Arc Review: Mer-Charmer – Amy Bearce

Mer-Charmer – Amy Bearce

Fourteen-year-old Phoebe Quinn is surrounded by magic, but she can’t muster any of her own. Her sister is a fairy keeper. Her best friends are merfolk. And all she does is dishes and housework.

When Phoebe finds out a terrible sea creature is awakening that preys upon the peace-loving merfolk, she becomes determined to help them, even though it means going with Tristan and Mina to their home deep in the sea.

Beneath the waves, Phoebe learns she’s more like her sister than she realized. The merfolk are drawn to her, and she can sense the magic of the sea all around her. Magic is finally at her fingertips, but that’s precisely why the stirring dark power under the waters decides it wants her most of all.

Now she must not only help the peaceful merfolk escape this ancient enemy, she must master her out-of-control powers. If she fails, she will die and darkness will rise and enslave the merfolk once more. But embracing her full power could cost her the very people she loves the most.

Release Date: May 9th, 2016

Thank you to Curiosity Quills for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

If this cover looks familiar to you, it’s because I helped host a cover reveal for it in March. Last year, I also read the first book in the World of Aluvia series, Fairy Keeper.

Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood, but I didn’t like this one as much as the first one. I still enjoyed it, it just took me longer than it should have to finish.

What I liked:

-the plot. It has a bit of a The Little Mermaid vibe except in reverse. Phoebe, who was rescued by merfolk at the end of Fairy Keeper, spends a lot of time hanging out near the water with her mer-friends, Tristan and Mina, while her sister Sierra and their friends (Micah, Corbin, and Nell) are off doing…something. I can’t actually remember what it is they do when they go off adventuring – saving other magical creatures, I think.

-Phoebe and Tristan’s relationship is adorable. They evolve from friends to “more”, but, since they’re still quite young, it’s all very sweet and innocent.

-sea monsters make great villains. They can be very creepy.

What I didn’t like:

-I felt like the story moved quite slow, and I found myself skimming a lot. There was nothing wrong with the writing, but I guess it just wasn’t appealing to me (which is not to say that it was bad, it just didn’t work for me at the time).

Overall, Amy Bearce’s novels fit in that delicate age between middle grade and young adult where the characters are almost in their teens (or are early teens) but are still pretty innocent. I’d recommend this series for kids who read slightly above their age range (11+).

Rating:

Cover Reveal: Mer-Charmer – Amy Bearce

Mer-Charmer – Amy Bearce

Fourteen-year-old Phoebe Quinn is surrounded by magic, but she can’t muster any of her own. Her sister is a fairy keeper. Her best friends are merfolk. And all she does is dishes and housework.

Genre: middle-grade fantasy
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: May 9, 2016
Cover Artist: Amalia Chitulescu

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

About The Author:

Amy writes stories for tweens and teens. She is a former reading teacher with a Masters in Library Science. As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they’re raising two daughters and are currently living in Germany, though they still call Texas home. A perfect day for Amy involves rain pattering on the windows, popcorn, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book.

Find Amy Bearce Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

ARC Reviews – April 2015

Since joining NetGalley in late March, I’ve read four ARCs – here is a round-up of my reviews! (please click the title for the full review)

Spelled – Betsy Schow: “I love fractured/retellings of fairy tales so I was pretty stoked when my request for this was approved.” (3.5 interrobangs)
The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters – M.J. Beaufrand: “I liked the fact that they were in a punk band. These are my people (well, these are the people I wish were my people), and I’ve always loved stories where one or more characters are in a band.” (3.5 interrobangs)
Fairy Keeper – Amy Bearce: “[F]airy keepers…have this great fairy-wing shaped marks on their neck, which is very cool, but it’s also interesting that not everyone had control over magical creatures – just a select few.” (4 interrobangs)
The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath – Ishbelle Bee: “[T]he writing…had a whimsical, Neil Gaiman-esque quality (and since I worship Neil Gaiman, this is very high praise).” (4.5 interrobangs)
Mad Miss Mimic – Sarah Henstra: “I loved this book!! I was obsessed with the title/cover before I started it, and I devoured the whole thing…If you like spunky Victorian heroines (which I do), I highly recommend this one.” (5 interrobangs)

ARC Review: Fairy Keeper – Amy Bearce

Fairy Keeper – Amy Bearce

Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects. Almost everyone in the world of Aluvia views the fairy keeper mark as a gift, but not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to communicate, attract, and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful. Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces dreaminess, apathy and hallucinations. She’s forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.

Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father’s Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen and get his operation up and running.

The problem? Sierra’s queen wasn’t the only queen to disappear. They’re all gone, every single one, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous.

Sierra journeys with her best friend and her worst enemy — assigned by her father to dog her every step — to find the missing queens. Along the way, they learn that more than just her sister’s life is at stake if they fail. There are secrets in the Skyclad Mountains where the last wild fairies were seen. The magic Sierra finds there has the power to transform their world, but only if she can first embrace her calling as a fairy keeper.

Release Date: March 5th, 2015

Thank you to NetGalley/Curiosity Quills for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

On Monday, right after I started reading this, we received a fairy-based submission at work, so I’ve been in a fairy mood all week.

What I liked:

-the relationships!! All of them!! The fact that Sierra’s willing to go on this arduous journey to save her little sister. The way Sierra and Corbin really are “just friends” with no romantic tension (even an almost pseudo-kiss didn’t cause them to fall madly in love with each other). I don’t know if it’s spoiler-y to tell you about Nell and Corbin or Micah’s appearance, but it was super cute.

-the characters. Sierra was tough and strong but could still admit when she needed help instead of blustering her way through. I think Nell was my favourite, especially the way she developed over the course of the story. I also really liked Micah, though I was a little suspicious of him for a while (I briefly wondered if he had ulterior motives, but that just shows how well Sierra’s thoughts were presented, since she wondered the same thing).

-the idea of fairy keepers. I mean, for one, they have this great fairy-wing shaped marks on their neck, which is very cool, but it’s also interesting that not everyone had control over magical creatures – just a select few.

-other magical creatures introduced in a logical way. If there are fairies, there should also be merpeople and fauns and dragons, right? Right! It makes sense and they’re integrated almost seamlessly so that you’re not wondering where these magical creatures came from (*cough the Fallen series cough*).

-the writing itself was lovely and descriptive without being over-the-top about it.

-also, the rather violent ending, which was shocking, but in a good way. Sierra took ownership of her powers and it was excellent to see.

What I didn’t like:

-we spend a lot of time in Sierra’s head and, while that’s often a good thing (see how I felt about Micah), it did get a little repetitive sometimes (especially when it came to her brotherly feelings for Corbin).

-since I wasn’t sure about time period, occasionally I felt like there were some anachronistic sayings (i.e. “give me a break”), which felt odd when it was followed a little bit later by phrases like “the hourglass sands never stopped flowing”. It didn’t detract from the reading experience, it was just a little jarring.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I’m tempted to consider it “middle grade” rather than “young adult”, but it makes sense as being on the younger end of the YA spectrum.

Rating: