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Keep reading for an epic giveaway to win an e-reader, a giftcard, and copies of SURFACE!
BOOK TRAILER:
O P E N I N G L I N E:
(pg. 1, US e-ARC edition)
Underwater-themed books are always at the top of my reading list. There's something about them that captivate and enchant. When I saw the gorgeous cover for SURFACE, I was bewitched and couldn't tear myself away. The cover is a siren itself, so it's only fitting that the novel is about a girl who discovers that she's a siren. Sirens in SURFACE, however, aren't the variety we're so used to seeing. They are the result of the relationship between a human and an Artagasian, forbidden, and condemned to death before they're even born. Their blood is special, and their existence must be prevented at all costs.
Theia has grown up with her human mother, never dreaming that forbidden blood courses through her veins. She thinks the birthmark she's had on her shoulder since birth is ugly, yet it's also the key to her birthright. When she's kidnapped from her home and dumped in the ocean, Theia quickly learns that she's far from an ordinary girl. She's Artagasian, able to breathe both on land and underwater. She was supposed to die as a child due to her parents' forbidden relationship, but she was saved, and she and her mother have been living inland, far from the sea. Now that Theia's identity as a Siren has been discovered, however, humans and Artagasians alike hunt her, coveting her blood, and willing to kill to get what they want...
Looking for action, adventure, romance? SURFACE has a little bit of it all. I would have loved to stay beneath the sea longer to learn more about the Artagasians, but look forward to seeing more when LANDLOCKED comes out this summer. The concept of Sirens and the abilities coursing through their blood was innovative; I haven't seen this before in mermaid lore, and you know I've read a lot of these books. The Artagasians also have unique abilities I haven't encountered previously, and the fact that they have legs and not fins reminds me of FATHOMLESS by Jackson Pearce. I would love to learn more about this in the future as well. Artagasians are separated from mermaids in SURFACE, and the mermaids are more like unintelligent animals, at least in the glimpse we've currently seen of them. They're vicious and brutal, which is how I genuinely feel that wild mermaids would actually be. They remind me more of the deepsmen from IN GREAT WATERS by Kit Whitfield or the larva from Sara Porter's Lost Voices trilogy (LOST VOICES, WAKING STORMS). They are darker, scarier, and I hope to see them again in more details come LANDLOCKED.
For all the intrigue around Tiffany Daune's world-building and unique lore, I do wish there was a little more, and look forward to a second book. There is a case of insta-love in SURFACE, which is always a pet peeve of mine in YA fiction, though Daune does take the time to create a reason for this later on in the book. I'm also not a fan of love interest Luc's materialistic sister Celeste despite the fact that we read from her POV at times, though she is a catalyst with a purpose in the novel. There could definitely have been a little more character development, but since so much focus in SURFACE is on world-building, I fully expect to see powerful characters in LANDLOCKED, even as we delve deeper into the underwater lore of Daune's world. There's so much potential with this series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Daune takes readers next.
C O V E R D E S I G N:
Out of all the underwater covers I've seen, there's something about this pose, the way this water is manipulated...it's the lighting, it's the coloring, it's the fluidity of the human body, it's...I don't know. That image is GORGEOUS, though, and powerful, too. It can be looked at as embracing the water, as life. It can be seen as the pain of drowning, of death. The way merfolks can shift from water to land has always reminded me of both, and this image is the essence of those dueling concepts for me.
No words. Just love!
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: SURFACE
Author: Tiffany Daune
Release Date: Out Feb. 2013
Publisher: Noble Young Adult
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
Bound to the water bound to land, a Siren’s soul will never be safe on either side of the ocean’s surface. Hidden beneath the rolling waves lies the secret to Theia’s past and as she unveils each haunting truth, she realizes the last seventeen years of her life have been a lie.
Now, drawn into a mysterious new world and with nowhere to turn, Theia must place her trust in Luc, a beautiful boy who stops her heart with each dazzling smile, but even his unearthly charm can’t hide the truth—he has secrets— dark secrets binding him to his world—an underwater world where Theia will never belong—a world determined to destroy her soul.
Now, drawn into a mysterious new world and with nowhere to turn, Theia must place her trust in Luc, a beautiful boy who stops her heart with each dazzling smile, but even his unearthly charm can’t hide the truth—he has secrets— dark secrets binding him to his world—an underwater world where Theia will never belong—a world determined to destroy her soul.
~*~
She lives on an island and believes mermaids may be raiding her candy stash, thoughshe hasn't caught them, yet.
SURFACE is her first novel and pairs well with gummy sharks.
***GIVEAWAY***
You could win...
1 E Reader (Sony or Kindle) I'm going to the states this month and will pick one up.
1 $25 Starbucks Gift Card
1 $15 Amazon Gift Card
5 Digital Copies of SURFACE
1 $25 Starbucks Gift Card
1 $15 Amazon Gift Card
5 Digital Copies of SURFACE
This giveaway is international!
Thank you for taking the time to read and review Surface! I agree, the cover is fabulous. I flipped out when Fiona Jayde sent it to me. I believe it captures the essence of Surface perfectly. Your review is great, by the way. I hope to see you again when Landlocked tours!
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!
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