★★★ ½ #Bookreview @clemmiegirlnz
New to me author Ms. Fraser throws me into a whirlpool of scientific cruelty, magical merpeople and damaged war veterns. I picked up this book because I love reading about mermaids. As a water lover, I was interested to see another interpretation of a mermaid society. I am surprised and pleased by the coldness displayed by the merpeople in this book. Is this going to be a series? It would be interesting to see because I want to learn more about this underwater world.
The story flow is a bit fast and slow paced. We start out quickly with our protagonist Evan spiraling out of control after his deployment. His PTSD is severe and he has lost the meaning and will to live. As a last ditch hope, his good friend Daniel Kim takes him on a boat trip to relax and get away from his demons. This quick escalation into the covert military installation underwater pulls me into the story and I like this smooth fast pace. And then it stalls. The scenes then drag as Evan is bullied and tries to figure out this new world he signed up without thinking through it. I am mixed about this story because the storyline is good. The plot is interesting and there are nicely thrown in plot twists. The scenes felt at times to be a little too drawn out. Scenes could either be condensed or cut out to keep the reader's attention instead of letting it slowly wander away.
I felt as if at times, the story was warring with itself trying to determine the plot. Is the main focus on Evan's healing and dealing with PTSD and life after the military? Is it Sariana's desire for revenge? What is the main focus? If that was more clear and then the subplots were woven in to support as more complex layers to a world building, this story would have packed a solid punch. Still, I liked Ms. Fraser's concept and look forward to seeing more books written by her. She is an author with potential that I want to keep an eye on.
This underwater suspense is recommended to readers who love mermaids, intrigue and betrayal.
