Title: Arise (Syrenka #3)
Author: Amber Garr
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 5 stars
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
With power comes the responsibility to accept its consequences.
After the betrayal of those closest to her, Eviana Dumahl struggles to cope with her new reality. Kidnapped, broken, and confused, she is forced to engage in a war that will alter merfolk politics forever. With her estranged father leading the charge, Eviana has no choice but to stand by his side. Her continued existence hinges on the acceptance of the power growing inside her, even when that means embracing the family’s dark lineage.
Kain Matthew will sacrifice the world for Eviana. And he is not alone. As time runs out, her friends fight to save her life and theirs. An unlikely alliance gives them the edge they need to take a stand, although it keeps Eviana’s heart trapped in the past. A new discovery explains some of her previous mistakes, but it may not be enough to stop her father’s plans. Merfolk, selkies, and water sprites work together to save their kind, only in this final battle, not everyone will survive.
In the striking series conclusion, Eviana will learn the true meaning of power, sacrifice, and love.
Arise is the final installment in the Syrenka Series. I previously read and reviewed Promises (Syrenka #1) and Betrayal (Syrenka #2). Of all parts, Arise is my favorite, and I’m about to tell you why.
Although I love the setting of this series, Eviana never convinced me. She still doesn’t. She’s this picture perfect mermaid who goes around making out with three guys during this series, and always finding reasons to blame others for her own actions. The good part? This book is told from both Eviana and Kain’s POV, and Kain is about ten thousand times as interesting. First of all, he’s clever and intelligent, and always willing to sacrifice himself for the greater cause. His only flaw? Despite Eviana having left him at the altar, he’s still in love with her. While I was mentally screaming ‘WHY’ at him, it didn’t make me like him any less.
Also, the plot really rocks in this book. Everything comes together in an epic climax that left me feeling dizzy. We’ve got evil Lucian and his plan to control all other mermaids, we’ve got the whole Lucian – Eviana ordeal, the love triangle that comes to an end and the question who’s side Graham is really on. I still loved Graham by the end of this book, mostly because well, he’s a bad boy, and I like bad boys (in literature, not really in real life). I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’m not going to give you the love triangle solution, but I’ll tell you it was awesome and kind of sad, and Eviana made the right choice in the end.
I’m still impressed by the author’s writing style and the world she created for her characters. I’ll definitely check out her other books in the future. Meanwhile, I can only recommend the Syrenka series, especially to YA paranormal romance or YA fantasy fans, and fans of mermaids.
Speak Your Mind