Indie Book of the Week: Promises by Amber Garr!

Can I just say for the record that I love doing this meme? It is by far one of my favorites because not only do I get to tell you about wonderful new indie authors I have discovered and loved, but it also means that I get to help spread the word about their wonderful books and of course it means that I got to read them too! 

This weeks Indie Book of the Week goes to Amber Garr's Syrenka Series and the first book, Promises.  

Synopsis:

Sometimes following your heart can end up destroying the ones you love.

When seventeen-year-old Eviana Dumahl is faced with the responsibility of an arranged marriage and clan leadership, she is forced to choose between the life required of a mermaid and one of a teenage girl simply infatuated with the wrong guy. Kain, her devoted fiancé would make a wonderful husband except that she’s been in love with Brendan, a shape-shifting selkie, ever since they were kids. Choosing to abandon her family, her clan, and her life with Kain will have dire consequences far beyond anything she could have imagined.

A war is brewing amongst the clans and Eviana unwittingly becomes a pawn in the intricate schemes of a twisted mastermind. With Brendan’s life on the line, she has no choice but to involve those who she once considered friends. Amidst encountering senseless tragedies and immense loss, Eviana discovers that she is more valuable as a clan leader than anyone ever suspected. Her survival is not only dependent upon the loyalty of her friends, but also on her acceptance of a life that she had so adamantly tried to escape.

Promises is the first book of The Syrenka Series trilogy following Eviana and her friends through the perils of growing up in a discrete world that inherently threatens human society.

My Thoughts and Review:

 

Very few books about merfolk hook me after the first chapter, sad but a true fact. This one however (and thankfully) was not the norm, it completely had me entangled in the story after just the first few pages.

The writing was beautifully done and flowed so smoothly that I started the book and before I knew it I looked down and I was almost half way through it. It felt like no time had passed at all as I became so immersed in the story that I had lost track of everything else around me.

The character were very well fleshed out and felt very much like real people. I admit, I really liked Kain from the very beginning and my heart immediately felt for him and for his unrequited love for Eviana.

Secondary characters can make or break a book in my opinion and thankfully this book not only had great primary characters but some pretty amazing and fun secondary characters as well.

I really liked Eviana, I didn't always agree with her choices but in the end, she did what she had to do and it came at a great price to her. It will be really interesting to see how much she grows in the next book as well, I have a feeling there will be a lot more in store for her as the trilogy continues.

This book was pretty gripping and I had a hard time putting it down. I am so glad I have the next two books because I can already tell that it will be really hard not jumping right into them to find out what happens next.

Overall this was extremely well done and I give it a very solid 4 Stars!