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Sacred Breath #1
Drowning Mermaids
She is an elegant princess displaced from her home. He is a rough sea captain with a heart of gold...
To escape the war in her underwater kingdom, the noble daughter of a murdered king must flee to Alaska. Doing all she can to keep her younger sisters safe, Aazuria tries to assimilate and work among the Americans, with her feisty red-haired bodyguard at her side. This refuge holds pleasant surprises, for the princess meets a somber gentleman in a dark corner who promises to show her his world.
Trevain Murphy is a successful crab fisherman who has spent his life building an empire above the sea, but knows nothing of the greater empire beneath the surface. When a graceful dancer captures his attention, he becomes fascinated with her old-fashioned speech and unique mannerisms. Learning that her father has recently died, he cannot resist extending his kindness in offering to guide and protect her.
As it becomes clear that the dark-haired woman is much more than she seems, Trevain is unprepared to uncover the staggering secrets behind her innocent facade. Neither the captain nor the princess can imagine that their lives will become forcibly entwined as a common enemy threatens both of their worlds...
To escape the war in her underwater kingdom, the noble daughter of a murdered king must flee to Alaska. Doing all she can to keep her younger sisters safe, Aazuria tries to assimilate and work among the Americans, with her feisty red-haired bodyguard at her side. This refuge holds pleasant surprises, for the princess meets a somber gentleman in a dark corner who promises to show her his world.
Trevain Murphy is a successful crab fisherman who has spent his life building an empire above the sea, but knows nothing of the greater empire beneath the surface. When a graceful dancer captures his attention, he becomes fascinated with her old-fashioned speech and unique mannerisms. Learning that her father has recently died, he cannot resist extending his kindness in offering to guide and protect her.
As it becomes clear that the dark-haired woman is much more than she seems, Trevain is unprepared to uncover the staggering secrets behind her innocent facade. Neither the captain nor the princess can imagine that their lives will become forcibly entwined as a common enemy threatens both of their worlds...
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2012
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5893 people want to read
About the author
Nadia Scrieva
17 books244 followersNadia Scrieva lives in Toronto, Canada with no husband, no kids, and no pets. She does own a very attractive houseplant which she occasionally remembers to water between her all-consuming writing marathons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
October 20, 2015
Nope. I kept trying and trying and at this point I really need to cut my losses and walk away. DNF at 27%.
This books' biggest flaw is its prose. Dear god, its prose.
And I could go on. I might forgive this from the isolated mermaid princesses, but the book is riddled with this kind of crap - human dialogue, mermaid dialogue, and regular old narrative prose. You know how some kids, upon figuring out what a thesaurus is, start randomly replacing words in their writing with 'synonyms' they think make it look more intelligent? That's this book. That's exactly what it reminds me of.
Then there's the sexism/slut shaming. This book is coated with it. Our Heroines may dance in a strip club - but they aren't strippers, oh no. They've adopted those women's method of making money, but it's made very clear that they should't be associated with them at all. No big deal, just take advantage of a market created and maintained by other women and abuse them for having done so.
The sexism is at times blatant: Aazuria has a gratingly poorly written confrontation with another female character in which we are constantly told how the other woman is 'embarrassed by the feminine appearance of the girl, and her elegant mannerisms' and 'was suddenly conscious of her own ragged jeans, flannel shirt, and manly shouting'. Because self-confidence can only ever come from femininity! And femininity makes some women better than others! not to even touch on the agonizing, moronic debate about the color of the ocean the two immediately get into. It's a manufactured catfight and it's gag-worthy.
At other times it's subtle: Trevain pays Aazuria for a 'private lap dance' and then only asks to talk with her... but the conversation quickly turns to him and remains there; her only function in the room is to admire and titillate him.
I can't put up with this anymore. What a waste of time.
This books' biggest flaw is its prose. Dear god, its prose.
She was too young, too young for him to behold in the nude!
When her lips opened to allow the phonemes to travel forth, they emerged with a slight accent Trevain could not place.
"That's due to the deterioration of the quality of communication between men and women in this society. It's really quite markedly manifest."
"Shanked?... Where did you pick up such smutty slang?"
"Forgive me for overhearing your bellowed accusations..."
And I could go on. I might forgive this from the isolated mermaid princesses, but the book is riddled with this kind of crap - human dialogue, mermaid dialogue, and regular old narrative prose. You know how some kids, upon figuring out what a thesaurus is, start randomly replacing words in their writing with 'synonyms' they think make it look more intelligent? That's this book. That's exactly what it reminds me of.
Then there's the sexism/slut shaming. This book is coated with it. Our Heroines may dance in a strip club - but they aren't strippers, oh no. They've adopted those women's method of making money, but it's made very clear that they should't be associated with them at all. No big deal, just take advantage of a market created and maintained by other women and abuse them for having done so.
The sexism is at times blatant: Aazuria has a gratingly poorly written confrontation with another female character in which we are constantly told how the other woman is 'embarrassed by the feminine appearance of the girl, and her elegant mannerisms' and 'was suddenly conscious of her own ragged jeans, flannel shirt, and manly shouting'. Because self-confidence can only ever come from femininity! And femininity makes some women better than others! not to even touch on the agonizing, moronic debate about the color of the ocean the two immediately get into. It's a manufactured catfight and it's gag-worthy.
At other times it's subtle: Trevain pays Aazuria for a 'private lap dance' and then only asks to talk with her... but the conversation quickly turns to him and remains there; her only function in the room is to admire and titillate him.
I can't put up with this anymore. What a waste of time.
d-n-f
August 16, 2021DNF @ 90%
It wasn’t bad, honestly. Sometimes it was almost a good book and I laughed. But then other times I hated it.
The MC constantly demanded that she would never visit this guy again and says that she always keeps her word, but then she sees him again. And again. Even after he hurts her and is a dick. The side characters were fun, but too many people ‘died’ and then it turned out that they were in critical condition but could live. And one character (the main male character) was a real dick and liar and just really stupid sometimes.
So yeah.
It wasn’t bad, honestly. Sometimes it was almost a good book and I laughed. But then other times I hated it.
The MC constantly demanded that she would never visit this guy again and says that she always keeps her word, but then she sees him again. And again. Even after he hurts her and is a dick. The side characters were fun, but too many people ‘died’ and then it turned out that they were in critical condition but could live. And one character (the main male character) was a real dick and liar and just really stupid sometimes.
So yeah.
March 9, 2013
After reading three English books in a row (Regency/Georgian), I decided a fantasy would be a good choice. So... what's more laced with fantasy than a mermaid tale? I thought it was a YA novel, when I got it, but beware - it's *NOT* for young people. Having said...
This book would've been a better read if it were written by a different author. This writer must be an awful person, because regardless of how much research into mythology she did, her 'voice' kept bubbling up like cess that stank. She'd write in the imperious tone of a 600 year old mermaid princess, and then make the craggy ex-fisherman butler of our hero (the sea captain) say 'yummy' in the next breath. What is that?! The stripper dance was written tastefully, but because of the trashy dialogue and ill-worded conversations surrounding it, you still walk away feeling like the book tainted you. It wasn't a nice feeling. It was like riding a teeter-totter, and getting jarred every time you hit the ground.
The book is about the captain of a sea vessel in Alaska, who fishes for king crab and has amassed quite a good deal of wealth from it. He goes with his crew to a bar the day after his first crew casualty, so that they could all 'mourn into their drinks', and sees the mermaid dance ballet (and strip). He doesn't know what she is for most of the book, regardless of her honesty - he blows her completely off. And yet she immediately recognizes that because he's a quiet brooder that he's "different" and "deeper" than any other man. Shoddy writing, that, because what follows proves that he isn't - he spends the entire book having temper tantrums, treating people to a healthy helping of attitude and neglect, and not one thing he says ever sets him apart as different from the rest of society.
Our mermaid, while 600 years old, looks to be about 18, so it's a major adjustment to put Selena Gomez together in a love story with Harrison Ford (or whichever comparison you'd like to make). Most of what Nadia wrote was very graceful and fluid where the Princess is concerned, but every once in a while, this crass and distasteful stuff would bubble up, again, tainting even that. The author, showing through. I wish she wouldn't.
Then you have this undersea battle, which puts itself on hold intermittently throughout the book so that our heroine can spend time on land, convalesce for a month or two in Sea Captain's home, etc. It was just poorly, poorly written and executed.
