Antara - Marilena Mexi - Blog Tour Review

Peace and tranquility on the island of Aster, home to both humans and 'merfolk', has long been broken by a devastating phenomenon, recurring every five years. A storm including gusting winds and huge waves mysteriously appeared and eradicated much of the population. The misunderstandings, suspicion and hate born of this disaster have torn the two races apart, and the peace loving merfolk are now in a never-ending struggle to prove their innocence and restore peace to the island.

On the human side, things are even worse; under the tyranny of cruel king Orestis, the people suffer and all their king cares for is vengeance against the “fish”, as he spitefully calls them, executing merfolk after merfolk for just being near his lands.

Secrets, intense emotions and strange phenomena will upset their lives forever.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: Antara

Author: Marilena Mexi

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Lulu

Publication Date: March 22, 2011

Format: E-book

Source: Received from author courtesy of the Teen Book Scene. Many thanks goes to Marilena Mexi and Teen Book Scene for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

Blog Tour: Teen Book Scene blog tour. You can follow along with the tour here.

Look for it: Amazon

My rating: 3/5

The land of Aster has been divided into two parts, one ruled by merfolk, and the other by humans. The people and merfolk of Aster were united peacefully at one time, but due to some devastating storms that return every five years, both have parted ways. The people of Aster blame the merfolk for these storms as they feel they have been brought upon them by the merfolk. Now, under the tyrannical rule of King Orestis, Aster has become a deadly place for the merfolk as they are tried and executed if captured. Asteria, Queen of the merfolk, is trying to bring about peace to both merfolk and human alike, but will have to walk a dangerous path to bring about the peace she craves. Will she be able to unite both races once again? 

Antara is probably one of the first books that I have read that has been translated from Greek to English. It does have some grammatical errors and some phrases that have been translated strangely, but overall it is an interesting and cute read. 

The world-building is intricate, and I enjoyed the history of both people and merfolk as it was related to the reader. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and they really give us a glimpse of the world of Aster. 

Asteria is the spokesperson and Queen of her people, and she as such had a hard role to play in Antara. I didn't always agree with what she did, and had a hard time connecting with her, but she wanted what was best for the merfolk, and she was striving to bring both races together again; that I can understand. Her relationship with Orestis didn't ring completely true for me either. I thought things moved too fast between them, especially considering the secrets being kept from each other. With that said, the storyline is still a unique one, and the world is fantastical. The artistry brings an added dimension to the world of Aster, as it brings characters to life in portrait. The scenes were also beautifully rendered, and they captured the essence of Antara. 

All in all, this is still a unique reading experience, and I think tweens and younger teens will enjoy reading Antara. It has some interesting twists that will keep the reader guessing. The title is befitting of the novel as well. Asteria and Orestis' story isn't finished, and it will be interesting to find out if the merfolk and people of Aster can be united again. 

Blog Tour: Tempest Rising - Tracy Deebs - Guest Post & Giveaway

Today, Tracy Deebs is here with a guest post as part of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, Tempest Rising. Thank you for being here, Tracy! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

Did you find any interesting folklore when researching the mermaid mythos? If so, can you share some of your findings with us?

First off, thanks Corrine for having me here today I love talking about mermaids!

I’ve loved mermaids since I was very young—when I was little (like three or four) I had a VCR tape of the Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid. I watched it every day, at least once a day, and loved every second of it, every time. Most of us know the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, where Ursula loses out and Ariel gets her prince in the end, but in the original version of The Little Mermaid, things didn’t work out quite that way.

In the original fairy tale, the mermaid, though unable to speak, has the prince’s affections until he has to go to a neighboring kingdom and visit the beautiful princess. As soon as he sees her, he decides that it is she who had rescued him from drowning and not the Little Mermaid, and he pledges his love to her, marrying her. The little mermaid was supposed to die without his love—courtesy of her bargain with the sea witch-- until her sisters sacrifice their beautiful hair to the sea witch in order to buy their sister more time. She has three days to get the prince to fall in love with her or kill him with the sharp knife they had brought her. At the end of the three days, knowing she has lost the prince’s love for all time, the little mermaid sneaks into his room and puts the knife to his chest. She knows, if she wants to live, she has to kill him. But in the end, she loves him too much to harm him, so because he is silly and shallow and does not see her for what she really is, and because she is not willing to put herself before him, the little mermaid turns to sea foam and slowly floats away. The prince realizes too late (of course) what he’s done and the little mermaid is destined to be bubbles on the surface of the ocean for centuries …

