Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs #1) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs #1)

Karen Amanda Hooper

328 pages

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Release Date: November 25th, 2011

Rate: Loved it

"Beauty is sometimes hidden under a veil of tragedy." 

Yara Jones's life changes the minute a handsome boy tells her to trust her and to wish to be some place safe in the middle of a storm. She have never believed in sea monsters, until this day when she finds herself being one of them.

She has a lot to learn: about the mysterious menfolk, the brutal selkies, the destructive gorgons, the beautiful, yet not so easy to trust sirens, the curse and what she really represents for the sea monsters.

Yara finds herself trapped into this new world ¡, having to deal with the guy who turned her into mer, Treygan, who will stop at nothing to safe all her people from this world.

Yara soon finds out that not all the monsters have a happy ending, and that she could be one of that few monsters.

"Screw the rules, damn the consequences, and just love. Love until it kills you, because there's nothing better worth dying for."

I cannot believe what Tangled Ties did to me. I started reading this book and couldn't be able to go to sleep until I finished the entire story. When I was able to decide that maybe I could finish the following day, I arrived at the worst part ever to stop reading a book. The moment when everything comes crashing down for the main character. So you can imagine that the other night I had a huge lack of sleep. 

Karen Amanda Hooper created a magical and wonderful sea-world, full of fantastic creatures with its own character and territories, without forgetting the mythical origin of this species and writing a fascinating story. This has became one of my favorite stories: a mix of magic and myth.

What you can find in this story is not only the point of view of Yara, but the point of view of Treygan and Rownan, too. Although I have to confess that I didn't like Rownan much, the character, I mean, so I was always eager to read the other two points of view. 

It's really nice to see the different POVs because it gets you a chance to know the three characters involved in the curse and that you could consider main characters, not just forming an idea about them through one main character. We really liked to read Treygan's version of the story. It was heartbreaking reading how he felt like an outcast and that he deserved his own curse. We already have mentioned that hated Rownan and his double intentions, selfish ones. And Yara's story was a little bit confusing because she is turned into this sea-monster, in a creature she didn't believe they existed, and she has to struggle with the learning and finding some truths that might shatter her entire world.

The plot was amazing, although, I have to confess, at first I felt a little bit lost. You're introduced to Yara's life and in a blink of an eye she's selkie and not human anymore. They talk about names and stuff and you start to hate Yara's behavior, always searching for Rownan, who obviously was a cheating bastard (ups, sorry!). I new it from the first page. All lies. And she still tried to see if they could work things out. A little bit frustrating.

However, when you are deep into the story, you get to know more about this mysterious, new world and you start to feel really comfortable with it, liking all the developing and the secrets and the imminent catastrophe that you might predict after passing the "confusing part". 

At this point the magical aspects to the story remain, but you are introduced to a creative mythological world. And, for me, that was the best part. I loved it!

As for the romance in the story. I was hoping to see Rownan and Yara's relationship come to an end, as soon as possible, so when Treygan and Yara start to feel something different than annoyance for one another I couldn't keep a "Yes!" and a "Aww". Yes, Book Addicts, they are the perfect couple! 

Yara becomes more mature and responsible, she starts to understand everything that is at stake and she wants to save everyone, EVERYONE. And Treygan is willing to sacrifice himself for his people and to give Yara a second chance in life. So cute, I know. We get a deep inside in the process of feeling annoyance for one another, to the madly, deeply, and star-crossed love that they are destined to share from the first page.

I wouldn't want to leave a lot of spoilers here, so I might stop talking about this two. Just saying I'm, too, madly, deeply in love with Treygan!

As for the ending was what we could called a happily heartbroken end. How is that even possible? Well, the happy part because, at some point, with a huge and unexpected twist of events that would make you be on the edge of your chair, the main characters get something like a happily every after. And the heartbreaking part is because when we finished the book we could not believe that was the end of Yara & Treygan's story. I was heartbroken because I wanted to know more! I felt like I missed something. I wanted to know the characters from the other side, like Rownan's wife, or see the party, but we were "left out"!

However we also have our happily ever after, because then I went to goodreads and saw that, soon, there is going to be a second book! And I was all happy again.

So, Book Addicts, for those addicts to magical creatures, worlds and mythological stories, this is definitely a must read story. Without losing the intensity of a cursed story and a strong supernatural romance that would make you fall in love with the story even more!

That's why Karen Amanda Hooper's book, Tangled Ties, is in our top ranking. We are giving this book five gorjuss dolls and encourage all of you to come read about Yara's new world.

"Dearest Yara,

My wish for you is that you always follow your heart. No matter the risk.

With love,

Kimber"

Garrett Hedlund as Rownan

Elisabeth Harnois as Yara

Hayden Christensen as Treygan