Florence
Author: Ciye Cho
Publication Date: July 1st, 2012
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance
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!
