Ripple

It was really good! Better than expected, completely kept my attention. I am now sad because there is no sequel. It was more contemporary romance than it was fantasy. Of course there are Sirens but this story is so much more than that.

The writing style was simplistic but elegant. The author didn't fill the novel with unnecessary details. She simply delivered the story of the characters, and everything unfolded beautifully.

Ripple turned out to be way more than what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be a light read, and then when done, move onto the next book. But I am left still thinking about it and wanting more! I want to learn more about Lexi, Sirens and Nixes. Mandy Hubbard created such an engrossing novel, and delivered the theme beautifully. For readers that are apprehensive about the Sirens/Mermaids theme, pick up Ripple and give it a try. And for readers who are already fans, Ripple is a must!

I actually don't know why I gave it 4 Star rating because Ripple is so good.

Sucked me in from the first page! Great hook! Anytime someone is murdered in the first chapter, my attention is caught. Hook, line, and sinker. (har har)

I have one small negative about this book, so I'll go ahead and get it out of the way first. The way things wrapped up with a certain character seemed a little rushed for me. It just happened too quickly and with a nice little bow. I need more than that.

With that being said, I can start listing all the things I loved. First, I loved that Lexie was a siren that didn't have a tail. How fresh! Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good mermaid tail in my merfolk story, but Ripple was so unique that it was only fitting not to include that detail. Yes, it's a story with a mermaid/siren (hence it's placement on my summer reading list), but that wasn't the focus of the story. There were so many different layers that made this story great and one-of-a-kind. It's like this coming of age, murder mystery, paranormal romance combo all rolled into one.

I also loved the characters. There were so many swoon worthy moments. I almost wrote them all down, but realized my hand would cramp before I listed them all. So, I just kept reading. The only character that didn't float my boat was the Nix. I never had a chance to connect with him like I did with the others. He felt a little flat (and with good reason). I even liked the crazy on-again/off-again best friend. She added the right amount of drama.

As for the author... love her. I didn't realize she wrote Prada and Prejudice (another fun read). Just like her other novel, Ripple had a light, airy feel about it. Heavy drama at times, but an easy read. I was quickly sucked into the story by the writing style. I couldn't stop reading! Long after my eyes started to blur and my head ache I found myself still reading. I had to know what would happen right then! A+ for that.

Simply put, this is another great mermaid book. It's different from the others and truly unique. If you're not a huge fans of mer-stories, I think you would still enjoy this one.

For about 2/3 of Ripple, I really didn’t think I was going to like it. It still wasn’t my favorite read, but Miss Hubbard managed to take just about everything I felt for this book and flip it all upside down within that last third and I ended up fairly satisfied.

Something about Lexi’s sob story of a life kind of set my teeth on edge at the beginning. No parents, no friends, no love. Just a lonely girl wanting companionship but pushing everyone away. I sort of understand why she pushed people away, but on the other hand it doesn’t really make sense. Yes, she was afraid of killing people, but it’s not like she’d go around killing people all the time if she was civil. That didn’t quite make sense to me.

Lexi and Cole’s relationship just felt so weird and unnecessary at the beginning. I didn’t like him or them together at all. By the end, though, the relationship really grew on me and I was inwardly rooting for the two.

I really liked Hubbard’s take on sirens. It definitely wasn’t your typical mythology and I love when a story can surprise me. Who knew mermaid’s could still be entertaining if they didn’t have tails ;P

The Nutshell: I really wasn’t feeling Ripple for the majority of the book, but I’m really glad I finished it. If you tend to give up on books easily, you’re either going to want to completely avoid this one or convince yourself to stick it out till the end. If you like a twist on your mermaid mythology with a dash of “I DID NOT see that coming!” then Ripple is worth the read.

This is the first book about sirens that I have ever read. I previously read “You Wish” by Mandy Hubbard, and completely feel in love with the breezy writing and luminous storytelling. I loved Lexi and Cole’s relationship. Erik really creeped me out, I knew something was off with him. It is a great read to get lost in!