Review: Wonderfully Unique!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2013
4.5 Stars!I’ve read about mermaids and werewolves, but this is a wonderfully unique story. I don’t really read a lot of young adult books and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Rising. I’m now waiting for the next book to come out. This doesn’t end with a cliffhanger, but you know the story will continue and I’m looking forward to the next book. The underwater world of the Undine (mermaids) is truly brought to life. Look at the cover for just a touch of the beauty in Serena’s world. I loved the way the Undine could manipulate their scales according to their needs or protocol. The connection between the Undine and Werewolves really made the story interesting and gave that added bit of mystery that I like.Serena is an orphan that would much rather be alone than in the thick political and social world of her people. She isn’t scared to go to dry land and does so even though it gets her into some serious trouble. Serena is basically an outcast, not liked much by anyone. I’m not really sure why that is and wish it had been addressed more fully. She has one person she considers her best friend, but since he left the orphanage before her and took his place in society they don’t see much of each other. Having no one to truly count on but herself her whole life Serena is an independent and strong young woman who will do what needs to be done. Her growth from being in the classroom to accepting and thriving in her role as Werewolf Liaison isn’t without pain, feelings of isolation and rejection; especially when she is betrayed by one who is supposed to be looking out and caring for her. Serena also finds love and feelings of desire for the first time as she faces the difficulties that have been forced upon her.The secondary characters are pleasantly detailed and come to life. I really ended up liking Kia, although I wasn’t sure about him at first. Liam is still a bit of a mystery, but has promise of being a strong and possibly likable character as we see how he deals with recent events and learns of his place ( or not?) in Serena’s life. I thought I had it figured out and then the direction changed just a bit; I like to be surprised and was glad I liked the new direction.There’s really not much else I can tell you without spoiling something and I feel one little spoiler may reveal too much as you read. I recommend this if you enjoy mermaids or werewolves with some great action, mystery and a bit of romance.(I received a copy from publisher in exchange for an honest review.)