Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Left (old cover - ARC version), Right (New cover)

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 295 pages

September 4, 2012, Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

Source: Netgalley (ebook) + Ksenia & FSG Books for Young Readers (print ARC) (Thank you!!)

My Thoughts:

Monstrous Beauty was two stories twisted together, blending into the ultimate paranormal mystery. The story was told in two parts: (1) the past - the 1870s when Syrenka and Ezra crossed paths and (2) the present when Hester, the last of a line of cursed women, lived and dealt with her genetic defect.

Syrenka was a gorgeous, deadly and passionate mermaid. When she found Ezra, she was careful and a bit distant with him at first, not wanting to endanger him and lose him. But as they spent more and more time together, the attraction the two felt got stronger. It was so strong that you could feel it coming off in waves. She left her world behind to join Ezra on land. But her stay on land was far from easy. I enjoyed reading about Syrenka and Ezra. They were so inlove and passionate.

I love Fama’s twist on the usual mermaid mythology. Instead of tails with scales, her mermaids had scutes. They had sharp wrist fins and wide eyes with horizontal pupils in the middle. Their magic was one of the most practical and most terrifying types, similar to the principles of alchemy. The underwater world of Monstrous Beauty was filled with wonder, loss and danger – one that I enjoyed exploring.

Hester was convinced that love and marriage would only bring her suffering and loss. Her mother, her grandmother and every woman in her family died after giving birth. She had decided to remain single for the rest of her life, evading certain death. But everything changed when she met Ezra, a mysterious, old-fashioned and intellectual guy who can banter with her, annoys her and attracts her at the same time. She didn’t expect to get close to Ezra, as well as to try to solve her family’s curse with his help. I really like how she fell for Ezra, no matter how much she tried to harden her heart. But she didn’t fall for him right away. At first, she was cautious and suspicious of him. But she felt a strong, unexplainable pull toward him.

Monstrous Beauty went beyond my expectations. The mysterious, almost sinister vibe of the novel was so strong that it wrapped around me and held me captive. As Hester tried to fill the blanks with clues and answers, she discovered that her town was not as simple as it was. In fact, it was filled with hidden mystery, intrigue, scandals and magic. Everything about the past and the present was connected. I couldn’t stop reading as Hester unearthed the covered-up and almost forgotten truth of her family.

Monstrous Beauty had the mysterious, magical, intriguing and surprising elements of Beautiful Creatures. Unputdownable, dark, tragic, fierce, sensual and spellbinding, Monstrous Beauty will appeal to older readers of paranormal, romance, fantasy and historical. I highly recommend this!

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Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 324 pages

May 22, 2012, Feiwel & Friends

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.

Source: Netgalley (ebook),Ksenia and Feiwel & Friends (print ARC) (Thank you!!)

My Thoughts:

Emma’s pale porcelain skin, white hair and startling violet eyes scream unnatural. But for 18 years, she lived a normal life, spent her time with her best friend, Chloe. But the day that she collided with a gorgeous guy in Florida was the day that things will start to change. Emma was a likable character. She was funny, spunky and sometimes sarcastic. Aside from her inhuman appearance, she was a typical joking, complaining, crushing teen. One of the things that I liked about her was the fact that she knew what she wanted and she refused to let other people get in her way – or steer her away from what she wanted.

The underwater world that Banks created was simply stunning. In my mind, the ocean and the sea were transformed into a sanctuary teeming with life – both underwater creatures and Syrena. The Syrena were stunning. I like to think of them as underwater supermodels with their beauty. They were backed up by the historical background. I liked that Banks took an approach to the Syrena that fused science and the supernatural which made it even more believable.

Galen was well-adjusted to human ways but he was still inhuman so he had a different perspective on so many things. He and Emma had a love-hate relationship. Emma was mostly annoyed or pissed off at Galen but with his inhuman charm, determination and patience, Emma had no chance of staying mad at him for long. They were like magnets – they run towards each other and then repel one another over and over again. Responsibility and love warred in Galen’s heart.

With the chaos that Toraf, Galen’s friend, and Rayna, Galen’s sister, brought onland, things became more complicated. Toraf was undeniably inlove with Rayna. But Rayna didn’t want him. With her violent tendencies, snobbish attitude and too-frank-lips, she was a handful. Their love-hate relationship was also enjoyable.

There were just two things I didn’t like. There was a certain scene in which I felt that the characters acted a bit weird – out of character. The change in them was too abrupt that I felt confused. I also felt that the last few pages leading to the ending were a bit rushed. I was enjoying the revelations of the novel. It would’ve been better if the author allowed me a little more time to savor it and catch up before ending.

Of Poseidon is a fun, engrossing tale that fuses underwater beauty and wonder and earthly complications that is filled with endless humor and romance. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. I really liked the transition from chapter to chapter. Banks seemed to know exactly what I wanted and what I was interested in and she gave it to me. I couldn’t put it down. If you enjoyed Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper, you’ll surely enjoy this, too. I highly recommend this to people who like mermaid/Syrena tales and paranormal romance readers.

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Review: Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper

Book Description via Goodreads:

eARC, 328 pages

Rhemalda Publishing, November 25, 2011

Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one.

When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.

Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than the oceans.

Young Adult fans of Mermaids, Selkies, Sirens and Gorgons will love this tale of the sacrifice one makes for genuine love. Love that could be lost at any moment to the ever-changing tides

Source: Rhemalda Publishing (Thanks!)

My Thoughts:

Yara was a caring, determined, loving girl with a temper. Her character was a likable, relatable and realistic one. She was an orphan and her only family was her Uncle Lloyd. She had a boyfriend – Rownan – who was ruggedly handsome but had a coat with secrets and lies covering his true identity. During a strong storm, a stranger came and took Yara away. That night was the night her night changed forever, the night she was turned into a mermaid. As she struggled to get over the shock of being half-woman and half-fish, she discovered that her reality was not as true as she believed it to be. She wanted answers and she will stop at nothing to get them.

Treygan was the stranger who took Yara to sea. In the beginning, I had my doubts about him. But he proved to be trustworthy to Yara. He was a good guardian to Yara and loyal to his merfolk. He’s charming and handsome but there’s a distance between him and other people. There’s something dark about Treygan. He had too heavy a burden on his shoulders. But he had a soft spot for Yara.

Yara and Treygan’s relationship was one based on trust and a buried connection. The attraction zinged between them underwater and on land. As the guardian of Yara, Treygan had to be near her almost all the time. The obligation to protect her turned into love at some point in Yara’s adjustment to merlife. The threat to her life, danger and time spent together sped up the heightening of romance between them. They shared awkward moments as well as heart-melting ones. Their pair was a Romeo and Juliet mermaid-merman version that romance lovers will grow to like.

Underwater, Yara found out a shocking revelation about herself. She was the key to open the Gate to Rathe, the realm of merfolk and selkies. 18 years ago, the gorgons closed the Gate, enraged at an unfulfilled promise. Since then some of the merfolk and selkies have been locked out of Rathe, unable to communicate and get back to their loved ones in their realm. To solve this problem, on the sunset of her birthday, she was supposed to be a part of the ultimate sacrifice.

Tangled Tides is a refreshing paranormal novel that offers readers an exciting and thrilling adventure, a colorful and tragic history of underwater mythology, a cast of exotic and unforgettable characters and a sweet romance that will captivate readers.

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