Review: Interesting and unique young adult paranormal novel
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 2, 2014
***heads up, there are some spoilers in the second half of this review***This is the young adult debut novel for Vanessa Garden, and overall I liked it. I'm not big on non-contemporary young adult books. They are often overplayed.  I mean how many books can you read involving vampires or the world ending? After a while, it gets a little old.  However, I was drawn to Captivate because of the uniqueness of the story. I know mermaid books are becoming more popular, but without ruining it for anyone, this has a different take on an underwater world, and it was a breath of fresh air.Aside from the storyline, I also really liked Miranda.  There were a few points where she annoyed me but I could easily overlook those. She was a strong female lead willing to fight back which I loved. She also had a snarky/sarcastic sense of humor which had me smiling throughout the book.  I felt connected with her and could really feel what she was going through.However, there were a few things that prevented me from rating this higher.  I didn't understand the whole Aiden situation. It confused me and didn't really add anything to the overall story. I kept asking myself what is his purpose in this because I couldn't see it. I also didn't like the whole love triangle situation with Robbie and Marko or the instalove on Marko's part. He barely spent anytime with Miranda yet couldn't get enough of her. It just didn't track with me.In addition to this, all the guys seemed to be in love or lust with Miranda. It sounded like on land she couldn't get a guy to look at her twice.  But once in Miran, it was like all the guys couldn't get enough of her.  I mean, seriously? Another female lead that thinks she's hideous but every guy she meets finds her irresistible? *Rolls eyes*Even given these things, I did enjoy the story overall. The ending left things a bit open and I definitely plan on reading the second book if there is one. I'd recommend this to anyone that likes young adult paranormal novels.