Oh, and there are no mermaid tails - these 'mermaids' are just people who breathe underwater (and only age when exposed to air). The writer alludes once to them having webbing between their toes and fingers, even on land... and yet no humans ever seem to notice this difference. Or any difference. It was very badly executed. Worse is the undersea battle, which apparently takes place as if water were air, the way that bullets and kicks and punches all were completely unaffected by water.
The story idea had potential. But it's author wrote it with a shallow and rather infected pen... and you walk away feeling like you've contracted a VD and lost several IQ points, mingling with its characters. So skip this one.
This book would've been a better read if it were written by a different author. This writer must be an awful person, because regardless of how much research into mythology she did, her 'voice' kept bubbling up like cess that stank. She'd write in the imperious tone of a 600 year old mermaid princess, and then make the craggy ex-fisherman butler of our hero (the sea captain) say 'yummy' in the next breath. What is that?! The stripper dance was written tastefully, but because of the trashy dialogue and ill-worded conversations surrounding it, you still walk away feeling like the book tainted you. It wasn't a nice feeling. It was like riding a teeter-totter, and getting jarred every time you hit the ground.
The book is about the captain of a sea vessel in Alaska, who fishes for king crab and has amassed quite a good deal of wealth from it. He goes with his crew to a bar the day after his first crew casualty, so that they could all 'mourn into their drinks', and sees the mermaid dance ballet (and strip). He doesn't know what she is for most of the book, regardless of her honesty - he blows her completely off. And yet she immediately recognizes that because he's a quiet brooder that he's "different" and "deeper" than any other man. Shoddy writing, that, because what follows proves that he isn't - he spends the entire book having temper tantrums, treating people to a healthy helping of attitude and neglect, and not one thing he says ever sets him apart as different from the rest of society.
Our mermaid, while 600 years old, looks to be about 18, so it's a major adjustment to put Selena Gomez together in a love story with Harrison Ford (or whichever comparison you'd like to make). Most of what Nadia wrote was very graceful and fluid where the Princess is concerned, but every once in a while, this crass and distasteful stuff would bubble up, again, tainting even that. The author, showing through. I wish she wouldn't.
Then you have this undersea battle, which puts itself on hold intermittently throughout the book so that our heroine can spend time on land, convalesce for a month or two in Sea Captain's home, etc. It was just poorly, poorly written and executed.
Oh, and there are no mermaid tails - these 'mermaids' are just people who breathe underwater (and only age when exposed to air). The writer alludes once to them having webbing between their toes and fingers, even on land... and yet no humans ever seem to notice this difference. Or any difference. It was very badly executed. Worse is the undersea battle, which apparently takes place as if water were air, the way that bullets and kicks and punches all were completely unaffected by water.
The story idea had potential. But it's author wrote it with a shallow and rather infected pen... and you walk away feeling like you've contracted a VD and lost several IQ points, mingling with its characters. So skip this one.
July 19, 2021
This was an interesting take on mermaids.
It was a very good story about mermaids who come to land to look for advanced weapons and medicine to help their kingdom. Without giving too much away, there's a love story, battle and revelation about some of the people on land. I look forward to getting the next books in the series.
It was a very good story about mermaids who come to land to look for advanced weapons and medicine to help their kingdom. Without giving too much away, there's a love story, battle and revelation about some of the people on land. I look forward to getting the next books in the series.
October 9, 2014
Nadia Scrieva has created a whole new world just below our world, i.e. an underwater kingdom, which is beautiful as well as equally deadly. Hats off to the author, for her bewildering imagination powers and also, how bravely and smartly she represented her imagination to us readers, which makes it hard for us to not believe. In fact, it seems before giving life to this fantasy underwater kingdom, the author has sincerely done all her research and has also shared those details with us, as result the plot becomes more believable and real for us. Drowning Mermaids by Nadia Scrieva is the first book in the Sacred Breath series, which is highly compelling and intriguing from the very first pages, with some promising actions to look out for.
Firstly, a huge thanks to Nadia Scrieva for sending me over all four of her books in the Sacred Breath series, I can't thank her enough!
Captain Trevain, is a 50-something man, who has never lost a crew in his life and for his death, he blames himself. As a result to drown in his sorrow, he ends up in a strip club, where the most beautiful dancer captures his attention as well as his heart. Funny part is that Trevain thinks he is too old for her, but when that beautiful dancer, named Aazuria, tells him that she is actually 603 years old, and she is dancing in order to feed her younger sisters, Trevain took to liking for Aazuria and her sisters and offers his help to protect and save them. What he didn't know that Aazuria is a mermaid and belongs from the mystic, underwater kingdom and that her father, who was the king was killed and soon she would become the queen. But Trevain soon learns her secret and find himself caught up in a deadly war. No more details because that will become a spoiler alert!!
By not crossing the spoiler zone, I can tell you this that there are quite a few surprises in store for us, and for that you won't be able to stop turning the pages of the book. The author has got a way of her story-telling in a very realistic manner, by not delving too many details at a time. The mysteries were unfolded very slowly. The characters were very well-developed and well-researched and very compelling, especially Aazuria's character. She sounds more like a damsel in distress in the beginning, but soon it was revealed that she is actually a hero who has a positive perspective on everything. The on-off chemistry of Trevain and Aazuria is very appealing and hot. The book has got a good pace and all the right elements to make this more and more exciting and thrilling and will definitely compel you to read the next book in the series. With her words, the author will take you in a journey of the unknown and into their mystical fantasy world.
Aazuria will definitely take your breath away, with all her charm and her good-will nature.
If you want to lose yourself into the beautiful world of Mermaids and their deadly wars, then do read this fantasy novel for sure.
Firstly, a huge thanks to Nadia Scrieva for sending me over all four of her books in the Sacred Breath series, I can't thank her enough!
Captain Trevain, is a 50-something man, who has never lost a crew in his life and for his death, he blames himself. As a result to drown in his sorrow, he ends up in a strip club, where the most beautiful dancer captures his attention as well as his heart. Funny part is that Trevain thinks he is too old for her, but when that beautiful dancer, named Aazuria, tells him that she is actually 603 years old, and she is dancing in order to feed her younger sisters, Trevain took to liking for Aazuria and her sisters and offers his help to protect and save them. What he didn't know that Aazuria is a mermaid and belongs from the mystic, underwater kingdom and that her father, who was the king was killed and soon she would become the queen. But Trevain soon learns her secret and find himself caught up in a deadly war. No more details because that will become a spoiler alert!!
By not crossing the spoiler zone, I can tell you this that there are quite a few surprises in store for us, and for that you won't be able to stop turning the pages of the book. The author has got a way of her story-telling in a very realistic manner, by not delving too many details at a time. The mysteries were unfolded very slowly. The characters were very well-developed and well-researched and very compelling, especially Aazuria's character. She sounds more like a damsel in distress in the beginning, but soon it was revealed that she is actually a hero who has a positive perspective on everything. The on-off chemistry of Trevain and Aazuria is very appealing and hot. The book has got a good pace and all the right elements to make this more and more exciting and thrilling and will definitely compel you to read the next book in the series. With her words, the author will take you in a journey of the unknown and into their mystical fantasy world.
Aazuria will definitely take your breath away, with all her charm and her good-will nature.
If you want to lose yourself into the beautiful world of Mermaids and their deadly wars, then do read this fantasy novel for sure.
January 2, 2016
Being up to my eyeballs in painkillers thanks to some extremely painful back problems, I thought I’d turn to some brain candy whilst I convalesce. Unfortunately, Drowning Mermaids was more fit for rotting the brain and I can only assume that the high rating this has garnered on Goodreads must mean that every other reader was on far stronger painkillers than I, with the highest dosage having been taken by the writer just before she started scribbling as most of this book made no freaking sense whatsoever.
