!!) I went in thinking this was about mermaids (Little Mermaid retelling, so yeah) but Lo is totally NOT a mermaid. I still don't really understand what she was, Pearce called her an ocean girl. No fins or flippers! Just two legs and the ability to walk on land, albeit painfully. So what exactly did I love about Fathomless?? EVERYTHING!! I started reading it and got completely hooked (no pun intended.. or was it?). I seriously was reading this book every spare moment I had, carrying it around to steal a few word here and there. Pearce has definitely made it into my favorite authors!

There are two (well three, kind of) protagonists in Fathomless. There is Celia, the triplet with the power to see the past and Lo, the ocean girl. Then of course there is Naida, who is Lo, or is she really? Lo and Naida are the same girl, yet they are so different. Each has a different voice, as the reader can plainly tell from reading. Celia is trying to help Lo/Naida remember her past, before she was an ocean girl. All Lo/Naida wants is to not forget, not lose herself again. Celia can help her remember. They meet after the rescue Jude, a boy who fell in the water. The both fall in love with him, but how can Lo even be with him? She lives in the water and the only way to become human again is to steal his soul, which means killing him, so what's the point really.

I will admit, the ending caught me slightly by surprise. I wasn't expecting it. Pearce has a way of writing that seems to keep me guessing and I really enjoy it. If you are looking for a book that will have you dragging it around, unable to put down, I think you should try something by her. I love her writing style, her characters, her imagination. It's just amazing. This was comepletely different from what I was expecting, and I couldn't be happier. There is just something great about a book when you finish it, close it and just stare at it with a giant grin. That is what this book did for me. So yes, yes you should read it!

Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon
Of Poseidon #1

Author: Anna Banks

Publication Date: May 22, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts: I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I opened this book, but the summary and title were enough to at least spark my interest. I haven't really read about Mermaids (or Syrena, rather) before so this was a first for me.

At the beginning of the book Emma and her friend Chloe are attacked by a shark. It is quite the start-off to a novel and I was immediately hooked.

I am impressed with Emma. She doesn't start off as a strong, powerful character. She is shy and floundering in the shadow of her friend Chloe's personality and charisma. After tragedy strikes, Emma seems to come into her own and shows the most growth as a character I have seen in one novel. When I think about where she started to where she ends up, I am amazed.

The thing I like the most about Of Poseidon is its ability to make me laugh out loud numerous times. Because of the difference in cultures between the Syrena and humans, the Syrena that Emma gets to know can say the most hilarious things - Galen included, despite being more knowledgeable about humans. Oh boy, did I get a kick out of this book.

I did fall in love with Galen, after all who wouldn't? He is torn between duty and love and it shows how much it tears him apart throughout the book and right up to the very end.

The only downside about this book wasn't even a downside at all. I will say, picking it up, I expected it to have to do with Poseidon - as in the Greek God. Although it didn't quite feature him in the method I was thinking, it didn't really bother me since the story was just so good. This one is definitely a keeper and I am going to be looking out for the next one (it ends on a cliffhanger!).

Review: Florence by Ciye Cho

Florence

Author: Ciye Cho

Publication Date: July 1st, 2012

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean. Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My Thoughts:  I am getting to post this review on the day of this books release! I am pretty excited about that! Hopefully my review will generate some more interest and help spread the good word :). So if you like what you read below go and grab yourself a copy hehe.


Almost the entirety of this book takes place underwater. Specifially in a giant coral called Niemela. This is where one of the last clans of mer people live. I love all things fantasy and magical. I definitely have a soft spot for mermaids, Disney's the  little mermaid is one of my favorite movies. So when Ciye asked to have her  book reviewed on jumped on the chance to get some mermaid action. If you like mermaids, you will definitely like this story. The major conflict in the story is that the main character, Florence, is not a mermaid, and yet she find herself immersed in their world. And not by any choice of her own. While on a class trip at the beach she is captured and taken to be a gift for the prince on his Coronation day. But once she is brought down there, she is not well received. The mermaids do not like having a human in their midst one bit. Except for the prince's little sister Yolee. She saves Florence, and takes her under her wing and they become fast friends. The Prince Kiren also has another brother, Rolan. He seems to object her presence most of all. Florence has spent her entire life blending into the background, being a nobody, being invisible. But now she is the center of attention, and not neccesarily the good kind, and she has no idea how to cope with that.


I really liked Florence. She was someone I could definitely relate to. She was an outcast, rejected by her peers. She went through her life trying not to exist just so she could be left to her own devices. She wasn't drop dead beautiful, but she was defintiely pretty. She was just your ordinary, run of the mill, young teenager struggling to find her place in life, and I could easily project my own school years onto hers. Another reason I really enjoyed her, was because they made a lot of reference to her beautiful long red hair and it always made me think of Jenn hehe. I've always been jealous of her lucious locks. I also really enjoyed Yolee, the prince's younger sister. She was so kind, and sweet, and always tried to see the best in everyone and everything. She was different from the rest of the mermaids and was also not widely accepted so I think that had a huge part in the friendship between her and Florence.


Another thing I really liked about this book was the imagery. The scenes I imagined, thanks to Ciye's writing, were beautiful. Everything was so colorful and alive. The story definitely has a darker side to it, you'll have to read it to find out more about that. But the entire story was full of vivid coloring and awesome imagery. I really wish I could actually see the places and people she wrote about. Especially the mer people! She made them sound so incredibly beautiful, while still keeping them kind of scary.


So here is Florence, Suddenly shoved into a world she never dreamed existed. She is the forefront of attention, another place she's never been, or ever wanted to be. Even though everyone seems to contest her presence, the prince seems to be developing a soft spot for her. He is kind and gentle to her and  even suggests she stay in Niemela permanently. Meanwhile his brother Rolan only seems to grow colder and insist on her leaving as soon as possible.  But in this beautiful and frightening undersea world, not everything is as it seems, least of all the people she thinks she knows. Will she find out the truth before it's to late? Her life literally depends on it.


This story was a wonderful adventure and I had fun reading it. The ending caught me by surprise, I kept trying to turn the page to find more, but there wasn't anymore. I don't know if there will be a sequel, but if there is I would definitely read it. I was carried through a wide variation of emotions while reading. I felt sadness, real fear, joy, and passion. It was a pretty quick and easy read and I would recommend it. Congratulations to Ciye Cho on the release of his book! I hope some of you get to read it and that you enjoy it!