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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Tangled Tides is a contemporary book about magic and myth, featuring mermaids, sirens, selkies and gorgons, all in a completely new light. I have to admit that I was expecting a dark twist on the world of merfolk, but I think the story could be interpreted as dark or as a beautiful fairytale.
The story is told in first person through the eyes of the three main characters. I actually found this a bit of a problem in enjoying the story as I spent a lot of time trying to work out whose voice I was reading, rather than experiencing the story. While I think it would have been better told in third person, the positive of reading the different character perspectives made each side’s point of view crystal clear and understandable by the reader.
I found this book difficult to read for the first third as I felt it spent too much time telling me about the mer-world, rather than diving into the story. However, once I was past this point, the story suddenly became so intriguing that I found myself reading for hours, unwilling to pause as I wanted to know what was going to happen.
I would recommend Tangled Tides to anyone who still believes in fairytales or who enjoy discovering different ways of thinking. At the core, Tangled Tides is a book about a young girl deciding who she is, which the author shows through the different species involved.
[Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.]
The story is told in first person through the eyes of the three main characters. I actually found this a bit of a problem in enjoying the story as I spent a lot of time trying to work out whose voice I was reading, rather than experiencing the story. While I think it would have been better told in third person, the positive of reading the different character perspectives made each side’s point of view crystal clear and understandable by the reader.
I found this book difficult to read for the first third as I felt it spent too much time telling me about the mer-world, rather than diving into the story. However, once I was past this point, the story suddenly became so intriguing that I found myself reading for hours, unwilling to pause as I wanted to know what was going to happen.
I would recommend Tangled Tides to anyone who still believes in fairytales or who enjoy discovering different ways of thinking. At the core, Tangled Tides is a book about a young girl deciding who she is, which the author shows through the different species involved.
[Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.]
Compared to the other mythical creatures in literature, mermaids don't have as much of a voice. Enter Karen Amanda Hooper's Tangled Tides. Mermaids are the main focus, but Karen doesn't just drop you at one act of myth, instead creating a whole world of deep and meaningful characters. Even those who only lasted a few pages were strong enough to stand alone in the world of the ocean depths. (Do I need to mention I couldn't put this book down even when I was on the treadmill?)
Yara (love the name) is wonderfully headstrong yet fragile when her whole world turns upside down and living underwater is no longer a questionable thing. I might have taken to being a fish a bit quicker, but Yara's determination to be human again toward the beginning is part of her charm.
Now, I read the reviews before I purchased this book and I would like to address those of the two star or less variety: I don't think they read past page 10. They are caught up in "seagarette" and "c-weed", which they deem somehow cliche when I've NEVER heard of those phrases before. They didn't give the story a chance, but YOU definitely should.
Ms. Hooper has drafted a world where each character's voice is unique and gives you a clear mind map of who they are and what they want. Yara and Treygan are a wonderful pair for humor, romance, and the tension that makes a reader's heart pound.
Yara (love the name) is wonderfully headstrong yet fragile when her whole world turns upside down and living underwater is no longer a questionable thing. I might have taken to being a fish a bit quicker, but Yara's determination to be human again toward the beginning is part of her charm.
Now, I read the reviews before I purchased this book and I would like to address those of the two star or less variety: I don't think they read past page 10. They are caught up in "seagarette" and "c-weed", which they deem somehow cliche when I've NEVER heard of those phrases before. They didn't give the story a chance, but YOU definitely should.
Ms. Hooper has drafted a world where each character's voice is unique and gives you a clear mind map of who they are and what they want. Yara and Treygan are a wonderful pair for humor, romance, and the tension that makes a reader's heart pound.
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.
I am always up for any mermaid stories - they are a blend of myth and fantasy, and let me confess - I do love the story of the Little Mermaid (the original one, not the Disney version). There is something about being beautiful monsters and mermaids, sirens etc have always had this seductive draw. So, when I choose a mermaid story, I like the darker aspects too and Hooper really brought it out in this story. It has merfolk, sirens, selkies (first time reading about them) and gorgons, which means mythology! In the world of Tangled Tides, there has been a curse which blocked the way for these sea creatures into their realm and until the curse is fulfilled, they are surviving but long for returning. Yara is the key to unlock the curse, but considering curses are confusing things, no one is sure how it is to be broken, which means she is caught in the political feud between the selkies and the merfolk. Both want her to break it in their own way, and are ready to use any means to get her to their side, including kidnapping, lying and mysting her.
