Book Review: Florence

Florence

Author: Ciye Cho

Expected Publish Date: July 1^St 2012

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a 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.

I’ve not yet read any mermaid or mermaid like stories.  I’ve been a little leery of them because of the whole it’s in water so is the writer’s imagination good enough to pull off an underwater civilization. Thus, my trepidation is easily understood.

It’s beautiful. The world that is. The everyday world that is briefly engaged is, well, everyday. However the environment of the Neimelan described is beautifully created. It could very well exist on the bottom of the ocean somewhere secret from the rest of the world. 

Florence is a decently developed character to me. She’s a bit withdrawn, and even in the strange new world she doesn’t move out of the introverted attitude she has. She is a constant – there’s really nothing out of character that occurs - and because of it, I found her to be slightly predicable but not in an annoying OMG I can’t believe she’s doing that when it’s clear she shouldn’t be way. 

The other characters the reader encounters, her classmates -that I would personal sock in the face for their ignorance- and the Niemelan, -whom don’t really treat her much better but at least have a valid reason to be suspicious- are also just as well developed. Everyone stays in character. There are no weird attitude breaks that leave the reader confused as to why that just happened.

The story flows in a steady stream. It doesn’t jump around between characters or leap back and forth through time.  There’s a steady flow of activity that moves from one point to the next in a clean even segue. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading.  There was nothing obnoxious about the writing and there were no moments of confusion that left puzzlement or disinterest in its wake. It’s a very solid read and it is certainly a recommended reading. 

My Rating:

 P.S. Thanks to the author for providing the ARC for review. ^_^