Tidal by Amanda Hocking

The Watersong Tetralogy Reviews

Wake and Lullaby

 

Published: St. Martin's Griffin

Publisher: April 16th 2013

Series: #3 Watersong
Website: Author’s Blog 

Introduction

Gemma can’t cope with being a siren, so she is desperate to find a way out. She discovers that she needs to find the scroll with the siren curse written on it to put an end to it. Unfortunately, if Gemma returns to normal, it means the death of the other sirens. Therefore, the other sirens will not willingly hand over the scroll. On the other hand, Penn wants to replace the whining Gemma, and Penn also has her sights set on Daniel, a man who is immune to the siren’s seductions. Daniel is dating Harper, Gemma’s sister, and there is only so long before Penn will get what she wants.

Story

This installment is more concerned with backstory and…talking. A lot of talking. There is some heart-crunching action at the end, and that is by far my favourite portion. Unfortunately, the characters are more concerned with talking, driving, whining, participating in a play, and doing some awful things to Gemma’s mother.  This series should be a trilogy, and all the useless talking in circles should have been cut from this book.

If you were interested in the backstory of the Sirens, then you’ll enjoy this book, or at least the parts that deliver a segment of their long lives. Although the reason why the tale of Bastian and the sirens was given to the reader was because Penn thinks about a descendent of Bastian may be in Capri. However, this is just dropped and forgotten.

The story is slow, yet there are some interesting concepts that are introduced, and I am sure they will be explored in the final book.

Gemma’s Siren Attributes

                The sirens have silky voices that are (generally) irresistible and they have an allure that gets them what they want. Perhaps Gemma hasn’t been a siren for long enough, but where is her charm? I find her dull. In this book she does seduce men, though the whole glamor isn’t there for her. Men just throw themselves at her, even when she is being the same dull wooden plank that she always is. The book would have been much more interesting if she exuded some sensual witchcraft, willingly or not.  

Harper

                In the other books, I liked Harper. She reminds me a bit of myself: I worry way too much about other people. However, in this book, it’s all Harper does. I get that she has a lot on her plate. At what point do you let you let a character do nothing but fret about other people? This is all she does. She worries about her boyfriend, the other sirens, her sister, her mom, the library, Marcy, and school. I know she has a nurturing complex, but I lost interest in her efforts because I wasn’t invested in her character anymore.

Cover

                I hope I’m not the only one who hates this cover. Showing a depiction of Daniel and Penn is bad enough, but look at Penn’s face! Now look at Daniel’s. He looks like a photo that has been imposed in some water and it looks fine. Now we all get to hear my theory about what happened to Penn’s face: Penn was like Daniel; a photograph. But to get the lighting correct from the lighthouse in the distance, they had to add some shadows onto her face, and the artist overdid it. Severely. Her eyes and eyebrows are unrealistic, and the shadow along her jawline kills me.

            The lighthouse in the distance also bothers me. Where is this lighthouse mentioned? I suppose it is just a standard nautical image, but it should have something to do with the story if it is on the cover.

The feathers in the splash behind Penn are a nice addition, though.

Final Verdict

                Because this is an installment in the Watersong series that is four books long, I have to say that if you enjoyed the first two, you should read this one. My hopes are that the fourth one will end with an amazing sense of satisfaction for the reader. This book, by itself, was a tad boring and simply too long for it to warrant its own installment. All this book did was eliminate characters and introduce new characters and concepts for the final book. I have high hopes for the finale of the Watersong trilogy, and if your library already has the first book, you kind of have to get this one too.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Published: September 21st 2010

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin Group

Website: Author’s website

Introduction

            The town of Gentry is superstitious – they nail metal ornaments on their porches to keep away an unnamed threat from stealing their children. The babies that they steal are replaced, and they die shortly after. No one knows what happens to the kids that are taken away.

            Except Mackie Doyle. He is a replacement. His real home is beneath Gentry with the monsters that the town fears. When his classmate’s sister goes missing, he is the only person who can help. But does he belong with the creatures living under the slag heap, or with the family who raised him as their own?

