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brisbookreviews's review
4.0
Lies Beneath is about Calder a merman who lives in Lake Superior. He is the only brother of a murderous family of mermaids. Calder and his family kill humans to absorb their energy. Seeking their next victim for revenge, Calders' anger turns to love.
Lies Beneath was an interesting read. I loved that it was from the male..eh..mermale point of view. Calder was definitely interesting in a weird creepy conceited stalker yet gorgeous kind of way and Anne Greenwood Brown wrote the male point of view perfectly and is fantastic at describing backgrounds/scenes. I enjoyed that the romance aspect was not instant (yay!) and enjoyed reading build of the romance. The characters were well written and developed extremely well, especially Calder's sisters.
Lies Beneath was a good read. I recommend to YA and Adults!
Special Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
Lies Beneath was an interesting read. I loved that it was from the male..eh..mermale point of view. Calder was definitely interesting in a weird creepy conceited stalker yet gorgeous kind of way and Anne Greenwood Brown wrote the male point of view perfectly and is fantastic at describing backgrounds/scenes. I enjoyed that the romance aspect was not instant (yay!) and enjoyed reading build of the romance. The characters were well written and developed extremely well, especially Calder's sisters.
Lies Beneath was a good read. I recommend to YA and Adults!
Special Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
bibblanmadde's review
3.0
Jag hade inte läst vad boken handlade om när jag tog upp den och började läsa. Jag visste att den skulle handla om sjöjungfrur och sånt men inte trodde jag det skulle vara elaka sådana eller att huvudpersonen var en kille!
Det tog ett litet tag innan jag riktigt kom in i boken vilket gjorde att läsupplevelsen var ganska tråkig. Men när det ätnligen började hända lite saker så kunde jag inte lägga ifrån mig boken. De sista kapiteln började allt hända på en gång (och du menar jag allt!) vilket gjorde att jag tappade bort mig ibland och var tvungen att läsa om meningen eller bläddra tillbaka när jag inte riktigt förstod vad som hade hänt. Men oj vilket slut, det trodde jag aldrig skulle hända. Spoiler: Vem skulle tro att Tom också var en sjöjungfru?
Språket var inget speciellt och karaktärerna var ganska tråkiga. Jag är ganska uttråkad på att det är alltid är riktigt kärlek vid absolut första ögonkasten. För kom igen, vem älskar någon utan att ens ha pratat med personen? Och nu kanske jag pratar för mig själv nu, men inte säger man "jag älskar dig" nästan direkt efter första kyssen?
Men på något sätt kommer jag alltid tillbaka till sådana "kärlek vid första ögonkasten" böcker. Jag måste väl gilla det lite ändå?
Jag gillar faktiskt att Lily verkligen försöker hålla sig borta i början, och jag är ganska säkert att det kanske inte riktigt var kärlek för henne utan mer en slags dragning till Calder, men woosh så händer det något och hon kan inte vara utom honom.
Jag vet inte varför jag ger boken en trea men på något sätt så trollband den här boken mig och jag kunde verkligen inte lägga mig ifrån den. Så det känns lite fel att säga så mycket negativt om den, men jag kan seriöst inte komma på något bra om den men ändå tycker jag den var helt okej. Det är något speciellt med den på något sätt.
Jag är så förvirrad vad jag tycker så jag vet inte ens om jag kommer läsa nästa bok i serien.
Det tog ett litet tag innan jag riktigt kom in i boken vilket gjorde att läsupplevelsen var ganska tråkig. Men när det ätnligen började hända lite saker så kunde jag inte lägga ifrån mig boken. De sista kapiteln började allt hända på en gång (och du menar jag allt!) vilket gjorde att jag tappade bort mig ibland och var tvungen att läsa om meningen eller bläddra tillbaka när jag inte riktigt förstod vad som hade hänt. Men oj vilket slut, det trodde jag aldrig skulle hända. Spoiler: Vem skulle tro att Tom också var en sjöjungfru?
Språket var inget speciellt och karaktärerna var ganska tråkiga. Jag är ganska uttråkad på att det är alltid är riktigt kärlek vid absolut första ögonkasten. För kom igen, vem älskar någon utan att ens ha pratat med personen? Och nu kanske jag pratar för mig själv nu, men inte säger man "jag älskar dig" nästan direkt efter första kyssen?
Men på något sätt kommer jag alltid tillbaka till sådana "kärlek vid första ögonkasten" böcker. Jag måste väl gilla det lite ändå?
Jag gillar faktiskt att Lily verkligen försöker hålla sig borta i början, och jag är ganska säkert att det kanske inte riktigt var kärlek för henne utan mer en slags dragning till Calder, men woosh så händer det något och hon kan inte vara utom honom.
