The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

Title: The Vicious Deep (The Vicious Deep #1)

Author: Zoraida Cordova

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: May 1st, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

he was gone for three days. Sucked out to see 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.

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for mermaid stories. I chalk it up to how obsessed with The Little Mermaid as a kid. That meas that when I heard about The Vicious Deep, my curiosity was piqued, especially since I had been told it had a bit of a twist. While the story was highly enjoyable, I wasn't completely satisfied by it.

Tristan Hart was perfectly happy with his life and spending his free time on the Coney Island beach. But when he gets carried to sea in a storm and disappears for three days, everything changes for Tristan. When he comes back, Tristan isn't the same anymore. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the face of the silver mermaid, though he isn't sure how he first saw her. And his other sense also seem to be enhanced. Tristan's also distancing himself from his friends, especially his best friend Layla who is starting to worry about Tristan. When he finally discovers what's really going on, Tristan might just end up back in the sea.

When I first heard about The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova, I was really interesting in reading it because I was told it wasn't a typical mermaid story. This turned out to be true and I was happy to read a story where mermaids were a little darker and not necessarily quite as peaceful. What was also interesting was that the story was told from a boy's perspective. Most of the mermaid stories I've read were from a girl's perspective so it was really neat to see if from a different point of view. Where the story sort of let me down, is in terms of the story itself. I was expecting more from it. Wile the story didn't drag per say, it felt like when things finally starte happening, the book ended. But that made it so I will probably go and read the sequel when it comes out.

Tristan was an interesting character. Like I've already said, it was interesting to have a mermaid story told from a boy's perspective, especially since you don't necessarily think "boy" when you hear the word "mermaid". And Tristan himself was a good character. While on the surface he came across as a bit of a jerk, he was well-meaning and would admit when he was wrong...at least he would in his head. Even though  I liked Tristan, I liked Layla even more. Layla was the kind of girl I like to read about. She was feisty, stubborn and didn't let anyone walk over her. But Layla also had a sensitive side that was more hidden. So I'm hoping I'll be albe to see more of Layla in future books.

While The Vicious Deep didn't necessarily live up to all my expectations, Zoraida Cordova still wrote a story that took me away to the world of mermaids for a few hours. At any rate, I will still be picking up the sequel when it comes out to see what happens next.