Aazuria is working as a ballet dancing stripper to finance a mermaid war when she meets Trevain, an extremely wealthy fisherman. Taking him up on the offer of moving herself and her sisters into his home they fall in insta-love, although their happiness is threatened by the fact that Aazuria is the leader of an underwater nation at war and that Trevain can’t help but piss himself laughing every time she alludes to being a mermaid. Will their love survive? Will I find the book littered with incredibly strange sentences? Will I get pissed at the weird strain of sexism on display? Will I roll my eyes hard enough for them to fall out of my head every time a doorbell rings demurely? Will I become angrily confused by the shoddy world-building? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
In this world mermaids don’t have tails, which explains how Aazuria can get a job as a stripping ballet dancer. Instead, they’re human – albeit ones that have grown a second set of lungs (not gills) that can somehow filter oxygen from water (where these lungs are housed in their bodies is beyond me, as they don’t have extremely large ribcages to accommodate them). Their legs, however, become wracked with pain if they spend too much time on land – although this only seems to affect Aazuria (and someone who later turns out to be a merman) and didn’t seem to influence the mermaid architects when building their underwater ice palaces in which lots of waterless caverns have been carved out for some reason that made absolutely no sense (along with them having carpeted some of these caverns. Where did they get the carpets? Did they have to strip to pay for them? How were they fitted in the ice caves? And why??)
The mermaids seem to have some powers but they’re crap ones like being slightly intuitive, only aging on land and having your hair and skin change colour when not in the water (this is apparently due to tanning, which somehow turns your platinum blonde hair dark and which only affects some mermaids, but not all – the twins remained flame-haired and fair skinned whether they were underwater or not). Despite not having powerful tails, they’re still incredibly fast and strong swimmers, easily able to catch up with boats that have set off long before them. Which would have been fine, except that meant that I was incredibly bewildered by a bunch of mermaid reinforcements arriving by boat in the middle of an underwater battle – a battle in which bullets, kicks, punches, people and throwing knives all move in the same way that they do on land (ever tried to punch someone underwater? It seems my brother and I did more research during family holidays than Scrieva ever did).
The characters and their love affair were written with the same lack of skill as the world in which they lived – Aazuria is apparently a brave and strong ruler of her people, although she constantly abandoned them to seek her own safety on land, and we’re constantly told that Trevain is kind, considerate and honourable although what we’re shown is a man who’s decided that visiting the mother he has installed in a psychiatric hospital is too much bother, who throws temper tantrums when things don’t go his own way, insults and belittles the woman he supposedly loves and even goes for her throat when they disagree. I spent rather a lot of time hoping that Trevain would get harpooned in the chest by the evil, black clad mermaids (that’s how we know they’re evil) that Aazuria was at war with, and that she’d be so grief-stricken that we’d get to see exactly how one would go about drowning a mermaid. Instead, after vanquishing her enemies Aazuria got her happy-ever-after, with Trevain’s mermaid genes (lucky!) enabling him to join her in her ice palace (good luck to her, I wonder if he’ll choke her every time he gets sick of seafood?).
Honestly, the only good things I took from this book were that reading it was so painful it made my back pale in comparison, and that if I decided to abandon my job and write instead, nothing I could produce (even out of my mind on painkillers) could be any worse than this.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
Aazuria is working as a ballet dancing stripper to finance a mermaid war when she meets Trevain, an extremely wealthy fisherman. Taking him up on the offer of moving herself and her sisters into his home they fall in insta-love, although their happiness is threatened by the fact that Aazuria is the leader of an underwater nation at war and that Trevain can’t help but piss himself laughing every time she alludes to being a mermaid. Will their love survive? Will I find the book littered with incredibly strange sentences? Will I get pissed at the weird strain of sexism on display? Will I roll my eyes hard enough for them to fall out of my head every time a doorbell rings demurely? Will I become angrily confused by the shoddy world-building? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
In this world mermaids don’t have tails, which explains how Aazuria can get a job as a stripping ballet dancer. Instead, they’re human – albeit ones that have grown a second set of lungs (not gills) that can somehow filter oxygen from water (where these lungs are housed in their bodies is beyond me, as they don’t have extremely large ribcages to accommodate them). Their legs, however, become wracked with pain if they spend too much time on land – although this only seems to affect Aazuria (and someone who later turns out to be a merman) and didn’t seem to influence the mermaid architects when building their underwater ice palaces in which lots of waterless caverns have been carved out for some reason that made absolutely no sense (along with them having carpeted some of these caverns. Where did they get the carpets? Did they have to strip to pay for them? How were they fitted in the ice caves? And why??)
The mermaids seem to have some powers but they’re crap ones like being slightly intuitive, only aging on land and having your hair and skin change colour when not in the water (this is apparently due to tanning, which somehow turns your platinum blonde hair dark and which only affects some mermaids, but not all – the twins remained flame-haired and fair skinned whether they were underwater or not). Despite not having powerful tails, they’re still incredibly fast and strong swimmers, easily able to catch up with boats that have set off long before them. Which would have been fine, except that meant that I was incredibly bewildered by a bunch of mermaid reinforcements arriving by boat in the middle of an underwater battle – a battle in which bullets, kicks, punches, people and throwing knives all move in the same way that they do on land (ever tried to punch someone underwater? It seems my brother and I did more research during family holidays than Scrieva ever did).
The characters and their love affair were written with the same lack of skill as the world in which they lived – Aazuria is apparently a brave and strong ruler of her people, although she constantly abandoned them to seek her own safety on land, and we’re constantly told that Trevain is kind, considerate and honourable although what we’re shown is a man who’s decided that visiting the mother he has installed in a psychiatric hospital is too much bother, who throws temper tantrums when things don’t go his own way, insults and belittles the woman he supposedly loves and even goes for her throat when they disagree. I spent rather a lot of time hoping that Trevain would get harpooned in the chest by the evil, black clad mermaids (that’s how we know they’re evil) that Aazuria was at war with, and that she’d be so grief-stricken that we’d get to see exactly how one would go about drowning a mermaid. Instead, after vanquishing her enemies Aazuria got her happy-ever-after, with Trevain’s mermaid genes (lucky!) enabling him to join her in her ice palace (good luck to her, I wonder if he’ll choke her every time he gets sick of seafood?).
Honestly, the only good things I took from this book were that reading it was so painful it made my back pale in comparison, and that if I decided to abandon my job and write instead, nothing I could produce (even out of my mind on painkillers) could be any worse than this.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
March 24, 2012
Harry Potter enchanted Wizards, Drowning Mermaids enchanted Mermaids. The vivid imagery and sharpness of the characters put you right into the story. I finished this book being thankful to live in Florida, because I wanted to take a swim! The author has a way of breathing life into the experiences you read about in the story that is utterly invigorating. In the way that Rowling ruffled our imagination with the possibility that wizards live among us and maybe *we* could be a wizard, Nadia has done this with Mermaids. The author keeps this majestic story grounded with roots based on fact, you can tell she put her research hat on in writing this story. I cannot wait to see where Aazuria's story goes with the groundwork that has been laid in this novel. I guess this is not the kind of thing you judge a book on, but it was so refreshing to read a thesaurus of the coolest, prettiest names I will ever come across in my life! I could not put this book down (or minimize it :P)! Reading it was an adrenaline rush from beginning to end with many twists characteristic of the author's work. The delicate relationship of Aazuria and Trevain was beautiful and dramatic! To truly appreciate the story and the characters, you really just have to dive in!
June 29, 2012
Drowning Mermaids
Sacred Breath Book One
By Nadia Scrieva
Captain Trevain Murphy and his crew are drowning their sorrows in a strip joint after losing one of their own. One of the dancers manages to capture his attention she seems to be well trained in ballet and is dancing to beautiful opera music and Trevain cannot take his eyes off of her but Trevain sees her as a young girl, she looks like she is 18, and he is in his fifties and when she tells him that she is six hundred and three he laughs it off. Trevain learns that Aazuria is actually stripping to take care of herself and her two young sisters he offers to let them stay in his home, he isn’t there most of the time so she will be safe and secure and not have to earn money in such a way, soon after they move in together more begins to form between them but Aazuria has a dangerous secret, she is actually a Princess and will soon be Queen of an underwater kingdom and there are those who wish to harm her.
This was such an interest book, take all you know about mermaids and throw it out the window the only way I can describe how the author explains mermaids is Darwinism, they are humans just more advanced and are able to live and survive underwater. If that alone is not enough to get you to read this book the author also adds romance, murder, and drama to make this an outstanding read, so much so that I cannot begin to do it justice in a few simple words with everything that happens you will simple have to read it for yourself.
For More Reviews be sure to visit my blogs at:
http://reflectionsofabookworm.wordpre...
