Repost: Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

"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, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him."

Title: Lies Beneath

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Pages: 303, Hardcover (read: eARC)

I'm always on the lookout for mermaid/siren books, because I just love the underwater world. It's always intriguing; it seems like it would be amazing to be a sea creature with a gorgeous scaled-tail. So Lies Beneath was definitely an eye-catcher. I didn't expect too much or too less, so I wasn't disappointed. Lies Beneath is a great, solid read.

Calder and his three sisters are sirens. But they aren't typical sirens. They drown humans so they can take away a feeling: happiness. And they are seeking revenge on the Hancocks for killing their mother. So they hunt the Hancocks down, only they want Calder to seduce the Hancock daughter so they can later on kill the father. Things don't go as planned and Calder must figure out who's side he must go on, his sisters's side or the Hancocks.

The characters were alright. I definitely liked the change in perspective (Lies Beneath is told from a male's point of view). It's really different and fresh. I was reluctant on Calder's character at first because he didn't have any emotions or feelings that are particularly flamboyant. I don't hate him, but there isn't any spark. But when Lily comes into the story, his whole character lights up and I loved Calder after that. I really, really liked Lily. She's so sweet and smart and caring, I totally understood why Calder liked Lily so much.

On the other hand, Calder's sisters were so, so annoying. I hated them from the start. They are all so cocky and full of themselves. They are also seductive towards Calder, which is actually disgusting. Ugh, disastrous. But, they are supposed to be hated (mostly) so I'm on the right track!

The plot was delightful. It had a great amount of chilling, underwater moments. I loved those, they are very suspenseful. The twist in the end was very unexpected and took me by surprise. Lily and Calder's blooming of a relationship was a little fast-paced (insta-love) but it wasn't ridiculous, so I could still go with it. The plot was very sturdy.

Something totally random: I think the title really suits the story of the book. This is a title I actually really like! How Calder has to hold in so many lies from Lily, and they are beneath as in underwater.... I'm not sure my interpretation is correct, but it makes sense to me that way!

Overall, Lies Beneath is a well-written mermaid story that I recommend to people who love underwater creature books with action. I look forward to Anne Greenwood Brown's other books!

Grade: B+

Source: Publisher via Netgalley--Thank you for providing me with an ARC!

*Note: Originally posted on this blog on 2/17/12 here.

Book Review--Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Summary/Cover Image from Goodreads:

"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, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him."

Review:

I'm always on the lookout for mermaid/siren books, because I just love the underwater world. It's always intriguing; it seems like it would be amazing to be a sea creature with a gorgeous scaled-tail. So Lies Beneath was definitely an eye-catcher. I didn't expect too much or too less, so I wasn't disappointed. Lies Beneath is a great, solid read.

Calder and his three sisters are sirens. But they aren't typical sirens. They drown humans so they can take away a feeling: happiness. And they are seeking revenge on the Hancocks for killing their mother. So they hunt the Hancocks down, only they want Calder to seduce the Hancock daughter so they can later on kill the father. Things don't go as planned and Calder must figure out who's side he must go on, his sisters's side or the Hancocks.

The characters were alright. I definitely liked the change in perspective (Lies Beneath is told from a male's point of view). It's really different and fresh. I was reluctant on Calder's character at first because he didn't have any emotions or feelings that are particularly flamboyant. I don't hate him, but there isn't any spark. But when Lily comes into the story, his whole character lights up and I loved Calder after that. I really, really liked Lily. She's so sweet and smart and caring, I totally understood why Calder liked Lily so much.

On the other hand, Calder's sisters were so, so annoying. I hated them from the start. They are all so cocky and full of themselves. They are also seductive towards Calder, which is actually disgusting. Ugh, disastrous. But, they are supposed to be hated (mostly) so I'm on the right track!

The plot was delightful. It had a great amount of chilling, underwater moments. I loved those, they are very suspenseful. The twist in the end was very unexpected and took me by surprise. Lily and Calder's blooming of a relationship was a little fast-paced (insta-love) but it wasn't ridiculous, so I could still go with it. The plot was very sturdy.

Something totally random: I think the title really suits the story of the book. This is a title I actually really like! How Calder has to hold in so many lies from Lily, and they are beneath as in underwater.... I'm not sure my interpretation is correct, but it makes sense to me that way!

Overall, Lies Beneath is a well-written mermaid story that I recommend to people who love underwater creature books with action. I look forward to Anne Greenwood Brown's other books!

Grade: B+

Lies Beneath will be released on June 12, 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley--Thank you for providing me with an ARC!

**NOTE: This review will be re-posted again towards the time of the release date.**

Book Review--Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Summary/Cover Image from Goodreads:

"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. 
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door."

Review:


**NOTE: The cuteness of this book is a little too amazing. Beware.**


After reading Anna and the French Kiss nearly a year ago, I KNEW that Stephanie Perkins would be my new favorite author. After reading Lola and the Boy Next Door, she continues to be my favorite author. Lola does not disappoint one bit. In fact, I can't even decide which one I liked better. Stephanie Perkins is purely magical.


Lola Nolan is a very quirky character who loves costuming and fashion. She is the daughter of 2 gay dads and a girlfriend of a rocker, Max. All is well up until the Bell twins return to the neighborhood. Everything just goes downhill from there. And with the occasional uphill, but you know, there's mostly a lot of disasters. Lola must find out who her true love is while balancing family problems as well.


The characters in this book were oh-so-lovable. Seriously, they were real to me. VERY real. Stephanie Perkins has a way with creating very realistic characters. And the emotion that flows out of them is just too fabulous. Let me tell you, at first, I wasn't the biggest fan of Lola. She was too weird for my taste, but I soon jumped on the Lola Nolan train when I realized she is quirky in a good way.

CRICKET. You guys, Cricket.

I don't really have words for how much I LOOOVE Cricket.

He is so awkward in that adorable kind of way, and I just can't help myself but love him as much as Lola does. Oh my, is it humanly possible to fall in love with a fictional character?!

On a different note, Max... I hate Max with a fiery passion. FIERY. It is so CLEAR that he isn't Lola's true love. I mean, just look at him. Just no, Max. Just no.

But I loved Lola's dads, and Lindsey. Even though her dads were extremely nosy, I still liked them. They are very devoted fathers and caring. Lindsey is just plain funny and "sleuth-like".

The plot was so entirely perfect. SO PERFECT. The relationships weren't perfect, which I loved. The more realistic the relationship, the better. Watching Lola and Cricket's love unfold made Lola and Max's relationship look like a stick.  I also loved how Stephanie weaved in Anna and St. Claire into the story, that was like greeting an old friend again. Loved it. An irregularity that I just adored was the concept of Lola and Cricket's nightly meetings on their bedroom windowsills. So intimate and adorable.

As you can see, I'm running out of adjectives to describe Stephanie's writing. It's just extraordinary and like no other. Her writing style is so uplifting and it makes my heart soar when I read every page. I don't know many people who can do that to me.

On the whole, Lola and the Boy Next Door will surely touch at many people's hearts like it did to mine. Stephanie Perkins, you are a goddess.

Grade: A++

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Amazon, B&N) is now out!

Source: Borrowed from a friend