Synopsis:

When magical mermaid Sereia saves her little sister and overshadows brother and rightful heir, Triton, the position of next ruler of the sea is in question. Determined to keep his throne, Triton curses Sereia, transforming her into a human and stripping her of magic. Banishing her from their underwater kingdom, he gives her a final warning: if you should ever return, you will become a monster.

Left for dead, Sereia washes up on the shores of Atlantis, discovered by a kind merchant with a tragic past. Patient and charming, he helps her build a life on land, leaving her realizing that everything she was taught about humans may have been wrong. But legends are powerful forces, and mermaids are burned for their magic by humans who fear their power. Sereia is forced to keep her true identity a secret, even as her feelings for her savior deepen.

Channeling her skill with a blade, she finds a place within the ranks of the Atlantean army, finally giving her the chance to become the respected warrior she always desired. During her training, however, she discovers the legend of a trident of equal power to her father’s exists, and is within her grasp in Atlantis. With a way back to the sea in her grasp, she wavers between the pull of revenge and the possibility of love on land, all under the hateful eye of a vengeful enemy within her ranks. But when the fate of a friend is in the balance, she must make the hardest decision of all: be burned at the stake as a witch, or turn into a monster should she return to the sea.

Rating:

Review:

This book was spectacular! There is no other word for it. It felt magical. The words came to life, the world and characters came to life. From the first word, I was hooked. Sereia is a great character. She has always felt lesser than her brother. She has skill with fighting but only useful to her father as a sparing partner for Triton. She has skill with magic but it’s never respected. She has more of a head and disposition for leadership, but she’s female so it doesn’t matter. She has spent her entire life feeling overlooked. And then her sister goes missing. When they find her, Sereia gets the unexpected opportunity to step in where her brother failed and save their sister. She can prove to her father that she’s better than him. And she does. Her father starts to reconsider Triton as his heir, and Triton doesn’t like it.

That’s where the story really kicks off. This was a difficult story to write, I am sure of that. The author is trying to weave elements of The Little Mermaid fairytale, Greek Poseidon mythology, and Atlantis mythology all into one book. There are countless ways that she could have failed, but she didn’t. She wove all of those threads together seamlessly. The stories are so blended that they make perfect sense and it feels as though they were all the same story all along.

The story of Sereia and Callan was amazing. They don’t get off to the best start. He rescues her from death, sunburned, wounded, and unconscious on the beach. She repays him by stabbing him as soon as she wakes up. But he is ever patient with her. With teaching her all about Atlantis, teaching her to walk, teaching her to make food for herself, and most importantly he always lets her be exactly who she is. As Sereia learns about Atlantis’ history she discovers a potential way to get home. But by the time she does, she isn’t entirely sure that she wants to leave. She has fallen in love with Callen. She has built a life for herself with friends and being a fighter in the Atlantean army. Ultimately she believes that she has come up with a plan to do both, get her revenge on her brother and then return to Atlantis. Which is when the whole story takes a sideways turn.

Until the last 50 pages or so, I was convinced that this book was going to end on a cliffhanger and a lead in to another book. The first twist to the story is one that I expected, they tell you about it in the blurb. But immediately after that came another bombshell, then another. In just a single chapter the entirely trajectory of this story changed. I felt dizzy but I couldn’t stop reading. I sat in my living room completely silently and read the last 50 pages in one sitting. I was riveted. It wasn’t at all what I expected, but it fit the story so perfectly. And it was a completely standalone story in the end. It was perfect and I couldn’t have loved it more.

“You believe you have won, and maybe for a time you have. But I will never forget, and I will never forgive. One day, perhaps centuries from now, I will bring you to your knees. And as your world crumbles and burns, I will rise like a phoenix from your ashes.”

One last thing, that epilogue, holy cow! It was everything. Literally everything that I have ever wanted in an epilogue.