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/
Sacred Breath Book One
By Nadia Scrieva
Captain Trevain Murphy and his crew are drowning their sorrows in a strip joint after losing one of their own. One of the dancers manages to capture his attention she seems to be well trained in ballet and is dancing to beautiful opera music and Trevain cannot take his eyes off of her but Trevain sees her as a young girl, she looks like she is 18, and he is in his fifties and when she tells him that she is six hundred and three he laughs it off. Trevain learns that Aazuria is actually stripping to take care of herself and her two young sisters he offers to let them stay in his home, he isn’t there most of the time so she will be safe and secure and not have to earn money in such a way, soon after they move in together more begins to form between them but Aazuria has a dangerous secret, she is actually a Princess and will soon be Queen of an underwater kingdom and there are those who wish to harm her.
This was such an interest book, take all you know about mermaids and throw it out the window the only way I can describe how the author explains mermaids is Darwinism, they are humans just more advanced and are able to live and survive underwater. If that alone is not enough to get you to read this book the author also adds romance, murder, and drama to make this an outstanding read, so much so that I cannot begin to do it justice in a few simple words with everything that happens you will simple have to read it for yourself.
For More Reviews be sure to visit my blogs at:
http://reflectionsofabookworm.wordpre...
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/
April 12, 2012
I was impressed with the beautiful fantasy world that the author created, but like an iceberg, there was much more to this book than just the enchanting surface. I found a message of strength in the way Trevain used his age and his limp as an excuse to limit himself, but after meeting Aazuria he discovers that he can do things that he never imagined, and that he was being really close-minded. Trevain goes from thinking that the better part of his life is over to believing that life has really just begun, and not just because he has found love, but because he has learned so much. He learns that he has made some pretty big mistakes and destroyed his mother's life, and he has trouble coping with this, but he is given a second chance to change everything.
There is a lot of humor in this book as well, and I often laughed out loud. I love the irony of Trevain constantly thinking he is too old to be with Aazuria because he is 50 and she looks like she is only 18, but then he learns that she is actually 603 years old and he has been the "infant" in the relationship all along. Visola is also a very funny character with her lust for violence.
I really like the way that the humor is mixed in with the drama... it keeps things light when so much is happening that is really heavy. The scene where Aazuria kneels before her dead father in the mausoleum is very moving, and the fight scenes are very exciting.
An excellent read!
There is a lot of humor in this book as well, and I often laughed out loud. I love the irony of Trevain constantly thinking he is too old to be with Aazuria because he is 50 and she looks like she is only 18, but then he learns that she is actually 603 years old and he has been the "infant" in the relationship all along. Visola is also a very funny character with her lust for violence.
I really like the way that the humor is mixed in with the drama... it keeps things light when so much is happening that is really heavy. The scene where Aazuria kneels before her dead father in the mausoleum is very moving, and the fight scenes are very exciting.
An excellent read!
January 11, 2014
"Deep under Artic waters lies an ice kingdom carved into a glacier. Those who dwell within it possess magnificient biological secrets. Captain Trevain Murphy is a successful king crab fisherman who has spent his life building his empire above the sea and knows nothing of the empire beneathe it."
This book had me from the first page to the last. Aazuria and the rest of the mermaids are so well written you can just close your eyes and picture them. I love the fact that these mermaids don't have fish tails when in the water, and that Aazuria's appearance changes in hair and color of skin when out of water. Trevain is kind and caring and I couldn't help but laugh when he keeps saying that at 50 he is far too old for Aazuria and then again when he finds out that she is in fact 603 years old.
There are some unexpected surprises that I really enjoyed. I think this book has something for everybody and I can't wait to read more. I have fallen in love with these mermaids. I received this book from the author through Goodreads.
This book had me from the first page to the last. Aazuria and the rest of the mermaids are so well written you can just close your eyes and picture them. I love the fact that these mermaids don't have fish tails when in the water, and that Aazuria's appearance changes in hair and color of skin when out of water. Trevain is kind and caring and I couldn't help but laugh when he keeps saying that at 50 he is far too old for Aazuria and then again when he finds out that she is in fact 603 years old.
There are some unexpected surprises that I really enjoyed. I think this book has something for everybody and I can't wait to read more. I have fallen in love with these mermaids. I received this book from the author through Goodreads.
March 2, 2014
The premise of the story was fantastic. Unfortunately there were a few things that kept me from wanting to read the next book in the series. It starts out so slow. The hook is not present at the beginning, and by the time I got to the hook I just wanted it to end. The only thing that kept me remotely interested was the relationship between the sisters. There were quite a few grammatical flaws, which, had I paid money for the book I would have been upset about. The third person perspective was often confusing, almost seeming to jump too fast between characters or was not removed far enough for the fast changes in who we are "watching"
I do like the fact that the mermaids are human, no tails, I love that! I love the idea of the extra set of lungs. I loved the twist and discovery of relations in the story! Overall, had it been more refined I would have bought every book in the series (no matter the price) and I would have recommended it to ever book nerd I know.
I do like the fact that the mermaids are human, no tails, I love that! I love the idea of the extra set of lungs. I loved the twist and discovery of relations in the story! Overall, had it been more refined I would have bought every book in the series (no matter the price) and I would have recommended it to ever book nerd I know.
April 18, 2012
This was one of the more enjoyable reads that I have had in a long time. The story was very captivating and I devoured the book in no time at all. Have already started her next book.
September 2, 2022
I absolutely love this entire series. A perfect blend of fantasy, Alaska, love, soulmates, and folklore. I swear this is a series that I can pick up over and over again. I must have read all the books five times through, and I never get bored.
Mermaids still exist, but without their fishy tails. I love how the author gave them special anatomy, which makes it believable that we really could be living side by side for hundreds of years.
I especially like the map of the undersea kingdoms, how it basically outlines the continents, and I love the personalities of the Ramaris twins.
This book was a fun read, and I waited no time to purchase the rest of the books in the Sacred Breath series.
Truthfully, Nadia Scrieva inspired me to be creative and write my own books, which I hope one day will be on the same bookshelves. Thank you.
Mermaids still exist, but without their fishy tails. I love how the author gave them special anatomy, which makes it believable that we really could be living side by side for hundreds of years.
I especially like the map of the undersea kingdoms, how it basically outlines the continents, and I love the personalities of the Ramaris twins.
This book was a fun read, and I waited no time to purchase the rest of the books in the Sacred Breath series.
Truthfully, Nadia Scrieva inspired me to be creative and write my own books, which I hope one day will be on the same bookshelves. Thank you.
July 19, 2013
I was really excited about this book when I found it. The concept wasn't something that I had seen a bunch of times already and the blurb was intriguing. Amphibious humans sound pretty cool. Once I started reading it, I wasn't immediately captivated, but I felt like the book had a shot at getting better. Then, it picked up a little, only to fall down into the depths of the sea (har).
I think my biggest problem with this book was how it violated Sanderson's first law of magic. The way mermaidness works is not explained very much but it seems to be able to solve a hell of a lot of problems. Basically, the mermaids have a second set of lungs (Are you kidding me? A second set of lungs that breathe water? Why not just give them some gills that close up or something so that people can't see them when they're on land? I digress...) that allow them to breathe underwater. Underwater, they have this really cool city that doesn't really appear in the book and some other cool stuff. Also, for some reason, mermaids live for like 2853498573498734598 years. The reason for this is never really explained with anything more than, "the sea," but it seems to be very important and the characters seem to know how it works, but for whatever reason they aren't enlightening the reader.
Another huge problem was the omniscient narrator. POV jumps around within paragraphs, scenes, chapters...pretty much just at any time. This does not work because the author is very free with sharing with what the characters are thinking and feeling (too free, actually), and the omniscient narrator who tells rather than showing does not let the characters have distinct internal voices.
This reminds me of another major problem! the characters' lack of distinct external voices! This is especially cringeworthy because the author alludes to the characters talking a certain way or having distinct voices and personalities, but they really don't. If you were to give me a piece of dialogue out of context, I wouldn't have the slightest idea which character was talking, even though the author makes it sound like I would. Hell, half the time it took me a second to figure out who was talking IN context.
I could go on, but I'm kind of tired and nobody's likely to read this anyway. I think a decent editor might have been able to save this book, though. It felt like an okay first draft of a book to me. Unfortunately, that decent editor wasn't there to make this an enjoyable read, which it might have been if the prose weren't so...
