Daune: Website • Facebook • TwitterSeries: Surface #1
Format: eBook, 154 pages
Source: Author
Release Date: February 2013
Publisher: Noble Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal > Mermaids
Age Group: Young Adult
Get It: Amazon
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.~synopsis provided by Goodreads
I'm a sucker for mermaid stories. Surface is a story about a siren, but that's close enough for me. Yet at the same time, it's not a mermaid story. The novel starts off with a young girl being kidnapped from her home by Dumas, Fiona, and Oliver. After being dumped in the ocean, she is quickly attacked by creatures, that appear to be little girls, but is saved by a boy in the water and wakes up in his bedroom. Which is at the bottom of the ocean.
Luc is not a mermaid, none of his family is. Apparently mermaids aren't that friendly and are pretty nasty under the sea creatures. Luc and his family are actually called Artagasians and they have an entirely different history and background. I would have liked more detail in this underworld community. It's such an interesting take on the mermaid/siren legend, but I wanted to know more and I really felt like Daune could have really explored this world in more depth.
I thought the numerous POVs were interesting and not only helped build a story, but kept it moving as well. I thought Daune created this really nice web of stories, some of which you don't see the connection until the end of the story, which was a nice touch.
The romance between Luc and Theia was in instalove and pretty much turned me off from their romance. I'm not an instalove person. Instalust, sure. Instalove, no.
I wasn't sure how I felt about Celeste. Part of me felt bad for her and part of me thought she was beyond immature. I understand her situation is not ideal, but she really went above and beyond with her selfishness. Not a character I could get behind.
I thought Dumas's story was very interesting, probably my favorite amongst the group POVs. I would have liked to see more of him and his crew and really delve into the story line.
Overall, I wish I could have gotten to know the characters better. Surface really just skimmed the surface of these characters and their stories. I feel like there is a lot more to be revealed and turmoil to go through before Duane is done with these characters.
