Review: Waking Storms by Sarah Porter

Title: Waking Storms

Author: Sarah Porter

Reviewed by: Cassie

The Fairies Say: Haunting and honest!

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn't last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. The tribe's cruel queen wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary.

But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?

Waking Storms and the Lost Voices Trilogy left a very interesting aftertaste in my reader 'mouth'. Normally, I would throw down this book and be like, "NO MORE!! NO MORE." Of course, in that situation I'd probably go and raid the pantry for comfort food. So I decided I'd brave it and just stick with it and it's definitely a book that will stay with you.

In my not-so-trusty opinion (and slightly deranged if you ask the right people) this book is sort of like a drug that you know will leave you fifty shades of messed up and disturbed but in the moment, it's like a negative rainbow just sprouted in your brain, mouth, and possibly pinky toe. And yes, negative rainbows on pinky toes are totally in and extremely sexy, or so my sources tell me.

Anyways, I can't really remember how Waking Storms begins, probably because I began this books freaking weeks ago. I just couldn't finish it. I kept telling myself, "Let's go Cassie! If we can brave a hundred more pages we'll sneak in a scoop of ice cream!" And it wasn't really helping... It was just so dark... and haunting... and lush... and dazzlingly tragic... and enchanting... and yes I'm stealing that from the front cover. But it's all true.

This is how I imagined I would be when I finished the book...

Yeah no.

Luce.. bugged me. But it's probably 'cause she lacked, as I like to call it, a "mean gene". She had her temper, but for a murdering mermaid it was totally subdued. I was hoping she'd unleash the (RAINBOW! Starbursts!! Wait... we're talking about mermaids.... crap.) power. Unfortunately, she didn't. But she's chill man, you know? Like totally down... and yep my druggie talk right there.
Dorian.
...
Dorian if you're reading this I'm legit gonna burn you alive. I wouldn't even have to bait myself with ice cream I'd just go freaking psycho bitch on you. I hated you Dorian. For a supposedly smart girl, our Luce falls for him. He's supposed to be some 'deep, tortured' guy, but honestly I call bullshit. First of all, he's almost sixteen and he falls for a fourteen-year-old MERMAID (no disrespect Luce) and he's like, It's okay Luce, I can resist the urges that a guy wants to do with his girlfriend. YOU. ARE. SIXTEEN. She is FOURTEEN. YOU PERVERT! I will come to your house and bash your skull in with an ice cream scoop. And I will enjoy. every. second.
Anyways, he does a lot of stuff I found despicable and annoying and one thing I literally, I KID YOU NOT, slap the offending book down, stare at my dad (who's watching the Packers play) and shout at him--yes shout- "THIS BOOK SUCKS TOO! I want to murder this author!" To which my dad looks at me slightly concerned (he's been around me too long to be too concerned) and says, "Cassie, it's just a book." Just a book.

Huh.

Anyways, Dorian is pretty much the only issue I had with the book. If you're up for a haunting, lush, and brutally honest journey with a mermaid, you'll love Waking Storms. I was at times staring at the book with huge eyes thinking, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN????!! So yes. You must have a refined taste for this kind of book but it's definitely unique; if you liked Lost Voices you'll like this one just the same.

Please come back. I'll miss you if you don't. Fiction-fairies.blogspot.com guys!

xoxo Cassie

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Title: Lost Voices

Author: Sarah Porter

Reviewed by: Cassie

Rating: 2.5 glass slippers

Summary (from BN.com)

Fourteen-year-old Luce reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of her grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?

I decided to read this book because I had read reviews saying to hold up their prejudices about mermaids and give it a chance. The plot they presented seemed intriguing and quite frankly, I wanted to read something about mermaids. Lost Voices is a haunting tale about murderous siren/mermaids. The characters are very conflicting and tortured, the world is stunning, and the ideas to create it are very impressive.

You must be wondering, however, why I rated it as only OK. The reason? Well, it was a bit too haunting for my taste. It's a dark book with murder and various other dark things. But what was nice was that it's a mermaid book that's dark, and that it's very unique. I did have my dislikes, but I also had my likes.

The plot-

I won't get too into it, but you find out right away that all of the mermaids come from a dark past and dislike humans. They enjoy luring them to their deaths, except for Luce and Miriam. To combine the theory of sirens, tortured young girls, and mermaids is a very unique twist. However, for me, it just didn't go well with my system. It may have been the fact that there's no romance with the main character (horrible, I know) and that Luce is only fourteen. The girls just seemed way too young for such a dark plot, but it's definitely got the wow-factor going on and it's definitely a beautiful darkness.

The heroine-

Luce has a very dark past that we learn and is very socially awkward and a loner. She also happens to be a reader. Now usually I'd be all "wow that's awkward! ... and totally me." But the thing is, she is extremely socially awkward. She wins gold medal for it. She had no friends in her school and even in her mermaid tribe she is an outcast, despite her abilities. However- she has a very good heart. While 99% of mermaids are murderous, dark human-haters, she is the sole mermaid in her tribe to actually want to save humans. She's complex and she acts in what she believes in, despite the deadly consequences.

World-

I felt like the world was also darkly beautiful. While their singing was deadly, it was gorgeous. While the mermaids were murderous, they were beautiful. While people died, they died in elation. Also- the creatures and environment is described masterfully and the details are impeccable. Plus it's mostly in the ocean, so that was nice. :)

I believe the sequel is out, and that there's finally a boy (GASP) in it... I'll have to read it soon!

Until next time-

Cassie

P.S. - now that I'm back in school I am in BOOK WITHDRAWAL!!! Gah! Anyone else having the same issues?