Everblue

What would you do if you found out your best friend, and coincidentally the boy you were crushing on, happened to be mermaids? Full fledged, tail possessing, swimming, mermaids. I don't know what I'd do personally, but Brenda Pandos takes us through Ashlyn's story as she discovers this world in Everblue. I'm pleased to say that this is a mermaid book that I honestly did love. Pandos takes a lore that we all know, and puts her own delicious spin on it. Hold on, you're in for a ride.

I have to confess that Tatiana and Fin are officially my new favorite brother/sister duo. Their sweet banter, the love they have for one another, and the way they take care of each other, is just wonderful. I knew I'd love Fin from the moment he walked into show more Ashlyn's view and she described him. He's a gorgeous, kind hearted boy. Who doesn't love those? Then we learn more about Tatiana and her spitfire attitude, and I was just smitten. The two of them scream sibling bond. Which, and I won't spoil anything big, makes the ending that much more difficult. (Insert dramatic music here.)

Ashlyn was a great character too, although I didn't fall in love with her as much as I would have liked to. I admired her ability to adapt and to fight for what she wanted. However there were times when she just felt slightly flat to me. Sometimes it felt as though she was going through the motions just to do things while she was waiting for something more important to happen. Compared to Fin, I just didn't feel she was as developed. As the story progressed, she definitely grew into her own though. By the time the ending came I appreciated her much more than the beginning. I know that in the second book I'll be right on board with her!

The relationship between Fin and Ashlyn is downright adorable. I'll tell you that right now! Again, no spoilers. Basically it's just too cute for words anyway. What I will say is that even though you hear a lot about Tatiana in the blurb, you won't really see too much of her in the story. It's not a bad thing, just letting you know. Everblue very much focuses on Fin and Ashlyn, even going so far as to alternate between their points of view in each chapter. Truth be told, I loved that. Seeing the story from both sides made it all the more engrossing and wonderful.

If you're a fan of worldbuilding in your stories, you'll love Everblue. As I mentioned above, Pandos takes what we know about mermaids (and mermen) and adds her own amazing spin to it. These aren't your run of the mill merpeople. They are so much more than that. The story that is built around them and their rich history is really what blew me away. When the ending came, with that darn cliffhanger, I was so ready for more. I cannot wait to see what happens next! I'm hoping for more Fin, more Ashlyn, and more romance.

Long story short? Get a copy of Everblue. Mermaids, romance, twists, it's all there. This book is well worth your time. show less

I have seen a lot of mermaid books around and generally moved on by, thinking they could only be juvenile. How wrong was I?! This book was highly imaginative with a great plot.

It is told in alternating points of view, from the first person perspectives of Ash and Fin. It is pretty refreshing to read something in YA that has that male perspective, rather than the female voice that you often find. Fin was as strong a presence as Ash and that was nice. I loved Tati, Fin's sister and Ash's BFF. She was desperate for humanity and provided a source of amusement with some of the parts of humanity that she grasped.

The underwater world in this could have easily been glossed over, but the author clearly took the time to really think about what show more it would be like to live under the sea. The details she included were often those that I would never have thought of and it added a great deal to the story. On land, the story took place in Lake Tahoe and the two settings made for an interesting background.

I loved that the culture of the mer people was so easily blended with those who live on land. There was also a fabulous blending of mythology throughout this book that lent it a bit of authenticity.

Things to love about Everblue...

--The mermaid kiss. In the culture of this book, the kiss was the most intimate act between loved ones and I loved the symbology of that.
--The supporting characters. We meet several from the sea and some we love and some we hate, but they are all interesting.

My recommendation: I loved this book! Good book, great story, and I expect that Evergreen will be just as good! show less

I thought this was a really cute book. I really loved the varying POV of Ash and Fin. I loved the idea of different color fins and how pretty the world underwater sounded. I really appreciated all the little details like the broken clothes when changing, the little bags on their backs, and houses with air (being more expensive).

But the religious parts were a huge surprise. Although they were pretty few, they still were surprising since they don't arrive until almost midway through the book.

