Catch a siren. Stop the storm. Whatever the cost.Allie, sick of war and grief, signed up as a lowly maintenance worker for the Colony in the hope of securing a lasting peace between the Titans and Humans. However, the girl has her own secrets, not least of which is her assignment from the New Hope government to monitor the Colony for signs of a suspected saboteur. Galen, the only survivor of the … survivor of the Poseidon shipwreck, didn’t join the Colony for peace. He wants vengeance on the siren Halcyon, the mysterious Mer whose terrorist tactics single-handedly killed more Humans than any other Titan. His sources say that Halcyon is on New Hope, and he’ll happily kill every Mer in the Colony until his parents’ murderer is dead.
Can they catch the terrorist before the Colony is destroyed?
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I have no complaints on this book or The Complex series itself ( I have had the opportunity to read a few more in the Complex series). Each author leaves their unique signature on the storyline and this one was no different. This book snapped me up and compelled me to finish it. As many people know ( probably not but you will now) if you read any of my reviews, I do not share any spoilers or even a sentence from the book I have read. I feel that talking about characters names,incidents that occur, etc… is like giving someone TMI. There is a blurb and the point of a review is to see what others thought about said story, not too provide a more in-depth analysis and summarization of the book, almost like cliff notes. If you likes delving into a futuristic type scenario with a level of romance that is perfectly balanced with humour and interesting characters with a depth that makes you feel like you have went to a new world and never walked out of yours personal reading nook ,this a book for you.
Halcyon is a scifi romance that takes place on a space colony and is the first book a two book series. It’s written in third person omniscient from the two main leads’ perspectives. It’s a relatively quick read, but touches on some rather deep concepts.
Galen is a scientist who happens to be the lone survivor of a siren attack when he was teenager. Though he wants, and actively works to further, the peace between humans and titans (a broad term that seems to encompass all the other alien species), he harbors a deep hatred for the siren who kill his parents, Halcyon. The new colony that is to integrate humans and titans has both him and his work in it, but it is also his stage for finding and eliminating his nemesis. He’s overall a good guy, but a bit naive.
Allie is a rather happy character, and I think I liked that very much because she suffered so much and made her choice to be and bring happiness instead of dwelling in the past and sorrows. She works as a plumbing lead mechanic on the new colony. The moment she meets Galen she likes him, and the feeling is mutual (though he doesn’t realize she’s a titan at first).
This book is something of a coming to grips with reality, the fact that the universe isn’t black and white, and that sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. The two work well together, and have a very natural chemistry. Though the road is rough, you can rest assured they get their happy ending (shouldn’t be a spoiler I don’t think). There’s interesting species, awkward romance, a bit of steam, and some sweet moments locked within. If you like scifi or paranormal romance, give this a go.
Halcyon is a siren, one of the Mer. She is seeking vengeance for the death of her husband, Ceyx, tortured to death by the crew of the Poseidon. Now ten years later, Galen, the sole survivor of the Poseidon, is out to get revenge on Halcyon for killing his parents when she sank the Poseidon. He blames her for multiple nuclear explosions that killed many people. He is an environmental engineer in the colony with no love for the Titans, searching for Halcyon to terminate her along with all the Mers. We meet Allie from Maintenance, a cheerful young lady who is hoping for peace between the Titans and Humans after losing her husband to the war. Unknown to Galen, she was Halcyon before her rejection of war and violence. The two opposites are on a collision course. Passion sparks between them, neither knowing enough about the other to realize they are enemies. The plot thickens as Galen tries to find and destroy Halcyon before she can harm Allie. The relationship between Allie and Galen advances to enthusiastic sex as they enjoy each other. But misunderstandings come between them, at least for a while. Then a surprising twist brings them back together again for good.
I loved this science fiction romance about a human and a mermaid whose shared history should have kept them apart.
Interesting world building, a host of different metas, an experiment in cross-species communal living make this story an interesting premise that’s presented with Carlton’s unique talent for making other-worlders believable and sympathetic.
Enemies to lovers is such an insipid description. Galen is a man so intent on finding the woman who killed his parents and making that woman pay to the point of being willfully blind to the less-pure intentions of purported allies. Then finding that his new love is the woman he has been looking for …. What an one-two punch to the mental gut. This is a weirdly reversed retelling of the Little Mermaid and makes the reader’s mind reel.
My first read from author Demelza Carlton, and it won’t be my last! Great depth of character development, wonderful story line. The twists late in the book! Now I just need to figure out the reading order for the other Complex books and hope that the other authors are anywhere as good as this one!
An enthralling read!
The first chapter crushed me! So sad. All I will say is: a grieving woman – well, siren – is dangerous – vengeance has no bounds.
A young man seeking revenge…falls in love unexpectedly with a woman who is not all who she seems but all of which makes an intriguing novel!
Secrets and lies unravelling…second chances…peace or revenge?…a perfect love story.
I heart this book so much!
Favourite quote: “For sometimes the universe needed a halcyon, a siren who could both call and calm the storm.”
Full of secrets, lies, revenge, Metas and romance.
Perfect for readers of Sci-Fi and fantasy romance.
Despite the adult descriptions of making love, this felt like a YA novel. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the future adventures in the complex. I also have several other books by Demelza in my reading queue.