Mythos by Heather McLaren
Paladin Timeless Books (e-book), 2013
260 pages
http://heathermclarenfantasy.webs.com
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for a review. I read Mythos on my kobo.
BLURB FROM THE COVER
True love was the last thing David Cooley expected to find in the Bahamas, but the moment he laid eyes on Faren Sands, he knew he had found the girl of his dreams. How could he know she was a mermaid from the lost island of Atlantis?
Because of the strict laws regarding human contact, the couple flee the consequences of their forbidden passion, while at the same time they struggle to survive a conflict that has been brewing between the mermaids and sea demons for millennia.
Once the epic battle begins, fate forces David to make a decision that will forever affect his young life. Should he stick by the woman he loves, risking his mortality for a civilization that hates him?
EXTRACT
THE YEAR WAS 8,000 B.C.–THE AGE our beautiful islands flourished above the sea. It was a time when we walked upon two legs, as men do today. Our lives were full and we knew no need. Arts and music came of our leisure. Our brilliant engineers had inventions that surpassed those of today. But we still loved to hunt and fish, as all people have done since the most ancient of days. How could we have known fate would throw us so far off course that future generations would consider our existence to be a mere legend?
REVIEW
I agreed to review Mythos because I’m a closet YA paranormal romance fan. Who doesn’t love Bella and Edward but secretly wishes she’d picked Jacob because werewolves are like so much sexier than vampires? I was intrigued by the premise of Mythos. I’ve never read mermaid fiction before so thought it would be worth reading to get something a little different than the usual.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mythos and found it impressive for a debut. David and Faren were everything you would expect from love’s young dream in this genre. I did find their relationship a little simpering and twee at times but realistic. I’m sure I was that nauseating the first time I fell for someone. They are both fleshed out, good characters. The other characters in Mythos are also strong. David and Faren’s love story was important but was not the central core of the novel. I liked this. Mythos would have been slushy gibberish like a Mills & Boon novel if it had been all about them.
One of the best things about Mythos was the setting. McLaren really brings the Bahamas to life. I felt like I was right there with David, Faren and the other characters. I felt the sun beating down on me. The sand squished between my toes. I really liked the scenes set in Faren’s world. The ocean was brought to vivid, memorable life. I think setting is important in fiction especially a fantasy novel. An author needs to make the world come to life and breathe. McLaren really pulls it off. It was really cool that Faren’s world was Atlantis. Nice touch.
I must confess the bits I enjoyed the most about Mythos were the action scenes. Some of my favourites include: When Faren is arrested after a Tristian, a Mer who is in love with her betrays her. They characters are attacked by sea demons and other monsters. There a big battle between the Mers and the sea demons. I wanted the love stuff to hurry up so the story would get back to death, tragedy and chaos.
I didn’t think the ending worked as well as the rest of Mythos. Humans come out of nowhere and save the day revealing a secret, ancient alliance between humans and Mers. I just thought this was sort of convenient. An oh let’s send in the cavalry to save the day moment. I did enjoy the rest of the ending through.
Mythos is the first book of the five part Mer Chronicles. I would read the rest because I want to see where the characters go plus Mythos ends on a cliff-hanger so I need to know what happens next.
RATING
