Book Recap: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova (ARC)

Cover Inspection:
Nothing frilly.
I think it fits considering that the book is narrated by a boy.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
When an unnatural riptide sweeps lifeguard Tristan Hart out to sea for three days and then dumps him back on the shore of Coney Island, it’s the start of the Sea Court claiming its own. Suddenly, Tristan’s girlfriend dramas and swimming championship seem like distant worries as he discovers the truth: he’s a Merman. Now Tristan must fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity (if he still wants it), while competing in a race for a throne as ancient as the gods.

Seductive, duplicitous, and with an agenda of their own, these are not the mermaids you know.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	2.5
Writing	3.0
Characters	2.5
Ending	2.5
Overall Rating	2.5 Good! (85% to 88%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
Coney Island. Then the characters traveled to some a mythical mer world.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The main character and narrator in this book is boy named Tristan Hart. Handsome, flirty, charming. A swimmer. (Can you imagine his abs now? That classic "V" shape?) Girls love him, girls hate him. He's the ultimate merman-whore. He can be a jerk and tactless, which gets him in trouble with his girl-best friend. Nevertheless, he is a relatively disciplined teenager. And probably the most important detail is that he is the grandson and heir of the Sea King.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
Big wave. And he was washed away. He was saved by layla. His best friend since childhood. Brought to hosp. Wakes up after three days. Found out everyone died except him. Then he has hallucinations, bad dreams, began feeling sick. Little does he know that he is changing to a merman as he is the grandson of the sea king who is now losing his powers and calling on to tristan to replace him.

LOVE:
I loved how Tristan narrated the story. I don't know what thoughts comes and goes inside a teen boy's mind. But Tristan's thoughts seem real to me - no cover ups, no pretensions. Reading about Tristan's thoughts in this book made me smile, swoon, and yes... even blush. A perfect example is after Tristan first transformed into a merman, he wondered where his penis went, and if he can still have sex with human girls. Another thing I loved about this book is the part where fishy creatures pop out of the plumbing system. I initially thought it was so childish and weird, but as I went along and read more about it, it's really very charming. It's cute! This leads me to the wonderful, mythical merworld that Zoraida Córdova has created. The world created was shiny, exotic, alluring, and seductive. It was amazing! I loved every detail. It shows just how imaginative and creative she is. For this reason alone, I would not think twice about buying her books.

NO LOVE:
There were also some things I disliked about The Vicious Deep. First is the inconsistent pacing. The pace was OMG-SLOW at the beginning of the story. Tristan was merely "gathering symptoms" of the fact that he was changing for approximately four chapters. It was only on chapter 9 that something really interesting happens! It took that long for things to make sense. Reading along, I found that some parts were fun to read, but some were boring that I was actually tempted to just skip to the more exciting parts. In short, the pacing was like this: slow-fast-slow-fast. That's how this book was for me. I also wish there was more history or background on Tristan's family. I love mythology, and it would have been great to read about Tristan's family tree. Also, I found it unbelievable how Tristan remained relatively composed after he transformed into a merman. No matter how much you love swimming, no matter how at home you are in the water, I would say that growing a fish tail would shock a person. Lastly, I wasn't satisfied with how the book ended. There were still so many questions left unanswered. It only shows that there will be a sequel.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Kurt. Tristans trusted merman side kick. He's cute in a stiff and proper kind of way.

FAVORITE LINE:

“So now you’re also Pinocchio in addition to a mermaid?”
“Mer man.”
“You have to come up with something less fruity.”
“How about Merstud?”
“Mer bro.”
“I kinda liked Merdude.”

MUSINGS:
Initially, I thought that The Vicious Deep would be rather dark and heavy, but i was pleasantly surprised that it's actually light - very light. And this can be attributed to the characters. The characters in this book are likable because they're funny. They blurt out things that are out of this world - literally. They have this Disney quality and appeal. They're THAT fun. But they're the kind of characters that you would want to be friends with in real life. The characters are amazing, but the connection between Tristan and Layla isn't as strong as i expected. It's safe to say that Tristan gets derailed when it comes to Layla. They've been best friends forever, and now, he's beginning to see her in a different light. But he couldn't seem to manage to act on it. All his schemes that worked in the past with other girls do not work with Layla at all. She knows him too well! This frustrates Tristan. This maybe due to the fact that they are still in the friend zone, and that none of them are willing to cross over. But there is potential. The romance might bloom in the next installment. And I am looking forward to it! So does this mean I would read the next book? Yes I will! It is a light and fun read, but what stands out the most is the world created by the author. Fantastic! The Vicious Deep is not perfect, but is a good first book in a new mermaid (merman) series.

DOODLES:

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Zoraida Córdova

SIMILAR READS:
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: moderate
violence: moderate
sexual content: mild
mature themes: moderate
age recommendation: 13+