Note

Have you ever read a book that you adored and stirred something delightfully nostalgic? What if you went on to Goodreads to get the cover art and saw that 415 people gave it one star and scathing  reviews that called it unreadable and a waste of time? Sure, 2241people gave it 5 stars, but many people are calling it the equivalent of literary garbage.

I regret starting it and having to put it down because of working two jobs and going to school. I tweeted about it in the summer of 2013, and I didn’t get to finish it until my Christmas vacation of 2013/2014.

I usually don’t care what other people think about the books I review. However, in this review, I’ll address some of the common negative comments I see about Brenna Yovanoff’s amazing book of not-belonging, sacrifice, community, and family.  

Cover

            I love the cover. The metal objects hanging over the old-fashioned carriage is haunting. The knife and scissors give the ominous feeling of insecurity and yet you wonder what kind of creature is in the carriage. Should you want to harm the creepy child, or save it from the menacing sharp objects dangling precariously over it? 

Setting and Tone

For me, it was pleasantly frightful in a sombre, Gothic kind of way. The rotting, drowned girls, the decay, the slag heap, the folklore and superstitions, the little girl that is the Morrigan, and sick woman who is the Lady – all this sets the stage for a story that I crave. It’s not necessarily flamboyant horror, though there are some creepy, gross, and nerve-wracking moments. It’s the thought that this is the way things are there and the complacency that the town and the beings who refer to themselves as monsters exhibit.

And in the end, it’s a discarded member of the monster society that decides to challenge the system that has sustained the town for centuries.

Gentry

            The complaints that I am reading are about how everyone knows about the mysterious creatures and the stolen babies, but no one outright says it. This is a problem for some people, but why? How many other stories do this? Twilight, Need, Watership Down, Surfacing, many short stories by Lovecraft, many novels by Stephen King, and video games like Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and Deadly Premonition all employ this to various degrees.

            Personally, I liked the general vibe of the town. Mackie has obvious fatal allergies to iron, the town barricades its abodes with iron ornaments, and he walks on eggshells most of the time. The mystery of these stories is always, Well, why do they stay? Despite the dark secret, what keeps the citizens in that area? The citizens of Gentry do have a reason to stay, and if you are invested in the story, you’ll learn what it is.  

Tate

            She gets a lot of flak for making out with Mackie and then…avoiding him. She gets information from him, sucks his face, and then is mad at him. In this instance, I don’t disagree with the people who dislike her.

However, at least she, as a character, has something going for her. She has a driving motivation (her sister’s death), and she is complicated. True, by the end of the novel I was questioning their relationship. I think too many people have the idea that all books have to end in a happily ever after with marriage in the future. Maybe she did use him. Maybe she’s just too complicated for Mackie. Fair enough. How many people can honestly say that they stayed with the person they dated in high school? Maybe she loves him but she was too caught up in the turmoil of her sister’s replacement to properly show it during the course of the novel. Maybe she has trouble expressing those kinds of feelings.

My point is that Tate is way more interesting in the usual love interests that guys in YA books get.   

Alice

            She gets negative attention because she’s portrayed as the “bimbo”/ “skank” that all the boys fawn over. Yes, she is a shallow character. Haven’t you ever listened to a teenage boy, or an adult male, at any age? I’ve asked countless men why they like Brittany Spears, or Megan Fox, or [insert the lady flavor of the week]. They like them because they are attractive. It happens, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Girls do it too. We don’t know anything about the real person inside, but we’ll lust over them. Teens especially know about lust, and in this book, Mackie is learning about lust vs. real feelings. As much as people want to say that girls like this do not exist, they do. It’s their choice, so I’m not about to rage against what they decide to do with themselves. I’m not against portraying reality, so complaining about Alice is, in my opinion, rather pointless.

Underage Drinking and Swearing

            This can be said about many books in the YA spectrum. I used to hear older people screaming, “Where are their parents?!” I wonder, Have they ever been teenagers? Some parents know their kids are going to do it. Some parents don’t care. Personally, I’m from a place where underage drinking was the norm, even for the “preppy” girls. Mackie goes to a bush party in the novel. I don’t know why people have a problem with this. It happens. They drink and people make out. Unless you’re 13 and you haven’t hit the age where this is a thing, don’t be unrealistic of what teens are doing, regardless of whether you agree with it or not.

