Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Lies Beneath

Lies Beneath
Lies Beneath
Author: Anne Greenwood Brown
ISBN-13: 9780385742016
ISBN-10: 0385742010
Publication Date: 6/12/2012
Pages: 288
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 5

3.7 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Lies Beneath on + 380 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Summary: Calder White is a merman. His three sisters require him to help plan the murder of a human that caused their mother's death. Calder agrees because his oldest sister states that she would relinquish their bond if he helps them. This is a great treat to him because he would no longer be sharing a mind link with them and he can be alone without feeling the need to be near them tug at him. The problem is that Calder is not like other merpeople. He feels bad when he kills. Also, his part of the plan is to do something to get the intended victim out on the water. He thinks that by becoming friends with one of the daughters will surely lead to that success. Then he falls in love with her. Don't you know never to get involved with the bait?!? Through this connection, Calder has to figure out how to handle his sisters, his new budding romance, and the promises that he has made to all sides. What's a merman to do, especially when his thoughts and feelings are out there for all to read?

My thoughts: This was an unexpected treat. It had been sitting for a long time, so I suppose I had forgotten what the story was supposed to be about. When I picked it up (to read on a 5 hour flight), I had expected a light-hearted romp with a beautiful red-headed mermaid. That totally never happened. The story immediately sucks you into a rather dark world. Reminiscent of mermaids as sirens leading sailors to their deaths, Anne Greenwood Brown transforms the merman image into a tortured hero. It was fabulous! I also loved that it was a male protagonist. I read so many books that are told from a teenage girl's perspective that sometimes they become repetitive. Calder's experiences were fun to ride along with; however, I still think the target audience is female. I attempted to hand this off to one of my high school boys and he put it down almost immediately. They are ready for vampires on the covers of their books, but mermaids just don't scream teenage boy.
vampira1w avatar reviewed Lies Beneath on + 41 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
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, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enoughespecially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lilyjust as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

This was a very different type of paranormal experience that I was expecting for this book. It's a very interesting premise and I will actually like to continue to read the series to see where this story will head.

The characters were very well thought out which is why I'm giving it 3 stars, again, different, but not bad in my opinion. Sometimes books get better by the second one. If you are looking for scary murdering mermaids, look no further lol.