Jag vet inte varför jag ger boken en trea men på något sätt så trollband den här boken mig och jag kunde verkligen inte lägga mig ifrån den. Så det känns lite fel att säga så mycket negativt om den, men jag kan seriöst inte komma på något bra om den men ändå tycker jag den var helt okej. Det är något speciellt med den på något sätt.
Jag är så förvirrad vad jag tycker så jag vet inte ens om jag kommer läsa nästa bok i serien.
sapphicreaderlucy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a great read that totally fit the craving for a dark page turner with mermaids. Mermaids are one of my favorite types of fantasy books to read and this book demonstrated why. The writing about the setting and the world-building in this book was my favorite part. There was an eerie overcast throughout the whole book that was sometimes chilling to read. The whole system of the killer mermaid world was described really well and I feel like all my questions about it were answered by the end of the book. The description of the dense forest and deep waters of Lake Superior was highly intriguing. At first I did not really like the main character Calder, but then he grew on me overtime as I understood him more. In the beginning it is hard to look past him being a predatory stalker. I also thought Lily was a little bit bland and seemed underdeveloped as a character. Do not look to this book for a well developed, complex female love interest (evidence that this book was written in 2012). I hope in other books in the series her character is elaborated on so she doesn't come off as bland. Another aspect of the book I had trouble with was Talullah's character motivation (elaborated on in spoiler section.) I do want to continue reading the series though because of how much I enjoyed the writing and the world building.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Chronic illness and Murder
Minor: Incest
I hated the part about how Talullah was crushing all Calder. It was weird in the beginning when he talks about how she makes him think of them together sexually through their mind communication and I was hoping that would be the only mention of that, but nope it was what made the ending make sense. I know they aren't "really" siblings, but they still share a mom! The weird incest theme took a whole star off for me. EW.infiniteviolette's review
3.0
It looks like mermaids are the hot new supernatural beings that are taking their place in the limelight. I was especially intrigued by "Lies Beneath," due to it having a male protagonist, and the fact that it painted mermaids as vicious, murderous creatures whose only joy was stealing the happiness of others.
Calder is a merman who is caught in between his desire for revenge over his mother's murder, and the crush he has developed for Lily. Lily is the daughter of the man that Calder and his sisters are plotting to murder. As Calder struggles with his conflicting desires, we learn the story of who he is, and the complex nature of being a merman.
For starters, I was intrigued by Calder. Here is this guy who has totally confessed to killing before and yet, I did not automatically hate him. Surprisingly, Lily annoyed me far worse than he did - namely because of how flat she fell, as a character. I thought she was written as an extreme cliche and I had to roll my eyes at points that described her outfits or love of Victorian poetry. Sure, Calder was no prize himself (can we say "stalker"??), but at least I was invested in his development.
Together, they both lacked the buzz and intensity that is ascribed to their relationship. There is a definite insta-love element at play, and although Calder's can be explained by what he is, Lily has no excuse. Either way, it is something that gets really old, really fast.
What I loooooved was the writing. I felt uneasy reading certain parts of this book. It was dark, and edgy - keeping me at the edge of my seat. And that ending?? Whoah! Loved it!! Too often nowadays, YA books are part of a series which leaves off in a cliffhanger ending - so that you are forced to read the rest of the series. While "Lies Beneath" is the first in a series, it answered most of the questions that it put forward.
Overall, "Lies Beneath" was an enjoyable read in a series that I'd love to continue on with. Perhaps given more books and time to grow, my main annoyance with the first book - Lily and Calder's relationship - will develop into something strong, lasting, and unlike every other story out there.
Calder is a merman who is caught in between his desire for revenge over his mother's murder, and the crush he has developed for Lily. Lily is the daughter of the man that Calder and his sisters are plotting to murder. As Calder struggles with his conflicting desires, we learn the story of who he is, and the complex nature of being a merman.
For starters, I was intrigued by Calder. Here is this guy who has totally confessed to killing before and yet, I did not automatically hate him. Surprisingly, Lily annoyed me far worse than he did - namely because of how flat she fell, as a character. I thought she was written as an extreme cliche and I had to roll my eyes at points that described her outfits or love of Victorian poetry. Sure, Calder was no prize himself (can we say "stalker"??), but at least I was invested in his development.
Together, they both lacked the buzz and intensity that is ascribed to their relationship. There is a definite insta-love element at play, and although Calder's can be explained by what he is, Lily has no excuse. Either way, it is something that gets really old, really fast.
What I loooooved was the writing. I felt uneasy reading certain parts of this book. It was dark, and edgy - keeping me at the edge of my seat. And that ending?? Whoah! Loved it!! Too often nowadays, YA books are part of a series which leaves off in a cliffhanger ending - so that you are forced to read the rest of the series. While "Lies Beneath" is the first in a series, it answered most of the questions that it put forward.