I think my biggest problem with this book was how it violated Sanderson's first law of magic. The way mermaidness works is not explained very much but it seems to be able to solve a hell of a lot of problems. Basically, the mermaids have a second set of lungs (Are you kidding me? A second set of lungs that breathe water? Why not just give them some gills that close up or something so that people can't see them when they're on land? I digress...) that allow them to breathe underwater. Underwater, they have this really cool city that doesn't really appear in the book and some other cool stuff. Also, for some reason, mermaids live for like 2853498573498734598 years. The reason for this is never really explained with anything more than, "the sea," but it seems to be very important and the characters seem to know how it works, but for whatever reason they aren't enlightening the reader.
Another huge problem was the omniscient narrator. POV jumps around within paragraphs, scenes, chapters...pretty much just at any time. This does not work because the author is very free with sharing with what the characters are thinking and feeling (too free, actually), and the omniscient narrator who tells rather than showing does not let the characters have distinct internal voices.
This reminds me of another major problem! the characters' lack of distinct external voices! This is especially cringeworthy because the author alludes to the characters talking a certain way or having distinct voices and personalities, but they really don't. If you were to give me a piece of dialogue out of context, I wouldn't have the slightest idea which character was talking, even though the author makes it sound like I would. Hell, half the time it took me a second to figure out who was talking IN context.
I could go on, but I'm kind of tired and nobody's likely to read this anyway. I think a decent editor might have been able to save this book, though. It felt like an okay first draft of a book to me. Unfortunately, that decent editor wasn't there to make this an enjoyable read, which it might have been if the prose weren't so...
July 7, 2012
I was immediately drawn in by the title 'Drowning Mermaids', I mean, how can a mermaid drown? I rushed my way through this book, unable to put it down and I read it all in just one sitting. It is a really readable book that is well written and well thought out. I'd say that the plot description is a very broad way of describing this story and doesn't come close to what it is actually about. Drowning Mermaids is so much more than what it is described as.
The plot is absolutely fantastic and I've never read anything like this before. Although this looks like this is just a book about 'mermaids', it isn't. Yes, there are mermaid-like creatures in it but that's not really the focus of the book. Quite a lot of things happen over the course of the book, but it doesn't feel rushed at all, just jam-packed full of excitement.
At first I thought that the romantic aspect was a bit weird because of the different 'mermaid'/human age differences but I soon grew accustomed to it. The romance was quite subtle and even though it was an important plot line it wasn't thrown in your face. I think the pairing between Aazuria and Trevain could've been developed a little better, but it was good nonetheless.
The characters were all extremely likeable and I admire the majority of them for their strong values when it comes to friends and family. I love that beneath the water the characters turn into different people but with the same basic traits because the secret identities make everything more exciting.
All in all, Drowning Mermaids was a fantastic book that took me by surprise and thoroughly entertained me. There are some major plot twists towards the end which were just so unexpected and that makes this book all the more entertaining! I would highly recommend it and I am looking forward to reading the next book!
The plot is absolutely fantastic and I've never read anything like this before. Although this looks like this is just a book about 'mermaids', it isn't. Yes, there are mermaid-like creatures in it but that's not really the focus of the book. Quite a lot of things happen over the course of the book, but it doesn't feel rushed at all, just jam-packed full of excitement.
At first I thought that the romantic aspect was a bit weird because of the different 'mermaid'/human age differences but I soon grew accustomed to it. The romance was quite subtle and even though it was an important plot line it wasn't thrown in your face. I think the pairing between Aazuria and Trevain could've been developed a little better, but it was good nonetheless.
The characters were all extremely likeable and I admire the majority of them for their strong values when it comes to friends and family. I love that beneath the water the characters turn into different people but with the same basic traits because the secret identities make everything more exciting.
All in all, Drowning Mermaids was a fantastic book that took me by surprise and thoroughly entertained me. There are some major plot twists towards the end which were just so unexpected and that makes this book all the more entertaining! I would highly recommend it and I am looking forward to reading the next book!
May 7, 2012
If there is anything that captures my attention, it's mermaids. I found this book to be engaging, intelligent and well crafted. The author Nadia Scrieva has a BA in Anthropology and English. It shows. Plot, pacing and editing are all well done. Interesting anthropological tidbits are sprinkled in. At first I became confused with the characters as there are a number of relatives. However, as I read I found them all to be unique, and tied together through the story.
Drowning Mermaids opens from the perspective of ship Captain Trevain. In his thirty years on the boat he's made millions capturing seafood off the coast of Alaska. He's never lost a crewmate...until now. While blowing off steam with his crew at a strip club, a dancer captures his imagination.
Aazuria is a mermaid princess living on land with her sisters. They got her the stripping job as a way to fund new weapons for her people against a looming enemy... Things are happening in the ocean as more mysterious deaths occur, including those close to Trevain.
Trevain, aged but gentlemanly, offers Aazuria and her sisters a place to stay in his mansion. For the mermaids the offer is too good to be true. The consequences took me completely by surprise.
I would recommend this book to a friend! As a writer about mermaids I think Scrieva's world is well thought out and the book well-written. There were a few moments towards the end that I skimmed because the dialogue or thought-trail seemed to monologue. The action scenes could have been a little longer and more exciting, but I enjoyed what she wrote. I also appreciate the quick, nicely packed read! I'd like to read the next in the Sacred Breath series.
Read More reviews at wrendoloro.blogspot.com
Drowning Mermaids opens from the perspective of ship Captain Trevain. In his thirty years on the boat he's made millions capturing seafood off the coast of Alaska. He's never lost a crewmate...until now. While blowing off steam with his crew at a strip club, a dancer captures his imagination.
Aazuria is a mermaid princess living on land with her sisters. They got her the stripping job as a way to fund new weapons for her people against a looming enemy... Things are happening in the ocean as more mysterious deaths occur, including those close to Trevain.
Trevain, aged but gentlemanly, offers Aazuria and her sisters a place to stay in his mansion. For the mermaids the offer is too good to be true. The consequences took me completely by surprise.
I would recommend this book to a friend! As a writer about mermaids I think Scrieva's world is well thought out and the book well-written. There were a few moments towards the end that I skimmed because the dialogue or thought-trail seemed to monologue. The action scenes could have been a little longer and more exciting, but I enjoyed what she wrote. I also appreciate the quick, nicely packed read! I'd like to read the next in the Sacred Breath series.
Read More reviews at wrendoloro.blogspot.com
July 11, 2015
Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
So apparently, in addition to being the Knitter in Residence here at SBTB, I am also the the aquatic romance reviewer. When Amanda sent me a book about a mermaid stripper, you know I had to read that, right? It’s as crazy-sauce as I could have hoped.
The book is about Aazuria, a mermaid princess who lived in an undersea ice palace and who is now destitute after her murdering her dad. To be fair, her dad is like King Triton meets Mommy Dearest so he pretty much had it coming. Aazuria and her sister/friends go to Alaska and become strippers because they need to buy weapons and medical equipment to get their underwater empire back up and running.
Epic crazysauce aside, the writing in this book is just painfully stilted and awkward. All the mermaids talk like characters from a 30’s gangster movie.
The other thing that bummed me out is that there is no descriptive sex in this book. I mean, at least with The Orca King I got some high-quality whale-size ejaculate to go with my crazy sauce.
So, in summary, you’re all welcome. I read the mermaid stripper book so you don’t have to. It is, however, free on Amazon so if you want to dip your toe into the briny abyss, go for it.
- Elyse
So apparently, in addition to being the Knitter in Residence here at SBTB, I am also the the aquatic romance reviewer. When Amanda sent me a book about a mermaid stripper, you know I had to read that, right? It’s as crazy-sauce as I could have hoped.
The book is about Aazuria, a mermaid princess who lived in an undersea ice palace and who is now destitute after her murdering her dad. To be fair, her dad is like King Triton meets Mommy Dearest so he pretty much had it coming. Aazuria and her sister/friends go to Alaska and become strippers because they need to buy weapons and medical equipment to get their underwater empire back up and running.
Epic crazysauce aside, the writing in this book is just painfully stilted and awkward. All the mermaids talk like characters from a 30’s gangster movie.
The other thing that bummed me out is that there is no descriptive sex in this book. I mean, at least with The Orca King I got some high-quality whale-size ejaculate to go with my crazy sauce.
So, in summary, you’re all welcome. I read the mermaid stripper book so you don’t have to. It is, however, free on Amazon so if you want to dip your toe into the briny abyss, go for it.
