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A review by ruthsic
Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper
4.0
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