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Daughters of the Sea #1
Forsaken
Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendents of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesized to be a part of. The fate of all the descendents will forever depend upon it.
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendents of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesized to be a part of. The fate of all the descendents will forever depend upon it.
346 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2012
268 people are currently reading
5420 people want to read
About the author
Kristen Day
13 books357 followersI am a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity. I love all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky. I've been told I see the world through rose-colored glasses, but I prefer to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something I can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).
I am the author of the DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA series, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN, CHOSEN, HEARKEN, PROVEN (2014).I love all books, but really enjoy writing young adult, paranormal romances. I've loved to write for as long as I can remember. My first published work was my poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, I know) that won me 5 gold stars and a spot in my elementary school's poetry book. That's when my addiction to the written word officially began. I was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh - its okay.
When I'm not writing I'm making jewelry, painting, drinking sweet tea, watching the discovery channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with my amazing husband.
I am the author of the DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA series, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN, CHOSEN, HEARKEN, PROVEN (2014).I love all books, but really enjoy writing young adult, paranormal romances. I've loved to write for as long as I can remember. My first published work was my poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, I know) that won me 5 gold stars and a spot in my elementary school's poetry book. That's when my addiction to the written word officially began. I was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh - its okay.
When I'm not writing I'm making jewelry, painting, drinking sweet tea, watching the discovery channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with my amazing husband.
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March 20, 2019
If I took everything I hated from every other paranormal young adult book out there and rolled it into a single book?
I'd call it...Forsaken.
I don't...I'm at a loss to understand.
There are lots of high ratings for this one, so I felt pretty comfortable when I settled into my chair to read this.
Immediately the alarm bells start clanging.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SPOILERS!
Let me ask you this: Do you enjoy it when books drop the Name Brand Bomb every few minutes?
As in, She grabbed her Coach bag, put on her Ray Bans, and slipped on her Rainbows. That's not a real sentence from the book, but those were some of the brands mentioned.
But don't worry...I have actual quotes.
Anyway, I hate it when authors do that. For one thing, it dates the book. And within a few years, when whatever they have mentioned by name has gone out of style, it looks dorky.
As in, She grabbed her Liz Claiborne purse, put on her Oakleys, and slipped on her Sam & Libby's.
Things change.
You understand what I'm saying, don't you, Val?
If that was the only problem, I could have easily overlooked it.
It wasn't.
Next up, we have the Poor Little Rich Girl trope. Her adopted family has gazads of money, but (naturally) it all feels too gaudy for her.
Her quasi-mean adopted mother and mean adopted sister treat her like less, because she has issues due to Her Horrible Foster Care Background.
She's just so darn different!
Also, strong! Don't forget how strong she is!
And even though she's apparently beautiful, none of the boys will date her because the evil sister has told them she's crazy & trashy.
Because boys don't like chicks with low self-esteem.
Riiiiiight.
She only has one friend who's stuck with her no matter what! Wow! What a great pal!
Of course, we never hear about this one decent person ever again, because as soon as Hannah goes to Magic Mermaid camp she makes better more friends.
Yeah. Hannah. The name she's had all her life. But who cares! Because she inexplicably decides she needs a New Name when she goes to this boarding school.
And they just LET HER CHANGE HER NAME.
The fuck?
You can't just SAY you want a different name. You have to actually go to a courthouse, fill out paperwork, and legally apply to change your name.
But who cares about the real-world!?
At any rate, she 'changes' her name. To Anastasia.
She's had a dream where a woman was crying and saying the name Anastasia over and over again. So, yeah. Not creepy at all.
Then, because that wasn't weird enough, when she's introduced to her roommates, she gives herself a NICKNAME.
"I'm Anastasia. It's nice to meet you,"..."But you can call me Stasia."
Who does that?! What kind of giant balls is this chick toting around under her skirt?!
P.S. The name ANASTASIA is extremely significant.
There will be many significant looks and nods given over this name.
Next? The roommates.
"After she left, I turned and looked at my new suitemates. They couldn't have been more different."
Phoebe: Perky Punk Rock Chick with the Infectious Smile.
"Phoebe was no taller than five feet, one inch, and her tri-colored hair matched the rest of her rocker style. She wore grey skinny jeans, red Converse sneakers, and a vintage AC/DC t-shirt."
Carmen: Tough Chick with a hidden Soft Side.
"I could tell her attitude was really just a cover for the very caring sweet person she really was on the inside."
Willow: Mother Figure who loves to bake.
There's a whole montage about how it's Cupcake-Thirty!, that's there to drive the point home, but it's too freakin' loooong.
Here's what I think about Stasia and her oh-so-different friends:
Hey. Don't go anywhere! I haven't even gotten to The Boy yet.
You haven't eaten recently, have you?
"It was as if he didn't belong in the sun, among the flowers. His face was unreadable except for a slight grin that lifted on the corner of his mouth. He had an air of self-assurance and purpose that wouldn't release my attention. I felt myself being sucked into a world where only he and I existed. A world I never wanted to leave. Overwhelmed by his intense gaze and the frenzy of feelings running through my body, I looked down at my food to get a grip on reality."
Because he's HAWT!
Naturally, Stacia (whose legal name is still Hannah!) has been quite literally dreaming about Finn (really fucking original name for a fish-dude!) for years. And in those dreams, he appears to be a killer.
OMG! That's totally romantic!
*swoon*
And to top off his dark and brooding persona, he says lots of cheesetacular lines, like this little gem:
"A slow smile formed on his lips. "Dangerous happens to be my specialty," he said in a low voice: taking a step closer to me."
Hannah Stacia's response to that is very rational and didn't make me want to claw the eyes out of my head. At. All.
"My entire body warmed. He was like my own personal bonfire."
NO! No, you retarded little twat! That is not sexy!
But, luckily, Stacia has some sort of Spidey sense that tells her when it's ok to immerse herself in bad situations.
"A voice in the back of my head reassured me that if he was asking me to the Ball, he didn't plan on ending my life...which was a plus."
Yes. Yes, you frustrating cunt. Not killing you is definitely a plus!
Good thing he's so good at the sexy-time stuff.
"The flame burning inside me threatened to explode into a raging inferno as his hands seemed to be everywhere at once."
Bwahahaha! WHAT?!
Finn is the embodiment of every horrible cliché rolled into one.
When he's not being all dark, mysterious, and broody, he's grinning and smirking his way into her guarded heart.
At one point she even says, "I could actually hear him smirking at me."
Could you?! Could you really hear the smirk?!
However, Finn isn't a one-trick pony. He also winks.
Because...ssssssexy!
Ok, seriously. How many times in the past month have you winked.
I'm guessing...not even once.
Why?
Because nobody does that! Ever.
In real life? Never with the winking!
I know what you're thinking. At least he didn't pull an Edward and sneak into her bedroom to watch her sleep.
"Had he been watching me the whole time I was asleep?..."How long have you been here?" I asked him. "Since five o'clock this evening. No one knows I'm here though, and it's after hours. I've been cloaking myself when someone comes in." He winked and grinned at his own cleverness."
This review is looking a bit long, so I'm just going to wrap it up.
In short, Stacia is the Idiot Girl who goes into the basement to check out the noise. Finn is the Misunderstood Creeper...with danger in his eyes!
If you wanna read crap like that, then go for it.
I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley & the publisher.
I'd call it...Forsaken.
I don't...I'm at a loss to understand.
There are lots of high ratings for this one, so I felt pretty comfortable when I settled into my chair to read this.
Immediately the alarm bells start clanging.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SPOILERS!
Let me ask you this: Do you enjoy it when books drop the Name Brand Bomb every few minutes?
As in, She grabbed her Coach bag, put on her Ray Bans, and slipped on her Rainbows. That's not a real sentence from the book, but those were some of the brands mentioned.
But don't worry...I have actual quotes.
Anyway, I hate it when authors do that. For one thing, it dates the book. And within a few years, when whatever they have mentioned by name has gone out of style, it looks dorky.
As in, She grabbed her Liz Claiborne purse, put on her Oakleys, and slipped on her Sam & Libby's.
Things change.
You understand what I'm saying, don't you, Val?
If that was the only problem, I could have easily overlooked it.
It wasn't.
Next up, we have the Poor Little Rich Girl trope. Her adopted family has gazads of money, but (naturally) it all feels too gaudy for her.
Her quasi-mean adopted mother and mean adopted sister treat her like less, because she has issues due to Her Horrible Foster Care Background.
She's just so darn different!
Also, strong! Don't forget how strong she is!
And even though she's apparently beautiful, none of the boys will date her because the evil sister has told them she's crazy & trashy.
Because boys don't like chicks with low self-esteem.
Riiiiiight.
She only has one friend who's stuck with her no matter what! Wow! What a great pal!
Of course, we never hear about this one decent person ever again, because as soon as Hannah goes to Magic Mermaid camp she makes
Yeah. Hannah. The name she's had all her life. But who cares! Because she inexplicably decides she needs a New Name when she goes to this boarding school.
And they just LET HER CHANGE HER NAME.
The fuck?
You can't just SAY you want a different name. You have to actually go to a courthouse, fill out paperwork, and legally apply to change your name.
But who cares about the real-world!?
At any rate, she 'changes' her name. To Anastasia.
She's had a dream where a woman was crying and saying the name Anastasia over and over again. So, yeah. Not creepy at all.
Then, because that wasn't weird enough, when she's introduced to her roommates, she gives herself a NICKNAME.
"I'm Anastasia. It's nice to meet you,"..."But you can call me Stasia."
Who does that?! What kind of giant balls is this chick toting around under her skirt?!
P.S. The name ANASTASIA is extremely significant.
There will be many significant looks and nods given over this name.
Next? The roommates.
"After she left, I turned and looked at my new suitemates. They couldn't have been more different."
Phoebe: Perky Punk Rock Chick with the Infectious Smile.
"Phoebe was no taller than five feet, one inch, and her tri-colored hair matched the rest of her rocker style. She wore grey skinny jeans, red Converse sneakers, and a vintage AC/DC t-shirt."
Carmen: Tough Chick with a hidden Soft Side.
"I could tell her attitude was really just a cover for the very caring sweet person she really was on the inside."
Willow: Mother Figure who loves to bake.
There's a whole montage about how it's Cupcake-Thirty!, that's there to drive the point home, but it's too freakin' loooong.
Here's what I think about Stasia and her oh-so-different friends:
Hey. Don't go anywhere! I haven't even gotten to The Boy yet.
You haven't eaten recently, have you?
"It was as if he didn't belong in the sun, among the flowers. His face was unreadable except for a slight grin that lifted on the corner of his mouth. He had an air of self-assurance and purpose that wouldn't release my attention. I felt myself being sucked into a world where only he and I existed. A world I never wanted to leave. Overwhelmed by his intense gaze and the frenzy of feelings running through my body, I looked down at my food to get a grip on reality."
Because he's HAWT!
Naturally, Stacia (whose legal name is still Hannah!) has been quite literally dreaming about Finn (really fucking original name for a fish-dude!) for years. And in those dreams, he appears to be a killer.
OMG! That's totally romantic!
