Book Type: YA Novel/Series
Author: Skye Malone
Average Page Length: 200-300 pages
Summary of first book (goodreads.com):
Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski's plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend's hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time. But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which 'normal' doesn't even begin to apply. Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend's stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own. It was supposed to be a vacation. It's turning out to be a whole lot more.
My Review:
With an fast-paced plotline and fantastic new creatures created by Malone, I was able to finish the entire series in a month! Filled with danger, romance, and mermaids, this is a great series to check out. Here is what I loved and disliked:
Fins and Friendship- What I Loved:
I love that the plot continues throughout the novel and the reader discovers an ancient mystery alongside Chloe. Each chapter ended in a great cliff hanger that kept my interest going! While I won’t give too much away, the final truth about Chloe’s heritage is truly shocking. I was impressed by Malone’s ability to keep secret. There is also a ton of great magic and creatures in this series, so fans of deep fantasy lore will love to check this one out.
But now let’s get into the mermaids, shall we? While the first book only hints at mer-culture, the second one divulged more into the mysterious aquatic world. The merpeople, known as dehaians, can control their scales to become patterns that resemble different styles of clothing, a perfect ability for walking on land. Cool! Some of them also have magical abilities, and there is also potionwork involved too, especially for healing.
There is also a ton of good action, fight scenes, and drama to keep the reader interested in the entire series. I like that Malone showcased the darker side of royalty and how it literally is a game of thrones (no pun intended).
Really Long Romance- What I Disliked:
Even though the first book is exciting, Malone dragged out the unveiling of Chloe’s secret. I wanted the plot to hurry up a bit and get to the actual main story. By the hundredth page, I am still waiting for everything to be established for the reader. The first book is also ambiguous regarding Zeke, the “mysterious guy.” I wanted to see more in his perspective since he barely engaged with Chloe until the second book.
With Zeke and Chloe’s other love interest, named Noah, comes a rivalry. This is a concept in YA literature that I am getting tired of seeing. It’s like the Chloe is saying ‘I know my life is in peril, but which boy do I choose? This is so important because I love them both!’ I don’t like plots that portray women who are not confident and play with boys’ hearts. It just sends a bad message to younger girls. Unfortunately, this took away from my enjoyment of the series, especially when these sappy teenage moments pop up at the most terrible times, such as a character’s life is threatened.
In the second book, the reader is introduced to the magic of the dehaian world. Their society is protected by a veil of magic, but I wanted more from this. Is it a potion, the dehaian’s magical abilities? Where does this magic come from? With this magic comes a dangerous cult that is out to kill Chloe. For readers with sensitives towards violence, this series may have too many abusive scenarios. Even I wanted a break from it after a while.
One word that kept repeating way too much in the entire series was grimace. He grimaced, she grimaced… too much! There are other words to use for sadness or frowns.
There is one last book that involves a side character, and I’m not going to give anything away.
Final Notes:
I really enjoyed this series, and I thought Malone expressed the true power of her creativity with her inventive creatures, plot, magic, and diffe
rent take on mermaids. It was refreshing to see something darker when it comes to mermaid royalty! I give this series (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie.