I liked the style of writing, simple yet very fluent. It was a very fast read -words coming from a slow reader-. However, the story... Without saying spoilers, I would say it was predictable, with boring and flat characters. Romance is just the main plot, when the interesting thing would have been the revenge plot. I didn't feel sympathy for the protagonist nor the love interest. Calder White, the main character, seemed to be like an Edward Cullen for me, and I could hardly stand him. His love interest was OK at first, enjoyable, but at the end I just didn't like her, can't even explain why. She started acting dumb and stupid and cheesy in my opinion, all of a sudden. The ending was not what I was expected -or was it? I'll just say that at the end of the book it seems that something original and unexpected has happened, but then that wasn't true and everything was OK and happy, which made the book boring in my opinion.
However, I must admit it was entertaining, yet not a lot of food for thought, not at all. I do like mermaids, but I never came upon a chance to read them in a book until now, and I only knew the Disney and Andersen's versions of these creatures. Overall, it was interesting to see them in a darker way, but the protagonsit ruined it all by falling in love. It made the story kind of corny, and with Lies Beneath I was hoping to escape from that.
So, two stars out of five. It was OK, but that's all.

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Lies Beneath (Engelska) Pocketbok – 15 April 2013
av
Ann Greenwood Brown
(Författare)
Viktig notis
PEGI-märkt produkt. Mer information om åldersgränser finns här
Produktinformation
- Utgivare : Ember; Reprint utgåvan (15 April 2013)
- Språk : Engelska
- Pocketbok : 320 sidor
- ISBN-10 : 0385742029
- ISBN-13 : 978-0385742023
- Läsarålder : 12 år och uppåt
- Kundrecensioner:
Produktbeskrivning
Om författaren
ANNE GREENWOOD BROWN grew up sailing the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, leaning over the rail and wondering, with a lake that big, that ancient, what amazing thing might flash by. Now she knows. Lies Beneath is her first novel.
Kundrecensioner
4,2 av 5 stjärnor
4,2 av 5
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Populäraste recensionerna från andra länder

Sandra
2,0 av 5 stjärnor
Not my cup of tea...
Granskad i Spanien den 3 juni 2013Verifierat köp
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Marla
5,0 av 5 stjärnor
Lies Beneath - The Dangerous Side of Mermaids
Granskad i USA den 19 oktober 2012Verifierat köp
Just when I thought that I wouldn't find a mermaid novel that I enjoyed 100% of the time, along came Lies Beneath to change my mind. Though there have been many mermaid books in recent months, Lies Beneath managed to introduce a story that I became fully immersed in. With a look at the dark side of mermaids, Lies Beneath gave me chills and made me sit up and take notice all at once. With a main character in the midst of a transformation and villains who are quite literally cold-blooded, this book drew me in hook, line, and sinker.
Calder White came as a complete surprise. At first, he is not someone you would want to encounter. The homicidal tendencies of mermaids is first introduced through him and, I have to say, he is very successful at establishing the lore present in this world. As the story continues, however, it is revealed that there is more to Calder White than meets the eye. He is all at once both less and more than his sisters, which was a really great aspect to his character. Following along as he attains some humanity is fascinating and, at times, moving. Lily Hancock, the catalyst which brings about the changes Calder goes through is both naive and stubborn. At times, I couldn't decide whether to cheer her on or yell at her for some of her decisions. All in all, the entire array of characters present in Lies Beneath made for a truly interesting reading experience.
The pacing is what you might expect from a story of this time. As it takes place in a sleepy town and centers around a plot that requires calculation and a steady build-up, the pace moves along at just the right clip. I didn't feel as though I was being rushed along, nor did I feel bogged down by too many details. The writing was very easy to keep up with. The descriptions of everything from the settings to the people were capable of making these elements easily imagined. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Calder's journeys underneath the water. They made the story come to life bit by bit until I had a full understanding of everything that was going on in this intriguing world.
Lies Beneath would make for an excellent beach read. Its intriguing premise and entertaining characters make it a great pick for a day of reading whether on vacation or at home. It ended in such a way that left me content and satisfied, which is a definite mark in its favor. These aren't the mermaids you may remember from childhood fairy tales. What you get here is a glimpse at what came before there were things such as Disney's The Little Mermaid. If you enjoy books that incorporate different folklore, then Lies Beneath is definitely one you need to check out.
Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.
This review originally appeared on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter, on June 21, 2012.
Calder White came as a complete surprise. At first, he is not someone you would want to encounter. The homicidal tendencies of mermaids is first introduced through him and, I have to say, he is very successful at establishing the lore present in this world. As the story continues, however, it is revealed that there is more to Calder White than meets the eye. He is all at once both less and more than his sisters, which was a really great aspect to his character. Following along as he attains some humanity is fascinating and, at times, moving. Lily Hancock, the catalyst which brings about the changes Calder goes through is both naive and stubborn. At times, I couldn't decide whether to cheer her on or yell at her for some of her decisions. All in all, the entire array of characters present in Lies Beneath made for a truly interesting reading experience.
The pacing is what you might expect from a story of this time. As it takes place in a sleepy town and centers around a plot that requires calculation and a steady build-up, the pace moves along at just the right clip. I didn't feel as though I was being rushed along, nor did I feel bogged down by too many details. The writing was very easy to keep up with. The descriptions of everything from the settings to the people were capable of making these elements easily imagined. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Calder's journeys underneath the water. They made the story come to life bit by bit until I had a full understanding of everything that was going on in this intriguing world.
Lies Beneath would make for an excellent beach read. Its intriguing premise and entertaining characters make it a great pick for a day of reading whether on vacation or at home. It ended in such a way that left me content and satisfied, which is a definite mark in its favor. These aren't the mermaids you may remember from childhood fairy tales. What you get here is a glimpse at what came before there were things such as Disney's The Little Mermaid. If you enjoy books that incorporate different folklore, then Lies Beneath is definitely one you need to check out.
Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.
This review originally appeared on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter, on June 21, 2012.

Patriotmom
3,0 av 5 stjärnor
Wanted more from the characters!
Granskad i USA den 21 juli 2012Verifierat köp
This is a tough one for me, because I really wanted to love this book and I was excited about it after loving Of Poseidon so much. But for me, it just lacked the charm that it could have had, and the characters just fell short.
Summary:
Lies Beneath is the story of four mermaid siblings who are out to get revenge for their mother's death. Calder, the 'adopted' brother, would prefer to live his life without the constant pull he feels from the bond with his sister mermaids. He manages to get away for awhile, but the pull always brings him back to his siblings. When he gets the call that they've finally found who they've been searching for, the man that is the debt owed for the death of their mother, he can't resist following his sisters to the lake. The lake where the Hancock family has finally resurfaced, and they can finally carry out their plan to take the life of the first born son, Jason Hancock, as was promised to their mother so many years ago. Calder and his sisters devise a plan to lure Jason to the water; Calder will play hero to one of Jason's daughters, making them in his debt and easier to manipulate. But with Calder off his game and his sisters taking some matters into their own hands, nothing seems to be going according to plan. When Calder starts to have real feelings for Lily and realizes there may be life for him outside the murder and vengeance that his sisters thrive on, the betrayal is too much. Now Calder takes on the role of protector, but with three angry mermaids up against him he may not stand a chance.
My take:
I liked having the story in Calder's POV, I think it made him seem like less of a monster when I got to see what he was thinking along the way. He clearly was conflicted with his feelings on many things; his sisters, his life, how best to go about carrying out their plan, how to break through Lily's shell, and finally whether or not he really wanted revenge when it came down to it. At times it did feel like there was almost too much mind-chatter, with him over-analyzing every move he made, and he really didn't come across as the smooth seductive merman that he claims to be. It was really odd for me, I'm not sure what I didn't like, but Calder just didn't grab me until the absolute end of the book. I suppose it was the lack of notable charisma and his awkwardness with Lily, it took away from the 'sexy dangerous merman' angle for me. And Lily was okay as a heroine, but again there was just that spark missing from her to make me really love her character. I feel bad, because this story had a great plot and probably should have had me hooked, but the lack of dimension in the main characters left me wanting more.
Calder's sisters, now they had the dangerous mermaid factor in spades!! And just when I thought Maris was the ultimate villain in this story, another of the sisters turns out to be even more evil in her core than the others. They definitely fit the role of the beautiful vengeful mermaids, and I was on the edge of my seat in the final chapters thanks to their heartless ways.
The ending was a 50/50 split as far as whether I liked it or not. My stomach was tied in knots as the climax played out, but I wish it had unfolded differently. It kind of left me less than impressed with Calder again, but then we also see a truly broken side of him that made him have so much more depth and emotion. I finally liked him as the story was coming to a close, and the way it ends has left me curious about rest of this series. I'll probably read on because there were enough twists to keep the story interesting, and I'm crossing my fingers this new Calder makes his appearance instead of the one that I grew tired of in the earlier parts of this story. I give this one a 3.5 and am cautiously optimistic for the rest of the series.
Summary:
Lies Beneath is the story of four mermaid siblings who are out to get revenge for their mother's death. Calder, the 'adopted' brother, would prefer to live his life without the constant pull he feels from the bond with his sister mermaids. He manages to get away for awhile, but the pull always brings him back to his siblings. When he gets the call that they've finally found who they've been searching for, the man that is the debt owed for the death of their mother, he can't resist following his sisters to the lake. The lake where the Hancock family has finally resurfaced, and they can finally carry out their plan to take the life of the first born son, Jason Hancock, as was promised to their mother so many years ago. Calder and his sisters devise a plan to lure Jason to the water; Calder will play hero to one of Jason's daughters, making them in his debt and easier to manipulate. But with Calder off his game and his sisters taking some matters into their own hands, nothing seems to be going according to plan. When Calder starts to have real feelings for Lily and realizes there may be life for him outside the murder and vengeance that his sisters thrive on, the betrayal is too much. Now Calder takes on the role of protector, but with three angry mermaids up against him he may not stand a chance.
My take:
I liked having the story in Calder's POV, I think it made him seem like less of a monster when I got to see what he was thinking along the way. He clearly was conflicted with his feelings on many things; his sisters, his life, how best to go about carrying out their plan, how to break through Lily's shell, and finally whether or not he really wanted revenge when it came down to it. At times it did feel like there was almost too much mind-chatter, with him over-analyzing every move he made, and he really didn't come across as the smooth seductive merman that he claims to be. It was really odd for me, I'm not sure what I didn't like, but Calder just didn't grab me until the absolute end of the book. I suppose it was the lack of notable charisma and his awkwardness with Lily, it took away from the 'sexy dangerous merman' angle for me. And Lily was okay as a heroine, but again there was just that spark missing from her to make me really love her character. I feel bad, because this story had a great plot and probably should have had me hooked, but the lack of dimension in the main characters left me wanting more.
Calder's sisters, now they had the dangerous mermaid factor in spades!! And just when I thought Maris was the ultimate villain in this story, another of the sisters turns out to be even more evil in her core than the others. They definitely fit the role of the beautiful vengeful mermaids, and I was on the edge of my seat in the final chapters thanks to their heartless ways.
The ending was a 50/50 split as far as whether I liked it or not. My stomach was tied in knots as the climax played out, but I wish it had unfolded differently. It kind of left me less than impressed with Calder again, but then we also see a truly broken side of him that made him have so much more depth and emotion. I finally liked him as the story was coming to a close, and the way it ends has left me curious about rest of this series. I'll probably read on because there were enough twists to keep the story interesting, and I'm crossing my fingers this new Calder makes his appearance instead of the one that I grew tired of in the earlier parts of this story. I give this one a 3.5 and am cautiously optimistic for the rest of the series.

thepirateofbooks
4,0 av 5 stjärnor
Hauntingly beautiful can only begin to describe a story
Granskad i USA den 28 juni 2012Verifierat köp
I never thought that I'd see a well done male voice speaking in that of the fantastical form that is a merman. the author clearly invoked not only her own stories of what she remembered about the area but she made it compelling enough for the reader to not put the book down for a good thirty minutes.
The down side to this book though Just happens to be our leading lady, who if I didn't know any better might be related to Flounder. For instance because we can only guess what goes on in her head she seems a little too puzzled and then a little too ditzy. Her family also seemed lack luster and somewhat floppy. Calder's family also hit a bit of sour spot. although his sister's are to say the least beautiful but not well played. they seem to sink to the paper not rise above.
