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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
This is such a fantastically detailed and vibrant fantasy world. You read a lot of books that are great in a serious sort of way, but traveling the plot through the main character's Tristan's eyes makes the book fun. Like, the same kind of whirling glee you get out of going on the teacups at an amusement park, only you don't ever get dizzy. You just belly laugh. One of Cordava's best attributes as a writer is that she gives us a full and layered cast of characters, but none of them feel like vapid sidekicks. Everyone has a unique purpose, something they add to the plot. I love what she did with the concept of merpeople, the hidden island, that the transfer from tail to legs is painful (reminded me of the old school hans christian anderson little mermaid). I love that Tristan as a narrator was someone I occasionally wanted to smack when he was being dense or problematic, but it just shows that the author did such a good job at making him a teenager. Sometimes it's not believable to me to have a teen dash off on some magical adventure and seemingly become mature and selfless and perfectly heroic overnight. Tristan is young and that shows, but what also shows are moments of potential, a taste of the person he could grow into. And oh my gosh all the imagery was so vivid, I've never loved the description of water related worlds so much before in my life.
I think this would have been a better book had I not read Of Poseidon first. Not that either book was better than the other, they were just very similar. I do think the author did a good job of taking a main character who is unlikable and bringing the audience around to routing for him. Jane Austen's Emma did this brilliantly. My daughter, who has not read Of Poseidon, really enjoyed this book. There are a couple of parts where you can see into a teenager boy's mind (or what we as women think is like a teenage boy's mind) very realistically.
When ARC's arrive at work, you never know what they are going to be any good. Most of the time they are not but you get lucky sometimes. I have discovered some really great books from the ARC's that get delivered to work. This was one of them. Tristan is a normal teenage boys, with all the normal teenage boy problems. Until he goes missing for a few days in a freak storm. He discovers who he truly is and all that comes with it. I immediately liked Tristan, though I have a feeling if I went to high school with him I wouldn't, (he was that kind of giy) but his narration is funny. I couldn't help but root for him. My only problem with the book is the ending, or how it ended. It felt rush to me, like it wasn't really supposed to be a first book in a series but then realized it was and had to wrap things up to set up the rest of the books. Anyway, I'm glad that I read it and I'm looking forward to the next book.
Read more reviews and follow discussions at Once Upon a Prologue!
In The Vicious Deep, we meet lifeguard Tristan Hart - popular, handsome, who seems to have the perfect life - shortly before a freakish storm hits the beach he's on, and Tristan dives into the water, thinking he's saving someone. Three days later Tristan wakes up on the beach, with no memory of what happened to him after he entered the water, and his entire life changes. Zoraida Cordova plunges the reader instantly into Tristan's world with a novel where the action never really stops, yet where this would have thrown me off in other books, with this one: it worked. I felt like I was constantly trying to catch my breath, but because that sensation was backed by a hilarious, sensitive at times, typical male at other times narrator and a fabulously twist-y plot, I was never taken aback by the pacing; if anything, it seemed right. Cordova is a talented author, delving into the mind of a male protagonist, which has to be tricky, but I've discovered, I REALLY enjoy: both as a writer and as a reader. It's a nice treat from most novels, which are narrated by females, plus, Tristan, even though he's a stereotypical guy, is also instantly likable, and carries the novel well.
The Vicious Deep takes Tristan Hart on an unbelievable journey, from Coney Island to another island - the ancestral home of the merfolk, to whom he learns he has a connection that is truly mind-blowing for Tristan. I was worried about the reveal - as an author, how do you pull out the, "So, you're a merman card?" but Zoraida Cordova handles that with fabulous poise and style. She's built an amazing home life for Tristan, who has the love and support of both parents, as well as his best friend, Layla. All of these characters were beautifully developed and never felt flat; often, authors don't pay enough attention to their secondary characters, but for Cordova, this clearly was not a problem. I found myself drawn to Layla and wanting immediately to know more about her, and to see more interaction between her and Tristan. I just wanted to wrap my arms around them both - their banter and bond was adorable, with moments of seriousness to break up the light-hardhearted-ness, where you REALLY saw how much they cared for one another.
