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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I have read a few books containing mermaids before, but few have managed to capture the underwater imagery like Karen Amanda Hooper has in Tangled tides!!
This book is told in 3 differing voices: Yara - The feisty human turned mermaid. Rownan - Yara's 'boyfriend' and selkie and Treygan- Yara's guardian and soulmate..... Personally, I love to read stories from a male's point of view. So reading 2 males perspectives.... well, I was seriously happy!! The 3 voices flow smoothly throughout the book and its so cool to get inside the different characters heads and know what each of them are thinking!!
The plot was paced so that you were always kept involved and invested in the story. There are mermaids and selkies and gorgons and sirens and you get to learn the stories of each of them. And there were enough twists and turns to have you anticipating what would happen next!
The characters were all likeable and as much as I loved Yara and Treygan it was Pango who had me laughing out loud at his witty and amusing comments!! I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Yara and Treygan. Definitely not love at first sight. There were times throughout the book were I found myself questioning whether I really liked Rownan or not, but by the end of the book he had won me over.
So, if you love fantasy, romance and adventure then Tangled Tides is the book for you!!
This book is told in 3 differing voices: Yara - The feisty human turned mermaid. Rownan - Yara's 'boyfriend' and selkie and Treygan- Yara's guardian and soulmate..... Personally, I love to read stories from a male's point of view. So reading 2 males perspectives.... well, I was seriously happy!! The 3 voices flow smoothly throughout the book and its so cool to get inside the different characters heads and know what each of them are thinking!!
The plot was paced so that you were always kept involved and invested in the story. There are mermaids and selkies and gorgons and sirens and you get to learn the stories of each of them. And there were enough twists and turns to have you anticipating what would happen next!
The characters were all likeable and as much as I loved Yara and Treygan it was Pango who had me laughing out loud at his witty and amusing comments!! I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Yara and Treygan. Definitely not love at first sight. There were times throughout the book were I found myself questioning whether I really liked Rownan or not, but by the end of the book he had won me over.
So, if you love fantasy, romance and adventure then Tangled Tides is the book for you!!
My first mermaid book, and I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the mermaid/selkie/siren/gorgon lore. It felt fairly believable and not cheesy. Yara was a great heroine. I loved her humor and the way that she grows throughout the novel.
This was the first book that I've ever read that involved Mermaids. When I received the e-book I just dove into it, I didn't read the summary or have any clue as to what it was about. When I found out that the main characters were mer, I thought "sweet, this is different." I enjoyed the world that Karen invented. At first I will admit I could not get The Little Mermaid out of my head. But the more I read the more I pushed that visual aside. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters that she brought to life on the pages, they are for the most part easy to picture. But when we got to the selkies, I was a bit confused on how to imagine them in my brain. When you find out what they are you might be like I was and think "what the heck does this have anything to do with mermaids?" But they will grow on you a bit. The plot of the story was very interesting, the details were great. I will say though the only issues I ran into with this story was all the mer rules, and there are other creatures including the selkies, sirens, and gorgons who all had rules and laws, and different life styles. It was hard to grasp at first because it was in the beginning of the story and I didn't know the different creatures to place it all together in a neat little list. As I read it all fell into place and came together more and more. With out spoiling the story, I will also say there was a big even that happened between the two main characters, although I was hoping it would happen, the evet came out of left field, it was like one moment they are going about their business, there was an inner fight with one of the characters, then the next second it was in full force. I would have liked a bit of foreplay if you will to see the event grow a bit more.
Over all I enjoyed the story, it kept me interested and we all know that takes allot for me with my ADD, it's harder than most to stay on task. I enjoyed the action that was in the books, and let me just say Pango & Merrick two mermen in the story are a riot, I quite enjoyed their characters, they made me giggle often.
I will rate this book 3.5 stars, and I would recommend this story to others to bring them into the mer world.
I would like to thank Karen Hooper for writing this story and sharing it.
My book review from my personal blog over at omgitsparkles.blogspot.com
Over all I enjoyed the story, it kept me interested and we all know that takes allot for me with my ADD, it's harder than most to stay on task. I enjoyed the action that was in the books, and let me just say Pango & Merrick two mermen in the story are a riot, I quite enjoyed their characters, they made me giggle often.
I will rate this book 3.5 stars, and I would recommend this story to others to bring them into the mer world.
I would like to thank Karen Hooper for writing this story and sharing it.
