The Rising

by Terra Harmony

[Raven]

Werewolves and Mermaids once lived in harmony, the werewolves protecting the Undine when they had to come ashore to the Dry. One night, all of that ended when the werewolves rebelled, leaving the blood of many Undine on the sand. Sixteen years have past since the Maiden Massacre and now the sole survivor of that night, Serena, is of age to get the job she will perform for her people. Given the title of Werewolf Liaison, it is her duty to seek out the werewolves and try to make peace. But as she learns more about the Were and the past of her people, she begins to question who her true enemies are, and who she can even trust.

First of all, can we talk about this cover please? It is seldom that a cover attracts my attention enough to even mention it, but this book ensnared my attention right from the start. This book cover in insanely beautiful and every other author in the world should be jealous. I can't wait to see the others in the series as they come out, because they are certain to be equally as beautiful.

At first glance, the plot wouldn't seem too unique, a dying mermaid race suffering from the harsh effects humans bring to the seas, but then you catch the word "werewolf" and everything goes off kilter. I found the beginning to be really slow for me. I had a hard time liking Serena until after she goes to the Dry and meets Lucas. The story is really nicely written. The trial seems random, and even at the end you don't fully see the purpose of it. It was meant to make the people love the reclusive Serena, but I don't feel like it accomplished that at all. It almost felt like a pointless plot point to me, serving only to bring about the punishment and nothing more, which is annoying really considering the amount of story time that it takes up.

The characters take a while to really latch on to. You want to like them, but it doesn't come easily. The synopsis makes you believe that the love interest will be Lucas, and once you meet Kai, you think there will be a love triangle, but things certainly aren't what they seem with this story. I like how things panned out, but the characters left me with more questions than answers for certain.

While this story left me more confused than anything, it was a great ride. I devoured every page and loved the whole things through. I wasn't floored by any means, but I was fully entertained and I look forward to the next in the series.

Read this and other reviews at my blog.