Overall, "Lies Beneath" was an enjoyable read in a series that I'd love to continue on with. Perhaps given more books and time to grow, my main annoyance with the first book - Lily and Calder's relationship - will develop into something strong, lasting, and unlike every other story out there.
andreasp's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Lies Beneath, another mermaid story and it was just pure fun reading it. I always have a thing for mermaids.
The story is about Calder White with his three sisters, Maris, Pavati and Tallulah, a family of mermaid who planned to get a revenge on Jason Hancock, the man whose grandfather had killed their mother. The sisters have made a plan for Calder to seduce Lily, Jason's oldest sister in order to get him to go near the lake so that they can take him down, but it's all ruined as he started to fall for her.
Wow! I love this book as it uses a male POV. It's quite new for me and it was entertaining. And I'm dying to meet Calder and watch him transform. He obeyed what his sisters ask for him for the sake of his freedom, but he fell for Lily and that practically marred the plan to kill Lily's father. He was so good in keeping his secret as a merman and he did everything he could to attract Lily's attention, even memorising poems! He's getting close to her day by day and it was a lovely feeling for him as he could 'taste' Lily's aura despite not being able to consume her. And err, that was just creepy.
Lily. She's okay, I guess. I don't really know what to say about her. One thing that I must point out is that she was very curious she could easily reveal Calder's secret if she wants to with all her capabilities but she didn't. And I'm so glad that her feelings toward Calder didn't waver after knowing Calder's real identity. She was feeling betrayed too after Calder unveiled his true intention but he quickly made it up by trying to save her from her sisters' attack.
Maris, Pavati and Tallulah. Hmm... Unique names and the three of them made a really good team. They were fierce and sexy, I like it. And it's a bit sad to know that one of them died.
So looking forward to the next instalment!
Lies Beneath, another mermaid story and it was just pure fun reading it. I always have a thing for mermaids.
The story is about Calder White with his three sisters, Maris, Pavati and Tallulah, a family of mermaid who planned to get a revenge on Jason Hancock, the man whose grandfather had killed their mother. The sisters have made a plan for Calder to seduce Lily, Jason's oldest sister in order to get him to go near the lake so that they can take him down, but it's all ruined as he started to fall for her.
Wow! I love this book as it uses a male POV. It's quite new for me and it was entertaining. And I'm dying to meet Calder and watch him transform. He obeyed what his sisters ask for him for the sake of his freedom, but he fell for Lily and that practically marred the plan to kill Lily's father. He was so good in keeping his secret as a merman and he did everything he could to attract Lily's attention, even memorising poems! He's getting close to her day by day and it was a lovely feeling for him as he could 'taste' Lily's aura despite not being able to consume her. And err, that was just creepy.
Lily. She's okay, I guess. I don't really know what to say about her. One thing that I must point out is that she was very curious she could easily reveal Calder's secret if she wants to with all her capabilities but she didn't. And I'm so glad that her feelings toward Calder didn't waver after knowing Calder's real identity. She was feeling betrayed too after Calder unveiled his true intention but he quickly made it up by trying to save her from her sisters' attack.
Maris, Pavati and Tallulah. Hmm... Unique names and the three of them made a really good team. They were fierce and sexy, I like it. And it's a bit sad to know that one of them died.
So looking forward to the next instalment!
stronggirlreads's review
5.0
I love it! This is the first book I read for Mer-May and I'm very happy I picked it. In this book you have mermaids that aren't sweet things but beautiful creatures that live from killing humans, feeding off their positive emotions.
This is all from Calder, a made merman, viewpoint which surprised me because the cover hints at a female point of view. I really liked that it was from his point of view and how extremely different he is from his sisters, born mermaids. This book is pretty much about their mission to get revenge for their mother's death.
There is a romance plot of Calder and Lily, the daughter of who they're trying to kill. I really enjoyed the development of this because it wasn't insta-love and developed at a fair pace. There were many twist in this book, I only saw two coming the others were a nice surprise. I will say I did not want to put this book down and ripped through it really quick.
This is all from Calder, a made merman, viewpoint which surprised me because the cover hints at a female point of view. I really liked that it was from his point of view and how extremely different he is from his sisters, born mermaids. This book is pretty much about their mission to get revenge for their mother's death.
There is a romance plot of Calder and Lily, the daughter of who they're trying to kill. I really enjoyed the development of this because it wasn't insta-love and developed at a fair pace. There were many twist in this book, I only saw two coming the others were a nice surprise. I will say I did not want to put this book down and ripped through it really quick.
julesgou's review
4.0
Mermaids have always been my favourite.
There are lots of different types of mermaid books out there and a lot choose to make them monsters but this one was definitely a winner.
I love Calder and Lily. It was funny how they could almost read each other's minds. The eyes are windows to the soul is made true in this novel. Lily knows when Calder is lying and Calder treats Lily in a way that shows her how much he loves her and right to the point. He doesn't beat around the bush, he tells it like it is. It is a honest that is just so refreshing to see.