- Elyse
April 27, 2012
We've all heard the mermaid myth: sultry sirens subduing sailors into a salty seabound sepulchre, if you'll pardon my alliteration. Ms. Scrieva uses a Darwinian approach to the lore that is refreshing and scientific. Her treatment of the mermaid mythos does not concern itself with an origin story as much as present the current day plight of the undersea kingdoms they inhabit. It follows the voyage of self-discovery of one rugged, experienced, Alaskan crab fishing boat captain who internalizes the death of a crewmate, an act which drives him to seek comfort in the arms of an exotic dancer. This association reveals to him a whole different side of reality, plunging him into the middle of an undersea war. The writing style is both rich and lofty, while maintaining a speed of action that moves the reader along at the speed of life. Having read the sequel, this first tome sets the stage for what is to be a sweeping saga. The characters struggle with the question of what it means to be human; neither providing simple answers, nor ceasing to open new questions. Personally, I cannot wait for the third volume. I'm not saying this will be the new Harry Potter, but only because it is not meant for children's eyes.
February 17, 2012
Drowning Mermaids is a very good story. It was the first piece of fiction I've read by this author, and I am thoroughly pleased with the purchase.
The story opens up a vivid description of one of its main characters having a particularly bad night. The detail borders on poetic, and immediately sucks you, keeping you turning the pages because it simply does not feel like work to read it. The storytelling is organic and does not feel like the ever looming "rules of writing" plagued the writer in a negative way.
The characters are well developed, even though there are quite a lot of them fitting into a very small space. Their emotions and reactions are very realistic, and combined with their unpredictability make them much more than the two-dimension stock characters that plague many stories on the shelves now-a-days.
I eagerly await the second installment in this series. While the story is rounded, and the book could handle being a stand-alone story, there are just enough loose ends to make you curse when there's no more pages to turn.
The story opens up a vivid description of one of its main characters having a particularly bad night. The detail borders on poetic, and immediately sucks you, keeping you turning the pages because it simply does not feel like work to read it. The storytelling is organic and does not feel like the ever looming "rules of writing" plagued the writer in a negative way.
The characters are well developed, even though there are quite a lot of them fitting into a very small space. Their emotions and reactions are very realistic, and combined with their unpredictability make them much more than the two-dimension stock characters that plague many stories on the shelves now-a-days.
I eagerly await the second installment in this series. While the story is rounded, and the book could handle being a stand-alone story, there are just enough loose ends to make you curse when there's no more pages to turn.
May 9, 2012
I won a copy of Drowning Mermaids in a Goodreads giveaway so I would like to say thank you to the author Nadia Scrieva for signing & sending it to me.
I thought this novel was unlike anything I have read before & I mean that in a very good way! Aazuria Vellamo is a mermaid who has come onto land with her sisters to earn money & escape danger. She works as a dancer in a strip club & meets Captain Trevain Murphy. Lets just say they hit it off & become rather close but will he discover her secrets? You will have to read to find out & there are even more secrets involving Trevain too!
I devoured this book in a day. Every time I put it down it was back in my hand within five minutes. It is brilliantly written & original too. Definitely a fantasy world that readers will love!!
I thought this novel was unlike anything I have read before & I mean that in a very good way! Aazuria Vellamo is a mermaid who has come onto land with her sisters to earn money & escape danger. She works as a dancer in a strip club & meets Captain Trevain Murphy. Lets just say they hit it off & become rather close but will he discover her secrets? You will have to read to find out & there are even more secrets involving Trevain too!
I devoured this book in a day. Every time I put it down it was back in my hand within five minutes. It is brilliantly written & original too. Definitely a fantasy world that readers will love!!
December 13, 2023
Due to the dangers of impending war, the Princess of Adlivun is forced to flee her undersea utopia and regroup with her sisters in Alaska. Captain Trevain Murphy is a successful king crab fisherman who has spent his life building his empire above the sea, and knows nothing of the empire beneath it. When he meets a mysterious woman in a strip club, he extends kindness towards her, unaware of her unique genetics and royal lineage. Trevain's attraction to the enigmatic Aazuria Vellamo will involve him in dangerous designs that will forever change his life, and his perspective on himself and his world. He embarks on perilous journeys in which he will need to release all of his insecurities and inhibitions in order to survive.
October 18, 2018
So I started this Wednesday afternoon and finished it 3:30am on Thursday. Whoops.
Mermaids are actually two legged humans that have adapted to live under the sea. There's not just one city under the sea, there's multiple countries.
There were parts that I was kind of annoyed with and I expected a few things.
But there were parts that really surprised me and I couldn't put it down. So 5/5.
Mermaids are actually two legged humans that have adapted to live under the sea. There's not just one city under the sea, there's multiple countries.
There were parts that I was kind of annoyed with and I expected a few things.
But there were parts that really surprised me and I couldn't put it down. So 5/5.
December 27, 2018
DNF. I don't even know at what percentage. Lots of talking, of inter monologues and nothing else. I don't have the patience to deal with that.
July 29, 2012
BLURB:
Deep under Arctic waters lies an ice kingdom carved into a glacier. Those who dwell within it possess magnificent biological secrets. Due to the dangers of impending war, the Princess of Adlivun is forced to flee her undersea utopia and regroup with her sisters in Alaska.
Captain Trevain Murphy is a successful king crab fisherman who has spent his life building his empire above the sea, and knows nothing of the empire beneath it. When he meets a mysterious dancer whose father has recently died, he extends kindness towards her, unaware of her unique genetics and royal lineage.
Trevain's attraction to the enigmatic Aazuria Vellamo will involve him in dangerous designs that will forever change his life, and his perspective on himself and his world. He embarks on perilous journeys in which he will need to release all of his insecurities and inhibitions in order to survive.
My Review
Put aside any preconceived idea of mermaids with scaly tails sitting on rocks and combing their hair with a sea urchin. This book portrays mermaids in a completely different light, combining a wealth of imaginative fantasy with a sprinkling of scientific rationale for their extended life and ability to live beneath the water.
I was immediately drawn to Trevain. He comes across as gentle and courteous, and not as rough and coarse as one might expect a seaman to be, although as Captain of the Magician he exerts a calm authority and his concern for his men is one of the qualities that endeared him to me. I even forgave him for his roughness toward Aazuria toward the end, since I felt this was because he was so worried for her and frustrated by her insistence on placing herself in danger.
Aazuria herself is a young woman who is easy to identify with (although she is actually a lot older than the 18 years her outward appearance suggests.) She is by turns vulnerable, strong, witty and sensitive, and well able to handle herself. I liked the way she cared about her sisters and interacted with them. There are moments of humour to balance the sense of tension and mounting danger as the story progresses. My one criticism, and the reason for awarding less than five stars, is that at times there seemed to be a lot of 'telling' rather than 'showing' and sometimes the POV switched between characters a little abruptly, so I had to check back to see who was actually talking. This did not detract too much from my enjoyment of the book however, and I grew more and more absorbed in the story, and involved with the characters.
There are many elements to this story which give it an appeal to a wide range of readers, Science Fiction, fantasy, mystery and adventure. I was gripped by the story line and totally absorbed by it. I want to find out more about Aazuria's underwater kingdom and its inhabitants and I'm now looking forward to reading the next in the series, Fathoms of Forgiveness.
Deep under Arctic waters lies an ice kingdom carved into a glacier. Those who dwell within it possess magnificent biological secrets. Due to the dangers of impending war, the Princess of Adlivun is forced to flee her undersea utopia and regroup with her sisters in Alaska.
Captain Trevain Murphy is a successful king crab fisherman who has spent his life building his empire above the sea, and knows nothing of the empire beneath it. When he meets a mysterious dancer whose father has recently died, he extends kindness towards her, unaware of her unique genetics and royal lineage.
Trevain's attraction to the enigmatic Aazuria Vellamo will involve him in dangerous designs that will forever change his life, and his perspective on himself and his world. He embarks on perilous journeys in which he will need to release all of his insecurities and inhibitions in order to survive.
My Review
Put aside any preconceived idea of mermaids with scaly tails sitting on rocks and combing their hair with a sea urchin. This book portrays mermaids in a completely different light, combining a wealth of imaginative fantasy with a sprinkling of scientific rationale for their extended life and ability to live beneath the water.
I was immediately drawn to Trevain. He comes across as gentle and courteous, and not as rough and coarse as one might expect a seaman to be, although as Captain of the Magician he exerts a calm authority and his concern for his men is one of the qualities that endeared him to me. I even forgave him for his roughness toward Aazuria toward the end, since I felt this was because he was so worried for her and frustrated by her insistence on placing herself in danger.
