Review: Waterfell

Book: Waterfell by Amalie Howard
Publication Date: October 29, 2013
Series: The Aquarathi (#1)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE QUEEN

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age.

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

Overall Review:
I haven't read a lot of mermaid books so I couldn't really judge what made a good one and what didn't, what I was to expect, or what types of mermaids I actually liked. I think Waterfell was the third mermaid book I've ever read (before I read Of Poseidon and Of Triton). That being said, I was actually super interested to read Waterfell and learn about the Aquarathi and their world. Waterfell started off pretty blah, though that was because the main character Nerissa annoyed me and had nothing to do with the story itself, but I kept going because the plot and story just fascinated me. Boy am I glad I continued! Despite it starting off rocky, it picked up quickly and it was so hard to put down! Waterfell was funny, fast paced, romantic, and so thrilling with such a color cast of characters, such an amazing and interesting world, and a fight to save a kingdom we could only dream of. There were quite a few times where Waterfell annoyed me with it's repetitiveness on some subjects, scenes or revelations that honestly made no sense to me, or when things seemed painfully obvious to me but the characters, Nerissa specifically, couldn't figure it out. This only happened a few times so it wasn't a huge deal to me, plus the fact that all the pros and amazingness of Waterfell totally outweighs those crappy cons! The best thing I felt about Waterfell was all the freaking plot twists. I kid you not Waterfell is full of them! You can ask Amalie Howard, I ranted to her about it because while some of the twists I saw coming, others freaking blew my mind. Howard has many talents when it comes to writing, but making plot twists is one of her best!

I opinion of Nerissa changed almost all the time. In the beginning I thought her to be completely selfish, self-centered, and bratty. The world revolved around her because she said so. She did what she wanted, she said what she wanted, and everyone had to go along with it because she told them to. It got so annoying. However, after she realized the seriousness of the situation she was in, and who she really was, she started to get better. She was still pretty selfish at times but she tried harder to be nicer and more understanding, to care more. She stopped being the self-absorbed teenage girl she was trying to be and become more like the Aquarathi princess she was born to be. She started to genuinely care about her people and the welfare of her kingdom after she saw that she couldn't just run away from her problems, because people were going to die because of it. It took awhile and there were some serious bumps in the road before she accomplished that, but when she finally became the kind of person, the kind of hero, she needed to be it was just amazing. Such great character development for her, and she was the type that really needed to mature. There's still much can do to change and become a better person, and I'm looking forward to seeing it in the sequel, but for as far as she's come her progression as a person was phenomenal.

The relationship between Nerissa and Lo bugged the living crap out of me. It made no sense whatsoever! One chapter Lo would constantly make fun of Nerissa and she would respond with being a bit of a bitch, the next chapter Lo would try to befriend Rissa and she'd continue to be a jerk, the next chapter they'd actually get along and seem like close friends, the next Lo would try to be friends still and Rissa would hate his guts again and be a b with an itch. And the kicker? When Lo tried to forget Rissa and move on by trying to make new friends, Rissa would get crazy jealous and pissed! Well it's your own fault for being so mean for absolutely no reason! This type of thing went on for a majority of the entire book and it really pissed me off. When Rissa finally got over whatever the heck crawled up her butt and realized that she could be nice to Lo, and that she actually really liked Lo, it was cute to see them together. They genuinely cared about each other and liked being together once they got over making fun of each other at every turn. They could be so sweet and romantic. I may not have liked or trusted Lo completely, but I still felt Rissa could've been nicer to him the whole book and when they finally got together, I enjoyed it! I'm a romantic at heart.

The pace was really fast and it helped make the book impossible to put down. Waterfell started off slow and pretty blah, because Nerissa needed a huge attitude adjustment, but it picked up pretty fast and it never slowed down. It was such an enjoyable read. It was funny, very entertaining, could be very light and romantic, yet it was also full of thrills and horrific chills that left you begging for more. Waterfell was the kind of book that I dived right into and refused to come up for air (heehee). Plus there were plot twists everywhere. Loads and loads of plot twists that I just couldn't handle it. I had to rant to Amalie Howard about it all, it got too much! Nerissa started off as a selfish brat who needed someone to put her in her place. She wasn't that great of a character to begin with and she bugged me to know end. However, as Waterfell went on she began to become a different person, the kind of person she needed to be in order to save her kingdom. She realized how she was acting and who she was trying to be wouldn't make her happy or do anyone any good, so she tried to do better. To be better. It was great to see that. The relationship between Lo and Rissa got on my nerves because their feelings and personalities with each other changed every chapter. It was super confusing and downright annoying. However, after they finally stopped whatever it was they were trying to do, Rissa mostly, and just tried to be friends and get to know each other they were actually really nice and sweet to each other. I really like the title, especially when I say it out loud. No idea why but I like saying Waterfell. I also really like the cover. It's so pretty and I'm a huge fan of all the blues!


Overall Rating:
I give Waterfell a 4 out of 5 star rating. It was such an enjoyable and amazing read. i genuinely think it's the book that has now got me interesting and into mermaid books. Because of it I am now obsessed with the Syrena Legacy trilogy by Anna Banks and I'm definitely going to try and find more awesome mermaid books. If that doesn't say something about how good Waterfell is, I don't know what will! I would totally recommend this to people who are into mermaid stories or people who don't but want to give them a try! It's a great book and I'm super excited for the sequel! Thanks for reading!

4/5 stars

~Kayla~