Saturday, November 17, 2012

LIES BENEATH by Anne Greenwood Brown

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.

One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

This book is said to be for ages 12 and up. This book is also the first in a three part series. 


Rachel's Thoughts: I am a huge fan of the murderous mermaids concept, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. And then the cover...WOW. There isn't a whole lot of deep plot threads, which makes this story a perfect fit for the younger YA crowd. So, it's great that Anne took a unique concept and then molded it to fit the younger crowd--no blood, gore, or torturing. This book is a quick read with fun (in my opinion) ideas and characters. I gave this book 3 1/2 bookmarks.  

Lakela's Thoughts: 

Sunday, March 11, 2012

NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer

From Amazon: Calla is the alpha female of a shape-shifting wolf pack. She is destined to marry Ren Laroche, the pack's alpha male. Together, they would rule their pack together, guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But then, Calla saves a beautiful human boy, who captures her heart. Calla begins to question everything - her fate, her existence, and her world and the orders the Keepers have asked her to follow. She will have to make a choice. But will she follow her heart if it means losing everything, including her own life?

This book is said to be for ages 14 and up and is the first in a series. 


Rachel's Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It's very much a page turner and the world Andrea Cremer creates unfolds with lots of detail, but without boring the reader. I'm also partial to the main character being a strong female with a bit of a predator sense about her. Cremer writes beautifully and I really felt like I could see what the characters were doing at any given moment. I did think that the end of this story was incredibly rushed and at some points confusing. And of course, it being a series, it leaves a few issues open, which is fine because I don't have to wait forever for the next book to be released. :) I gave this book 5 bookmarks.