YA Book Review: Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

Release Date: 1 May 2012

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

My Thoughts...

In the world of mermaid lore, I feel like often we get that same stories and tropes over and over again with our beautiful mermaid princess and her handsome human love, but Zoraida Cordova threw over that notion from the very beginning.  This book is NOT about a mermaid...but a merman and it's brilliant!  The refreshing perspective that a male POV provided pulled me in from the beginning and kept me flipping the pages up until its finale.

Tristan Hart is your fairly average, good-looking beach-town boy.  He's on the swim team, he works as a lifeguard, and he's got QUITE the reputation as a womanizer.  When he's swept out to sea in a freak storm, yet returns alive when no one else survived, his world is rapidly turned upside down.  Finding out that your a merman is one thing--your parents NOT freaking out? Somebody has obviously got some explaining to do.

I really enjoyed Tristan's voice in this novel.  It felt like an authentic male voice (which maybe I can't really say that since I'm, you know, NOT a boy, but whatever).  I liked his insecurities and the moments when his womanizing catches up with him. I liked the point of view that a male perspective lends to the fairy tale merfolk lore and I thought that it really emphasized the mythology behind the story.

The fantasy and mythology aspects of The Vicious Deep are sure to entertain many teen readers and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to many teens I often visit with at the library. The story moves at a perfect pace, pulling you quickly through its pages and leaving you wanting more. The sequel doesn't come out until 2013 and I, personally, will be waiting anxiously to read more of Tristan's journey!