The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Cordova

The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Cordova

• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Publication date: July 1st 2014
• Pages: 328
• Series: The Vicious Deep #3

This epic clash of sand and sea will pit brother against brother-and there can only be one winner

In two days, the race for the Sea Court throne will be over-but all the rules have changed. The sea witch, Nieve, has kidnapped Layla and is raising an army of mutant sea creatures to overthrow the crown. Kurt, the one person Tristan could depend on in the battle for the Sea King's throne, has betrayed him. Now Kurt wants the throne for himself. Tristan has the Scepter of the Earth, but it's not enough. He'll have to travel to the mysterious, lost Isle of Tears and unleash the magic that first created the king's powerful scepter. It's a brutal race to the finish, and there can only be one winner. 

Review:
The final installment to the Vicious Deep series was fast paced yet well balanced. The novel's action served well to enrich the great series without overdoing it. There were scenes where it wasn't all about the thrill of killer mermaids but also scenes where it was all about that.
The Vicious Deep was an incredible race to the finish for sure but as it neared the end, I had the slight feeling that it was a little bit too rushed. I wanted to know more about things that I never got to know about and for a curious person like me, that was a little annoying. I felt like there was more to know about what happened with his family. Other than that little part, I loved how the book brought the whole series together, surprising me with a little twist from the ending I'd expect reading the series.
The book is a must read so if you haven't read the series yet, get it together! You'll want to start now. Zoraida wrote a great finale to the series and I'm sure you're going to want to know who gets the throne. I can't wait to see what she has for us next though I'm sad to leave Tristan and the rest of the characters behind. I especially recommend this book and the whole series to anyone who loves a good book with anything to do with water. Happy reading! Get to it!

Rating:

4/5 Stars

Meet the Author:

 Zoraida Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She made her way up north and now works in the glittering New York City nightlife. She likes shiny things like Christmas, merdudes, and the skyline at night. She loves making new friends.

 Goodreads Author's Website Author's Twitter

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Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Lies Beneath By Anne Greenwood Brown 

• Publisher: Random House Children's Books
• Publication date: 6/12/2012
• Pages: 320
• Age range: 12 - 17 Years

The lore of mermaids and mermen is real! As Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess, says, "Riveting! A cold-blooded tale of secrets, revenge, and forbidden love that will leave you terrified to go in the water."

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love—just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.

One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

Review:
That was one awesomely thought out book. Never thought of Lake Superior to be this eerie. Definitely brought on the chills. Anne Greenwood Brown is definitely lucky to have actually lived a life near the waters of Lake Superior and then write an incredible book placed there. I...think...I've been to Lake Superior once. I think! As a kid. Even without that fuzzy memory, this book brought out a mysterious idea of the ancient lake and filled my head with wondering thoughts about mermaids in it. Okay, enough amazed ranting about how much I felt like I was there.
In all honesty, this was a very well written mermaid-themed young adult novel. (Not that I wasn't being honest in the first paragraph) Calder's story, Lily, and even his assassin sisters were brought to life in the pages. I thought I knew what would happen but the book put a great twist on Calder's mission. There were a few instances where I thought there was gonna be a long drag of a chapter but I was suprised to find both times that that wouldn't be the case. I really enjoyed the book and the rest of the series. I'd recommend this book and if you like it, the following books. Go out and give it a try. I liked it and I'm sure you will too. Beautifully written. Especially loved the feeling of being on Lake Superior's shores just by reading the text.
The characters weren't any ordinary mermaid young adult wishy washy figures. Calder was by far my favorite character. Lily, I just couldn't trust now and then. To me, she did a few stupid things in the book but who am I to judge a fictional character's choices? Calder's character had depth and turmoil. Between figuring out what his sisters wanted him to do versus what he thought he should do, Calder made an amazing character in the novel. Even if the novel wasn't written well, I would have followed through just to see what happened with Calder.

Rating:

4.5/5 Stars

Meet the Author: 

ANNE GREENWOOD BROWN grew up sailing the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, leaning over the rail and wondering, with a lake that big, that ancient, what amazing thing might flash by. Now she knows. Lies Beneath is her first novel.

Goodreads  Author's Website Author's Twitter

Roshini

Update on Giveaway

I've decided to add a little bit of swag to the YA Watercolor Book Cover Giveaway and give you guys a heads up that it'll end soon and only has 3 entries. So hope more people give it a try! :)

The swag I'll be adding is a few promotional bookmarks and posters from various YA books.

Roshini

Giveaway Hopeful Hiatus End

Celebrate a Hopeful End to the Hiatus with this Giveaway!

Enter to choose a YA book cover for me to paint (that you can win)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are some of my recent attempts while learning!

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