As a character, Yara seriously endured throughout the book. First her world is shattered, she is turned against her will and now she has a little over 2 weeks to decide how to give herself for the sake of the curse. Acclimatizing to being a sea monster aside, she longs for returning to her normal life. She starts falling for Treygan, the merman who is her guardian but his condition is such that they can never be together. Treygan is stoic and comes off a bit of a bleeding romantic who is all I-will-give-my-life-for-you but he grows on you. Rownan I actually hated, no matter what his reasons were. Character-wise, this book is rich and you find such fabulously written people (or is it merpeople?)
The thing I loved the most was the plot - it was all unexpected and I loved that it kept surprising me. The way the mythology of the gorgons was weaved into the curse and how it affected the creatures - I just adored it. There was good attention to details in regards to the soul sharing, the hallmarks and the realms which is so magical and I really applaud Hooper for it. Her best attribute when it comes to writing is the world-building and the relationships with the characters - a fact I liked even in the Kindrily series. Even the romance is beautiful at times and intense at others, but never overpowering the storyline. Highly recommended for mythology/paranormal lovers!
Received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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.
I am always up for any mermaid stories - they are a blend of myth and fantasy, and let me confess - I do love the story of the Little Mermaid (the original one, not the Disney version). There is something about being beautiful monsters and mermaids, sirens etc have always had this seductive draw. So, when I choose a mermaid story, I like the darker aspects too and Hooper really brought it out in this story. It has merfolk, sirens, selkies (first time reading about them) and gorgons, which means mythology! In the world of Tangled Tides, there has been a curse which blocked the way for these sea creatures into their realm and until the curse is fulfilled, they are surviving but long for returning. Yara is the key to unlock the curse, but considering curses are confusing things, no one is sure how it is to be broken, which means she is caught in the political feud between the selkies and the merfolk. Both want her to break it in their own way, and are ready to use any means to get her to their side, including kidnapping, lying and mysting her.
As a character, Yara seriously endured throughout the book. First her world is shattered, she is turned against her will and now she has a little over 2 weeks to decide how to give herself for the sake of the curse. Acclimatizing to being a sea monster aside, she longs for returning to her normal life. She starts falling for Treygan, the merman who is her guardian but his condition is such that they can never be together. Treygan is stoic and comes off a bit of a bleeding romantic who is all I-will-give-my-life-for-you but he grows on you. Rownan I actually hated, no matter what his reasons were. Character-wise, this book is rich and you find such fabulously written people (or is it merpeople?)
The thing I loved the most was the plot - it was all unexpected and I loved that it kept surprising me. The way the mythology of the gorgons was weaved into the curse and how it affected the creatures - I just adored it. There was good attention to details in regards to the soul sharing, the hallmarks and the realms which is so magical and I really applaud Hooper for it. Her best attribute when it comes to writing is the world-building and the relationships with the characters - a fact I liked even in the Kindrily series. Even the romance is beautiful at times and intense at others, but never overpowering the storyline. Highly recommended for mythology/paranormal lovers!
Received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
It has a plot, I'll give you that―but unfortunately, it is poorly written. Only mostly though, seeing as there were fleeting moments when it was able to provide a wonderful water world as a setting. Although engaging, the introduction of the characters was too fast. The arrival of the conflict came too quickly as well. What could have been mysterious and intriguing came out as too scattered and misguided. Now don't even get me started on the conversations. I believe what the author was aiming for was "witty banter" but all I got were conversations similar to a really bad soap opera with really bad actors that should be acting the lines out with natural ease but were feigning every thing they were supposed to say. Needless to say, I am disappointed.
This book was unbelievably good. It's by far the best mermaid book I've read. Go put this one on your 'to-read shelf' immediately because you'd be crazy not to.