Welcome to the Dangerous Depths blog tour! Check out my review of this book, read the teaser, and enter to win the book below! Enjoy!
Dangerous Depths by Karen Amanda Hooper
Book Two of the Sea Monter Memoirs
Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing
Publication Date: November 20, 2013
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC sent by the publisher
Official Summary:
Hell hath no fury like a selkie separated from his true love.
The gate to the sea creature realm is finally open. Rownan assumes the worst is behind him when he returns home after years of waiting to be reunited with his wife, Vienna. Only to find out that Vienna didn’t wait for him. She traveled to the evil realm of Harte years ago, hoping the legend of another gateway to Earth’s realm was real, but she was never heard from again. Rownan claimed he’d go through hell to be with Vienna, and now he must prove it.
Yara wanted to bask in the glow of her happily ever after in the magical realm of Rathe. She planned to explore Medusa and Poseidon’s world and dive deeper into her relationship with Treygan, but as the new leader of Rathe, her powers are needed to save more than one member of her own kind. Treygan vowed to always be Yara’s guardian, but long ago he also swore to go any lengths to protect his brother Rownan. Now, he must fulfill his promise to both of them.
Rownan, Yara, and Treygan are about to put their lives and souls at risk by traveling to the most dangerous realm of the worlds. Love should conquer all, but no one has ever conquered Harte.
What I Liked:
You all must know by know that I am a huge fan of Karen and her books. She's a Baltimore native, her books are amazing, the covers are gorgeous, and she's super fantastic. What's not to love?! Well, congratulations on your fourth AMAZING release, Karen! It's sad that this is the first novel of hers that I am reviewing, but I've read the others, and I love them. Tangled Tides is my favorite, but this sequel did not disappoint. If anything, this sequel is almost as fabulous!
One of the brilliant things about this book is that you don't really have to remember much from the first book to read the second one. I didn't really have a hard time getting back into Yara and Treygan's world. Hooper doesn't really recap events of the first book all at once in the beginning, like most authors do with sequels. Rather, she lets information flow gently into the book, naturally, so it never feels like there is an info-dump anywhere. But, it's clear enough that you recall major events from book one. This is important to me, because I didn't re-read book one before reading this one.
Anyway. Rownan, Treygan's brother is determined to get his wife back. Vienna is stuck in a hellish place called Harte - and yes, it is literally hell. Yara, Treygan, and Rownan set out to find this impossible and terrible place, bring Vienna back, and somehow, do all of this without losing their minds, or worse, their lives.
Such an interesting premise. Definitely not a what I was expecting, when the synopsis was first revealed, but I was intrigued nonetheless. I was expecting something more related to the overall plot with Yara and her strange being, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that while going to Harte did not have to do with Yara and her role in the general plot specifically, it did have much to do with the general plot of the series. This is good, because sequels are the books that step into the overarching plot of the series. In the first book of a trilogy, the protagonist gets a taste of the different, unique life into which he/she has been thrown. In the last book of a trilogy, the final showdown takes place. So, bravo to Hooper on that aspect - subtly keeping to the grand scheme of things!
Yara and Treygan are not quite at the forefront of this novel. I was surprised to find that this book was written with not one but three first-person perspectives - Yara's, Rownan's, and Nixie's. All three perspectives are very important, and I think it will be interesting to see how each character plays a role in the final book. With the exception of one. No spoiler.
While Yara and Treygan are not at the front and center of this book, they are still very, very important. Their relationship grows beautifully, just as the relationship between the two protagonists should, in a sequel. I love that no love triangle has been introduced - sort of. I have a hard time believing in anyone but Treygan and Yara.
The plot is so bendy and twisty! At times, it dragged a little, but I found that for the most part, I was flipping through this book, wanting to know what would happen next. Most of the book takes place in Harte. A good way to think of Harte is Davy Jones' Locker (if you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean). That is exactly what I thought of, every time Hooper described a part of Harte.
On that note, the imagery is SUPERB in this book. The descriptions of everything is so beautiful and captivating. Even those of Harte, of the nasty, haunting place, had its on luster. Hooper has a way of describing things - you can really picture it in your mind.
Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this book!
What I Did Not Like:
I mentioned this before, but I found that the plot dragged at times. The beginning definitely is slow. It took me about 30% to really start getting into the story, and about then, the team entered Harte. So, if you're having trouble starting and finishing this book, fret not, because it does have a slow beginning.
Would I Recommend It:
YES! I most certainly would! If you loved book one, you'll love book two. If you're contemplating reading this series, do it. The first book, and the sequel, are FANTASTIC. And if you didn't like book one... try again. You might find that this series is quite epic.
Rating:
4 stars. I cannot wait to read Sacred Seas! November 2014 is too far away.
Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!
The Teaser:
About the Author:
Karen was born and bred in Baltimore, frolicked and froze in Colorado for a couple of years, and is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. She's addicted to coffee, chocolate, and complicated happily-ever-afters.
Karen has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. Due to her strong Disney upbringing, she still believes in fairy tales and will forever sprinkle magic throughout all of her novels.
The Giveaway:
ONE Grand Prize Winner will get: Sea Monster Memoirs Prize Pack Including Signed Paperback Set of Tangled Tides & Dangerous Depths