Aazuria herself is a young woman who is easy to identify with (although she is actually a lot older than the 18 years her outward appearance suggests.) She is by turns vulnerable, strong, witty and sensitive, and well able to handle herself. I liked the way she cared about her sisters and interacted with them. There are moments of humour to balance the sense of tension and mounting danger as the story progresses. My one criticism, and the reason for awarding less than five stars, is that at times there seemed to be a lot of 'telling' rather than 'showing' and sometimes the POV switched between characters a little abruptly, so I had to check back to see who was actually talking. This did not detract too much from my enjoyment of the book however, and I grew more and more absorbed in the story, and involved with the characters.
There are many elements to this story which give it an appeal to a wide range of readers, Science Fiction, fantasy, mystery and adventure. I was gripped by the story line and totally absorbed by it. I want to find out more about Aazuria's underwater kingdom and its inhabitants and I'm now looking forward to reading the next in the series, Fathoms of Forgiveness.
July 30, 2012
The threat of impending wars looms in the distance, something Aazuria Vellamo, Princess of Adlivun, does her best to try and avoid. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. After years of oppression, she has finally gained freedom for both herself and her beloved sisters. In her heart, this is the best gift any of them could ever have. Yet she knows it's a matter of time before they're forced to confront the harsh realities they've left behind.
Settling into her new life in Soldotna, Alaska, Aazuria is basking in her newfound freedom, even though she knows she and her sister need to keep their true natures a secret. Should anyone ever find out that they're mermaids in disguise there would be hell to pay and that is something she cannot allow.
While out working one night, she comes across a man by the name of Captain Trevain Murphy. The mere sight of him draws her to him, a fact she refuses to admit. Yet she can't deny that she yearns to know more of the beautiful stranger. When he offers to give her a helping hand, thus changing their circumstance, Aazuria can't thank her lucky stars for the boon she's been given. In her mind, it's a chance for her and her sisters to have a fresh start in life and it's one she won't give up without a fight.
When reality comes knocking around the corner, she soon realizes that she can never outrun her destiny. She must stand firm before her own people and defend them to the best of her ability against outside forces. She refuses to give in to their demands and vows to take down all those who oppose her. Her love for her people means everything to her and she'll do anything to make them happy. Survival is the key in winning the war spreading out before her, something she's intent on achieving in hopes of thwarting her enemies every plan.
A quick read, I found myself immersed within a beautifully crafted world. I think this is the first time I've read a book surrounding mermaids. At least, I can't remember reading any till now.
Nadia Scrieva has done a wonderful job in laying down the ground work for a such a lovely series. Full of intrigue and betrayal, we're able to immerse ourselves in the lives of a group of mermaids intent on surviving everything that comes their way. We can feel their insecurities as they try to come to terms with the hands they've been dealt and feel the love they have for their mates and loved one. I look forward to what's in store next!
Settling into her new life in Soldotna, Alaska, Aazuria is basking in her newfound freedom, even though she knows she and her sister need to keep their true natures a secret. Should anyone ever find out that they're mermaids in disguise there would be hell to pay and that is something she cannot allow.
While out working one night, she comes across a man by the name of Captain Trevain Murphy. The mere sight of him draws her to him, a fact she refuses to admit. Yet she can't deny that she yearns to know more of the beautiful stranger. When he offers to give her a helping hand, thus changing their circumstance, Aazuria can't thank her lucky stars for the boon she's been given. In her mind, it's a chance for her and her sisters to have a fresh start in life and it's one she won't give up without a fight.
When reality comes knocking around the corner, she soon realizes that she can never outrun her destiny. She must stand firm before her own people and defend them to the best of her ability against outside forces. She refuses to give in to their demands and vows to take down all those who oppose her. Her love for her people means everything to her and she'll do anything to make them happy. Survival is the key in winning the war spreading out before her, something she's intent on achieving in hopes of thwarting her enemies every plan.
A quick read, I found myself immersed within a beautifully crafted world. I think this is the first time I've read a book surrounding mermaids. At least, I can't remember reading any till now.
Nadia Scrieva has done a wonderful job in laying down the ground work for a such a lovely series. Full of intrigue and betrayal, we're able to immerse ourselves in the lives of a group of mermaids intent on surviving everything that comes their way. We can feel their insecurities as they try to come to terms with the hands they've been dealt and feel the love they have for their mates and loved one. I look forward to what's in store next!
March 6, 2013
Drowning Mermaids is amazing. It has the same idea as many Y.A. stories, one of love between a female mermaid and a man from land. This is still present here, but it's done fantastically and with little variances that make it original and remarkable.
The first thing I really want to mention is that I loved Trevain. I admit that I think the reason I found myself rooting for him in the beginning was because he was fifty and alone. I have a particular soft spot for the older generations, and while I love Y.A. the romance aspect does get old for me relatively often. Here, for once, we have a love story that is about young people, yet the leading man is fifty. Of course, he's a baby compared to Aazuria's six hundred and something years, but it doesn't really seem that way. I had so much fun rooting for him and Aazuria, because they both had lived so long without having the happiness their love could bring.
The minor characters--if you can call them that--were also easy to like. I really enjoyed her two sisters, as well as the Ramaris sisters. They were all strong female characters which I have to admit I love. I'm tired of always having the female characters in a novel being so weepy all the time and doing the whole "woe is me" thing, which is pretty characteristic of any chick-lit and most Y.A. In fact, I rarely find Y.A. paranormal kind of stuff that actually has a male as the main voice.
Which leads me to another minor (major) detail for me: I LOVED that it wasn't first person. That is hugely overdone in Y.A. and it was such a relief to find a story that didn't have it. I actually prefer third person, so that alone when I first started reading bumped this up quite a bit.
As for the plot, I was anxious to actually get to the underwater scenes. I didn't skim, but boy was I tempted to. I kept wanting to finally see what it was like, and I enjoyed it. I probably would have liked it more if they were entirely submerged, but I won't be picky! The battles didn't actually have too much detail, which I would have liked. I love violence in books (which I recognize is probably bad) so I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more of it. Although the knife through the eye was pretty freakin' awesome.
It is just a great story. I loved it so much that I bought the rest of the series right away, and I'm already apprehensive about having to wait for the fifth one to come out. Although I do hope that there aren't like 20 of them....
The first thing I really want to mention is that I loved Trevain. I admit that I think the reason I found myself rooting for him in the beginning was because he was fifty and alone. I have a particular soft spot for the older generations, and while I love Y.A. the romance aspect does get old for me relatively often. Here, for once, we have a love story that is about young people, yet the leading man is fifty. Of course, he's a baby compared to Aazuria's six hundred and something years, but it doesn't really seem that way. I had so much fun rooting for him and Aazuria, because they both had lived so long without having the happiness their love could bring.
The minor characters--if you can call them that--were also easy to like. I really enjoyed her two sisters, as well as the Ramaris sisters. They were all strong female characters which I have to admit I love. I'm tired of always having the female characters in a novel being so weepy all the time and doing the whole "woe is me" thing, which is pretty characteristic of any chick-lit and most Y.A. In fact, I rarely find Y.A. paranormal kind of stuff that actually has a male as the main voice.
Which leads me to another minor (major) detail for me: I LOVED that it wasn't first person. That is hugely overdone in Y.A. and it was such a relief to find a story that didn't have it. I actually prefer third person, so that alone when I first started reading bumped this up quite a bit.
As for the plot, I was anxious to actually get to the underwater scenes. I didn't skim, but boy was I tempted to. I kept wanting to finally see what it was like, and I enjoyed it. I probably would have liked it more if they were entirely submerged, but I won't be picky! The battles didn't actually have too much detail, which I would have liked. I love violence in books (which I recognize is probably bad) so I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more of it. Although the knife through the eye was pretty freakin' awesome.
It is just a great story. I loved it so much that I bought the rest of the series right away, and I'm already apprehensive about having to wait for the fifth one to come out. Although I do hope that there aren't like 20 of them....
February 11, 2013
So this book was interesting and different from what I normally read. It is a different spin on mermaids, they being basically humans and not fishy at all. Also the fact that the lungs just work under water, and not gills needed. It was cool that it took place in Alaska and that for the most part things seemed to be accurate on that part.