*swoon*
And to top off his dark and brooding persona, he says lots of cheesetacular lines, like this little gem:
"A slow smile formed on his lips. "Dangerous happens to be my specialty," he said in a low voice: taking a step closer to me."
"My entire body warmed. He was like my own personal bonfire."
NO! No, you retarded little twat! That is not sexy!
But, luckily, Stacia has some sort of Spidey sense that tells her when it's ok to immerse herself in bad situations.
"A voice in the back of my head reassured me that if he was asking me to the Ball, he didn't plan on ending my life...which was a plus."
Yes. Yes, you frustrating cunt. Not killing you is definitely a plus!
Good thing he's so good at the sexy-time stuff.
"The flame burning inside me threatened to explode into a raging inferno as his hands seemed to be everywhere at once."
Bwahahaha! WHAT?!
Finn is the embodiment of every horrible cliché rolled into one.
When he's not being all dark, mysterious, and broody, he's grinning and smirking his way into her guarded heart.
At one point she even says, "I could actually hear him smirking at me."
Could you?! Could you really hear the smirk?!
However, Finn isn't a one-trick pony. He also winks.
Because...ssssssexy!
Ok, seriously. How many times in the past month have you winked.
I'm guessing...not even once.
Why?
Because nobody does that! Ever.
In real life? Never with the winking!
I know what you're thinking. At least he didn't pull an Edward and sneak into her bedroom to watch her sleep.
"Had he been watching me the whole time I was asleep?..."How long have you been here?" I asked him. "Since five o'clock this evening. No one knows I'm here though, and it's after hours. I've been cloaking myself when someone comes in." He winked and grinned at his own cleverness."
This review is looking a bit long, so I'm just going to wrap it up.
In short, Stacia is the Idiot Girl who goes into the basement to check out the noise. Finn is the Misunderstood Creeper...with danger in his eyes!
If you wanna read crap like that, then go for it.
I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley & the publisher.
April 29, 2015
3.5 Aquamarine stars
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Even though it was cheesy as hell, it reminded me both of twilight & harry potter series, I don't care because I used to love reading these books when I was younger and I have no shame in that.
I'm not sure if everyone would have enjoyed that book. I guess it depends on the person and the mood and what are you into. For example for me the hero was perfect. I like sexy, dark, mysterious heroes. He was all that and so much more. You know we girls like this moto:
Back to the plot:
Hannah was a girl who had never met her real parents. She had been a foster kid, changing houses and not having the best experience with them. She always felt different and she couldn't fit. A little rebel who recently started having nightmares, blacking out and living her dreams quite vividly. In her dreams there's always a guy with dark hair and blue eyes.
After a blacking out her current mother takes her to a doctor and she suggests to her to go to a boarding school for people like her. The very same day Hannah joins House of Lorelei, but decides that since this is a start-over , picks a different name for her to be called. A name that she had been listening at her dreams: Anastasia.
There she finds out that everyone has abilities and they're all descendants from sea gods and goddesses. They seperate in four Orders: Sirens, Tritons, Sons of Daimon and Tydes. Anastasia [Stasia] and her roomates are all Tydes, but Stasia's revelations don't stop there. In her new school she finds the mysterious boy from her dreams, Finn. Her friends tell her to stay away from him, because he's cursed.
Soon enough she realizes that her abilities don't stop there. She has abilities that none of her friends do and Finn is the only who knows about them. There's also mystery with a murder and a legend may give the answers to every question. The ending gave chills to my body and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
I like stories that have to do with mythology. Maybe because I'm greek or maybe because I always loved that particular subject. Anyhow, I enjoyed this book and the characters. Loved the friendship between the girls, the mystery of Finn & the character development of the heroine. I would recommend this book to people who love fantasy, mythology and PNR.
PS: The Ball was my favorite part of the book. Can't help loving the cheesy lines and cheesy scenes. Shoot me! ;)
Arc kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Even though it was cheesy as hell, it reminded me both of twilight & harry potter series, I don't care because I used to love reading these books when I was younger and I have no shame in that.
I'm not sure if everyone would have enjoyed that book. I guess it depends on the person and the mood and what are you into. For example for me the hero was perfect. I like sexy, dark, mysterious heroes. He was all that and so much more. You know we girls like this moto:
Back to the plot:
Hannah was a girl who had never met her real parents. She had been a foster kid, changing houses and not having the best experience with them. She always felt different and she couldn't fit. A little rebel who recently started having nightmares, blacking out and living her dreams quite vividly. In her dreams there's always a guy with dark hair and blue eyes.
After a blacking out her current mother takes her to a doctor and she suggests to her to go to a boarding school for people like her. The very same day Hannah joins House of Lorelei, but decides that since this is a start-over , picks a different name for her to be called. A name that she had been listening at her dreams: Anastasia.
There she finds out that everyone has abilities and they're all descendants from sea gods and goddesses. They seperate in four Orders: Sirens, Tritons, Sons of Daimon and Tydes. Anastasia [Stasia] and her roomates are all Tydes, but Stasia's revelations don't stop there. In her new school she finds the mysterious boy from her dreams, Finn. Her friends tell her to stay away from him, because he's cursed.
Soon enough she realizes that her abilities don't stop there. She has abilities that none of her friends do and Finn is the only who knows about them. There's also mystery with a murder and a legend may give the answers to every question. The ending gave chills to my body and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
"Once you’ve been touched by darkness,
it never leaves you…"
I like stories that have to do with mythology. Maybe because I'm greek or maybe because I always loved that particular subject. Anyhow, I enjoyed this book and the characters. Loved the friendship between the girls, the mystery of Finn & the character development of the heroine. I would recommend this book to people who love fantasy, mythology and PNR.
PS: The Ball was my favorite part of the book. Can't help loving the cheesy lines and cheesy scenes. Shoot me! ;)
Arc kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 29, 2013
2 Stars for the concept. 0 Stars for it's execution.
Recommended only to die hard twilight fans: If you thought Bella was too active, Edward wasn't creepy enough and the plot was downright too action packed, then look no further: you'll be eating this book right up.
Recommended only to die hard twilight fans: If you thought Bella was too active, Edward wasn't creepy enough and the plot was downright too action packed, then look no further: you'll be eating this book right up.
February 5, 2015
Twilight was better than this ... Way better.
August 25, 2012
WARNING! May Cause Sleep Deprivation!!
I sit here typing this review with coffee in hand and bags under my eyes from staying up until 3:30 am to finish this book! It is THAT good. When a book keeps me up like that, determined to find out what happens next, its a winner!
I am not going to go into a synopsis of the story, since others have done that already. I have never really wrote a review, but I did receive a copy of this book just for that honest take on it, so I will do my best.
To say that there weren't flaws in the book would not be honest, so I will give the bad and the good as honestly as I can:
My dislikes- Honestly, there were very few. I think what I had the most trouble with was the fact that a few of the characters were not mentioned very often in the story, so when they would pop up again, I would have to go back and look for them in what I have already read to figure out who they were. For example, I had to go back and remember who Natasha was, Priscilla and Isadora. Maybe I just got so caught up with the main characters I tuned all the others out! LOL, anyway, I wanted to know more about them by the end. How did they end up wanting Stasia/Hannah dead? Why was Finn also called a Scion, and what does that mean? There are so many unanswered questions! (That in itself is not a bad thing, just makes me more anxious for the second book)
My likes- The story itself is WONDERFUL! The author did a great job of making a group of characters that you can feel for, and fall in love with. Stasia/Hannah is someone you could know in real life, and someone you want on your side. Her friends/roommates are also friends you need to have in your life. Willow, Carmen and Phoebe are the best thing that happened to Stasia, and they all look out for each other. And FINN! My gosh, why didn't I go to high school with someone like him! I can't wait to see more of that relationship, and discover all that Finn wants Stasia to know about what happened to her and her parents. Why is he called Scion, and what exactly does that mean? ARGH, the waiting on the second book in this story is going to be hard lol!
One really neat thing for me about this book, is that because I also live in North Carolina, I know where the places are in the book that are talked about, so that makes it more real to me, if that makes sense. I can honestly say, without a doubt I am forever going to be a Kristen Day fan. This story is one that not only adults like myself can fall in love with, I wouldn't hesitate in letting my 13 year old daughter read as well. Now, if I can just hold out until the second book ;)
I sit here typing this review with coffee in hand and bags under my eyes from staying up until 3:30 am to finish this book! It is THAT good. When a book keeps me up like that, determined to find out what happens next, its a winner!
I am not going to go into a synopsis of the story, since others have done that already. I have never really wrote a review, but I did receive a copy of this book just for that honest take on it, so I will do my best.
To say that there weren't flaws in the book would not be honest, so I will give the bad and the good as honestly as I can:
My dislikes- Honestly, there were very few. I think what I had the most trouble with was the fact that a few of the characters were not mentioned very often in the story, so when they would pop up again, I would have to go back and look for them in what I have already read to figure out who they were. For example, I had to go back and remember who Natasha was, Priscilla and Isadora. Maybe I just got so caught up with the main characters I tuned all the others out! LOL, anyway, I wanted to know more about them by the end. How did they end up wanting Stasia/Hannah dead? Why was Finn also called a Scion, and what does that mean? There are so many unanswered questions! (That in itself is not a bad thing, just makes me more anxious for the second book)
My likes- The story itself is WONDERFUL! The author did a great job of making a group of characters that you can feel for, and fall in love with. Stasia/Hannah is someone you could know in real life, and someone you want on your side. Her friends/roommates are also friends you need to have in your life. Willow, Carmen and Phoebe are the best thing that happened to Stasia, and they all look out for each other. And FINN! My gosh, why didn't I go to high school with someone like him! I can't wait to see more of that relationship, and discover all that Finn wants Stasia to know about what happened to her and her parents. Why is he called Scion, and what exactly does that mean? ARGH, the waiting on the second book in this story is going to be hard lol!
One really neat thing for me about this book, is that because I also live in North Carolina, I know where the places are in the book that are talked about, so that makes it more real to me, if that makes sense. I can honestly say, without a doubt I am forever going to be a Kristen Day fan. This story is one that not only adults like myself can fall in love with, I wouldn't hesitate in letting my 13 year old daughter read as well. Now, if I can just hold out until the second book ;)
August 13, 2012
My ability to write a coherent review has been seriously compromised by the last line of this book!
First let me say Kristen "You are a goddess!" Kristen offered up free copies of Forsaken to our read 2 review program in the Lovers of Paranormal book club in exchange for honest reviews and while it will be oh so hard I will now offer up my 'honest' review.
I LOVE, LOVE, will you marry me and raise little Nemo fishies with me LOVE this book! From the very beginning it was well executed as we see a mysterious couple drop off their young baby girl at a police station. 17 years later we meet Hannah whom we immediately recognize has lived a terrible childhood. While her new life would seem perfect now that she has been adopted into a high society family you can feel the lack of true love they provide her as evidenced by their quick approval to send her off to a boarding school for "special" kids. However, this school is exactly where Hannah belongs and she quickly finds acceptance into a family of friends while starting to unlock the mysteries of her true self. The House of Lorelei (anyone else a Gilmore Girls fan?) is a school for the descendants of sea gods and goddess and as Hannah starts to unravel the pain and dreams of her past she finds that they are tied to her future and some deadly secrets and a destiny that she may or may not be able to handle.
