Waterfell Blog Tour: Book Review

Welcome to my stop on the Waterfell Blog Tour organized by JKSCommunications! Today I have a Review of Waterfell, and make sure to check out the full schedule by clicking the banner above. 

About the Book

Title: Waterfell

Author: Amalie Howard

Series: The Aquarathi #1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: October 29, 2013
Length: 360 Pages
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THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE QUEEN
Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age.
Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

About the Author

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive. In between writing novels and indulging her love of reading, Amalie is also a books review editor for TheLoopNY, and blogs at amaliehoward.com. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency. 

Her debut novel, BLOODSPELL, was selected as a Seventeen Magazine Summer Club Read. She is also the author of The AQUARATHI series from Harlequin TEEN (WATERFELL Nov 2013 and OCEANBORN Aug 2014), THE ALMOST GIRL from Strange Chemistry Jan 2014, and ALPHA GODDESS from Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press Mar 2014.

For tour and upcoming events, check out amaliehoward.com for more information.

    

 My Review

More than just the story of a girl and her desires to escape into a human life, Waterfell is also a tale of the power of love, duty, and emotions. The world the Amalie Howard creates has so much originality in it that it makes for a beautiful story. When I picked up Waterfell, I had this idea of what the book would be like and where it would go, and to my wonderful surprise, Waterfell went in a completely different direction. This world building is what really makes the book so appealing, and kept me reading the whole time. 

Nerissa is just a girl who feels like she lost it all, and she just wants to ignore her duty to stay and live her human life.  The problem is that she is the Aquarathi heir and when she comes of age, it is her birthright to take over the throne of her underwater kingdom, Waterfell. As Nerissa learns to fight for what she wants, she grows into the leader and queen that her kingdom needs. This story is not just about Rissa accepting her responsibilities; it is also a story about love and the power of such emotion. As Rissa starts to decide she wants to fight for her crown, she also starts to fall for a boy who has a drawn to keep her on land. 

I wen t into reading Waterfell suspecting this was another mermaid book, but that is so not the case. The discovery of what the Aquarathi are and their history is what made me like this book so much. It is not only unique, but it is very interesting to discover and learn about through Nerissa’s story. I am not going to tell you what it is that surprised me, because I do not want to ruin it for others. I like discovering a book is something different than I thought and opens me up to a completely new story without any assumptions. 

I would say that fans of young adult paranormal romance, or science fiction would enjoy Waterfell. It is an entertaining story. I would gladly read the next book in the Aquarathi series, just to see where Nerissa’s story is going to take her next, and what is happening in her world now. There are a few unanswered questions I would like to discover the answers too. 

**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review** 

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