My book review from my personal blog over at omgitsparkles.blogspot.com
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
THEME: Mermaids, Selkies, Myths
RECEIVED: For Review from Rhemalda Publishing
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
Karen Amanda Hooper writes a mermaid tale that adds a touch of mythology, romance and action, creating a story that I wished would never end.
Tangled Tides follows Yara Jones, a young girl who gets sucked into an underwater world when a stubbornly handsome merman turns her into a mermaid. Yara grew up with the loss of her parents and taken in by Llyod who has been the best family she could ever ask for. She eventually falls for a ruggedly handsome man named Rowan who has just as many secrets as the merman who has taken her to sea. She finds out that her connection to the sea isn’t an accident and that her parents were trying to protect her from a fate that will be dangerous and will forever change her life.
Yara is brought to this underwater world, where she slowly unravels a secret that she is the key to opening a gate to Rathe, the world the merfolk have been disconnected from for 18 years. But being the key comes with a price and even though she starts to feel a connection to the merfolk, when one person she connects with is threatened Yara will have to find a way to save him. I really liked Yara’s strength and determination, at the beginning she’s pretty angry about being turned into a mermaid, but soon connects with this new life.
Treygan, a stubborn merman that brings Yara to her new world, he becomes her Guardian and tries to help her adjust to her new life. He has a unique background that makes him both powerful and dangerous, as well as a heavy burden to carry everyday, which accounts for his stubborn and distant exterior. But Yara seems to be someone to finally open a soft spot in his heart.
Yara and Treydgan relationship is the major focus is the story, along with the myth behind their world’s connection to Poseidon and Medusa. I loved the mythology side to Hoopers story; it brought a twist to each character. Their connection has some awkward but loveable moments and as the reader you really want them to be together.
Overall I loved Tangled Tides, there was so much that happens including the villainous type Sirens, Selkies on a mission to get to the other realm at all cost. As well as two brothers who will do anything for love and having to make the ultimate sacrifice. There is so much, but I don’t want to spoil anything. This is a must read for both young adult and adult paranormal fan!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel that I felt is great for adult as well. Fans of Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs and Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs will be sucked into this underwater world of romance.
THEME: Mermaids, Selkies, Myths
RECEIVED: For Review from Rhemalda Publishing
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
Karen Amanda Hooper writes a mermaid tale that adds a touch of mythology, romance and action, creating a story that I wished would never end.
Tangled Tides follows Yara Jones, a young girl who gets sucked into an underwater world when a stubbornly handsome merman turns her into a mermaid. Yara grew up with the loss of her parents and taken in by Llyod who has been the best family she could ever ask for. She eventually falls for a ruggedly handsome man named Rowan who has just as many secrets as the merman who has taken her to sea. She finds out that her connection to the sea isn’t an accident and that her parents were trying to protect her from a fate that will be dangerous and will forever change her life.
Yara is brought to this underwater world, where she slowly unravels a secret that she is the key to opening a gate to Rathe, the world the merfolk have been disconnected from for 18 years. But being the key comes with a price and even though she starts to feel a connection to the merfolk, when one person she connects with is threatened Yara will have to find a way to save him. I really liked Yara’s strength and determination, at the beginning she’s pretty angry about being turned into a mermaid, but soon connects with this new life.
Treygan, a stubborn merman that brings Yara to her new world, he becomes her Guardian and tries to help her adjust to her new life. He has a unique background that makes him both powerful and dangerous, as well as a heavy burden to carry everyday, which accounts for his stubborn and distant exterior. But Yara seems to be someone to finally open a soft spot in his heart.
Yara and Treydgan relationship is the major focus is the story, along with the myth behind their world’s connection to Poseidon and Medusa. I loved the mythology side to Hoopers story; it brought a twist to each character. Their connection has some awkward but loveable moments and as the reader you really want them to be together.
Overall I loved Tangled Tides, there was so much that happens including the villainous type Sirens, Selkies on a mission to get to the other realm at all cost. As well as two brothers who will do anything for love and having to make the ultimate sacrifice. There is so much, but I don’t want to spoil anything. This is a must read for both young adult and adult paranormal fan!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel that I felt is great for adult as well. Fans of Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs and Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs will be sucked into this underwater world of romance.
This was an OK book. The world-building was interesting with a very different understanding of mermaids, selkies, and sirens than folks commonly have. The super-special main character was a little much for me, though.
This review can also be found on my blog: A Match Made in Heaven
This was amazing! It was my first mermaid book, but it was so much more! It had mermaids, sirens, selkies, gorgons, water sprites, and even a Greek god. But there was also so much to the story, with so much mythology and history, action, and omg the romance! If you love fiery and passionate romances with lots of pledges of undying love and self-sacrifice, this is for you. Even though they were unable to have a physical relationship until near the end, there was never any doubt about their love.
And I was really impressed with the story. It was my first mermaid book, as I said earlier, but I was expecting a simple forbidden romance between a mermaid/merman and a human, and a sacrifice having to be made to be together. But this was so much bigger, their decisions would affect worlds. How much are they willing to sacrifice to be together? And neither of them were straightforward merfolk or humans. They had very complicated heritages and very complicated roles in the larger conflict. I never knew what was going to happen next and I was really happy with how things were handled in the end.
I also loved the world this book created. I dont know if it was entirely based on mythology, but I would guess some of it was created by [a:Karen Amanda Hooper|5044405|Karen Amanda Hooper|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1332872615p2/5044405.jpg]. I loved how everything fit together, all the different roles the water creatures played, and the ranking colours of the mermaids sounded so gorgeous. I wish I could have seen them. Treygan, Yara, Karoline, Nixie, they all sounded beautiful. They were all great characters too. And I loved Pango, he was hilarious. I am a little confused by Rownan though. At first he seemed like a really horrible guy, even after spending time with Yara for months. But then he seemed to change his stance so quickly. Not that I am complaining. I am glad he came around.
With the extremely unique situation Yara and Treygan find themselves in at the end, I am anxious to find out how it works for them in the future. The few glimpses of their uninterrupted happiness that we got to witness was amazing, and I cant wait to see more, but I know it cant be that easy. I cannot wait to see them fight for each other and their people again in [b:Dangerous Depths|13412960|Dangerous Depths (The Sea Monster Memoirs #2)|Karen Amanda Hooper|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379583109s/13412960.jpg|18688494] and to see their incredible strength, loyalty and love in action.
This was amazing! It was my first mermaid book, but it was so much more! It had mermaids, sirens, selkies, gorgons, water sprites, and even a Greek god. But there was also so much to the story, with so much mythology and history, action, and omg the romance! If you love fiery and passionate romances with lots of pledges of undying love and self-sacrifice, this is for you. Even though they were unable to have a physical relationship until near the end, there was never any doubt about their love.
And I was really impressed with the story. It was my first mermaid book, as I said earlier, but I was expecting a simple forbidden romance between a mermaid/merman and a human, and a sacrifice having to be made to be together. But this was so much bigger, their decisions would affect worlds. How much are they willing to sacrifice to be together? And neither of them were straightforward merfolk or humans. They had very complicated heritages and very complicated roles in the larger conflict. I never knew what was going to happen next and I was really happy with how things were handled in the end.
I also loved the world this book created. I dont know if it was entirely based on mythology, but I would guess some of it was created by [a:Karen Amanda Hooper|5044405|Karen Amanda Hooper|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1332872615p2/5044405.jpg]. I loved how everything fit together, all the different roles the water creatures played, and the ranking colours of the mermaids sounded so gorgeous. I wish I could have seen them. Treygan, Yara, Karoline, Nixie, they all sounded beautiful. They were all great characters too. And I loved Pango, he was hilarious. I am a little confused by Rownan though. At first he seemed like a really horrible guy, even after spending time with Yara for months. But then he seemed to change his stance so quickly. Not that I am complaining. I am glad he came around.
With the extremely unique situation Yara and Treygan find themselves in at the end, I am anxious to find out how it works for them in the future. The few glimpses of their uninterrupted happiness that we got to witness was amazing, and I cant wait to see more, but I know it cant be that easy. I cannot wait to see them fight for each other and their people again in [b:Dangerous Depths|13412960|Dangerous Depths (The Sea Monster Memoirs #2)|Karen Amanda Hooper|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379583109s/13412960.jpg|18688494] and to see their incredible strength, loyalty and love in action.
What an amazing debut by Karen Amanda Hooper! I was captivated by this story from the very beginning, and believe me when I say that Tangled Tides is definitely one of the best mermaid stories out there.
Hooper has certainly weaved quite a story. This book is so much more than a simple mermaid tale. Sirens, gorgons, and selkies all make an appearance, and the mythical world that Hooper creates for them is well-detailed and breathtaking. It was so easy to envision the underwater realm that Yara, Treygan, and their many companions live in. Another thing I loved was the elements of Greek mythology that were present. These elements give background to the merfolk and sea creatures, explaining how they came into being. I feel like with most mermaid stories, there is no mention of how or why mermaids exist, but instead, the reader just has to accept that they do. The fact that Hooper offers explanation to the history surrounding these sea creatures really sets her story apart from others and gives a fresh, new take to the classical mermaid tale.
