Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Merpeople. It isn't a new topic, but it's one that authors can take in so many different directions that every story seems new and fresh. That was my initial thought when I came across Anne Greenwood Brown's Lies Beneath.

Here's the summary from Goodreads: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death. It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves. One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

What I Liked: 1) I liked the story. The idea that these merpeople have this strong familial bond and have to get revenge for their mother's death. The circumstances are kept very ambiguous, however, even at the end of the book I still didn't understand exactly how she died. But that just adds to the mystery. 2) Loved the idea about the merpeople and their propensity for killing. Sounds weird to say, and I can't say anything else without giving something away, but I did think their need was quite creative. 3) The ending. I was kind of expecting it, but all in all, I was mostly pleased with how it was resolved.

What I Didn't: 1) I didn't really get into this book over all. There was all of the potential to make it very interesting. The idea was interesting, but everything just felt, watered down. (Oooo, let the puns begin). So much potential but everything stayed surface level. I don't have a problem with light and fluffies. I love them. But this one wasn't a light and fluffy. At points I felt as if I was literally begging for more from the story. 2) The characters weren't as multi dimensional as I wanted. There was something holding you back from getting to know them. We were just told their character traits, instead of shown how they fit into their lives. That's something that I just didn't like.

Overall Thoughts: As far as mermaid books go, this one wasn't for me. It had so much potential but nothing about it just grabbed me as a reader. Miz Brown is obviously very creative and is a very talented writer, but this book just needed a little more substance to make a lasting impression.

My Rating: 2 shots