The plot itself, while not chock-full of twists, did keep me guessing at a few points, and was just genuinely really enjoyable. In some ways, The Vicious Deep definitely wasn't what I was expecting - it was better. The entire Sea Court angle was different and oddly fascinating! And while I'd have liked for there to be more interaction with Tristan and a few of the minor characters, who nonetheless play very important roles, there is a sequel, and I have high hopes that I might get my wish, then, because most of those characters are still around. And the awesome thing is there are people like Kurt and Thalia that, yes, you will have to read the book to meet, but I promise, they are well worth it!
Zoraida Cordova has a way with words, and a way of getting under the reader's skin. I never thought I would enjoy a mermaid book as much as I did, but after I was 50 or so pages in, I quickly realized that The Vicious Deep has a lot to offer: action, romance, humor, and most importantly, heart. I saw some character growth on Tristan's part throughout the novel and I think in the next book/s just judging by what I think is going to happen, there will have to be a LOT more. I don't really have any gripes with this book - it was a good length, there were a lot of elements to it that are guaranteed to make me giggly, and it left off in such a way that I NEED the sequel now. The Vicious Deep is a GREAT read, just not one of those "this will change your life" kind of books, but definitely an energetic, mysterious read. If I could say one thing to convince you to read The Vicious Deep, it is that this is the perfect summer read: fast-paced and fun, yet definitely with more to offer than meets the eye - this book has a LOT to offer, and I am already highly, eagerly, impatiently awaiting the sequel, The Savage Blue!
I was really into this book in the beginning! The relationships between the characters were interesting and the story held my attention but it dropped off pretty quickly for me with how juvenile the characters seemed. I know this is YA but I think even teenage me would have questioned it. So the MC decided to spend some of his time bargaining for higher grades rather than focusing on the main quest, which is also kind of a race. Then just hanging out at his high school for a few days while deciding what to do? That just kind of killed the tension and excitement of the story for me. The writing was good, I just didn’t like the pacing and nonchalance of the characters in regards to the seriousness of the situation.
I really loved this book it was really good the best book about mermaids and under the sea life type books that I have read in a while. I really liked the characters especially Tristan,Layla,Kurt and Thalia they were really well written characters and a really well written MC. I really liked how Tristan was a really realistically written male character I really liked how the under the sea characters were depicted and his reactions to being half one of them and all of the interesting things that he learned. I like the slowly developing relationship between him and Layla hopefully that will develop more by the next book. I really liked the plot of the story it was really interesting I liked it from the beginning the story I really liked the concept there was never a dull moment. So overall I really liked this book and I will be continuing the series soon.
Partway through, I'm enjoying this, as will slightly older former fans of Lightning Thief. Sexual references make this a teen choice; other than that, I think lots of kids would get a kick out of Tristan's transformation and exploration of his mer-man heritage.
This would have gotten 4, possibly 4 and a half stars -- If the book had told a story! Unfortunately, The Vicious Deep is part of a nasty publishing trend; it has a beginning and a middle but, no conclusion. Clearly, the publisher has a sequel planned; probably, a trilogy -- everything has to be a trilogy these days. If it's Lord of the Rings or Earthsea, in which sequels revisit the same themes, worlds, or characters, that's great. That's not the case here, Cordova or her publisher simply chose to end this volume abruptly, so you'll hvae to pay another $16.99 to find out what happens to Tristan and Layla.
This would have gotten 4, possibly 4 and a half stars -- If the book had told a story! Unfortunately, The Vicious Deep is part of a nasty publishing trend; it has a beginning and a middle but, no conclusion. Clearly, the publisher has a sequel planned; probably, a trilogy -- everything has to be a trilogy these days. If it's Lord of the Rings or Earthsea, in which sequels revisit the same themes, worlds, or characters, that's great. That's not the case here, Cordova or her publisher simply chose to end this volume abruptly, so you'll hvae to pay another $16.99 to find out what happens to Tristan and Layla.