I loved:
Characters: fabulously written Hannah is brave and vulnerable with a strong will to overcome her past. Her roommates create a picture of true friendship. Finn, possibly my ultimate new crush, is mysterious and sweet and sexy and scary all at the same time. The romance factor is alive and well here.
Setting: the details of the school, the sea, the island are all wonderful. Kristen had me smelling pina coladas and singing Jimmy Buffett songs in my head.
"Paranormal" factor: the world Forsaken creates is mesmerizing. I wanted to dive right into the ocean with these characters. I have not read many books on merpeople or sea creatures and I hear it is very hard to find a good one. Forsaken brings to light a world of sea gods and goddess that I can't wait to delve deeper into. Very much like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson you are seeing a normal person come into incredible power.
Didn't love:
Um, that it ended! Perfectly written the climactic struggle and ending resolve in just the right way. I was left satisfied that there is so much more to come but not overwhelmed by a crazy cliffhanger.
All in all this book is a gem. Truly entertaining and also kudos for being a true YA book. It is clean and smut free enough for me to recommend to the teens I know without question. I can not wait for October and 'Awaken'!
First let me say Kristen "You are a goddess!" Kristen offered up free copies of Forsaken to our read 2 review program in the Lovers of Paranormal book club in exchange for honest reviews and while it will be oh so hard I will now offer up my 'honest' review.
I LOVE, LOVE, will you marry me and raise little Nemo fishies with me LOVE this book! From the very beginning it was well executed as we see a mysterious couple drop off their young baby girl at a police station. 17 years later we meet Hannah whom we immediately recognize has lived a terrible childhood. While her new life would seem perfect now that she has been adopted into a high society family you can feel the lack of true love they provide her as evidenced by their quick approval to send her off to a boarding school for "special" kids. However, this school is exactly where Hannah belongs and she quickly finds acceptance into a family of friends while starting to unlock the mysteries of her true self. The House of Lorelei (anyone else a Gilmore Girls fan?) is a school for the descendants of sea gods and goddess and as Hannah starts to unravel the pain and dreams of her past she finds that they are tied to her future and some deadly secrets and a destiny that she may or may not be able to handle.
I loved:
Characters: fabulously written Hannah is brave and vulnerable with a strong will to overcome her past. Her roommates create a picture of true friendship. Finn, possibly my ultimate new crush, is mysterious and sweet and sexy and scary all at the same time. The romance factor is alive and well here.
Setting: the details of the school, the sea, the island are all wonderful. Kristen had me smelling pina coladas and singing Jimmy Buffett songs in my head.
"Paranormal" factor: the world Forsaken creates is mesmerizing. I wanted to dive right into the ocean with these characters. I have not read many books on merpeople or sea creatures and I hear it is very hard to find a good one. Forsaken brings to light a world of sea gods and goddess that I can't wait to delve deeper into. Very much like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson you are seeing a normal person come into incredible power.
Didn't love:
Um, that it ended! Perfectly written the climactic struggle and ending resolve in just the right way. I was left satisfied that there is so much more to come but not overwhelmed by a crazy cliffhanger.
All in all this book is a gem. Truly entertaining and also kudos for being a true YA book. It is clean and smut free enough for me to recommend to the teens I know without question. I can not wait for October and 'Awaken'!
October 20, 2015
I really wanted to like this one more than I did because of the concept; alas almost everything else let me down…
So the concept, it’s super cool. We’re all tired of the overused vampires – we have been for a long time now. So yeah, when something non-vampires comes along I eat it up. Hell, none of the supernatural clichés appeared here. No vampires or werewolves, just this wonderful world of sea gods and goddesses. So yeah, I loved that part of it.
But then the story… it seemed to come from a collection of the vampire books. So she is sent to a new school because she is special – well, what do you know, that is what happened in the House of Night series. She is a sad little orphan with a rather nasty past – there is no reason to list the books here as we would be here all day if I started to say what other books use that ‘device’. She instantly falls for the mysterious guy who she just so happens to connect with, and what do you know he is the hottest guy in the school and he just so happens to have fallen head over heels for her too – again, pretty much every teenage book goes like this. She finds out she is this all powerful individual, who is part of something much bigger, and her destiny awaits…
Yeah, as you can see these things have all been done before (please note what I have listed is merely the tip of the iceberg) and I would be here all day if I was to continue making references.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is this could have been so much better if it was not a compliment of other clichés. It even reached the point of Edward Cullen creepy bedroom watching. It wasn’t sexy in Twilight and it isn’t sexy now. It does not matter that the guy was not one hundred plus years old this go around, I do not want to read about boys watching girls as they sleep. It is creepy. Stop teaching the younger generation that this is okay when you barely know the guy.
So yeah, I could rant and rave for a while, but I should stop now. Basically, I had expected so much more only to be given a story I have read many times before shifted to a different paranormal scene. As interesting as the concept happens to be it is not enough to leave me wanting to read the rest of the series. Hell, I can probably work it all out based upon other teenage books I have read.
As a final note, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this.
So the concept, it’s super cool. We’re all tired of the overused vampires – we have been for a long time now. So yeah, when something non-vampires comes along I eat it up. Hell, none of the supernatural clichés appeared here. No vampires or werewolves, just this wonderful world of sea gods and goddesses. So yeah, I loved that part of it.
But then the story… it seemed to come from a collection of the vampire books. So she is sent to a new school because she is special – well, what do you know, that is what happened in the House of Night series. She is a sad little orphan with a rather nasty past – there is no reason to list the books here as we would be here all day if I started to say what other books use that ‘device’. She instantly falls for the mysterious guy who she just so happens to connect with, and what do you know he is the hottest guy in the school and he just so happens to have fallen head over heels for her too – again, pretty much every teenage book goes like this. She finds out she is this all powerful individual, who is part of something much bigger, and her destiny awaits…
Yeah, as you can see these things have all been done before (please note what I have listed is merely the tip of the iceberg) and I would be here all day if I was to continue making references.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is this could have been so much better if it was not a compliment of other clichés. It even reached the point of Edward Cullen creepy bedroom watching. It wasn’t sexy in Twilight and it isn’t sexy now. It does not matter that the guy was not one hundred plus years old this go around, I do not want to read about boys watching girls as they sleep. It is creepy. Stop teaching the younger generation that this is okay when you barely know the guy.
So yeah, I could rant and rave for a while, but I should stop now. Basically, I had expected so much more only to be given a story I have read many times before shifted to a different paranormal scene. As interesting as the concept happens to be it is not enough to leave me wanting to read the rest of the series. Hell, I can probably work it all out based upon other teenage books I have read.
As a final note, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this.
November 24, 2014
This is a perfect beachy read! I was instantly pulled into the story and couldn't wait to turn the page to find out what happened next. The characters are complex and interesting, and the author describes the beach location so vividly, you truly feel as if you are there. Main character Hannah/Stasia has not had an easy life, but she doesn't use it as a crutch; she uses it to make her stronger. I love a story with a strong heroine, and Stasia is definitely that!
I would recommend this story for readers 15+.
I would recommend this story for readers 15+.
January 14, 2016
***Unfortunately, I will not be finishing this series. In the second book I was left wanting so much more - more passion, more honesty, and mainly more feelings invoked in me.
You can read my review about Awaken (Daughters of the Sea #2) here - Awaken: 3/5 Stars***
***3.75/5 Stars***
This was a fun book and I did enjoy it for the most part. I liked the characters, I found the potential for another BBF, the Sea God/Goddess paranormal element was fascinating and the way the story progressed was completely entertaining and had me flipping through the pages as fast as I could. But, I had two problems with Forsaken. The first being that some of the lines were way too cheesy, and I laughed because I felt so awkward for them. And the second was after 80% some events happened that seemed way too coincidental and that kept happening until the end of the book. I’m going to give the second book a try and I have my fingers crossed it’s similar to the first 4/5 of Forsaken!
I froze when the tips of his fingers brushed my neck and shoulder. The heat they evoked lingered like glowing embers across my skin.
Hannah’s parents abandoned her when she was only 8 months old. She was dumped into the foster system and moved from one horrible family to the next and each time her heart darkened a little more. In her teens, she was finally adopted by a wealthy family. After tracing her mysterious birthmark with her fingers, at one of her adopted family’s swanky events, she blacks out and it sets off a chain of events that eventually leads her to being sent to an island where she will be in school with “other kids like her”. This is where Forsaken turns fun!
A new start. Wasn’t that what I’d been wanting? A new beginning? I felt the fight go out of me and a brand new emotion took hold. It felt a lot like…hope.
Hannah was an enjoyable character. She had resolve, depth, and tries her hardest to put her faith and trust into others despite her past. For the most part, I agreed with her choices and actions. And as each chapter progressed, I found myself becoming more and more obsessed with what was going to happen to Hannah. I loved the new friends she made. They were a crazy, loving group of girls and they added so much fun to the story. And I loved when she met Fin. He is my favorite type of BBF! He has a dark past, is handsome, mysterious, cocky, wise and he seems to have a heart of gold. But there was always something brewing underneath the surface of him and he constantly has you questioning what his true motives and intentions are. Also, that boy has a ton of secrets! I always smiled when he was in the scene because I loved how he made Hannah feel and you always knew that something exciting was going to happen.
I tried my best to be mad at him. It was difficult, considering he was the embodiment of temptation and continually weakened havoc on my emotions.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the cheesiness and coincidental parts of the book. Maybe I’m super-duper picky but having characters pretending to speak in British accents at what could be romantic moments had me cringing and vehemently shaking my head no, no, no. I was so embarrassed for them and I just wanted it to stop. There were other moments similar to this in the book and I questioned why it had to be in there or why they had to say something a certain way. And I know lots of crazy things can happen in books but when things keep feeling like a coincidence again and again it bugs me. This kept happening past the 80% mark and it made me lose some of my interest in the story and the characters.
I’m going to try the second book because this book does have a lot of potential. The writing was enthralling, the story line was entertaining, and I always love when I find a heroine that I like and a sexy, troubled, bad-boy BBF!
For more of my reviews, please visit:
You can read my review about Awaken (Daughters of the Sea #2) here - Awaken: 3/5 Stars***
***3.75/5 Stars***
This was a fun book and I did enjoy it for the most part. I liked the characters, I found the potential for another BBF, the Sea God/Goddess paranormal element was fascinating and the way the story progressed was completely entertaining and had me flipping through the pages as fast as I could. But, I had two problems with Forsaken. The first being that some of the lines were way too cheesy, and I laughed because I felt so awkward for them. And the second was after 80% some events happened that seemed way too coincidental and that kept happening until the end of the book. I’m going to give the second book a try and I have my fingers crossed it’s similar to the first 4/5 of Forsaken!
I froze when the tips of his fingers brushed my neck and shoulder. The heat they evoked lingered like glowing embers across my skin.
Hannah’s parents abandoned her when she was only 8 months old. She was dumped into the foster system and moved from one horrible family to the next and each time her heart darkened a little more. In her teens, she was finally adopted by a wealthy family. After tracing her mysterious birthmark with her fingers, at one of her adopted family’s swanky events, she blacks out and it sets off a chain of events that eventually leads her to being sent to an island where she will be in school with “other kids like her”. This is where Forsaken turns fun!
