Four months have passed since the night Callie Pierce fulfilled her destiny as the Vessel and her world is shifting faster than ever before. The Occulta Mirum is in disarray, still reeling from the demise of its longest reigning monarch and its people have a decision to make, on which more lies balanced than they know. As Callie and Orion rise together to new responsibility, dealing with the … consequences of what has passed, Callie finds herself changed and looking into the shadow of the deep for answers. The life she’s been thrown into isn’t what she expected, and as the responsibility of her new found position among the Mer mounts, the cracks in the fantasy world she so loves are starting to show. Can then, the dark mystique of the Psiren’s world be what Callie was destined for all along?
Get ready to ride into the world of the Occulta Mirum at greater depth than ever before. As Callie learns the truth of the ancient agenda of three brothers, and comes face to face with the temptation and allure of what will seemingly save everyone she loves.
Power.
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This second book in the trilogy was a thrilling follow-up to the first, The Kiss that Killed Me. It took us in a completely different direction than I expected, using an absolutely surprising route compared to the first book. We learn so much about both species, the Mer and the Psirens, their weaknesses and their strengths, what motivates them and how they came to be. We meet beings that are stunning and others that are absolutely frightening. But possibly the most important thing we learn is who is evil and will betray the Mer and who will stand up and become an intricate part of their hope for a future.
This story was so intense and capricious that I was feeling my way through the dark until the end. It held danger and suspense along with a tension that kept tightening throughout the story. Characters I was sure were safe or meant to be together were torn apart right in front of my eyes. I felt it to be unpredictable and refreshing, and I found myself invested in these characters’ lives. I laughed, cried and had my heart broken, and all of it while the author painted an elaborate picture in my mind. I am amazed by the detail and the heart that has gone into this fantasy. And once again, I’m stunned by the artistic ability of the author to make it all come to life. I’m anticipating the third book in this trilogy will be just as exciting as these two previous ones. And I look forward to seeing what she has for us next.
I received an ARC for an honest review. I totally recommend this book. I’m more of a vampire novel chick and so far this book with mermaids and magic that are gifted with is just awesome!
When I read the first book “The Kiss That Killed Me” I was impressed with Kristy’s writing style. She flawlessly jumps from character to character showing us how each emotion is felt by the character who is the focus of the chapter. I was happy to see that she continued that style of writing in this story. I feel it has allowed me to experience a wide range of emotion right along with Callie, Orion, Azure and Solustus. The characters are developed beautifully and I can vividly picture how Callie and Orion have grown.
This story takes place in different settings from the first story and I was again transported to these locations through creative use of language and simile. I read a comment from one reader (it was from the first book, but I think applies here too) saying that they didn’t like the amount of detail describing the setting; I would have to disagree. I enjoyed that aspect of the story. I think that it made Callie, the heroine, feel more real. She is still a new mermaid and each time she sees something new she is awed. I think it is appropriate for the reader to feel the same way about a world they have never interacted with before.
I can’t think of any aspect of the story I didn’t like from a writing standpoint. I wanted some of the characters to make different life choices; however, I also think that is what makes a story great! If all the characters acted as I would want them to they wouldn’t develop like real people. Real people are far from perfect, even if we would like them to be, and these characters are not either.
Overall, if you like fantasy stories that transport you to a brand new world, I suggest giving this trilogy a try.
Strong female leads. To me, I just started scratching the surface of this concept with the books A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass both by the talented Sarah J Maas. Let me introduce you to the newest author that has earned my utmost respect by not allowing females in her novels to be mere damsels in distress. Kristy Nicolle.
So I’m warning you right now- if you HAVEN’T read the first book in this series “The Kiss That Killed Me” you need to stop reading this blog post immediately. I’m not one for spoilers, I refuse to spoil a book in the middle of a series. So you’ve been warned!
We have, for the most part, the exact same cast of characters we did in book one. Which is absolutely brilliant because the author does some major character development with each, making this my favorite (so far) read of the trilogy.
Orion is back. he’s still reeling from his father’s death. The mer people just lost their leader, and naturally are looking to fill that position immediately. Not out of disrespect, but for structure. Who better to fill Atlas’ shoes than his only son. Only problem is Orion was reluctant to move into the “castle” when his dad was alive. Now he’s expected/wanted to to assume responsibility by his people, and Orion feels less than superior for the job. Nicolle is brilliant making you feel absolute grief from the death of a parent; the uncertainty of living up to expectations to fill gigantic shoes, regret over things we shoulda/coulda/woulda learned from parents, but thought that we had plenty of time left. And we all know men- OK I’ll give the guys a break here; we all know CERTAIN kinds of men, that don’t really show their emotions. . .well. . .emotionally. They decide to channel grief in their own unique, annoying, sometimes unhealthy way.
If Callie can survive death, AND up choosing to live life as a mermaid instead of a Goddess, of course she’s going to be back in this book. It is in this character’s development alone that this book get’s a high rating. Callie goes from a humdrum teenager, go getting stabbed in the back by a psiren, and starting her life as a mermaid and Orion’s soulmate. When your life does a complete 180 degree, you should be allotted to ask as many questions as you want; which is exactly what Callie does. Although, it seems to annoy her soulmate. I’m sure the day I turn into a mermaid, I’m gonna ask a billion questions, so if my soulmate isn’t ready for that, it’s single lady time. It also seems that with Callie’s death at the end of book one it further annoys Orion that she made a decision this monumental without asking him. Ick just writing that sentence makes my skin crawl. So with Orion taking the place of his father, he need a Queen by his side. Seems ridiculous that it should be anyone BUT Callie, so Callie seamlessly fills that role.