At first, Tristan really threw me off... I wasn't sure about reading about him for a whole book. Fortunately, I stuck with it and found an intriguing tale full of fantastical beings and an epic quest. The book ends on a calmer cliffhanger, but it definitely feeds into the next book, which I am interested in reading.
The Vicious Deep is told from the perspective of teenage manwhore, Tristan Hart. Sorry to go there, but it's pretty much the easiest way to sum it up. Tristan is a lifeguard alongside his swim team pals, his ex-girlfriend, and the girl he's been pining for, Layla. One day a huge wave comes in and he sees a girl in the water. He recklessly races out to the little girl to save her and never reaches her, as he is swept up in the wave.
3 days later, he wakes up on the beach not realizing 3 days had passed or anything that happened in those days and certainly no one can grasp how he managed to survive 3 days. After being treated at a hospital, Tristan goes home to a welcome home get-together with his family and swim team friends. In the middle of dinner, he starts to feel sick and rushes to the bathroom. There he starts to transform...into a merman.
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I won an ARC of this a long while ago in a blog giveaway and it sat on my shelf and sat on my shelf...and you guessed it...sat on my shelf. This year I made plans to read books that were getting dusty and I finally read this one in May. I am bummed, to say the least, that I didn't read this one sooner.
I loved Tristan's perspective. Sometimes I just get sick of lovesick, weaker females. The male perspective is one of my absolute favorites. I think it's safe to say, most girls my age (24) grew up pretending to be a mermaid in the bathtub or pool thanks to Ariel, so I was stoked to read a mermaid/merman book. I believe this was a first for me in that particular genre. The writing is incredibly easy to read, incredibly easy to get sucked into the story. The characters are all so interesting and well-thought out. Even though it was told from Tristan's POV, the main girl, Layla, was not a lovesick, weak female character. She was actually the opposite. She was a take charge, confident, strong-willed girl who fights for what she believes in and doesn't just flop over for Tristan (who she clearly does like/love).
3 days later, he wakes up on the beach not realizing 3 days had passed or anything that happened in those days and certainly no one can grasp how he managed to survive 3 days. After being treated at a hospital, Tristan goes home to a welcome home get-together with his family and swim team friends. In the middle of dinner, he starts to feel sick and rushes to the bathroom. There he starts to transform...into a merman.
---------
I won an ARC of this a long while ago in a blog giveaway and it sat on my shelf and sat on my shelf...and you guessed it...sat on my shelf. This year I made plans to read books that were getting dusty and I finally read this one in May. I am bummed, to say the least, that I didn't read this one sooner.
I loved Tristan's perspective. Sometimes I just get sick of lovesick, weaker females. The male perspective is one of my absolute favorites. I think it's safe to say, most girls my age (24) grew up pretending to be a mermaid in the bathtub or pool thanks to Ariel, so I was stoked to read a mermaid/merman book. I believe this was a first for me in that particular genre. The writing is incredibly easy to read, incredibly easy to get sucked into the story. The characters are all so interesting and well-thought out. Even though it was told from Tristan's POV, the main girl, Layla, was not a lovesick, weak female character. She was actually the opposite. She was a take charge, confident, strong-willed girl who fights for what she believes in and doesn't just flop over for Tristan (who she clearly does like/love).
3.5 Stars. I really liked Cordova's version of mermaids. It definitely accounted for mermaid behavior in some of everyone's favorite mermaid fairy tales. I liked the story line and the characters. Sometimes, it could be a bit all over the place though, and I didn't understand the motivations or randomness at parts. I will continue along with the series as I'm pretty curious to see what happens next. Maybe some of my confusion will go away as I learn more about this world.