Review: Nice story but a bit immature
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 23, 2014
I am a bit surprised at all of the ratings (also given by adults) being 4 or 5 stars. I have read this book as a part of a YA paranormal boxed set after books by Juli Alexander and Elle Casey. Maybe it was the direct comparison to those but I felt a little let down by "Atlantis Riptide".So here's what I liked: The story itself of an adopted girl who has been taken advantage of during her whole life because of her special abilities was intriguing. I like magical elements in a story. And who hasn't dreamed of being able to breathe under water? I also found the development of the underwater part of the story  promising, a world unknown to "air-breathers" but with just the same problems as above water and with a conflict brewing.What I didn't like: Although it is a very sad life Pearl had to struggle through, I soon got tired of her constantly whining about how often she had been betrayed and mistreated and had her heart broken. It got to the point where I virtually rolled my eyes when reading yet another dramatic description of how "pain sliced through her heart and ripped it apart".Her continuous change of mind annoyed me: she fell in love with a guy whom she felt she could trust (the first person ever to earn her trust - by what, I'm not sure). Then she felt betrayed by him, but once he believes her story she is suddenly sure they have a future together, only to be heartbroken again as soon as he seems to have said or done something to feel her used again (which she always gets wrong but then doesn't show a learning curve either).Also, the paragraph captions with words starting with the same letters felt a bit forced.Overall, I found this book too immature to hold my attention. I read it through to the end but I will not look out for a sequel or any other book by this author.