The characters are also wonderful. Each one has their own, definitive voice, making it really easy to connect to them. Yara is faced with a tough decision that not only affects her, but hundreds of others, yet she is resolute and strong, and I really liked that about her. There are moments when she feels fear, but never once does she back down. All of her emotions come across really well, and I think she was an excellent main character. (I have to say I was a little surprised by her reaction to becoming a mermaid. She was angry, yes, but what about the freak out?? If you just got turned into a mermaid, you are entitled to freak out a little!) And then there is Treygan. Oh my, where do I even begin with him? He is strong, confident, smart, and the list goes on and on. He is just a great guy who really cares for Yara, and I love their relationship and chemistry. There were even a few instances where Treygan had to stop himself from having some inappropriate thoughts about Yara, which made him seem more ‘real’ and really fleshed out his character. There are also the minor characters, such as Pango, Rownan, and others, and I liked every one of them. It is very rare that side characters have their own voice (or personality, for that matter), and I applaud Hooper for creating such excellent characters.
Hooper’s awesome writing style coupled with great characters and an intriguing plot make Tangled Tides a must read for all. This is one of the best books published in 2011, and also one of the best mermaid stories available. I cannot for the sequel, which is still untitled. There is no release date set, but I hope it is soon! I cannot wait to see what Yara and Treygan’s next underwater adventure will be!
Hooper has certainly weaved quite a story. This book is so much more than a simple mermaid tale. Sirens, gorgons, and selkies all make an appearance, and the mythical world that Hooper creates for them is well-detailed and breathtaking. It was so easy to envision the underwater realm that Yara, Treygan, and their many companions live in. Another thing I loved was the elements of Greek mythology that were present. These elements give background to the merfolk and sea creatures, explaining how they came into being. I feel like with most mermaid stories, there is no mention of how or why mermaids exist, but instead, the reader just has to accept that they do. The fact that Hooper offers explanation to the history surrounding these sea creatures really sets her story apart from others and gives a fresh, new take to the classical mermaid tale.
The characters are also wonderful. Each one has their own, definitive voice, making it really easy to connect to them. Yara is faced with a tough decision that not only affects her, but hundreds of others, yet she is resolute and strong, and I really liked that about her. There are moments when she feels fear, but never once does she back down. All of her emotions come across really well, and I think she was an excellent main character. (I have to say I was a little surprised by her reaction to becoming a mermaid. She was angry, yes, but what about the freak out?? If you just got turned into a mermaid, you are entitled to freak out a little!) And then there is Treygan. Oh my, where do I even begin with him? He is strong, confident, smart, and the list goes on and on. He is just a great guy who really cares for Yara, and I love their relationship and chemistry. There were even a few instances where Treygan had to stop himself from having some inappropriate thoughts about Yara, which made him seem more ‘real’ and really fleshed out his character. There are also the minor characters, such as Pango, Rownan, and others, and I liked every one of them. It is very rare that side characters have their own voice (or personality, for that matter), and I applaud Hooper for creating such excellent characters.
Hooper’s awesome writing style coupled with great characters and an intriguing plot make Tangled Tides a must read for all. This is one of the best books published in 2011, and also one of the best mermaid stories available. I cannot for the sequel, which is still untitled. There is no release date set, but I hope it is soon! I cannot wait to see what Yara and Treygan’s next underwater adventure will be!
When I first heard of Tangled Tides, by Karen Hooper, my mind immediately went to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”. However, to say that Tangled Tides is just a fun story about mermaids would be doing it an injustice. Yes, it is a story where the protagonist is a mermaid, but there are other mythical sea creatures weaved tightly into the tale making it more than just another mermaid story.
Tangled Tides follows the story of Yara, as she is transformed from human to mermaid and the complicated web of family secrets that follow. There is mythology, betrayal, mystery and a splash of romance. Written using three different points of view, the reader gets a complete look from all parties involved.
I enjoyed this story immensely, though, in the very end I got a little confused and had to go re-read a few pages. However, the good far outweighed anything else. I loved the way Karen took different pieces of mythology and knitted them together as her own. I loved the world that she created - though I wished we could have seen more of Rathe and life there. I also appreciated the way she worked out communication under water - speaking through eye contact as opposed to voice.
