Publisher: Wise Ink
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication: June 28, 2016My Rating: 2/5
Source: Publisher on NetGalley
Seventeen-year-old Crystal White is the new girl on Starfish Island. Dragged to the remote community by her environmental activist father, she is eager to find fun that doesn’t involve touching fish guts or listening to local folklore.
During a midnight swim with some new friends, Crystal is pulled out to sea by the waves. Convinced she’s going to drown, Crystal is rescued by Llyr, a handsome stranger. As she searches for him in the following weeks, she finds there may be more truth to the Starfish legends than she thought.
Over a sizzling roller-coaster summer, Llyr introduces Crystal to magic she’d only ever dreamed of. But as Crystal comes to love Starfish Island, it begins to drive her family apart. A nearby power plant is devastating local marine life, and her parents are stuck in the middle. As the magic and mundane parts of Crystal’s life converge, she finds herself risking everything to save Llyr, her family, and herself.
During a midnight swim with some new friends, Crystal is pulled out to sea by the waves. Convinced she’s going to drown, Crystal is rescued by Llyr, a handsome stranger. As she searches for him in the following weeks, she finds there may be more truth to the Starfish legends than she thought.
Over a sizzling roller-coaster summer, Llyr introduces Crystal to magic she’d only ever dreamed of. But as Crystal comes to love Starfish Island, it begins to drive her family apart. A nearby power plant is devastating local marine life, and her parents are stuck in the middle. As the magic and mundane parts of Crystal’s life converge, she finds herself risking everything to save Llyr, her family, and herself.
**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
I was very excited to read this, because I love stories about mermaids. And, if there's one thing I really like about those stories, is that you get to read about amazing places underwater and how these merpeople live, and it's always very entertaining to see what each author makes of it all, there are just so many possibilities! But, sadly, we don't get much of that in this book.
Crystal does meet a handsome merman called Llyr, who saves her from drowning one night. They are attracted to each other right away, and can't wait to meet again. After a while, that's all we get to see from Llyr, his dates with Crystal. I was always hoping we'd get to know more about these merpeople, but the time never came :(
I think this had a lot of potential, this really cool underwater world is presented to us and I'm eager to know more, but pretty much all we get is some of Llyr's friends and family members, and always above water.
I thought there might be some kind of "mermaid connection" between Llyr and Crystal, because she was able to trust him just like that, and I think her appearance had something to do with all that stuff? Maybe? It's just that her beauty was kind of a big deal apparently.
Another important part of the story is the relationship between Crystal's parents. Her dad is trying to protect the island from this big corporation that's contaminating its waters, and now his wife seems to be working for the enemy.
Reading about Crystal's dad behaving like a college kid trying to protect the environment was pretty funny, I did enjoy that part, even if I was surprised by the lack of communication between him and Crystal's mom, but we do get to understand more about that as the story progresses.
Also, I did like the ending, I found it very original and somewhat unexpected, although a bit rushed for my taste.
Oh and there's a moment when it's pointed out that winter is coming soon, that actually had me laughing for a while, because obviously:
Crystal does meet a handsome merman called Llyr, who saves her from drowning one night. They are attracted to each other right away, and can't wait to meet again. After a while, that's all we get to see from Llyr, his dates with Crystal. I was always hoping we'd get to know more about these merpeople, but the time never came :(
I think this had a lot of potential, this really cool underwater world is presented to us and I'm eager to know more, but pretty much all we get is some of Llyr's friends and family members, and always above water.
I thought there might be some kind of "mermaid connection" between Llyr and Crystal, because she was able to trust him just like that, and I think her appearance had something to do with all that stuff? Maybe? It's just that her beauty was kind of a big deal apparently.
Another important part of the story is the relationship between Crystal's parents. Her dad is trying to protect the island from this big corporation that's contaminating its waters, and now his wife seems to be working for the enemy.
Reading about Crystal's dad behaving like a college kid trying to protect the environment was pretty funny, I did enjoy that part, even if I was surprised by the lack of communication between him and Crystal's mom, but we do get to understand more about that as the story progresses.
Also, I did like the ending, I found it very original and somewhat unexpected, although a bit rushed for my taste.
Oh and there's a moment when it's pointed out that winter is coming soon, that actually had me laughing for a while, because obviously:
Do you also enjoy books about mermaids?
Thank you for reading! ♥
You know I love me some mermaid books Carla! Too bad this one didn't delve into more of Llyr's world. I hope you have better luck with your next read! :)
ReplyDeleteMiranda @ Miranda's Book Blog
Haha yes! It was a real shame, it really had potential, and I usually love stories like this :(
DeleteThank you!!
You should try reading Drowned by Esther Dalseno. It's a dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid. Nothing like the Disney version. ;)
DeleteThank you for the recommendation Miranda! I'll have to check that one out :D
DeleteI am someone who is huge on mermaid stories. The Little Mermaid was one of my favourite Disney movies as a child, so I think it really does come from that. It's just a shame that this one didn't come through for you, and wasn't as brilliant as you hoped it was going to be...
ReplyDeleteI also loved The Little Mermaid! I knew the whole movie by heart when I was little!! <3
DeleteYeah, it is a shame :(
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm glad you like it! :)
ReplyDeleteI need to read mermaid books!! I think I'll be skipping this one though. I don't think I would like that it doesn't delve into the world enough.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I can't get enough of them :3
DeleteYeah, worldbuilding is always important in this kind of books <3