What also flipped me off was the fact that the Author had the ability to make a clean break within one book. I was hoping for it to be stand alone myself but then as I flipped past the acknowledgements there was the ad for a new book coming in next year.
I can only hope the next book gives us more than fast motions and half fizzled love scenes. So yes it is Hauntingly beautiful but just not five stars worth of haunting beauty for this reader.
The down side to this book though Just happens to be our leading lady, who if I didn't know any better might be related to Flounder. For instance because we can only guess what goes on in her head she seems a little too puzzled and then a little too ditzy. Her family also seemed lack luster and somewhat floppy. Calder's family also hit a bit of sour spot. although his sister's are to say the least beautiful but not well played. they seem to sink to the paper not rise above.
What also flipped me off was the fact that the Author had the ability to make a clean break within one book. I was hoping for it to be stand alone myself but then as I flipped past the acknowledgements there was the ad for a new book coming in next year.
I can only hope the next book gives us more than fast motions and half fizzled love scenes. So yes it is Hauntingly beautiful but just not five stars worth of haunting beauty for this reader.

Jay
2,0 av 5 stjärnor
Creepy Protagonist
Granskad i USA den 25 mars 2013Verifierat köp
Hello, readers! I was just watching you from behind that bush over there! Did you see me? Of course you didn't! That's kind of the point of stalking isn't it? So now you're going to fall in love with me, right? No? Restraining order? That's wasn't the way it worked in Lies Beneath.
Our main protagonist, Calder, has a mission: seduce the daughter of the infamous Jason Hancock to lure him out on waters of Lake Superior. Then his mermaid sisters will kill Jason. How does Calder go about the task of seducing this girl? He stalks her. There are several incidents in which Calder watched Lily from behind a bush. Or a tree. Or from under a lake.
At first, Lily acts like a normal stalked girl would. She tells Calder to keep his distance. Even after Calder saves Lily's life (a feat that was artificial and planned out beforehand by one of the sisters) she stays away. But eventually, as the staking persists, Lily gives in and begins to fall in love with Calder. Calder then begins to fall for Lily, and so begins the tale of forbidden love.
The romance is the worst part of Lies Beneath, which is a shame because it's the main focus of the novel. It's a shame because Lies Beneath has such a strong climax and conclusion that would be a perfect ending to the novel if it had been executed better. There is a surprise twist at the end that would have excited me if not for two things:
1. I didn't really care for Lily and Calder at that point so the twist was more of a "great for you" moment than a "OH MY GOD!!!" moment.
2. I read the synopsis of the sequel before I finished Lies Beneath. Never do that, guys. It can ruin a book.
The twist may be a shocker if the romance doesn't bother you.
Lies Beneath could have been so much more than it was if the romance was executed better, but a strong climax saves it from being a failure.
Our main protagonist, Calder, has a mission: seduce the daughter of the infamous Jason Hancock to lure him out on waters of Lake Superior. Then his mermaid sisters will kill Jason. How does Calder go about the task of seducing this girl? He stalks her. There are several incidents in which Calder watched Lily from behind a bush. Or a tree. Or from under a lake.
At first, Lily acts like a normal stalked girl would. She tells Calder to keep his distance. Even after Calder saves Lily's life (a feat that was artificial and planned out beforehand by one of the sisters) she stays away. But eventually, as the staking persists, Lily gives in and begins to fall in love with Calder. Calder then begins to fall for Lily, and so begins the tale of forbidden love.
The romance is the worst part of Lies Beneath, which is a shame because it's the main focus of the novel. It's a shame because Lies Beneath has such a strong climax and conclusion that would be a perfect ending to the novel if it had been executed better. There is a surprise twist at the end that would have excited me if not for two things:
1. I didn't really care for Lily and Calder at that point so the twist was more of a "great for you" moment than a "OH MY GOD!!!" moment.
2. I read the synopsis of the sequel before I finished Lies Beneath. Never do that, guys. It can ruin a book.
The twist may be a shocker if the romance doesn't bother you.
Lies Beneath could have been so much more than it was if the romance was executed better, but a strong climax saves it from being a failure.