(clicking on the cover will take you to Goodreads!) | Title: Aqua Author: M. A. George Published on: April 16th 2014 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy (YA) Author's Website I Author's Blog Part of a series?: No Get a copy: Amazon I Barnes & noble Meet Layla McKelland: Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair), Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let’s be honest…there’s no “slightly” about it), International Woman of Mystery, and… Okay, just scratch the bio. The only real “mystery” in Layla’s life is why her father has never been on the scene. Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year. Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she’s read one too many paranormal fantasy novels. The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father—a bizarre claim |
he backs up with an equally impossible stunt. And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.
When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction. And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water.
Especially not water.
When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction. And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water.
Especially not water.
I received a review copy of Aqua by the author -thank you!- in exchange for an honest review. My review is written in my own opinion and is uninfluenced by anyone.
For the most part, Aqua felt a little too cliched and expected. This wasn't a half-bad story but it didn't exactly surprise me by any lengths either. Or maybe it was just a case of "it's not the book, it's me". I was actually intrigued by the premise because there was potential to hold my interest. However, the story felt a little lacking and didn't have that pull I usually associate with books that I loved. I wasn't exactly bored but there was a lack of excitement on my part. Ultimately, though, the biggest turn-off was the characters.
The snarky and somehow witty attitude of the main character, Layla, felt a little overdone. I get that she's supposed to be snideful in her remarks -it's her personality, I understand!- , but almost everything she says (or thinks) has a sarcastic edge in it. Do people do that? I don't know. What I do know is that after a few chapters I eventually got irritated of her. Girl, tone it down a little! And if you look at it a different way, most of the characters have the same personality. They're either too loving and caring (eg: her mother, and Tristan), or very edgy and satirical (eg: Layla, Pyke, her aunt Cora). And I don't know why Layla was praised like she was some sort of hero even though she almost got herself killed, and all she did was just say what she thought - not in a very good manner. Tristan and her father might think she's all kinds of wonderful and brave and all that sappy stuff but personally, I think she's stubborn and a wee bit troublesome. Insurbodination can be a good character trait but it just came out wrong in this story.
Moving on to the world building: it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. It was really obvious Layla was left in the dark for a while. I'd already guessed that and maybe my overall enjoyment of the story as it progressed was somehow stunted. There was still some surprises waiting in store for me, though. To tell you too much would be to give away an important part of the story, but honestly the part when Aqua learns what she really is and is training to use her abilities was really enjoyable to read. I wanted to know more about this world that Aqua belongs in and what the people she loves is fighting for, and I wasn't disappointed at what I read.
All in all, this was an okay-ish story. Not meh, but not absolutely brilliant either. The characters seemed so one-dimensional to me because all they would have was just, like, one trait. Which made their dialogues so easily predictable to the point where I practically knew what they were going to say next and it became tedious after a while. The plot would feel too fast in one chapter but bland the next. But eh, the aspects of Aqua was nice -their powers, and Aqua's training lessons. The middle of the book held a steady pace and some of the events that happened were quite interesting, so I can't say that I hated it.
Readers who are looking for a different twist in paranormal romance