Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Fire of the Sea

ISBN: 1937546284
Pages: 426
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Publication Date: March 28, 2014
Appearance:
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Sharp, sleek, and golden. Like the dagger she has worn since childhood, eighteen-year-old Aeva is all three of these things. But there is something else that this mermaid and her prized weapon share - they are both hunted. Hidden within the caves off Iceland's dark shore, Aeva waits to take her place as the next ruler of the Mermaids. But when Aeva uses her potent and alluring song to save a drowning human, she disrupts a delicate balance. Realizing she has unexpectedly bound herself to Gunnar, Aeva is torn between duty and love. Aeva severs one life to begin another, and soon finds herself not only rejected by the sea, but also stalked by an old enemy. As the worlds of myth and man intertwine, Aeva will challenge fate to protect her own sacred relic and the man she loves. But legend and lies cast an intricate net. With time and safety quickly unraveling for Aeva and Gunnar, there is only one clear course: Find and defeat Delphine before she can shift again. 

Hello everyone! Today I've got a small review of Fire of the Sea by Lyndsay Johnson. It's been a while since I've read a mermaid book and this book was a refreshing reminder of that genre. Anyway, without further ado let's get into the review~

Aeva is the next monarch of the mermaids and she's been training for her coronation since the day her parents were viciously murdered by the demigoddess Delphine. Her strength lies in her dagger which was the last thing her mother gave her before she died. The dagger and its sheath has power of their own and unbeknownst to Aeva, they are destined to kill Delphine. When Aeva rescues a drowning man with her Call, she disrupts the balance of the sea and earth and in turn must do something in return. However things become more complicated when Aeva discovers that her Call did more than revive the man as it also bound them together. If she wants a future with him, she must first fulfill her duty to the ocean.

Fire of the Sea combines Norse mythology with Greek and the transitions between the two is so smooth and well developed. I'm not sure if there is this overlap in actual mythology but I'm definitely going to check into Norse mythology more. The writing itself is engaging and keeps the story going at a nice pace. Aeva is our narrator and from the very beginning you can hear the strength behind her voice. 

Aeva as I mentioned before is a strong and independent character but that doesn't mean she has no faults. She can be a bit rash which helped to add more dimension to her character because I mean she's a mermaid, there's literally nothing wrong with her appearance wise. The love interest is Gunnar, a fisherman from a nearby village with dreams of sailing. Their relationship seemed ironic as Gunnar longed for the sea while Aeva (after saving Gunnar) began to long for the earth. In some cases they balance each other out. The one thing that bugged me was how fast the romance happened. While I get why it was done that way since the author wanted to incorporate a form of binding power Aeva's Call had, I still wished it wasn't so insta.

This book is full of surprises that completely caught me off guard. Some revelations can be considered a bit ironic and almost expected, but the author managed to weave it into a complex storyline so that it got lost and when it occurred, it was unexpected. The ending scene once again wove Norse and Greek mythology together and it was really cool to see the different magical artifacts together. To be honest, I kind of wished for a different ending in terms of earth and sea, but I'm happy with how things finished and it was great to read one book and have a complete story. 

4 out of 5 stars
 

Foreverly Obsessed,

1 comment:

  1. I absolutely love mermaid books and this review has gotten me so hyped about this book. I can't wait to check it out OMG!!

    Alex @ The Book's Buzz

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