Saturnus is still advising; completely butt hurt because he wasn’t chosen by the mer people to be king. Sorry sweet heart, go stare at your golden reflection a bit longer, maybe the Goddess will show an ounce of pity on you. Orion and Saturnus seem to butt heads, mainly because Orion is now in charge. Saturnus though is a major nosy Nancy. JUST because two mer people are soul mates does NOT mean you need to push a King to propose to your unsure other half that’s still trying to figure things out. But hey, Saturnus has been around for AGES! He’s gotta know what he’s talking about right? And such a ladies man, cause he knows how women work . . .pffft.
Azure and Starlet are here too. I don’t think I ever mentioned this in the previous post, but I love Azure’s character. Sure she stabbed Callie in the back. But brunette’s let’s be honest with ourselves. There’s been AT LEAST one time we’ve wanted to stab a blonde in the back . . . am I right? No? Just me? . . .moving on then.
Azure and Starlet are at this point trying to bridge the gap in their soulmate relationship. Azure is still fighting the dark, but slowly coming back to her old self. There’s no one like her now, and she’s completely alone as far as what she experienced. I’d be short tempered and snarky with the lot of them too.
So let’s get back to Callie. She hasn’t been right since she died. In the first book she was questioning everything, and curious, and in awe of everything, shy etc. As this book progresses, it’s as if Callie and Azure have completely switched. Callie is short-tempered to the point where she’s feeling angry. We’ve got Orion not dealing with his grief but instead of dealing with it in a healthy, adult, centuries old kinda way, he channels it to Callie in sexual escapades. Nothing wrong with that (to a point), but when she’s literally asking/begging him to talk to her, and he’s slobbering up her mouth; dude enough already. And let’s not forget Saturnus’ sage advice to propose to Callie. So how does our gallant King decide to go about this? Oh, only to catch her off guard in front of EVERYONE.
Right here- right freaking here is where I fell in love with the book. Callie ran away (again). But it’s at this point in the book that we start to see Callie experience this suppressed side of her that is drawing on the anger (there’s a bigger reason, but I’m not going to ruin that for you). So Callie, being Callie, does what’s logical in her mind. In book one she’s looking for her father, and what better place to start than where the Psirens are?
So here is this blonde mermaid, with aqua marine scales and the aqua marine face mask, and slowly throughout the course of the book these scales and hair fade to black. Cue in Vexus (Sexy Vexy) a villain (but is he really a villain?) anyone could fall for, and the perfect balance in Callie’s life right now.
Callie is absolutely struggling with the dichotomy of good and evil in this book- all very human, and easy to relate to. She’s thrown into a world she’s expected to assimilate to. She’s thrown into being a soulmate without question. Thrown into queenship. Tried being thrown into a marriage. Trying to live up to all these expectations is tiresome, and would make any sane person question whether or not all that work is worth it. With the Psirens, Callie is able to explore being the fighter she wanted to be with the mer. She experiments with being edgy, and throwing caution to the wind, and trying to wear leather and corsets.
It’s through dancing with the dark that Callie finally understands the person she is meant to be in this new world. And the prophecy still has not come to pass. So did Callie die for naught? What secrets has she learned from the Psirens, and is a psiren life for her or is it just a skin she’s trying on?
There was quite a bit of growth just going from book one to book two. They connect seamlessly, and continue right where the last stopped. I do think the story line for this one was brilliantly thought out. It was just perfect. Everything that happened in here was perfection. Plot twists, story line, character development, more fricken plot twists. Ugh. Too brilliant. I cannot believe I’m already to the last book- and I’m kinda bummed!
Another amazing mermaid tale from the great Kristy Nicolle!
The first book in this series took the time to set the stage, going into great detail about what things were like and how they were supposed to look. That gave THIS story the chance to jump right into things and take you on another amazing ride.
I can’t even begin to tell you the slew of emotions I felt while reading this story. There were times I was verbally cussing out my kindle or actually found myself wanting to cry. It’s hard not to become attached to these characters, to feel what they are feeling. It’s like you are going on this incredible journey with them and experiencing everything they are.
Again we follow Callie and Orion as they continue their journey and try to find their place among the Mer. Decisions were made, feelings were hurt, and there is a betrayal that I just DID NOT see coming at all. It’s hard for me to summarize the story any more than that without giving things away but I can say that more pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place and things start to make a whole lot of sense.
In comparison to the other books I have read recently, this author has her own, unique writing style. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing at all, in fact, I love it. While a lot of authors I have read recently don’t set the stage as much, allowing you to kind of picture things in your head the way YOU want to, Ms. Nicolle goes into great detail about how things look and I think that’s perfect for this kind of story. There aren’t many books, at least that I have found, written about mermaids, so it’s not easy to get a clear picture when imagining how they live or where they live, for that matter.
This series is incredible. The books are a little longer than the usual books I read, so it does take me a little longer to finish them, but I am enjoying this ride immensely and I can’t wait to begin book 3!
Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!