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 and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.
It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.
One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.
Hardcover, 303 pagesPublished June 12th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
(info grabbed from GoodReads)
Page 109 was where I decided I liked Lies Beneath. Before that I was a bit on the fence, and thought it could still go either way. But no, page 109 sealed its fate for me. Because page 109 is where our hero, murderous mermaid Calder White, has a change of heart because of Victorian poetry. Well, maybe not quite a full change of heart at that point, but he starts to identify with the feelings of the poets. Either way, I found that quite amusing (even though I’m not sure it was supposed to be).
Which brings me to my main point: Lies Beneath was amusing. There really is not another way for me to put it; it was enjoyable. The writing is great, I got superb feels from the romance, and I liked the slight twists on mermaid mythos that the author added. I definitely think it stands out from other mermaid books simply with its quality of story and interest of its character. It is definitely worth a read for any mermaid fans and a great book to get wrapped up in while dreaming of summer while the temperature drops below zero.
I definitely enjoyed seeing the creepy stalker male perspective. It was insightful.
No really, it was.
I felt that the author did a good job of showing how Calder felt torn between falling for the girl and his mission to kill her father. There are a ton of YA paranormal where the male love interest is following around the main girl and being rather creepy, but it was different to hear his side. Verdict on that: not so creepy. There’s something about admitting and noting the absurdity of practically stalking someone that makes it less creepy (at least for me, but maybe that says something about me?).
To be honest, I probably am a little biased as I am a fan of the Great Lakes (note: Mome Raths can be from Michigan). I felt that the author captured the majesty of Lake Superior as she was writing about it, and I would sometimes pause from reading, stare into the air and let my thoughts drift to the great freezing lake. Which, by the way, if you’ve never been to Lake Superior, let me tell you: IT IS COLD. Year round. Middle of summer, still not swimmable for most people.
Final Thought: 9 out of 10 toadstools
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