            I’ve also asked what people think about swearing in YA. If you’ve ever heard teens speak, you’ll probably hear some curses in the dialogue. If an author is trying to connect with teens and make their literature relatable, they should have a basic grasp of the speech patterns of their audience. Although, you don’t want to overdo it and end up with the dialogue in Velveteen.   

            Also, did you know that adults swear, too? I know, it’s shocking. Even in professional places like offices (I should know), and on the street, in stores, schools…

Final Verdict

           I adore this book. It will definitely be a book that I will re-read in the near future. It is a story more suited for teens who are outside of the fluffy romance niche. If you like a little creepy folklore and some Gothic elements in the atmosphere, I highly recommend this. It would make a fantastic Halloween book club read. Personally, I can’t wait to read more of Brenna Yovanoff’s work, and I am so glad that I picked up this book.

Surfacing by Shana Norris

*ebook from NetGalley-much thanks!
Published:November 15 2011
Publisher: Self-published
Website: Author’s Website

Introduction

When Mara’s mother dies, she is forced to relocate to the tiny island of Swans Landing to live with the only relative she has left – her estranged father. She counts the days until her 18 birthday when she can leave the ostracizing and riddle-talking community forever. That is until she hears a mysterious song and sees her mother in the woods. When the obvious is revealed, Mara has to find out why her mother left and never returned and why the human residents hate them, all while dealing with the humans of the island who want the finfolk to leave forever.

Mara

I feel that the author wanted her to have an edge with her attitude, but I found her to be melodramatic and childish. Lexa Cain’s Élan from Soul Cutter is a much better example of a girl with an attitude that you can still like and cheer for. Of course, Mara is torn between love interests. Did she really have to string along (and KISS) both? Not if she’s a good person. Overall, I didn’t like Mara. She walks away when people are speaking to her and then has the gall to demand that people stop treating her like a child and give her some answers. She also balls up the letter her mother left and throws it in the corner because it’s not telling her what she wants to hear. Oh, spoiler alert, it has the answers she wants. Brilliant.

The Rest of the Cast

Mostly a bunch of people who are a mix of angry, riddle-talking, racist, weak, or boring. Yay.

If I were Mara, I would have told everyone to buzz off. Why? When you keep asking people what is going on with the whole island hating you and absolutely no one is giving you an answer, but alluding to an answer, that’s ridiculous.

To be specific: Josh is kind of cool, in an aloof and snarky way. Yet he is secretive and hangs out with the cool kids who treat Mara badly. How can you be interested in someone who doesn’t stick up for you?

Dylan grated on me. He is just so nice and that’s his only character trait.

Sailor is interesting. She obviously hates Mara (me too!) yet she occasionally stands up for her when the bullying gets bad. When her history comes to light and you figure out why she hates Mara, she becomes a full character (and there are not many of those here). Also, her name is interesting. Most of the names in this book made me roll my eyes (Gale, Waverly, Westray, Mooring) but Sailor kind of stuck with me (I won’t lie, it might have something to do with Sailor Moon).

Miss Gale is an older woman who knows much and is maternal to the MC who has recently lost her mother. This lady is lovely and knows how to command a room. This is one of a few characters who I found interesting and I perked up when she was on the page.

To paraphrase: the island is mostly full of suck. I would not like to live there.

The Island

A well-written aspect of the book is the prejudice that is rampant in the island. There were a few events that have left the human residents with a bad taste in their mouths regarding the finfolk. There is a clear divide in the community that the readers can link back to racism or class.

However, these themes are a bit far-fetched with mermaids in the mix. If the humans hate them so much, why not take some pictures of the mermaids in action and publish them on the internet or in a magazine? The mermaids would be forced to flee.

Plus, all these girls are making fun of the finfolk. What girl wouldn’t actually want to be a mermaid?