The story starts off in a strip joint. The captain of a crabbing vessel has just lost a crew member to see and he and his crew are trying to blow off some steam. There the captain, Trevain, sees this totally gorgeous woman dancing on stage. He becomes totally memorized by her. Towards the end of the night he finally talks to her thanks to his drunk brother and ends up asking this mystery girl and her sisters to live with him.
As the story goes along we learn that this woman is none other than a mermaid princess to a kingdom in the Aleutian islands. And that her kingdom is under siege by some unknown enemy. As the princess, Aazuria, continues living with Trevain, they fall madly in love with each other and through the course of weeks get engaged.
As the war starts to get geared up Trevains and Aazurias relationship becomes strained and they start fighting and for a short while split up. Aazuria heads home and very quickly loses everything do to a surprise attack. At the end of the battle though it turns out that she lost nothing.
The story was entertaining. The characters were well developed and grew through the story. Some of the fights and arguments that Aazuria had were very illogical and just strange weird. Like the color of the ocean. And the fact that everyone that Aazuria was close to that she almost lost in the last battle is probably going to pull through was kind of kindergarten. But it was a fun story and sets up the next book nicely.
The story starts off in a strip joint. The captain of a crabbing vessel has just lost a crew member to see and he and his crew are trying to blow off some steam. There the captain, Trevain, sees this totally gorgeous woman dancing on stage. He becomes totally memorized by her. Towards the end of the night he finally talks to her thanks to his drunk brother and ends up asking this mystery girl and her sisters to live with him.
As the story goes along we learn that this woman is none other than a mermaid princess to a kingdom in the Aleutian islands. And that her kingdom is under siege by some unknown enemy. As the princess, Aazuria, continues living with Trevain, they fall madly in love with each other and through the course of weeks get engaged.
As the war starts to get geared up Trevains and Aazurias relationship becomes strained and they start fighting and for a short while split up. Aazuria heads home and very quickly loses everything do to a surprise attack. At the end of the battle though it turns out that she lost nothing.
The story was entertaining. The characters were well developed and grew through the story. Some of the fights and arguments that Aazuria had were very illogical and just strange weird. Like the color of the ocean. And the fact that everyone that Aazuria was close to that she almost lost in the last battle is probably going to pull through was kind of kindergarten. But it was a fun story and sets up the next book nicely.
January 18, 2014
Trevain Murphy, is Captain of a fishing boat who has never had a crew member disappear from his boat in a long time, when one of his crew members becomes missing and then later believed to be dead Trevain becomes extremely depressed. So in an attempt to boost the sprites of his crew he follows them to a local gentleman’s club where he makes eye contact with an entertainer named Undina, when the two of them make eye contact Trevain can’t keep his eyes off the stage no matter how hard he tries when Undina finishes with her dance and Trevain finishes his beer he finds a tear rolling down the side of his beer, “One tear is acceptable, considering that a man lost his life. One tear is acceptable” Trevain decides.
Undina, also known as Aazuira Princess of an underwater world of mermaids both men and women. After a horrible living situation at the hands of her father she takes matters into her own hands and tries to do everything she can to make her kingdom safe and able to fight off any attacks from the kingdoms enemies. Aazuira knows that she has duties that need to be done but she can’t help herself from feeling attached to Trevain, so when Trevain offers to let Aazuira and her sisters stay in his house rather than a hotel she can’t refuse even if her sisters think of many reasons why she should.
This book is packed full of wonder characters that are very easy to connect with, the story line flowed with ease, there was action, adventure, romance, mystery as well as a happy ending. If you are looking for a book that will take you on an action filled adventure then this is the book for you.
Undina, also known as Aazuira Princess of an underwater world of mermaids both men and women. After a horrible living situation at the hands of her father she takes matters into her own hands and tries to do everything she can to make her kingdom safe and able to fight off any attacks from the kingdoms enemies. Aazuira knows that she has duties that need to be done but she can’t help herself from feeling attached to Trevain, so when Trevain offers to let Aazuira and her sisters stay in his house rather than a hotel she can’t refuse even if her sisters think of many reasons why she should.
This book is packed full of wonder characters that are very easy to connect with, the story line flowed with ease, there was action, adventure, romance, mystery as well as a happy ending. If you are looking for a book that will take you on an action filled adventure then this is the book for you.
August 3, 2016
This was my first book about mermaids and I really enjoyed it! I came across this book on the internet and when I saw who the author was I immediately added it to my reading list. I loved her book Paramount when I read that. I didn't realize this was the first in a series so now my reading list is even longer!
When my friends would ask me what I was reading and I would try to explain it cliff notes style they would all chuckle. It's about a group of mermaids, they're all sisters and they came to the land and they're dancing in an Alaskan strip club to earn money for weapons to update their arsenal. The main mermaid meets an older guy in the club and they like each other, she moves into his house and a romance begins. He's a fisherman and he's 50. She looks like she's 19 but she's really over 600 years old. Then a war breaks out in the ocean between all the mermaids and it's really good!
Okay, now all of that sounds cheesy, hence the chuckles but it really isn't at all. I had a hard time putting the book down because I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. I loved the banter between the sisters, that had me laughing a lot. Visola Ramaris, the General of Adlivun's army, was my favorite.
Just like her other book she had me on a roller coaster of emotions with the love interest, his mother, the war, all of it. She had me swooning, angry, sad, happy, relieved, anxious, tense and even cheering them on. I just love the way she writes. I was so happy to find out this is a series because I can't wait for more!
When my friends would ask me what I was reading and I would try to explain it cliff notes style they would all chuckle. It's about a group of mermaids, they're all sisters and they came to the land and they're dancing in an Alaskan strip club to earn money for weapons to update their arsenal. The main mermaid meets an older guy in the club and they like each other, she moves into his house and a romance begins. He's a fisherman and he's 50. She looks like she's 19 but she's really over 600 years old. Then a war breaks out in the ocean between all the mermaids and it's really good!
Okay, now all of that sounds cheesy, hence the chuckles but it really isn't at all. I had a hard time putting the book down because I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. I loved the banter between the sisters, that had me laughing a lot. Visola Ramaris, the General of Adlivun's army, was my favorite.
Just like her other book she had me on a roller coaster of emotions with the love interest, his mother, the war, all of it. She had me swooning, angry, sad, happy, relieved, anxious, tense and even cheering them on. I just love the way she writes. I was so happy to find out this is a series because I can't wait for more!
April 7, 2024
I must say that the idea behind the book is quite interesting. However, the facts behind this mermaid race are barely explained, and there is a limit to what I am willing to tag along with in "suspended belief". The whole culture and civilization sounds unfinished and made on the spot to suit needs, more than how a real civilization/culture would develop.
The characters are hard to relate to, unrealistic, and overall awkward (their manner of speech, reactions, and inner thoughts are very badly written). So much so, that I found it impossible to like them. There were times when they would say "black" and in the next sentence they would say oh no I made a mistake, "white"! I was like what happened? Double personality? Bipolar disorder?
Trevain was completely aggressive and horrible at one point and the next second he was as pliant as a puppy. Unrealistic, and unbelievable. Aazuria behaved centuries old at times and like an adolescent at others, and pretty much the same can be said of almost all mermaids except Sionna and Elaria. Then again, Vissola was written to be feisty and aggressive and came across as unbearable and obnoxious instead. These were not real people, just sketches of basic traits put together in a hazardous way.
So, sad to say, but this was another mermaid story botch. I do not recommend this book. I finished reading it only because I wanted to be able to write the review properly. Also, reading from Goodreads? Big pain in the butt! xD
The characters are hard to relate to, unrealistic, and overall awkward (their manner of speech, reactions, and inner thoughts are very badly written). So much so, that I found it impossible to like them. There were times when they would say "black" and in the next sentence they would say oh no I made a mistake, "white"! I was like what happened? Double personality? Bipolar disorder?
Trevain was completely aggressive and horrible at one point and the next second he was as pliant as a puppy. Unrealistic, and unbelievable. Aazuria behaved centuries old at times and like an adolescent at others, and pretty much the same can be said of almost all mermaids except Sionna and Elaria. Then again, Vissola was written to be feisty and aggressive and came across as unbearable and obnoxious instead. These were not real people, just sketches of basic traits put together in a hazardous way.
So, sad to say, but this was another mermaid story botch. I do not recommend this book. I finished reading it only because I wanted to be able to write the review properly. Also, reading from Goodreads? Big pain in the butt! xD
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