REVIEW: LIES BENEATH by Anne Greenwood Brown
STATS:
PUBLISHER:
RANDOM HOUSE/ DELACORTE
6/12/2012
SOURCE
NETGALLEY
Murderous Mermaids Make Mayhem! Well sort of :) Lies Beneath is my first 2012 Debut and I have to say this was a great book to start with. The main focus of the story is Calder. Calder is a creature of myth, he is a Merman.
For several months Calder has lived against his nature, he has refused to kill. For a mermaid to exist they need the energy of humans. Its a compulsion and a desire Calder has resisted . Calder seems to be in a strange state, resisting the lure of human energy and living a solitary life. Things get more complicated when Calder's sister Maris calls him and demands he return to their childhood home.
The four siblings couldn't be more different. Maris is the Alpha of the group and has a charismatic hold on the group. Tallulah and Pavati his other two siblings defer to Maris as well. The three girls are comfortable in their roles, the feel no guilt in taking the lives of humans or using their attractiveness to manipulate them.
Calder really fascinated me, his life would be so much easier if he just succumbed to his nature but he doesn't. Calder does however possess the coldness of heart when something he desires is at stake.
Maris offers him a deal he cant resist: his freedom from the family in exchange for seducing one of the daughters of Jason Hancock.
Hancock is responsible for the death of the siblings mother, and Maris wants revenge. In exchange for seducing one of the girls, and leading Jason himself into the water Maris promises to release Calder from his familial bonds.
A very calculating Calder watches the girls and decides to target young Sophie. His plan is to become her friend and hero by setting up a senario will he will rescue her.
Just one thing blocks Calder's plans. Lily, Jason's older daughter and the one human who is able to reist Calder's attractiveness.
I really enjoyed this book. I was always intrigued by each scene and kept turning the pages. Calder and his sisters are very intriguing and I felt that Anne could have easily told this story through any of these characters eyes. I did however wish that the book would had enhanced the horror elements and had less of a YA romance subplot. Lily and Calder are a great couple and they dont have the typical fall in love at first sight situation that seems to happen in a lot of series books.
It's just that Anne is SO GOOD at creepy suspense I wanted the book to have strange creepy twists and more horror. Definetly an author to watch out for. A very solid debut.
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