A new start. Wasn’t that what I’d been wanting? A new beginning? I felt the fight go out of me and a brand new emotion took hold. It felt a lot like…hope.
Hannah was an enjoyable character. She had resolve, depth, and tries her hardest to put her faith and trust into others despite her past. For the most part, I agreed with her choices and actions. And as each chapter progressed, I found myself becoming more and more obsessed with what was going to happen to Hannah. I loved the new friends she made. They were a crazy, loving group of girls and they added so much fun to the story. And I loved when she met Fin. He is my favorite type of BBF! He has a dark past, is handsome, mysterious, cocky, wise and he seems to have a heart of gold. But there was always something brewing underneath the surface of him and he constantly has you questioning what his true motives and intentions are. Also, that boy has a ton of secrets! I always smiled when he was in the scene because I loved how he made Hannah feel and you always knew that something exciting was going to happen.
I tried my best to be mad at him. It was difficult, considering he was the embodiment of temptation and continually weakened havoc on my emotions.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the cheesiness and coincidental parts of the book. Maybe I’m super-duper picky but having characters pretending to speak in British accents at what could be romantic moments had me cringing and vehemently shaking my head no, no, no. I was so embarrassed for them and I just wanted it to stop. There were other moments similar to this in the book and I questioned why it had to be in there or why they had to say something a certain way. And I know lots of crazy things can happen in books but when things keep feeling like a coincidence again and again it bugs me. This kept happening past the 80% mark and it made me lose some of my interest in the story and the characters.
I’m going to try the second book because this book does have a lot of potential. The writing was enthralling, the story line was entertaining, and I always love when I find a heroine that I like and a sexy, troubled, bad-boy BBF!
For more of my reviews, please visit:
August 26, 2012
Quote From The Book
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and sat straight up in bed.
“Hello?” I whispered, my voice scratchy. A figure materialized near the window and my chest tightened with fear. He stepped into the light of the candle.
“Hi,” Finn’s grin was laced with mischief as he sat down on the side of the bed. “How’re you feeling?” He shouldn't have been allowed to look that good. He was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but the way he moved
and the confident vibe he carried with him made my heart race.
Had he been watching me the whole time I was asleep? What if I snored? Or drooled on my pillow?
“How long have you been here?” I asked him.
Stalker, irresistible guy. Gives off a Twilight vibe doesn't it? I, for some reason didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. The main story line was good, but it was a bit too slow for my interest. I didn't feel a pull to read it. Perhaps it was the writing style. I hate it when books have too many descriptions. It makes me wanna puke.
I feel that the romance in the story could have been a little less emphasized. It stank of Bella-Edward one.
Just few examples of things I found annoying:
1)His bronzed skin felt like silk, but the taught muscles beneath it made me want to touch every part of him. For some reason this made me gargle up.
2)A Texas sized grin spread across her face. It must look like this I suppose.[image error]
3)His arm went around my waist and his other cradled the back of my head as he pulled me to him for a much deeper kiss.The eleven Sons
watching on the catwalk and the hundreds of girls waiting below faded from my consciousness as I willingly drowned in him. The dark magical quality of the roses in my arms and the night surrounding us folded around me, embracing and warming my heart. His kisses stopped abruptly as he cupped my chin, forcing me to gaze into his stormy eyes.
I choose to give this book 3 stars because the idea was fresh and unique. It is not a bad book, but it is not my type. I am still looking forward to the next books in this trilogy because I can never leave a series unfinished!
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and sat straight up in bed.
“Hello?” I whispered, my voice scratchy. A figure materialized near the window and my chest tightened with fear. He stepped into the light of the candle.
“Hi,” Finn’s grin was laced with mischief as he sat down on the side of the bed. “How’re you feeling?” He shouldn't have been allowed to look that good. He was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but the way he moved
and the confident vibe he carried with him made my heart race.
Had he been watching me the whole time I was asleep? What if I snored? Or drooled on my pillow?
“How long have you been here?” I asked him.
Stalker, irresistible guy. Gives off a Twilight vibe doesn't it? I, for some reason didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. The main story line was good, but it was a bit too slow for my interest. I didn't feel a pull to read it. Perhaps it was the writing style. I hate it when books have too many descriptions. It makes me wanna puke.
I feel that the romance in the story could have been a little less emphasized. It stank of Bella-Edward one.
Just few examples of things I found annoying:
1)His bronzed skin felt like silk, but the taught muscles beneath it made me want to touch every part of him. For some reason this made me gargle up.
2)A Texas sized grin spread across her face. It must look like this I suppose.[image error]
3)His arm went around my waist and his other cradled the back of my head as he pulled me to him for a much deeper kiss.The eleven Sons
watching on the catwalk and the hundreds of girls waiting below faded from my consciousness as I willingly drowned in him. The dark magical quality of the roses in my arms and the night surrounding us folded around me, embracing and warming my heart. His kisses stopped abruptly as he cupped my chin, forcing me to gaze into his stormy eyes.
I choose to give this book 3 stars because the idea was fresh and unique. It is not a bad book, but it is not my type. I am still looking forward to the next books in this trilogy because I can never leave a series unfinished!
September 23, 2012
Forsaken was non-stop action from beginning to end and I loved every minute of it. This book gave us an in depth look at Nerieds and their story. And I have to say the story was a fantastic one. We start out meeting Stasia who is an adopted orphan that lives in Georgia. She attends a party and blacks out which results in her being sent to a therapist. The therapist suggests she go to a school for others like her. What she finds there changes everything for her.
Stasia soon learns the school is for kids that are descendants of Nerieds. They all have different abilities and the school teaches them how to deal with them. Stasia is met by her mentor Kira who shows her around and introduces her to her roommates. The roommates had me hooked from the first meeting. There were such a funny group of girls and bonded so well from the start. Stasia sets out to learn more about herself and this new world. Her schooling and learning more about herself leads her to meeting Finn.
I don't even know where to start with Finn. He was just the perfect mix of amazing. He has that whole bad boy vibe about him and don't even get me started on his looks. I may just have a new book boyfriend because he is just that hot. I loved that Stasia was able to still be herself with Finn and wasn't all boy crazy over him like some heroines are in books. They were just so cute together too and he seemed to make her stronger and make her believe in herself more. As the story goes on Stasia really learns just how powerful she really is.
Overall I loved everything about this story. The world building once Stasia got to the House of Lorelei was just amazing. The descriptions made me really feel like I was envisioning what the island looked like, The author just made it seem so real and so beautiful. The author's writing made me fall in love with characters instantly too. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seats with some of the twists and turns the book took too. Those are the kinds of books I love too when I never know what may happen next. The author has a phenomenal writing style that makes you get into this world and never want to leave. I can't wait for the next book to be out to see how this series progresses and of course to get more Finn in my life.
Stasia soon learns the school is for kids that are descendants of Nerieds. They all have different abilities and the school teaches them how to deal with them. Stasia is met by her mentor Kira who shows her around and introduces her to her roommates. The roommates had me hooked from the first meeting. There were such a funny group of girls and bonded so well from the start. Stasia sets out to learn more about herself and this new world. Her schooling and learning more about herself leads her to meeting Finn.
I don't even know where to start with Finn. He was just the perfect mix of amazing. He has that whole bad boy vibe about him and don't even get me started on his looks. I may just have a new book boyfriend because he is just that hot. I loved that Stasia was able to still be herself with Finn and wasn't all boy crazy over him like some heroines are in books. They were just so cute together too and he seemed to make her stronger and make her believe in herself more. As the story goes on Stasia really learns just how powerful she really is.
Overall I loved everything about this story. The world building once Stasia got to the House of Lorelei was just amazing. The descriptions made me really feel like I was envisioning what the island looked like, The author just made it seem so real and so beautiful. The author's writing made me fall in love with characters instantly too. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seats with some of the twists and turns the book took too. Those are the kinds of books I love too when I never know what may happen next. The author has a phenomenal writing style that makes you get into this world and never want to leave. I can't wait for the next book to be out to see how this series progresses and of course to get more Finn in my life.
October 17, 2012
Received this book in exchange for a review.
While I'm usually not drawn to books that are based on mythology/fantasy, this book intrigued me from the start. Not only is the storyline interesting, the main character is easy to relate to. Her friends are not only likeable they also add humor and depth to the story. (Warning: If you're prone to late night cravings this book will definitely have you reaching for a cupcake or two!) The book draws you in and I found it hard to put down. You get to experience friendship, action and romance and it's all very well written. It's fast paced so you don't have to deal with fillers. I am intrigued and definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
While I'm usually not drawn to books that are based on mythology/fantasy, this book intrigued me from the start. Not only is the storyline interesting, the main character is easy to relate to. Her friends are not only likeable they also add humor and depth to the story. (Warning: If you're prone to late night cravings this book will definitely have you reaching for a cupcake or two!) The book draws you in and I found it hard to put down. You get to experience friendship, action and romance and it's all very well written. It's fast paced so you don't have to deal with fillers. I am intrigued and definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
April 9, 2013
Best Part of Book: Hello, FINN! *swoon* Now, now, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning. Hannah is adopted and has issues with nightmares/fainting spells. In her dreams there is always this "guy" that is there with her. Well, her adopted family sends her to a professional to "help" her. She agrees and goes. Within a short amount of time with the therapist, she is shipped off to a school that could help her with these issues.
When Hannah is there she ends up changing her name to, Anastasia (Stasia for short). You think that is weird, it is an important part of the story. She needs up have three roommates: Carmen, Phoebe and Willow. I love these 3 girls!! They are perfect for the story and for Stasia life.
Then, while at lunch with her friends, she sees a guy (the guys from her dreams) across the room......ENTER FINN.........OMG!! I love Finn! He is what every book boyfriend needs to be. NO JOKE!
Once Finn and Stasia spend more time together, they are almost inseparable. (LOVE IT). However, Stasia is still having the nightmares and there are more added problems coming up in her life. Stasia is destined for bigger things and Finn is there for her. Finn helps her so much becoming more comfortable in her own skin. The problem that comes about (and the hardest one) is going to the Underworld. Should be simple, right?
Not so great about book: CLIFFHANGER! OMG! I honestly thought something was wrong with my kindle !!!
When Hannah is there she ends up changing her name to, Anastasia (Stasia for short). You think that is weird, it is an important part of the story. She needs up have three roommates: Carmen, Phoebe and Willow. I love these 3 girls!! They are perfect for the story and for Stasia life.
Then, while at lunch with her friends, she sees a guy (the guys from her dreams) across the room......ENTER FINN.........OMG!! I love Finn! He is what every book boyfriend needs to be. NO JOKE!
Once Finn and Stasia spend more time together, they are almost inseparable. (LOVE IT). However, Stasia is still having the nightmares and there are more added problems coming up in her life. Stasia is destined for bigger things and Finn is there for her. Finn helps her so much becoming more comfortable in her own skin. The problem that comes about (and the hardest one) is going to the Underworld. Should be simple, right?
