The Vicious Deep

Author: Zoraida Cordova

Year: 2012

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages:  370

Tristan Hart is a high school boy in New York, on the school's swim team, a lifeguard and has no clue that he's also part merman. One day while on lifeguard duty at the beach, he gets swept away in a freak storm. Three days later, he washes up on the beach and doesn't have any recollection as to what happened during those three days except that now he's having nightmares about a sharp-toothed silver mermaid. On top of that, Tristan is having problems with Layla. See, she's been his best friend since they were children but he feels more than friendship for her - a lot more than friendship.

I've never read a mermaid, sorry merfolk, story before and I'm not sure what I think about this one. I think the writing was good and it is definitely not a story or plot that I've read before (as long as you don't count the teenage boy going on a quest story). The Vicious Deep has good supporting characters. I especially liked Layla and Kurt. I'm dying to hear about Kurt's backstory. But Tristan, the main character, fell a little bit flat for me part of the time. Not always, just part of the time. I liked the freshness of the male perspective on romance and love but thought at times it went a little far. Of course, that could be chalked up to immaturity on the character's part and that before the end of the series, he'll grow out of it. 

At any rate, the story interested me enough that I want more. I want to see what happens to Tristan and learn some more about mermaid mythology.