Review: Fascinating world and premise, with great characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 12, 2012
Really enjoyed this fantastical story of two races at war with one another on a very (in many ways) Earth-like world. The main character, Serafey, is an outcast from both worlds, being a "mixed race" child of a Sualet mother, a race of sea creatures somewhere between mermaids and amphibious humans and an Erdlander father, a race of more human-like and land-dwelling cousins. Ostracized by the other Sualet, Serafey lives alone with her mother, who was also banished for having dared to raise a child borne out of her captivity with the Erdlanders. Serafey is taught to fear the Erdlanders as well, so is lost without either culture to fully create an identity. The world Tyler has created here has real presence and depth, and Serafey's cultural and identity confusion are both touching and very believable. When she meets her first real Erdlander, another outcast named Tor, there is a very charming dynamic between the two, and a burgeoning love story that is also really engaging. I actually wanted this book to be longer, so I'm glad that it's the first of a series. The world is subtly addictive in its presence, and I'm very interested to see where this love story develops and to learn more about the somewhat frightening Erdlander world.