Reciting it here, the story seems so sad, but as a child, I loved it, even though I cried every time when she became beautiful pink and lavender sea foam. There was just something about that fairy tale, that lore, that spoke to me—and if I’m honest, speaks to me still. Usually, I’m a sucker for a happy ending, but the said poignancy of unrequited love gets me every time. Plus the darkness of the tale echoes the darkness I love to write about, and that I brought to Tempest Rising.

While this is probably my favorite folklore when it comes to mermaids, and the story that prompted me to write Tempest Rising when my agent asked me one day, “So, how do you feel about mermaids …” it is not the only lore that I researched when coming up with Tempest’s underwater world. I love the story of the Sirens, who lured sailors to their deaths (I didn’t put this in Tempest Rising) and selkies, a shapeshifting aquatic animal who can shed it’s pelt. Lore says that whoever has control of the pelt has control of the selkie, for if a selkie has his pelt, he can never resist the pull of the sea. I really like selkies and couldn’t resist using the lore (with a little twist or two) in Tempest Rising as well.

So how about you? Is there any mythological creature that intrigues you? Leave a comment for a chance to win a Bath and Body Works bath set. 

Many thanks for this guest post, Tracy! I've never actually watched the Hans Christian Andersen version of "The Little Mermaid." I think I should do that! Love the guest post and can't wait to read Tempest's story! 

Giveaway

Comment for a chance to win a Bath and Body Works bath set, courtesy of Tracy.

Thank you, Tracy!

Giveaway is open to US residents only. (Sorry to those of you who are international.) :( 

Giveaway will end May 26, 2011.

Thank you!

The Mermaid's Mirror - L.K. Madigan

Lena has lived her whole life near the beach—walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves—the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman—with a silvery tail.

Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …

(Synopsis taken from goodreads)

Title: The Mermaid's Mirror

Author: L.K. Madigan

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Mermaids

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: October 4, 2010

My Rating: 5/5

Lena has always wanted to surf, and decides for her sixteenth birthday, what better present than surfing lessons? She asks her dad, Brian, if he would teach her to surf, as he was a surfer back in his day. His near death experience is one of the primary reasons why he won't teach her. Regardless of his experience, she still yearns to take up surfing. Something keeps drawing her to the beach, and she just wants to be able to surf, and become one with the sea. One night, she sees someone out in the water, something who she thought, was only found in fairy tales. Without her father's knowledge, she takes surfing lessons and shows that she is quite proficient at the sport. All the while, she is hoping to see the mythical creature again, therefore proving that she isn't losing her mind.

This book may be slowly paced for some; however, I absolutely loved it. I loved the sense of unity that we see in Lena's family. She has a tight bond with her little brother, Cole, and has a relatively good relationship with her parents. She is a teenager though, and does act out. Her character is believable. She does things that I may not condone, but given the circumstances, I can understand why she did them. This book is one that should be devoured slowly. It unravels at its own pace, allowing the reader to glean insight as Lena does. Her family unit is strong, and doesn't take a backseat to the story. We are brought in to feel the emotions that run through every member of her family, therefore making this a more poignant read.

Lena has her flaws, but she is a well-sculpted character. She is further enhanced by decisions she makes near the end of the book, which in my estimation, make her evolve into a better character.

The plot meanders, ebbing in and out like the tide. This book by no means is a fast-paced read. The description of the mermaids and their world, as well as the surfers' slang, captivated as well. It felt like an honest representation of the surfing world.

The only complaint I had was with the ending. It seemed rushed, and somewhat callous (but that's because I was immersed in the characters lives and have a bleeding heart). It does leave the book open for another novel. There is so much left to be explored, and I truly hope there is a follow up novel. This is definitely an author to watch.

All in all, this novel was refreshing, captivating, and exceedingly well-crafted. I think that it will be a favourite among those who are ready for a change from vampires and the like.

Disclaimer: This book was obtained through netgalley, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for sending me this copy to review.