Ouch, I have to admit that I mostly just skimmed the last half of this book, because it was so painful. The point of view switches between the three main characters, Ash, her best friend Tatchi and her brother Fin, both of whom are mermaids. Ash does not know this and has a major crush on Fin. It all starts when Fin's family is recalled to under the sea, and his dad is sent off on a secret mission. All sorts of drama ensues. Fin is petulant and sulks like a toddler who doesn't get his way. There is the matter of a magical kiss that will link the kisser to the kissee forever. Instead of coming across like an interesting mythology it's more like a brainwash of love, where the people are magically in love, willing to die for their mate show more even if they hated each other before. The creepy Prince Azor is attempting to force Tatchi to marry him by said magical kiss. Fin's mother is a second class citizen because she used to be human. Fin breaks rules, gets punished, sulks, dates a mermaid that reminds him of Ash, then the real drama begins. But we're not done yet, oh no, thus my skimming the second half of the book. Even that much was not worth it. show less

I feel in a basic review mood, so I'm just going to cover the bullet points. Plus since this is a water type book, I get to put cheesy fishy and water metaphors in my review.

Things I liked -

◈ The cover is gorgeous.

◈ The book has likable - although simple and expected- characters. The protagonist is the girl next door, a head of the swimming team, great family, loyal to best friend, crush on the brother. The male protagonist is also likable enough, strong spirit and strong ties. The best friend of Ash, and the brother of Fin, is also a typical type - wanting to swim away and escape the ties of what she is. Characters in this one, while nothing exceptional in terms of being different, fit into their trademark roles well enough.

◈ show more The relationship is sweet and simple - while I'm not a fan of the strange kiss thing (more about that below), the way they are with each other does get the heart a tug.

◈ Mermaid world!

◈ Cutesy water-inspired sayings like "Holy Crawfish!", "Great Poseidon", "A match made in water." It's like Batman's Robin had a baby with a mermaid.

Things I disliked -

◈ Mermaids in this world are promised to another if they choose to kiss them. Something mystical about their souls mixing or whatever. This is odd because he ends up promised because of mouth-to-mouth rescue. Any kiss can force a union, including forced kisses. I hate that concept. It cheapens life-long soul mates to me - there should be intent as well.

◈ Strange point of view play. The book is written in first person point of you, with "I", but it is written in two people's points of view. It should have been he/she since there are two narrators. In addition to this, each chapter is divided into the other person's role. It will say "Ash" or "Fin." This mechanical way of storytelling may work on paper in theory, but it makes the story a little mechanical/choppy.

◈ Not much happens besides from Fin's point of view. The romance is supposed to be a major part but that doesn't swim to the top until toward the end. Too much time to get there as well. It would have been better if more time were focused on Fin since that's where the action played out.

◈ A little juvenile with the writing style. It's aimed for YA but I think it reads more for middle school type.

Overall it's not a sinker, but it's not a swimmer. Mermaids are fascinating to read about, and the characters work okay, but there's a lot of changes needed to bring this book up to par. show less

well - this is the perfect example of a book written too young for the reader. There is no story here (or if there is - it is lost behind some girl's wishy washy yearnings to be kissed (but dont kiss me)... and instantaneous "I'm in love" with the next guy who walked around the corner... (It interesting to me in a superficial and far far away place - that *I* NEVER went through that particular "phase" of young female development.... never boy crazy... never wished for this one, oh no - wait - That one!... oh but look look! this one is even better!
Perhaps there is an age group that just loves this kind of story - and that's likely -
but this Young Adult book is just not strong enough in story to hold the interest of an adult.

4.5 stars. Everblue is a great mermaid story: the characters are captivating and the world they live in is very well described. Ashley is just your average teenager except for one thing: her best friend is a mermaid and she doesn't know that. Ash is a brave person and when Tatiana (her BF)and her whole family goes missing she tries her best to live a normal life and at the same time trying to find out what happened. I definitely recommend Everblue to everyone who enjoys a good mermaid story.
Can't wait to read the second book!

(This book is currently free on Amazon as an ebook!)