His sisters are crazy. That's all I need to say about them.
The plot was very interesting. We really get to see Calder change and he has his little Edward moments where he believes that he is a monster and blah blah blah. I loved the opening line! Even though I will love Ariel forever, these mermaids/mermans are pretty awesome without the whole killing part of course.
I can't wait for the next one!
There are lots of different types of mermaid books out there and a lot choose to make them monsters but this one was definitely a winner.
I love Calder and Lily. It was funny how they could almost read each other's minds. The eyes are windows to the soul is made true in this novel. Lily knows when Calder is lying and Calder treats Lily in a way that shows her how much he loves her and right to the point. He doesn't beat around the bush, he tells it like it is. It is a honest that is just so refreshing to see.
His sisters are crazy. That's all I need to say about them.
The plot was very interesting. We really get to see Calder change and he has his little Edward moments where he believes that he is a monster and blah blah blah. I loved the opening line! Even though I will love Ariel forever, these mermaids/mermans are pretty awesome without the whole killing part of course.
I can't wait for the next one!
daisy87's review
4.0
Can I start off by saying that it's annoying that this has a girl on the cover while the novel is narrated by a guy? I know this has nothing to do with the story itself, but it bugged me.
Anyway, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me focus on the novel itself.
I've been reading a couple of mermaid YA books in the past couple of weeks and everytime I do, I feel like a little girl, being fascinated by the underwater world and just people with FINS! And mostly the merpeople have been like any population and sort of like what I've always imagined them being since I first saw The Little Mermaid and wanted to be Ariel.
Lies Beneath explores the dark side of merpeople and guess what? I LIKE IT!
I love how they're dangerous and beautiful and luring people and are basically killing machines! And the explanation behind the killing of humans was SO good! Like Calder explains it at some point: they can't regulate their own happiness and need to steal it from humans to not fall into a depression. SO GOOD! It's definitely a change from the having a grudge against them or eating them or something like that. The mermaid lore was really good and much darker than most I've come across.
Also, it's not often a YA novel is narrated by a guy and I love that this one was! It made this whole novel so much more interesting than it would have been if it had been narrated by Lily instead!! I loved Calder's voice and loved seeing him struggle between the bond with his sisters and his growing connection to Lily. Calder and Lily had pretty great chemistry and I loved Lily's courage and her poetic tendencies!
I am sad to say that I didn't fully connect to Calder and for me this always detracts a bit from my enjoyment of the book. I really liked immersing myself in the world Anne Greenwood Brown has created, but I didn't frantically keep reading on to find out what would happen next. However, I didn't see the plot twist coming and it's really good! So props to the author for that! Also, I liked that it made sense. Sometimes you have these big revelations and you're going WTF? But this one made perfect sense looking back on everything that had happened.
In my humble opinion, Lies Beneath is a pretty strong debut for Anne Greenwood Brown, one showing the darker side of mermaids and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next for Calder and Lily in Deep Betrayal, the second book in the series!
My rating: 4 stars
Anyway, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me focus on the novel itself.
I've been reading a couple of mermaid YA books in the past couple of weeks and everytime I do, I feel like a little girl, being fascinated by the underwater world and just people with FINS! And mostly the merpeople have been like any population and sort of like what I've always imagined them being since I first saw The Little Mermaid and wanted to be Ariel.
Lies Beneath explores the dark side of merpeople and guess what? I LIKE IT!
I love how they're dangerous and beautiful and luring people and are basically killing machines! And the explanation behind the killing of humans was SO good! Like Calder explains it at some point: they can't regulate their own happiness and need to steal it from humans to not fall into a depression. SO GOOD! It's definitely a change from the having a grudge against them or eating them or something like that. The mermaid lore was really good and much darker than most I've come across.
Also, it's not often a YA novel is narrated by a guy and I love that this one was! It made this whole novel so much more interesting than it would have been if it had been narrated by Lily instead!! I loved Calder's voice and loved seeing him struggle between the bond with his sisters and his growing connection to Lily. Calder and Lily had pretty great chemistry and I loved Lily's courage and her poetic tendencies!
I am sad to say that I didn't fully connect to Calder and for me this always detracts a bit from my enjoyment of the book. I really liked immersing myself in the world Anne Greenwood Brown has created, but I didn't frantically keep reading on to find out what would happen next. However, I didn't see the plot twist coming and it's really good! So props to the author for that! Also, I liked that it made sense. Sometimes you have these big revelations and you're going WTF? But this one made perfect sense looking back on everything that had happened.
In my humble opinion, Lies Beneath is a pretty strong debut for Anne Greenwood Brown, one showing the darker side of mermaids and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next for Calder and Lily in Deep Betrayal, the second book in the series!
My rating: 4 stars