Florence – Ciye Cho

Publisher:  Studio Amazepop

Pages:  336

Source:  review copy from author

Genre:  YA Frantasy Romance

  

Blurb:

"Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and brought down to Niemela--the hidden world of mermaids and mermen--Florence is the ultimate gift for Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of the dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul."



My Thoughts:

This was one fabulous book.  From the minute I started it I couldn’t put it down.  The world that Cho has created is one I would love to be in.  I could envision all of it.  It was beautifully describe.  Cho obviously knows a lot, or has done a lot of research on the ocean.  The merfolks were very believable as characters.  I felt like I could swim to the bottom of the ocean to find Niemela and spend time with the people there.  Kieran was so charming and disarming in his looks and attitude that you couldn’t help liking him from the very first.  However, you get the feeling that you haven’t learned everything about him.  Rolan seemed like a strong force to deal with.  When Florence is first brought to Niemela she can feel contempt from Rolan.  She isn’t sure why.  As Florence is taken in by the princes’ sister Yolee, Florence finds a true friend.  She had not had a true friend since her father’s death. It was her ability to hang back and observe those around her when she lived on land that helped her while she was in Niemela.   I felt the tension she felt.  It seemed like every time she took a step forward in getting the Niemela to at least be nice and friendly to her that something happened to push them away.  She felt like she didn’t belong anywhere.  That is why I loved this book.  I figured she was  either going to go back to the surface and be changed and make those around her see her or she was going to find a way to stay in Niemela and be excepted.

The end was not as tightly tied up as I’d like.  I hope there is a sequel.  I NEED to know what happens next.  I look forward to reading more by this author.  I was given an electronic version for review.  I look forward to purchasing a physical copy to put on my shelves for my students.  This is definitely a book I will recommend to them.