Not so great about book: CLIFFHANGER! OMG! I honestly thought something was wrong with my kindle !!!
December 16, 2015
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And that does not affect my opinion in any way, but OH MY GOD GUISE THIS BOOK IS AHHHHMAZING.
I immediately went to click To Be Read for the whole series on Goodreads upon finishing this book. I'm gonna list down the reasons as to WHY you should read this book and LOVE it.
1) This book is about sea gods and goddesses. I know most books nowadays wrote about Greek Gods. But this particular book actually has Sirens, Nereids and such. I never knew I could learn so much about the legends of sea gods just by reading this book HAHA
2) And this point is important, because this book has a HOT HOT guy. I know most books have too, but I don't know, this author has a way with words such that I can feel every emotion that Anastasia (the female lead) is feeling everytime she faces Finn. I mean, the way Finn talks, walks, stares. EVERYTHING just exudes hotness. Dangerous, sexy and hot. Has that convinced you yet? No? Read on....
3) There's cute sea animals! I know that seems redundant, but Anastasia can feel their every emotions; sea turtles, dolphins, seahorses. The interaction scenes with them will make you go AWWWWWWWW.
4) Last but not least, girl bestfriends! I have always absolutely love a good book where a girl can count on her besties. And this girl, Anastasia, has the coolest bestie.
So what are you waiting for? Go read the book, quick! Better yet, buy the whole series! It's worth it, trust me ;)
I immediately went to click To Be Read for the whole series on Goodreads upon finishing this book. I'm gonna list down the reasons as to WHY you should read this book and LOVE it.
1) This book is about sea gods and goddesses. I know most books nowadays wrote about Greek Gods. But this particular book actually has Sirens, Nereids and such. I never knew I could learn so much about the legends of sea gods just by reading this book HAHA
2) And this point is important, because this book has a HOT HOT guy. I know most books have too, but I don't know, this author has a way with words such that I can feel every emotion that Anastasia (the female lead) is feeling everytime she faces Finn. I mean, the way Finn talks, walks, stares. EVERYTHING just exudes hotness. Dangerous, sexy and hot. Has that convinced you yet? No? Read on....
3) There's cute sea animals! I know that seems redundant, but Anastasia can feel their every emotions; sea turtles, dolphins, seahorses. The interaction scenes with them will make you go AWWWWWWWW.
4) Last but not least, girl bestfriends! I have always absolutely love a good book where a girl can count on her besties. And this girl, Anastasia, has the coolest bestie.
So what are you waiting for? Go read the book, quick! Better yet, buy the whole series! It's worth it, trust me ;)
March 9, 2014
Received this book as a R2R for an honest review...
I really liked this book from start to finish it had me hooked, I liked the mystery behind Finn and the relationship between Finn and 'Stasia' and between her and her friends, I don't want to say too much in risk of spoiling the other people who haven't read it. I can't wait to get the 2nd book :)
Also I don't know what it is with YA books these days but they always have a girl character who meets a boy and within 5 minutes of meeting him she loves him, but with this book it was different she'd been dreaming about him since she was a little girl and I thought that was really cute how he was 'the man of her dreams'and how the story wasn't just centered around their relationship like other YA books. :)
Overall I think you should read it if you're thinking about reading it because it's quite a good read :D
Re-read March 2014
I loved this book even more the second time round, seemed to take in a lot more information too.
Kristen has got a nack of writing and making you feel like you're actually there, the way she described everything
I love Finn and Stasia they are so cute together and I can't wait for 'Awaken' to be re-released at the end of this month so I can finally read it! :)
I really liked this book from start to finish it had me hooked, I liked the mystery behind Finn and the relationship between Finn and 'Stasia' and between her and her friends, I don't want to say too much in risk of spoiling the other people who haven't read it. I can't wait to get the 2nd book :)
Also I don't know what it is with YA books these days but they always have a girl character who meets a boy and within 5 minutes of meeting him she loves him, but with this book it was different she'd been dreaming about him since she was a little girl and I thought that was really cute how he was 'the man of her dreams'and how the story wasn't just centered around their relationship like other YA books. :)
Overall I think you should read it if you're thinking about reading it because it's quite a good read :D
Re-read March 2014
I loved this book even more the second time round, seemed to take in a lot more information too.
Kristen has got a nack of writing and making you feel like you're actually there, the way she described everything
I love Finn and Stasia they are so cute together and I can't wait for 'Awaken' to be re-released at the end of this month so I can finally read it! :)
August 18, 2012
First off.. LOVED IT!!!!
Hannah Whittman.. Left on the front steps of a police station. She doesn't know where she came from, who here parents were! Now she can't seem to fit in anywhere! At the age of 17 she starts having black outs and dreams that gets her sent away a special school for kids like her in NC.
This is where things get interesting!!! She gets to change her name, HOT guys and most of all she gets accepted, but thats only part of it.. There is sooo much more Sea Goddess, Tydes, Nerieds, read it to find out more!
The book was fantastic! The Characters were great, ITS A MUST READ!!!
Krisen Day AMAZING job, can't wait for the next book!!
Hannah Whittman.. Left on the front steps of a police station. She doesn't know where she came from, who here parents were! Now she can't seem to fit in anywhere! At the age of 17 she starts having black outs and dreams that gets her sent away a special school for kids like her in NC.
This is where things get interesting!!! She gets to change her name, HOT guys and most of all she gets accepted, but thats only part of it.. There is sooo much more Sea Goddess, Tydes, Nerieds, read it to find out more!
The book was fantastic! The Characters were great, ITS A MUST READ!!!
Krisen Day AMAZING job, can't wait for the next book!!
April 4, 2016
The extraordinary story of Hannah aka Anastasia jumped out of the pages and completely captivated me from beginning to end as we follow her story as an orphan to adopted to discovering her true genealogy. Full of descendants of the Gods and Goddesses of the sea and beautifully written. I have formed an emotional attachment to Anastasia and Finn and can't wait to throw myself into the rest of the series.
October 7, 2012
Great start to a Sea Godess series...I actually have a few of these kind of books on my TBR shelf and I'm glad I got the opportunity to start with this one. It has mystery, it has action, it has romance, but most of all it has this wonderful goodness about it that made me smile.
I would write more, but I want to read the next one more-er.
I would write more, but I want to read the next one more-er.
July 9, 2021
I was a bit hesitant before reading this book since it's not in my usual romance genre, BUT i loved it!
Very well written, with the flow moving along perfect. Kept me up late just trying to find out what was going to happen next.
The characters were well developed and this story is very well written. Great debut book from Kristen Day, looking forward to the next one!
Very well written, with the flow moving along perfect. Kept me up late just trying to find out what was going to happen next.
The characters were well developed and this story is very well written. Great debut book from Kristen Day, looking forward to the next one!
April 24, 2013
Forsaken
Daughters of the Sea Series
Book #1
By Kristen Day
5 stars
Reviewed by: Angels
Format:Kindle
Published:Kristen Day
Source:author copy Genre:Paranormal Romance
About Book
Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitman's three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendent's of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesized to be a part of. The fate of all the descendent's will forever depend upon it.
My Thoughts
This is a brand new author with a new series .This is also a brand new author for me and she just wowed me thinking Omg this is such a terrific read.This book was totally amazing.I was just blown away by how good it really was.By far this is the best young adult series I have read this year.I would also like to give props to the author for creating three truly fascinating and maddening addictive stories Forsaken,Awaken and Chosen.What impressed me even more is that Kristen Day is a self published author who brought forth three amazing winners right off the bat!
This story had such a truly amazing cast of characters.I liked them all, Well with a few exceptions I wanted to see those ones get what was there due !The roommates of Stasia's were truly a fascinating group of girls.They brought many laughs and quite a few chuckles to the pages as I was reading.One of the things that impressed me was that the girls were always snacking a eating especially desserts like cup cakes.With so many body conscious teens it was nice to see that this group of girls didn't have any weight issues they were all comfortable in there own skins.Well, they had to be one of Stasia's roommates liked to cook and bake and she did a lot of both.No dorm mates staving here ! LOL
My favorite character was Finn Morrison.I fell in love with is character after reading just a few pages.That was one Hottie !Finn was a amazing guy and even more of an amazing boyfriend to Stasia he was a kind and caring and always put Stasia first and was there for her when ever she needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to.Finn definitely had a helping hand in shaping and guiding Stasia into the women she would become one day soon.Finn was tall dark and dangerously handsome a boy from the underworld the Demon world.The aura always surrounding Finn was dark but, he was just the nicest guy to his friends but, deadly foe to his enemies and those of Stasia's.Wish I had a guy like that sigh....
Stasia would have to be my second favorite.What a truly amazing girl to deal with the abandonment of her parents .Always knowing you were different and trying to be normal just to fit in.Always working at it making it an exhausting process.She was adopted into a rich family who never really tried to get to know the real Stasia just thinking she was crazy.But, one shrink determined what was wrong with her and placed her in a school for gifted children like herself learning that she was different not insane but, born from a Goddess.All her oddness visions blackouts all made sense finally she was coming into the powers that her parents had passed on to her not knowing who or where she came from.Can you imagine learning your mother was a mystical creature all and mighty powerful Goddess ?
Love the ease that Stasia had with her roommates it was refreshing no fighting or petty jealousies between the roommates they all got along were funny engaging and had the true making of a long and lasting friendships for all of them.Each would give there life for one another without even giving it a second thought.All of Stasia friends had there own mystical powers and all were born of the Tyde clan giving them a different talent to heal, command water, command the sand.None of them should ever be underestimate they were all powerful in there own right.The slow and budding romance between Finn and Stasia was truly endearing.Finn being a modern man but, being old fashion enough to actually court his girl like the old days. So romantic...
This novel was totally engrossing and quite the page turner, Read this book in one sitting by staying up all night without ever going to bed just to finish it.It was truly a magical read just couldn't put the book down.The story had so much excitement so many twists and turns .You learn someone or somebody's were plotting to kill you without having a clue why ?
The story was about learning about your one true self. Where you came from.Who you are destined to be.Forging lasting friendships that would last ones lifetime.Finally finding a place that you belonged and felt that you fit somewhere for the first time ever. Last but not least being in a relationship with the one who could truly own your heart helping your heal from past hurts.All of the gals are so jealous they all want a boyfriend like Finn.Including me ! LOL
This is a must read for all. Even if you don't read young adult books this book and the others in its series are a must in your To Read Pile that keeps growing for all of us.I cannot say enough good things about this book it was so much fun and such and engaging read.It just blew me away how much I enjoyed it! .Kristen definitely has a new fan in me ! So excited that this series with be continuing not ending....
Daughters of the Sea Series
Book #1
By Kristen Day
5 stars
Reviewed by: Angels
Format:Kindle
Published:Kristen Day
Source:author copy Genre:Paranormal Romance
About Book
Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitman's three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendent's of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesized to be a part of. The fate of all the descendent's will forever depend upon it.
My Thoughts
This is a brand new author with a new series .This is also a brand new author for me and she just wowed me thinking Omg this is such a terrific read.This book was totally amazing.I was just blown away by how good it really was.By far this is the best young adult series I have read this year.I would also like to give props to the author for creating three truly fascinating and maddening addictive stories Forsaken,Awaken and Chosen.What impressed me even more is that Kristen Day is a self published author who brought forth three amazing winners right off the bat!
