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missflyer 's review for:
Tangled Tides
by Karen Amanda Hooper
Tangled Tides takes Greek mythology (Medusa, Poseidon, gorgons, sirens) and a bit more (merfolk, selkies), adds a dash of some extra supernatural for flavor, and a portal to a whole other world. Oh, and of course, we can’t forget the power of True Love and Soul Mates in that mix, because that’s fairly integral to anything inspired by Greek mythology.
The world Hooper creates is full of magic and myth, love and jealousy, tenderness and heartbreak, and we discover it through the eyes of three different characters: Yara, a human-turned-mermaid, Treygan, a merman, and Rownan, a selkie. Each has their own side of the story to tell, and the lines of who is right and who is wrong are not readily clear from the beginning, though they become so. Oh, and the mermen Pango and Merrick make an adorable couple, can't forget them! They're also full of surprises, those two.
I found the first half the strongest, with the world-building and getting to know the mer especially. It was also full of wonder, like the ceremony for Koraline (I love underwater beauty!), and discovering how mer abilities work.
Of course, what would a good reinterpretation of mythology be without a love interest, and a forbidden one at that? To keep it vague, I appreciated how it started out, but around two-thirds of the way through or so, there was a clear turning point after a second kidnapping, and the acceptance of two people involved in the Soul Mates bit in regards to their love suddenly came on very strong. Too strong for my taste, and a bit too reliant on the soul mate-destiny style of (insta-) love. Coincidentally, around that same time is when the plot and the schemes exploded into insanity, and maybe it was just because of reading too fast, but it seemed a little fuzzy at the same time, a little unclear as to what exactly was going on and what the plans were. Then the final result reminded me of the theme I really don’ t like regarding Super Special Main Characters, namely.
While there is some opening at the end for a continuation, this book also stands quite solidly on its own, with a full story that comes to a solid resolution, even if we do ask just what was the deal that was made. I assume that will be addressed in the sequel(s), so it could be worth checking out. It was certainly an interesting world that would be worth revisiting sometime.
Favorite quotes:
“Love knows no rank. I love you and Kimber differently, but I would lay down my life for either of you in a heartbeat.” – page 133/327
“Fear is natural. It’s what you do with that fear that changes your fate. You can save all of them. You’re strong enough. Stay true to your heart, even if your darkest hour.” – page 289/327
Typos:
If I tell you, do you promise to take me back to Eden’s Hammock? He’s probably there, worried to death. – page 11/327 – All of this should be italicized.
…felt like it had had been sliced with… -- page 287/327 – remove extra ‘had’
The world Hooper creates is full of magic and myth, love and jealousy, tenderness and heartbreak, and we discover it through the eyes of three different characters: Yara, a human-turned-mermaid, Treygan, a merman, and Rownan, a selkie. Each has their own side of the story to tell, and the lines of who is right and who is wrong are not readily clear from the beginning, though they become so. Oh, and the mermen Pango and Merrick make an adorable couple, can't forget them! They're also full of surprises, those two.
I found the first half the strongest, with the world-building and getting to know the mer especially. It was also full of wonder, like the ceremony for Koraline (I love underwater beauty!), and discovering how mer abilities work.
Of course, what would a good reinterpretation of mythology be without a love interest, and a forbidden one at that? To keep it vague, I appreciated how it started out, but around two-thirds of the way through or so, there was a clear turning point after a second kidnapping, and the acceptance of two people involved in the Soul Mates bit in regards to their love suddenly came on very strong. Too strong for my taste, and a bit too reliant on the soul mate-destiny style of (insta-) love. Coincidentally, around that same time is when the plot and the schemes exploded into insanity, and maybe it was just because of reading too fast, but it seemed a little fuzzy at the same time, a little unclear as to what exactly was going on and what the plans were. Then the final result reminded me of the theme I really don’ t like regarding Super Special Main Characters, namely
Spoiler
that they get super-powered with All The Abilities and everything is hunky-dory despite all the hardship that got them to that pointWhile there is some opening at the end for a continuation, this book also stands quite solidly on its own, with a full story that comes to a solid resolution, even if we do ask just what was the deal that was made. I assume that will be addressed in the sequel(s), so it could be worth checking out. It was certainly an interesting world that would be worth revisiting sometime.
Favorite quotes:
“Love knows no rank. I love you and Kimber differently, but I would lay down my life for either of you in a heartbeat.” – page 133/327
“Fear is natural. It’s what you do with that fear that changes your fate. You can save all of them. You’re strong enough. Stay true to your heart, even if your darkest hour.” – page 289/327
Typos:
If I tell you, do you promise to take me back to Eden’s Hammock? He’s probably there, worried to death. – page 11/327 – All of this should be italicized.
…felt like it had had been sliced with… -- page 287/327 – remove extra ‘had’