Once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down. Tangled is a good word to describe the twists and turns that can be found within the pages of this novel. Why do the mermaids want Yara? Why are the selkies fighting for her allegiance? Who is she and why is she important? The story keeps you on your toes, unraveling the secrets of Yara’s past and future.
I can’t wait to see what else lies ahead for Yara and the others. I think anyone who loves mythology and fantasy would enjoy this tale.
Tangled Tides follows the story of Yara, as she is transformed from human to mermaid and the complicated web of family secrets that follow. There is mythology, betrayal, mystery and a splash of romance. Written using three different points of view, the reader gets a complete look from all parties involved.
I enjoyed this story immensely, though, in the very end I got a little confused and had to go re-read a few pages. However, the good far outweighed anything else. I loved the way Karen took different pieces of mythology and knitted them together as her own. I loved the world that she created - though I wished we could have seen more of Rathe and life there. I also appreciated the way she worked out communication under water - speaking through eye contact as opposed to voice.
Once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down. Tangled is a good word to describe the twists and turns that can be found within the pages of this novel. Why do the mermaids want Yara? Why are the selkies fighting for her allegiance? Who is she and why is she important? The story keeps you on your toes, unraveling the secrets of Yara’s past and future.
I can’t wait to see what else lies ahead for Yara and the others. I think anyone who loves mythology and fantasy would enjoy this tale.
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There was so much folklore in this story. I really liked it! To weave up this story and world there must have been a lot of research because there was just so much going on, so much history, the back stories sounded really complicated yet the way it was explained was very easy to understand.
The design of the book was also very interesting and very pretty. I liked the sea creature drawings for every character. It was a simple yet effective way from breaking up the P.O.V’s, I liked that the P.O.V’s would change several times in a chapter. This meant I didn’t feel like I was getting used to every character’s story, it felt like it connected.
The writing was a little iffy at the beginning to be honest. The story launched in right at the beginning leaving no room to set up the story. We were barely introduced to the main character before the main plot of the story leaped right in leaving us thinking ‘Wahh, what just happened?’, who’s who? What’s going on? etc.
The writing got a lot better as the story progressed though. The characters developed quite a lot through out the story which was very pleasing. I found that half way through I couldn’t put the book down, I just couldn’t stop reading.
The way the characters switched P.O.V actually worked really well, it flowed really well and I never once got drawn out of the story because of it. I’ve noticed with that style a lot of the time it affects the enjoyment for me, so the fact that it didn’t for this book was very pleasing and nice to know that I can enjoy a book that is written like this.
I liked this story because it was really interesting, I haven’t ever really read a story based on sea creatures or mermaids before so this book was a really good start to that topic. It was really entertaining and I loved it! I liked that the romance developed! None of this ‘insta-love’ stuff. Although, the way Yara flipped over the way she felt about Treygan was a little too fast I think.
Overall this was a pretty good book! I recommend giving it a go and pushing your way through the first few chapters if you get stuck at the writing like I did. Because it really is worth it.
Miss J
x
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There was so much folklore in this story. I really liked it! To weave up this story and world there must have been a lot of research because there was just so much going on, so much history, the back stories sounded really complicated yet the way it was explained was very easy to understand.
The design of the book was also very interesting and very pretty. I liked the sea creature drawings for every character. It was a simple yet effective way from breaking up the P.O.V’s, I liked that the P.O.V’s would change several times in a chapter. This meant I didn’t feel like I was getting used to every character’s story, it felt like it connected.
The writing was a little iffy at the beginning to be honest. The story launched in right at the beginning leaving no room to set up the story. We were barely introduced to the main character before the main plot of the story leaped right in leaving us thinking ‘Wahh, what just happened?’, who’s who? What’s going on? etc.
The writing got a lot better as the story progressed though. The characters developed quite a lot through out the story which was very pleasing. I found that half way through I couldn’t put the book down, I just couldn’t stop reading.
The way the characters switched P.O.V actually worked really well, it flowed really well and I never once got drawn out of the story because of it. I’ve noticed with that style a lot of the time it affects the enjoyment for me, so the fact that it didn’t for this book was very pleasing and nice to know that I can enjoy a book that is written like this.
I liked this story because it was really interesting, I haven’t ever really read a story based on sea creatures or mermaids before so this book was a really good start to that topic. It was really entertaining and I loved it! I liked that the romance developed! None of this ‘insta-love’ stuff. Although, the way Yara flipped over the way she felt about Treygan was a little too fast I think.
Overall this was a pretty good book! I recommend giving it a go and pushing your way through the first few chapters if you get stuck at the writing like I did. Because it really is worth it.
Miss J
x