#bookreview ~ Mer-Charmer (World of Aluvia #2) #YA #Fantasy @AmyBearce

Mer-Charmer

(World of Aluvia Book 2)

By 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.

 

What did I think of the book?

Sometimes you just need to pretend to be brave…

Time heals, it is said, but four years on after her escape from the clutches of the evil Brentwood, Phoebe is still experiencing flashbacks which grip her in a blinding terror. The only place Phoebe feels at home is in the sea with her beloved friends, Tristan and Mina.

But this is no ordinary friendship for Tristan and Mina are merfolk. Magic is everywhere, but Phoebe feels like an outsider, for she does not possess any magic. The only thing she knows is that merfolk are drawn to her, as is an ancient evil that is awakening in the Abyss of the ocean. This evil threatens the lives of those she loves the most. What she does not realise is that magic does indeed flow through her veins and if she wants the merfolk to survive, she must embrace that magic, fight her fears, and help them.

Wow! What a wonderful journey Amy Bearce has taken me on. Bearce knows how to make characters jump off the page, but not only that she makes them very human. When bad things happen it affects her protagonists, they don't just brush themselves off and get on with it, they suffer, which makes them so real in the telling. Phoebe's development through this book was wondrous to behold. She went from a child who had been locked up and beaten, to this incredibly strong young woman who would do absolutely anything to keep her friends safe, even if that meant sacrificing herself. I really liked her.

The attention to detail has to be commended. Bearce's magical world not only came alive but it breathed. I was completely drawn into the story and the world. It is fantastic escapism.

There is a tender love story throughout this story, which pulled at my heartstrings. Phoebe is so terrified that Tristan only likes her because, like all merfolk, he is drawn to her. What she doesn't realise is that Tristan affections are so much deeper than the strength of her magic. She just needs to have the courage to trust her heart.

This is a fabulous story and one I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. For those who love magical creatures and an alternative world, then this book ticks all the boxes. I loved it.

I Highly Recommend

Links for Purchase

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

About the author

Amy Bearce writes fantasy stories for tweens and teens. Her debut, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle grade fantasy and is the first book in the World of Aluvia series. MER-CHARMER (World of Aluvia, Book Two) released May 9, 2016. Book Three, Dragon Redeemer, is scheduled for release May 23, 2017. She is a former reading teacher who now has her 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'll be heading home to Texas this summer.