This story had such a truly amazing cast of characters.I liked them all, Well with a few exceptions I wanted to see those ones get what was there due !The roommates of Stasia's were truly a fascinating group of girls.They brought many laughs and quite a few chuckles to the pages as I was reading.One of the things that impressed me was that the girls were always snacking a eating especially desserts like cup cakes.With so many body conscious teens it was nice to see that this group of girls didn't have any weight issues they were all comfortable in there own skins.Well, they had to be one of Stasia's roommates liked to cook and bake and she did a lot of both.No dorm mates staving here ! LOL
My favorite character was Finn Morrison.I fell in love with is character after reading just a few pages.That was one Hottie !Finn was a amazing guy and even more of an amazing boyfriend to Stasia he was a kind and caring and always put Stasia first and was there for her when ever she needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to.Finn definitely had a helping hand in shaping and guiding Stasia into the women she would become one day soon.Finn was tall dark and dangerously handsome a boy from the underworld the Demon world.The aura always surrounding Finn was dark but, he was just the nicest guy to his friends but, deadly foe to his enemies and those of Stasia's.Wish I had a guy like that sigh....
Stasia would have to be my second favorite.What a truly amazing girl to deal with the abandonment of her parents .Always knowing you were different and trying to be normal just to fit in.Always working at it making it an exhausting process.She was adopted into a rich family who never really tried to get to know the real Stasia just thinking she was crazy.But, one shrink determined what was wrong with her and placed her in a school for gifted children like herself learning that she was different not insane but, born from a Goddess.All her oddness visions blackouts all made sense finally she was coming into the powers that her parents had passed on to her not knowing who or where she came from.Can you imagine learning your mother was a mystical creature all and mighty powerful Goddess ?
Love the ease that Stasia had with her roommates it was refreshing no fighting or petty jealousies between the roommates they all got along were funny engaging and had the true making of a long and lasting friendships for all of them.Each would give there life for one another without even giving it a second thought.All of Stasia friends had there own mystical powers and all were born of the Tyde clan giving them a different talent to heal, command water, command the sand.None of them should ever be underestimate they were all powerful in there own right.The slow and budding romance between Finn and Stasia was truly endearing.Finn being a modern man but, being old fashion enough to actually court his girl like the old days. So romantic...
This novel was totally engrossing and quite the page turner, Read this book in one sitting by staying up all night without ever going to bed just to finish it.It was truly a magical read just couldn't put the book down.The story had so much excitement so many twists and turns .You learn someone or somebody's were plotting to kill you without having a clue why ?
The story was about learning about your one true self. Where you came from.Who you are destined to be.Forging lasting friendships that would last ones lifetime.Finally finding a place that you belonged and felt that you fit somewhere for the first time ever. Last but not least being in a relationship with the one who could truly own your heart helping your heal from past hurts.All of the gals are so jealous they all want a boyfriend like Finn.Including me ! LOL
This is a must read for all. Even if you don't read young adult books this book and the others in its series are a must in your To Read Pile that keeps growing for all of us.I cannot say enough good things about this book it was so much fun and such and engaging read.It just blew me away how much I enjoyed it! .Kristen definitely has a new fan in me ! So excited that this series with be continuing not ending....
August 31, 2012
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Overall, I liked Forsaken, but there were a couple things keeping me from loving it. Let me start this review off on a good note and state that I really liked the mythology and general concept of the book. Part of me was sort of questioning that if Poseidon and all the Nereids are real in this world, are the rest of the Greek gods real too? I adore how this just focused on a specific portion of the Greek gods rather than the whole pantheon of them, but at the same time the nagging question of, “Are there kids roaming around from all the other gods and do they get their own schools?” was constantly in the back of my mind.
Moving onto the characters, I liked each of them well enough, but didn’t find myself growing attached to any of them. In this case I think there might have been just a tad too many. This seems odd to say because, really, there aren’t a ton of central characters, but then again I felt this novel only really focused on Stasia and Finn. So to have Stasia have four roommates who kind of matter, but who also fell to the sideline in favor of romance, made it seem like there were perhaps too many characters for this particular story line. Not to mention all the “secondary” characters such as Kira, etc. The reason I think this story might have benefited from only one roommate/best friend is because, in the end, all of Stasia’s roommates come off one dimensional to me. Phoebe is a perky rocker chick, Willow is super nice and cooks, and Carmen is feisty. Beyond this, I pretty much know nothing about them. We never learn about their pasts or really explore who they are as people. Although they are important to Stasia, they don’t have a huge presence in the book and in the end they came off as semi-filler material to me. If Stasia had only one best friend/roommate, I think it would have been easier to develop them into a more solid person while not having to cut all the romance with Finn.
Speaking of Finn... I like him for the most part, but his relationship with Stasia had a very Twilight feel to me. He’s stalked her ever since she came to school, he’s tormented by the secrets he has, and he keeps them from Stasia in order to protect her. Oh...and he sparkles. I mean, if we’re being technical, he himself doesn’t sparkle, but he’s covered in a veil of sparkles when using one of his powers. Um, yeah. It’s always hard for me to think of a guy sparkling as sexy and if I had been Stasia, I would have (teasingly) laughed till I couldn’t breath. Of course she doesn’t. Instead she finds it breathtaking. Now, despite all that and the numerous references to how amazingly hot Finn was (which get old after a while), I still managed to somewhat like the romance aspect of the novel. If it continues to go down the path of Twilight in the sequels, than this will no doubt change. One aspect I admired about the relationship was that Stasia never thought she wasn’t pretty. I don’t remember her thinking she was unworthy of Finn either, and if she ever thought it, it was more a passing thought because trust me... I’d get annoyed if it was a constant one. So yes, that earns several kudos from me.
Stasia wasn’t too bad of a character from my perspective, though there was one flaw I couldn’t get over. In the beginning of the novel, she states how she’s a guarded person because of all that she’s been through, yet her personality rarely comes off that way. For instance, despite Finn keeping several secrets from her, she basically trusts him completely with little hesitation. Now, maybe this is just a small thing, but Stasia has an abusive past that never shows through in her current actions, and it’s implied that she hasn’t fully recovered from those scars. Therefore, her past winds up coming off as more of a plot device, as she seems to instantly let her roommates into her heart and bonds fairly quickly with those around her. She shows little distrust or fear of getting too close to people who could potentially hurt her. This would be okay, perhaps even with her past, if only she hadn’t said she’d built walls around her heart in the beginning of the story. We’re never shown the process of the walls coming down, they simply spontaneously vanish.
Lastly, my main reason for giving this book three stars is the plot. It’s rather sluggish and slow. It starts off pretty fast, but then it settles into this pace where every once and a while something happens. Most of the plot is filled with Stasia and Finn romance with random little excursions like saving sea turtles. However, all the intrigue that lies in the reveries Stasia has are hardly ever focused on until the end. It would have been nice to see Stasia trying to figure out what Priscilla and Isadora were up to, maybe investigate her other visions, etc. Instead she sort of ignores all those things. She questions them, but doesn’t proactively seek answers to her questions. This book also lacked conflict. It was a bit too...happy. Stasia starts off living in a house where she’s looked down upon, which holds promise, but then she’s whisked away to a boarding school where she gets her own room and a super nice apartment that she shares with three other girls who are nice and she instantly befriends them. Even the mean girls across the hall never pose much of an annoyance to Stasia and her friends. Pretty much, things go perfectly for her and there’s little that ever goes wrong and essentially no obstacles. Unfortunately, that made for a slightly boring read.
In the end, I did like this book, yet I wasn’t on the edge of my seat needing to read what happened next. It was good enough to interest me in possibly reading the sequel though, and I’d recommend it to people who like this genre, especially if they’re into emphasized romance.
Overall, I liked Forsaken, but there were a couple things keeping me from loving it. Let me start this review off on a good note and state that I really liked the mythology and general concept of the book. Part of me was sort of questioning that if Poseidon and all the Nereids are real in this world, are the rest of the Greek gods real too? I adore how this just focused on a specific portion of the Greek gods rather than the whole pantheon of them, but at the same time the nagging question of, “Are there kids roaming around from all the other gods and do they get their own schools?” was constantly in the back of my mind.
Moving onto the characters, I liked each of them well enough, but didn’t find myself growing attached to any of them. In this case I think there might have been just a tad too many. This seems odd to say because, really, there aren’t a ton of central characters, but then again I felt this novel only really focused on Stasia and Finn. So to have Stasia have four roommates who kind of matter, but who also fell to the sideline in favor of romance, made it seem like there were perhaps too many characters for this particular story line. Not to mention all the “secondary” characters such as Kira, etc. The reason I think this story might have benefited from only one roommate/best friend is because, in the end, all of Stasia’s roommates come off one dimensional to me. Phoebe is a perky rocker chick, Willow is super nice and cooks, and Carmen is feisty. Beyond this, I pretty much know nothing about them. We never learn about their pasts or really explore who they are as people. Although they are important to Stasia, they don’t have a huge presence in the book and in the end they came off as semi-filler material to me. If Stasia had only one best friend/roommate, I think it would have been easier to develop them into a more solid person while not having to cut all the romance with Finn.
Speaking of Finn... I like him for the most part, but his relationship with Stasia had a very Twilight feel to me. He’s stalked her ever since she came to school, he’s tormented by the secrets he has, and he keeps them from Stasia in order to protect her. Oh...and he sparkles. I mean, if we’re being technical, he himself doesn’t sparkle, but he’s covered in a veil of sparkles when using one of his powers. Um, yeah. It’s always hard for me to think of a guy sparkling as sexy and if I had been Stasia, I would have (teasingly) laughed till I couldn’t breath. Of course she doesn’t. Instead she finds it breathtaking. Now, despite all that and the numerous references to how amazingly hot Finn was (which get old after a while), I still managed to somewhat like the romance aspect of the novel. If it continues to go down the path of Twilight in the sequels, than this will no doubt change. One aspect I admired about the relationship was that Stasia never thought she wasn’t pretty. I don’t remember her thinking she was unworthy of Finn either, and if she ever thought it, it was more a passing thought because trust me... I’d get annoyed if it was a constant one. So yes, that earns several kudos from me.
Stasia wasn’t too bad of a character from my perspective, though there was one flaw I couldn’t get over. In the beginning of the novel, she states how she’s a guarded person because of all that she’s been through, yet her personality rarely comes off that way. For instance, despite Finn keeping several secrets from her, she basically trusts him completely with little hesitation. Now, maybe this is just a small thing, but Stasia has an abusive past that never shows through in her current actions, and it’s implied that she hasn’t fully recovered from those scars. Therefore, her past winds up coming off as more of a plot device, as she seems to instantly let her roommates into her heart and bonds fairly quickly with those around her. She shows little distrust or fear of getting too close to people who could potentially hurt her. This would be okay, perhaps even with her past, if only she hadn’t said she’d built walls around her heart in the beginning of the story. We’re never shown the process of the walls coming down, they simply spontaneously vanish.
Lastly, my main reason for giving this book three stars is the plot. It’s rather sluggish and slow. It starts off pretty fast, but then it settles into this pace where every once and a while something happens. Most of the plot is filled with Stasia and Finn romance with random little excursions like saving sea turtles. However, all the intrigue that lies in the reveries Stasia has are hardly ever focused on until the end. It would have been nice to see Stasia trying to figure out what Priscilla and Isadora were up to, maybe investigate her other visions, etc. Instead she sort of ignores all those things. She questions them, but doesn’t proactively seek answers to her questions. This book also lacked conflict. It was a bit too...happy. Stasia starts off living in a house where she’s looked down upon, which holds promise, but then she’s whisked away to a boarding school where she gets her own room and a super nice apartment that she shares with three other girls who are nice and she instantly befriends them. Even the mean girls across the hall never pose much of an annoyance to Stasia and her friends. Pretty much, things go perfectly for her and there’s little that ever goes wrong and essentially no obstacles. Unfortunately, that made for a slightly boring read.
In the end, I did like this book, yet I wasn’t on the edge of my seat needing to read what happened next. It was good enough to interest me in possibly reading the sequel though, and I’d recommend it to people who like this genre, especially if they’re into emphasized romance.
March 1, 2018
This has all the makings of a great fantasy series; original concept, mysterious legend, prophesies, a hot guy & some comic relief in the form of three girl friends but I just found myself not caring. I think the main reason was that nothing really happened. I often makes notes while reading a book so I don’t forget anything when it’s time to write my review & I found that I would finish a few chapters & have nothing to write, nothing of note really happened for huge chunks of the book, it was all just filler & fluff. It’s a shame.
September 15, 2022
I really thought I wasn’t going to like this that much. At the start it was giving the usual adopted girl with a hidden dramatic supernatural destiny. BUT it was handled really well. Normally it’s mentioned straight away or it’s easy to guess but this built up the characters and the world while dipping its toes into the destiny arch until it was ready to be reviled. And I really appreciated that. It made a big difference to the quality of the story.
April 6, 2017
I like the story, the world and the characters. It was fun to read this book. The beginning was exciting and the further plot develops very quickly without any lengths within. The experiences in the visions of Stasia were very well described, this was a true highlight. However, although it was in general everything fine there was nothing really new in this book, the general problems you can read almost in every fantasy book. I hope there will be some more in the next sequels.
January 10, 2020
It started a little slow and I almost gave up reading, but it turned into quite a nice story. Even for an adult. It had been on my Kindle forever, and finally got around to reading it.
It's a modern day story, along with Gods and Goddesses from the old days, a magical story somehow in a world that we live in. I liked it a lot and am looking forward to reading the second book!
It's a modern day story, along with Gods and Goddesses from the old days, a magical story somehow in a world that we live in. I liked it a lot and am looking forward to reading the second book!
September 27, 2017
I got to page 200 and decided to DNF it because nothing about it was about mermaids. I will not be continuing the series.
Let's Be Mermaids Read-A-Thon Group Book 2017
Let's Be Mermaids Read-A-Thon Group Book 2017
October 20, 2012
It started off okay. A little 'common', you could say, but okay nonetheless. We've all read the stories and seen the films about the baby being dropped off at a house or the church steps (or, in this case, the police station) so that was nothing new.
What did intruige me though, was the seagod/godess aspect because, aside from the Percy Jackson books, I've never really seen, let alone read a book about those. I mean, it can be a fun read, but I'm getting really sick and tired of all those books with the vampires, werewolves and whatnot. And don't even get me started on the freaking love triangles.
Anyway, I liked it. It wasn't five-star-worthy, but it doesn't deserve a bad or average rating either, so therefore, 3.5 stars.
The first thing that made me like Hannah/stasia (this was pre-anastasia, so we'll go with Hannah for now) was that she isn't whiny likeBella Swan some other female protagonists and stood up for herself and actually could do things on her own. That, and the tattoo of course. But really, you wouldn't believe how many authors actually think the damsel-in-distress is still something most female readers want to see. We don't want to read how some big bad man has to come save us every time we stub our toe.
Or perhaps that's just my feminism showing.
What I didn't find quite normal was that Hanastasia never seemed to freak out.
Minor spoilers ahead.
At the risk of sounding dense since we're talking about paranormal YA literature, it just wasn't really realistic. Beacause, you know, if I found out I'm some sort of water nymph, I would've freaked out. Or at least been a little more apprehensive. On the other hand (yes, I often contradict myself), I did kinda like that there wasn't some major freak-out followed by several chapters of coming to terms with what's going on. That's one part in these kinds of books that really bothers me and turns me off of the book. (Does that sentence even make sense?)
The girls, I adored. All so very different yet they fit together so well. They just complement each other perfectly. They're open and friendly and accepting and don't make a big deal out of living with the possible next sea queen/godess. Though what didn't quite sit right was that they went from 'no, bad finn, stay away' to 'i bet you had sex, you lil hot momma, he's so rawr'.
And then there'sthe part most sane girls have been waiting for Finn. Yes, what can I say about Finn?
*Just as a side note, can you believe I actually only just now got that's it's a pun. Finn. Like the fin of a fish. Or a shark, since that just seems more fitting.
But back to the review. Finn was the perfect mix of mysterious, dark, dangerous, witty, funny, flirty, secretive, protective and badboyness.
Sometimes conversation seemed a little forced. (Like with the English/French accents. I mean, what was that?) And a few of his lines were extremely clichéd, Stasia shouldn't fall for them. For the rest, he was indeed incredibly swoon-worthy.
But then again, Stasia had some flaws of her own. Aside from the ones I've already named, there was the fact that when that one thing happened she and the girls were more worried about not getting to talk to Finn and spending Olivia's money than actually worrying about the situation. Especially since they all knew what was about to happen.
And there was this one sentence that really shouldn't bother me, but it does and I can't get it out of my head.
"I'm broken."
It's probably just me, and I know she is broken from all that she's been through, but people just don't say those things to boys they like, do they? No matter how long you've 'known' the guy.
The last thing I want to adress, is probably also just me. You spend 200 pages slowly creating this world, building friendships and relationships and making mysteries and then BAM then there's this really rushed climax which is really anti-climactic and leaves several of your questions unanswered or not properly anwsered and leaves you unsatisfied.
I know this is kind of the purpose of being a trilogy/series, but why'd she have to find out everything at once? And why wasn't Finn's relationship to Thetis properly explained? And who and what is Finn?
A Scion? What does that even mean.
What did intruige me though, was the seagod/godess aspect because, aside from the Percy Jackson books, I've never really seen, let alone read a book about those. I mean, it can be a fun read, but I'm getting really sick and tired of all those books with the vampires, werewolves and whatnot. And don't even get me started on the freaking love triangles.
Anyway, I liked it. It wasn't five-star-worthy, but it doesn't deserve a bad or average rating either, so therefore, 3.5 stars.
The first thing that made me like Hannah/stasia (this was pre-anastasia, so we'll go with Hannah for now) was that she isn't whiny like
Or perhaps that's just my feminism showing.
What I didn't find quite normal was that Hanastasia never seemed to freak out.
Minor spoilers ahead.
At the risk of sounding dense since we're talking about paranormal YA literature, it just wasn't really realistic. Beacause, you know, if I found out I'm some sort of water nymph, I would've freaked out. Or at least been a little more apprehensive. On the other hand (yes, I often contradict myself), I did kinda like that there wasn't some major freak-out followed by several chapters of coming to terms with what's going on. That's one part in these kinds of books that really bothers me and turns me off of the book. (Does that sentence even make sense?)
The girls, I adored. All so very different yet they fit together so well. They just complement each other perfectly. They're open and friendly and accepting and don't make a big deal out of living with the possible next sea queen/godess. Though what didn't quite sit right was that they went from 'no, bad finn, stay away' to 'i bet you had sex, you lil hot momma, he's so rawr'.
And then there's
*Just as a side note, can you believe I actually only just now got that's it's a pun. Finn. Like the fin of a fish. Or a shark, since that just seems more fitting.
But back to the review. Finn was the perfect mix of mysterious, dark, dangerous, witty, funny, flirty, secretive, protective and badboyness.
Sometimes conversation seemed a little forced. (Like with the English/French accents. I mean, what was that?) And a few of his lines were extremely clichéd, Stasia shouldn't fall for them. For the rest, he was indeed incredibly swoon-worthy.
But then again, Stasia had some flaws of her own. Aside from the ones I've already named, there was the fact that when that one thing happened she and the girls were more worried about not getting to talk to Finn and spending Olivia's money than actually worrying about the situation. Especially since they all knew what was about to happen.
And there was this one sentence that really shouldn't bother me, but it does and I can't get it out of my head.
"I'm broken."
It's probably just me, and I know she is broken from all that she's been through, but people just don't say those things to boys they like, do they? No matter how long you've 'known' the guy.
The last thing I want to adress, is probably also just me. You spend 200 pages slowly creating this world, building friendships and relationships and making mysteries and then BAM then there's this really rushed climax which is really anti-climactic and leaves several of your questions unanswered or not properly anwsered and leaves you unsatisfied.
I know this is kind of the purpose of being a trilogy/series, but why'd she have to find out everything at once? And why wasn't Finn's relationship to Thetis properly explained? And who and what is Finn?
A Scion? What does that even mean.
February 21, 2015
***read in an exchange for a Netgalley review***
I really struggled with Forsaken. I wanted to like it, I really did, but I didn't.
The cover is so fancy and the premise of murder, sea gods and a handsome love interest got me excited to start reading. I generally love young adult books, they can be brilliant in a way that adult books don't try to be, but three pages in, I was already finding it difficult to care about this story.
Let me start with Hannah/Anastasia/Stasia. Firstly, I don't care for the fact that she is so quick to play the part of 'poor little orphan' and tries to make the reader feel sorry for her by having a mean ol' step sister. It's been done a million times before and there was literally no purpose to the step sister. At all. I also hate the fact that she chose her own nickname. Who does that? She's self absorbed, and so fast to act the victim. I know she's supposed to be a typical teenager but Stasia is a jerk.
Then there are the three roommates - Phoebe, Carmen and Willow. Their perfect sugary sweetness is irritating immediately. They are so perfectly well rounded and adjusted, the typical all-American girls. They have no real personalities and seem to exist only to help Stasia, who's life they revolve around immediately. Also Finn (whose name is a bad joke), who I have no strong feelings for either way because his character is so wishy washy (I'm bad, you shouldn't spend time with me, oh wait, come out to the ocean at 2am). Honestly, I think this entire book could be written without him and it would have made zero difference.
The 'mean bad ladies' are forgettable (I finished the book 15 minutes ago and I can't remember their names) and predictable. There are a handful of other characters that are fairly typical of the genre (surfer bros who hit on her, an ice queen classmate with a yacht etc.) and are less annoying than the main cast.
The story itself is a good idea but I don't think it was executed very well. The writing style is very simplistic in parts, then the author throws in a completely random and complex word seemingly in an attempt not to patronise the reader but it comes across as a little pretentious. I really disliked how friendly and sickeningly sweet the characters are, how false-modest Stasia comes across and the way the author details every meal. One minute one set of characters hate each other then the next they are making dinner and having a movie night on their way to a rescue mission. It doesn't read true. Teenagers aren't that quick to forget grudges.
A lot of the things that happen are senseless - I don't want to give much away - but things don't always add up. Like, if they are going to rescue a mentor from kidnap and probably murder, why not try to get one of the powerful god-descendent teachers to help? Or at least tell someone where they are going? And a lot of things are never addressed e.g. Finn's 'curse' and why everyone is really afraid of him but I assume this will be revealed in the sequel.
It took me over two weeks to read this book because I wasn't enjoying it. I kept picking it up, reading a few lines and coming across something that would make my eyes roll in irritation, then putting it back down for a few days.
I really struggled with Forsaken. I wanted to like it, I really did, but I didn't.
The cover is so fancy and the premise of murder, sea gods and a handsome love interest got me excited to start reading. I generally love young adult books, they can be brilliant in a way that adult books don't try to be, but three pages in, I was already finding it difficult to care about this story.
Let me start with Hannah/Anastasia/Stasia. Firstly, I don't care for the fact that she is so quick to play the part of 'poor little orphan' and tries to make the reader feel sorry for her by having a mean ol' step sister. It's been done a million times before and there was literally no purpose to the step sister. At all. I also hate the fact that she chose her own nickname. Who does that? She's self absorbed, and so fast to act the victim. I know she's supposed to be a typical teenager but Stasia is a jerk.
Then there are the three roommates - Phoebe, Carmen and Willow. Their perfect sugary sweetness is irritating immediately. They are so perfectly well rounded and adjusted, the typical all-American girls. They have no real personalities and seem to exist only to help Stasia, who's life they revolve around immediately. Also Finn (whose name is a bad joke), who I have no strong feelings for either way because his character is so wishy washy (I'm bad, you shouldn't spend time with me, oh wait, come out to the ocean at 2am). Honestly, I think this entire book could be written without him and it would have made zero difference.
The 'mean bad ladies' are forgettable (I finished the book 15 minutes ago and I can't remember their names) and predictable. There are a handful of other characters that are fairly typical of the genre (surfer bros who hit on her, an ice queen classmate with a yacht etc.) and are less annoying than the main cast.
The story itself is a good idea but I don't think it was executed very well. The writing style is very simplistic in parts, then the author throws in a completely random and complex word seemingly in an attempt not to patronise the reader but it comes across as a little pretentious. I really disliked how friendly and sickeningly sweet the characters are, how false-modest Stasia comes across and the way the author details every meal. One minute one set of characters hate each other then the next they are making dinner and having a movie night on their way to a rescue mission. It doesn't read true. Teenagers aren't that quick to forget grudges.
A lot of the things that happen are senseless - I don't want to give much away - but things don't always add up. Like, if they are going to rescue a mentor from kidnap and probably murder, why not try to get one of the powerful god-descendent teachers to help? Or at least tell someone where they are going? And a lot of things are never addressed e.g. Finn's 'curse' and why everyone is really afraid of him but I assume this will be revealed in the sequel.
It took me over two weeks to read this book because I wasn't enjoying it. I kept picking it up, reading a few lines and coming across something that would make my eyes roll in irritation, then putting it back down for a few days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2015
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Forsaken was okay - not too good, not too bad. I’ll just dive right in. (Heheh, dive because this book is about sea gods and the ocean and stuff. Dive. I’m funny, I promise.)
Anastasia was an alright character. I don’t really know what to say about her - in fact, I’m having a hard time really writing this review, because the book simply didn’t draw very much emotion from me at all. Anastasia has problem of inconsistency. She says that her past was filled with abuse and that she has put up walls around her heart, but this is not shown in her behavior at all. She lets in Finn and trusts him with almost no hesitation, and she takes an immediate liking to her new roommates. She just doesn’t seem like a very damaged person. Her roommates themselves are flat characters who don’t really have important roles in the story aside from their singular personality traits. Willow is nice and likes to cook, Carmen is feisty, Phoebe is a rocker chick. You barely learn anything about them aside from those basic things. They don’t develop as characters at all.
Forsaken has a very familiar plot that goes something like this:
Girl does not belong. Girl is hated by all/ has little to no friends. Girl has strange mark on her body that she thinks is a tattoo or birthmark. Girl has strange visions that involve a mysterious Hot Guy. Girl gets sent to boarding school for people who also have strange visions. It turns out Girl is *gasp* a speshul snowflake. Girl has speshul powers. Said Hot Guy goes to the boarding school, too - naturally. Hot Guy is handsome, mysterious, and creepy. Hot Guy stalks Girl and watches her sleep and hides his secret past from her to protect her. Girl spends a lot of time kissing Hot Guy. Etc. Etc. Basically, the story felt very Twilight.
There’s kind of a lack of conflict in this book. Conflict is crucial for any story, so the fact that that’s missing sort of indicates that this book isn’t very good. Everything is just so mellow and happy. The plot drags as a consequence. Most of the plot is Stasia and Finn romance with a few other fun things thrown in. Pretty much everything goes perfectly for Stasia, and there’s nothing she has to overcome. What kind of story is that?
What I did love about this book was the beach setting. It made me want to pack my things and head to the beach stat. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s set on the North Carolina coast, a place that is very dear to my heart, but the summery flavor of the book was done really well.
If anything, this book is a fun, quick summer read. It has its flaws, but I can’t deny that it’s entertaining and sorta cute.
Forsaken was okay - not too good, not too bad. I’ll just dive right in. (Heheh, dive because this book is about sea gods and the ocean and stuff. Dive. I’m funny, I promise.)
Anastasia was an alright character. I don’t really know what to say about her - in fact, I’m having a hard time really writing this review, because the book simply didn’t draw very much emotion from me at all. Anastasia has problem of inconsistency. She says that her past was filled with abuse and that she has put up walls around her heart, but this is not shown in her behavior at all. She lets in Finn and trusts him with almost no hesitation, and she takes an immediate liking to her new roommates. She just doesn’t seem like a very damaged person. Her roommates themselves are flat characters who don’t really have important roles in the story aside from their singular personality traits. Willow is nice and likes to cook, Carmen is feisty, Phoebe is a rocker chick. You barely learn anything about them aside from those basic things. They don’t develop as characters at all.
Forsaken has a very familiar plot that goes something like this:
Girl does not belong. Girl is hated by all/ has little to no friends. Girl has strange mark on her body that she thinks is a tattoo or birthmark. Girl has strange visions that involve a mysterious Hot Guy. Girl gets sent to boarding school for people who also have strange visions. It turns out Girl is *gasp* a speshul snowflake. Girl has speshul powers. Said Hot Guy goes to the boarding school, too - naturally. Hot Guy is handsome, mysterious, and creepy. Hot Guy stalks Girl and watches her sleep and hides his secret past from her to protect her. Girl spends a lot of time kissing Hot Guy. Etc. Etc. Basically, the story felt very Twilight.
There’s kind of a lack of conflict in this book. Conflict is crucial for any story, so the fact that that’s missing sort of indicates that this book isn’t very good. Everything is just so mellow and happy. The plot drags as a consequence. Most of the plot is Stasia and Finn romance with a few other fun things thrown in. Pretty much everything goes perfectly for Stasia, and there’s nothing she has to overcome. What kind of story is that?
What I did love about this book was the beach setting. It made me want to pack my things and head to the beach stat. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s set on the North Carolina coast, a place that is very dear to my heart, but the summery flavor of the book was done really well.
If anything, this book is a fun, quick summer read. It has its flaws, but I can’t deny that it’s entertaining and sorta cute.
August 17, 2012
I received this book for my honest review.
What can I say but OMG! This book starts out with a small piece of history with the baby being left in front of the Police Station by her mother and father. This in itself creates a tug at the heart as both the mother and father cry about leaving their baby behind and it instantly creates a bond with the poor family who are forced to separate. We don't know it at the time but they did this to save their daughter's life.
Flash forward to when the baby is 17 years old. Having lived her entire life in the foster care system and being both mentally and physically abused, she suffers from nightmares. She has been adopted by a family and is now seeing a therapist for her blackouts and nightmares. Which the family think is because of her history. When she goes to a therapist who sends her to a different therapist who then sends her to a new school, at first we think oh wow what's wrong with this picture. What doctor does that after just a few questions. Then we start to see the strange things that are happening.
First of all Hannah can hear music in the water of her bathtub, music with no origin. She see's things when she is blacked out, things that are unanswerable at this time but we do find out later what those things are.
Hannah goes to this new school where she recreates herself. Due to her visions during her blackout, she asks that they call her Anastasia or Stasia for short. This flags her because there is a legend regarding an Anastasia and everyone knows it at the school. Then we find that this school isn't just any old school, we find that EVERY student at this school has special abilities because they are children of the water. They are all children of the Gods/Goddesses. Part Human, part god which gives them these special abilities.
I won't tell you who the mother and father of Anastasia is to not spoil the book but suffice it to say it is what creates quite a bit of the drama in the book.
This book has some heart-stopping action scenes and tear raising scenes. This book makes us catch our breath and laugh and cry and everything in between. I gladly give this book 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone wanting a fabulous read.
I absolutely love books which bring the gods and goddess's of old into them. And this book has everything that I love, a little bit of romance, a little bit of action, some laughter, some tears, and a mystery that doesn't stop with the ending of the book.
Waiting patiently for the second book in the series now.
What can I say but OMG! This book starts out with a small piece of history with the baby being left in front of the Police Station by her mother and father. This in itself creates a tug at the heart as both the mother and father cry about leaving their baby behind and it instantly creates a bond with the poor family who are forced to separate. We don't know it at the time but they did this to save their daughter's life.
Flash forward to when the baby is 17 years old. Having lived her entire life in the foster care system and being both mentally and physically abused, she suffers from nightmares. She has been adopted by a family and is now seeing a therapist for her blackouts and nightmares. Which the family think is because of her history. When she goes to a therapist who sends her to a different therapist who then sends her to a new school, at first we think oh wow what's wrong with this picture. What doctor does that after just a few questions. Then we start to see the strange things that are happening.
First of all Hannah can hear music in the water of her bathtub, music with no origin. She see's things when she is blacked out, things that are unanswerable at this time but we do find out later what those things are.
Hannah goes to this new school where she recreates herself. Due to her visions during her blackout, she asks that they call her Anastasia or Stasia for short. This flags her because there is a legend regarding an Anastasia and everyone knows it at the school. Then we find that this school isn't just any old school, we find that EVERY student at this school has special abilities because they are children of the water. They are all children of the Gods/Goddesses. Part Human, part god which gives them these special abilities.
I won't tell you who the mother and father of Anastasia is to not spoil the book but suffice it to say it is what creates quite a bit of the drama in the book.
This book has some heart-stopping action scenes and tear raising scenes. This book makes us catch our breath and laugh and cry and everything in between. I gladly give this book 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone wanting a fabulous read.
I absolutely love books which bring the gods and goddess's of old into them. And this book has everything that I love, a little bit of romance, a little bit of action, some laughter, some tears, and a mystery that doesn't stop with the ending of the book.
Waiting patiently for the second book in the series now.
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