Title: Fathomless
Author: Jackson Pearce (Twitter)
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR
Publish Date: September 4, 2012
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 291
Source: Publisher

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

Celia, Jane and Anne are of the sea. Each sister is armed with their own distinctive power. Celia sees your past, Jane understands your present and Anne can see your future. Celia has always been the least powerful and important of the three, or so she thought. When Lo appears with no recollection of who she once was, Celia can connect her past to her present and might just be able to give Lo the greatest gift of all - one that she might just need. But all gifts and powers come at a price, and Lo's price...is high.

Fathomless is the latest installment in a promising series of fairy tale retellings. This time, readers are treated to an imaginative underwater world filled with mermaids, sea creatures and a dark retelling of the children's classic, The Little Mermaid. Interestingly enough, author Jackson Pearce has given us another novel that is a companion the Sisters Red and Sweetly, giving us little hints as to how these stories are minutely enmeshed with one another. With a cold, swirling underwater world as a backdrop and characters that keep you guessing for days, Fathomless moves swimmingly (pun intended).

I have to admit, guys, that I'm a little bit torn on this installment in the series retellings. I wanted really, really badly to love Fathomless, and while there are elements that I thought were done exceptionally well, there were a lot of things about the book that left me wanting more. The book is told in alternating viewpoints from Lo and Celia, which I thought was done quite well. It can be difficult to keep the pace of a book moving if you don't feel a connection with their voices, or if they're not distinct enough. Fathomless did well in terms of distinguishing between both their voices and, therefore, really allowed me to see deeper into their characters, which was a highlight for me. However, I felt that their attraction to the human boy, Jude was a bit cloying and while, yes, it is that way in the classic tale, let's be honest...don't we all want a real reason? There was also a bit of information overload with Fathomless. We're given a great setup, awesome characters and a winning synopsis, but establishing the connections between the companion novels felt a bit too convenient and too forced at times. It also threw the pacing for a bit and drew me out of the world beneath the waves into a mess of confusion, which kind of pulled me away from my love of the story. Thankfully, a winning element, yet again, is the author's ability to create a rich world with vivid words and fantastic prose throughout.

I'm by no means saying that this is a bad book because it's not, and the author's writing style really does shine, as always. I give Fathomless a 3 out of 5, and I'm sure it will work better for other readers than it did for me. I recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy fantasy and fairy tale retellings.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Title: Enthralled
Author: 14 Authors
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: September 20, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 443
Source: Publisher

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today's hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they're writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in "Enthralled" will leave you moved.

This is a new one for me, and it's not something I can follow my normal reviewing process on, as Enthralled is an anthology of 14 unique stories from a wide range of YA talent today. The authors include Rachel Vincent, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Mary E. Pearson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jessica Verday, Claudia Gray, Jackson Pearce, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Kimberly Derting and Ally Condie. Needless to say, with talent like that, this anthology is a powerhouse of great writing, fresh ideas, dynamic characters and short stories that pack a powerful punch.

I've never reviewed an anthology before, so you'll have to bear with me as I navigate the full range of short stories that Enthralled carried. There were definitive standouts in the anthology, and I'll be honest and say there were a few stories that fell a bit flat for me. I'll also say that, at times, I think writing a short story might just be more difficult than writing a full-length novel. An author needs to encapsulate an entire novel in a just a fraction of that space without losing depth, intrigue and that emotional connection. It's because of this that I can honestly state that Sarah Rees Brennan's story, "Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road" really stood out. It had absolutely fantastic characters, hilarity and a fun/ironic setup that managed to execute a seamless story in a small amount of pages. Speaking of the characters, by the way, I want Faye's pumps that had stakes for heels, please. 

Unfortunately, with every gem, you'll have a few stories that fall short and leave something to be desired. In Enthralled, both "I.V. League" by Margaret Stohl and "Red Run" by Kami Garcia, unfortunately, fit that bill for me. Both stories lacked memorable characters, and the plot holes were severe, often leading me to become lost in the few pages I had to read. In the same vein, I struggled with Ally Condie's "Leaving." It felt a bit weak when I compared it to others and, to be honest, it felt like a tiny version of Matched. Thankfully, Jackson Pearce kicked Enthralled back up a notch with her story, "Things About Love." In a short story, a theme resonated above all else, and it left me thinking - a feat some of the other stories failed to accomplish.

Overall, Enthralled was a fun-filled anthology. While some stories far exceeded the limits of other stories, it was a good, cohesive read. If nothing else, I was given a chance to test the waters with some authors I've yet to try, and will absolutely read more of in the future. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all YA fans, especially those who enjoy paranormal stories and are fans of the authors listed above.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.