The Mermaid and the Murders

* *  Disclaimer: Copy provided by Netgalley and the Publisher (The Wild Rose Press)

The Mermaid and The Murders
by Rachel Graves
Publication date: June 10, 2016
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Romance, YA Mythology

Over-all rating of the book: 5 stars

 

 

Summary:

Teenage mermaid Danika DelMar loves high school more than anything in the ocean. She fights with her mother about joining their pod, but she fights her hormones even more. No matter what her body says, she’s not ready to kill someone with sex. Things get harder when Danika falls for a new boy at school. He claims to be a sea creature like she is, but she isn’t sure she can trust him or herself.

When a dead body shows up at Danika’s reef she risks giving away her secret to make sure the police find the victim. It doesn’t stop the bodies from coming. Soon she’s lost her friend and the first boy she ever loved. Danika is sure a sea creature is involved, and she’s the only one who can help. As her friends become targets, Danika races to find the killer.

Personal Rating Breakdown: (5 stars being the highest)

• Cover: 4.5 stars 
• Page-turner: 5 stars
• Romantic Excitement (Kilig* Factor): 5 stars
• Imagery Rating: 4.5 stars
• Steampunk-ness: 3.5 stars (more like sexy weird)  

 

This not the first time I’ve read a novel about mermaids and  sea creatures. I really liked how this book turned out to be different. I was really hooked with the preview description of this book and was not disappointed after reading it. I think it would be so cool to have a sequel to this story or a prequel to that time when everyone co-existed harmoniously. Then again, if it does not happen, I still think it’s cool. The story ended perfectly anyway.

I like how Danika yearns for learning new things and her love for knowledge. She’s an amazing creature, deadly and alluring to men, but she chose to be more than what she is supposed to be. I like her courage and determination especially when she was figuring things out and wanted to really know who is the culprit  behind these murders.

Sam is just the perfect guy for Danika. While he is just as strong of a character as she is, Sam makes everything a bit lighter despite the horrifying things going around town. Their relationship progressed in good timing.

As for the other sea creatures here, they made life in Playa Linda more mysterious. I liked how the supporting characters of this story made sense and some were not likeable.

Playa Linda seems like a very interesting town as there are lots of sea creatures lurking around town, co-existing secretly with the humans. This town is interestingly scary yet fascinating to live in, but I loved my trip there in this reading adventure.