Blog Tour: BLOOD OF A MERMAID by Katie O'Sullivan Review + Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the BLOOD OF A MERMAID tour! 

BLOOD OF A MERMAID is the second book in author Katie O'Sullivan's Mermaids of Cape Cod series. I fell in love with the series from the very first book, Son of a Mermaid (click to read my review). To celebrate BLOOD OF A MERMAID'S release, we’re giving away a bunch of goodies from a fantastic group of YA authors, with ebooks, swag and signed paperbacks! There’s also a Goodreads giveaway for another signed copy of BLOOD OF A MERMAID (US only).

So what are you waiting for? Splash into Summer, mermaid style!

Blood of a Mermaid (Mermaids of Cape Cod, #2) by Katie O'Sullivan

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Released: May 15th 2014

Format: Ebook

Source: Review copy provided by author

Mermaid blood.

When Shea MacNamara fell into the ocean for the first time, he found he could breathe underwater. The son of a mermaid, the sea is in his blood. Literally. The best part of Shea’s new life? His girlfriend Kae, who also happens to be a beautiful mermaid.

But darkness lurks under the sea. When evil mermen kidnap Kae, the king reminds Shea that having royal blood means making tough choices.

An Arctic dungeon, a fiery plane crash, the legendary halls of Atlantis…and narwhals?

Having mermaid blood just got a lot more complicated.

Just when you think this series couldn't get any better, Katie O'Sullivan proves you completely and utterly wrong (and here I thought the first book, Son of a Mermaid, was fintabulous enough already). In Blood of a Mermaid, the evil Prince Demyan from the Adluo clan is back with a plan for total domination of the oceans. Expect new characters, plot twists, plus more romance and action. I found it pleasantly surprising how easily I settled into the story even though I'd read the first book months ago. I guess some stories never really leave you no matter how long ago you've read them.

From the first chapter, Katie introduces a 'new' main character's third-person-POV – Zan (aka Xander). Zan appeared in the first book, but his name was mentioned only twice. We already know how evil and ruthless Demyan is, but less is known about Zan, his right-hand-man right-fin-merman and sorcerer, so I totally appreciate how Zan's character is expanded in this novel. Katie ensures that a small part of your heart doesn't have a choice but to root for Zan. He's a character who's torn between his loyalty to Demyan, wanting to protect Kae and answering his conscience. There were times when I wanted to slap Zan, yet there were moments which called for a need to hug him.

Which brings me to the topic of how amazingly brilliant Katie manages to tackle the issue of trust and conflicting feelings in romantic relationships. Zan is drawn to Kae, and Kae can't help but care for Zan. With her safety compromised and Zan being the only one she can trust in her situation, will her affections for Shea waver? I was probably more torn than Kae while reading this book. To put it figuratively, it was like I had this meter and throughout the story the arrow would teeter towards either guy:

It's not one of those horrifyingly annoying love triangles – you just want to keep reading on and on to see how the characters and events play out, which is, to me, the mark of a great author.

As for Shea, he's grown more in this book. In the beginning, it seems like everyone is leaving him alone in Cape Cod – Kae's leaving for the Southern Ocean, Hailey's leaving for Greece. Even though he seems to be throwing a childish tantrum about being stuck at Cape Cod, I don't dislike that because Katie fully shows how lonely Shea will be for me to understand his frustration. As the story progresses, his feelings towards Kae are surer and he's able to think quicker on his feet (and fins).

Kae's rivalry with Hailey is evident. Hailey vies for Shea's attention, especially given how Kae is kidnapped and far away from Shea. However, Katie finds a heartwarming way to bring the two girls together in the most unusual situation towards the end of the novel.

Kae's father, Lybio, plays a larger role too, whereas Brynneliana doesn't appear anymore after the start of the novel. And then there's Martha, Shea's grandmother. I am soooooo glad that we get to know more about her past! I won't spoil anything, but there was a point when I did a fist-pump and mentally did the Futterwacken while yelling, You go, Gramma!

The Futterwacken

Every choice that Shea makes is crucial to stopping Demyan, and things aren't easy as they seem to be. There is much at stake and this involves more than just him and Kae, such as the five oceans and the different clans like the Nerine merfolk from the Arctic, who add diversity to the story world with their culture and icy domain. The city of Atlantis is structured like an ancient Greek city, complete with marble structures and dolphin wagons carrying goods. There's even an element of Greek mythology added. Most of the merfolks' disdain towards humans – drylanders – is portrayed through the Lord Magistrate of Atlantis. The merfolk aren't just wholly 'good' or 'bad'; they have a complexity to them, showing how Katie is able to create three-dimensional characters to complement her action-filled plot.

The humour in Blood of a Mermaid remains just as cute. I never realised how we humans go to such lengths to wrap presents ;) Other such moments of lightheartedness are present amidst the tension in some scenarios, which makes for great comic relief.

Filled with adventure, humour and magick, this stunning sequel to Son of a Mermaid is a must-read. I can't wait to see what Katie will dish out in the third book!

(Am totally saving the five-star rating for the third book. Don't blame me.)

EXCERPT

Staring into Xander’s dark eyes, she saw again the lonely boy who needed to be comforted. Her heart ached for him. Another surge of electricity shot through her body and her mind slowly began to cloud.

Kae struggled to retain control of her thoughts. “I must…get home. It’s late and…and my parents will worry.” She knew she should back away from Xander and leave the garden, but she couldn’t make herself swim away. In fact, she found herself inching closer to his warm body, as if against her will, until his heat completely encircled her.

“Stay with me, Kae,” he whispered, his words hovering in the water around her, echoing in her head.

“Okay,” she heard herself agree, although she knew it was wrong. But she couldn’t quite remember why it was wrong. She did know she didn’t want to leave him, not when he needed her.

His words, Stay with me, seemed to have invaded her entire being, insinuating themselves into every fiber and muscle of her body, sapping her will power to make any decision other than to stay. A small part of her mind tried to disagree, but her body would not listen. She hovered in place, staring into Xander’s dark, bottomless eyes, unable to move away.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie O’Sullivan lives with her family and big dogs next to the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust. A recovering English major, she earned her degree at Colgate University and writes romance and adventure for young adults and the young at heart.

Living next to the Atlantic influences everything she writes. Her YA mermaid series begins in Nantucket Sound with SON OF A MERMAID, and continues the undersea adventures with BLOOD OF A MERMAID, coming from Crescent Moon Press in May 2014. Her latest contemporary romance from The Wild Rose Press is MY KIND OF CRAZY, a Cape Cod story of second chances and starting over.

Connect with Katie: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Get your copy of Blood of a Mermaid!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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