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Book Review of Lies Beneath

Lies Beneath
Lies Beneath
Author: Anne Greenwood Brown
Genre: Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
reviewed on + 380 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


Summary: Calder White is a merman. His three sisters require him to help plan the murder of a human that caused their mother's death. Calder agrees because his oldest sister states that she would relinquish their bond if he helps them. This is a great treat to him because he would no longer be sharing a mind link with them and he can be alone without feeling the need to be near them tug at him. The problem is that Calder is not like other merpeople. He feels bad when he kills. Also, his part of the plan is to do something to get the intended victim out on the water. He thinks that by becoming friends with one of the daughters will surely lead to that success. Then he falls in love with her. Don't you know never to get involved with the bait?!? Through this connection, Calder has to figure out how to handle his sisters, his new budding romance, and the promises that he has made to all sides. What's a merman to do, especially when his thoughts and feelings are out there for all to read?

My thoughts: This was an unexpected treat. It had been sitting for a long time, so I suppose I had forgotten what the story was supposed to be about. When I picked it up (to read on a 5 hour flight), I had expected a light-hearted romp with a beautiful red-headed mermaid. That totally never happened. The story immediately sucks you into a rather dark world. Reminiscent of mermaids as sirens leading sailors to their deaths, Anne Greenwood Brown transforms the merman image into a tortured hero. It was fabulous! I also loved that it was a male protagonist. I read so many books that are told from a teenage girl's perspective that sometimes they become repetitive. Calder's experiences were fun to ride along with; however, I still think the target audience is female. I attempted to hand this off to one of my high school boys and he put it down almost immediately. They are ready for vampires on the covers of their books, but mermaids just don't scream teenage boy.