Name of the Book

The author couldn’t bother to use a few key strokes on Google to see if there are other well-known and award-winning books with the same title? *cough*Surfacing by Margaret Atwood *cough*

The Swans Landing Series

Do I have any interest in reading more installments in this series? Yes, because I want to know what happens to Sailor and her quest to find the truth about her family history. I don’t particularly care about Dylan or Josh or even Mara. Maybe one day I’ll check out Submerging, the second installment in this series that focuses on Sailor.

Final Verdict 

I like mermaids, though I am tired of them being used in soft stories that you might see on the Family Channel. If a teen is still hooked (yes, bad pun) on mermaids and they have read through Amanda Hocking’s Lullaby Series, sure, give this book a shot. Everybody’s a mermaid and they all have their own colour of vibrant tails and the humans hate them…because. The overall story that linked the people of the island was nicely put together. If a teen is into mermaids, romance, and wants to get into a four-book series, Surfacing might be for them.

 

Soul Cutter by Lexa Cain

*Honest Review Requested by Author in Exchange for Free eBook
Published: December 6 2013
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Website: Author’s Blog
*BTW, the author has a fascinating post about Christmas in Egypt that everyone should go check out!

Introduction

Élan, daughter of the psychic on the show “Psychic for the Stars”, spends her time debunking paranormal phenomena. After a traumatic experience, she became cold and cynical, especially towards her estranged mother. That is until the day her mother goes missing in Egypt without her insulin. Fearing this might be the last time to get her mother back for good, she hops aboard a plane for Egypt. Meanwhile, Ramsey is already in Egypt, working on the crew with Élan’s mother. Unbeknownst to him, the violent spirits that follow him and the legend of the murderous Soul Cutter have entangled him in a terrible game meant to hill him.

Setting

When I read that this is set in Egypt, and the author is from the very same place, I knew I was in for a more interesting read that I am used to. I can’t recall ever reading a story set in Egypt, and the author makes me believe in this Egypt because she has the authority and experience to write about it. Have you ever read a book about a foreign place that the author has never been? (The easiest example I know of is the Twilight Saga.)

It might not be obvious at all times, but an author’s imagination and research can only take the reader so far. Lexa Cain is from Egypt, so I am inclined to believe the culture and the atmosphere she describes. Egypt is vastly different from my Western perspective, and I appreciate a book that is outside of my norm without it being a complete fantasy.

POV and Characters

This book uses subjective third-person narration, and I enjoyed something different from the first-person books that are everywhere now! The focus switches between Ramsey and Élan, so we get a great sense of the two. I especially like it because Ramsey knows more about the culture, the forces behind everything, and the paranormal than Élan does. They play off one another nicely. They are both fully realized people with histories and motivations. Why can’t all main characters be this well written?

The Bad Guys

I knew who the baddies were from the start, yet I didn’t know what exactly was up until it was revealed. I think most readers will be like this too, and I felt like Sherlock Holmes or Agent York – you know who’s behind it, and the mystery is why and how exactly is it being pulled off. The legend about the Soul Cutter was compelling and, as it is the title of the book, a driving force in the novel. The Soul Cutter is a complex element in the story, and I enjoyed how it unfolded. There were times when I was so into the story, I worried about the main characters bumping into him. Every encounter with the Soul Cutter had me anxious. Every dark room and shadowy forest had me reading on edge. That, everyone, makes for a fantastic read.

Little Gripe

My only gripe about this novel is my nagging question involving Élan and the Mace she brings with her. How does one bring a canister of Mace on an airplane from the U.S. to Egypt?

Ending

I didn’t get a sense of closure with a lot of issues by the end of the book, especially with the relationships. After all that happens, it all just ends abruptly. There are lots of loose ends that could have been tied off before the final page. The book insinuated possibilities, but the bit concerning the mom is driving me batty. Perhaps the author will continue with the series, I don’t know, though that would be awesome. A world of demons and psychics in an international setting with two amazing characters at the helm? Yes, please!

Final Verdict

I highly recommend this to readers who are bored of the usual “Western” fare that they are bombarded with. Because Élan is from the U.S., readers can experience the culture shock vicariously through her. Older teens who can handle some of the more mature themes and the horror will enjoy this. Personally, I love it. We need more well-written books set outside of the West to give to our readers, and Soul Cutter by Lexa Cain delivers.