booksenvogue's review against another edition
5.0
While Arise is book three of a series, it reads like the conclusion of a trilogy. At the same time hints are drooped that could support more. It is told in multiple points of views, so readers get insight into the head of the very dashing, Kain! The story begins with our heroine,Eviana, in captivity. Devastated, alone, on hunger strike, and mentally defeated dealing with the family revitalization delivered from Lucian in book two. Talk about depressed! Meanwhile, Kain is seriously wounded, the gang are plotting a rescue, and Lucan is yet again scheming for world domination via the Legacy. This chapter in the adventure most definitely did not disappoint. It was heavy on the romance, heavy on the fighting, heavy on the drama, and non stop action.
I can not get enough of The Syrenka Series. Seriously or something like it. While I totally loved how this book ended and wouldn't be disappointed with a happy ending; I also wouldn't mind a spin off with many more adventures. People never believe me when I gush about the relevance this series has brought back to mermaid lore. Gone are the days of sing-a-longs, forever fins, leg wishes, and insta-human-love. In with danger, wars, power, manipulation, shape shifting fins, love triangles, and a plethora of other elements you wouldn't believe would be in a book concerning Ariel's decedents. My husband teases me because he's familiar with the original mer tails of the scary sailor murderous kind. But hey, this book has found a very comfortable middle ground between too cute and too evil. If this book was cake, I would be licking the icing off my finger tips right about now...simply delicious!
Thanks again to the author for entrusting me with an honest review. Thanks also to the tour host, Abby @ Bookshelf Confessions for th opportunity and special invite. I fear that my once fascination has now morphed into a full fledged infatuation with mermaid fiction! More fins please!!!
I can not get enough of The Syrenka Series. Seriously or something like it. While I totally loved how this book ended and wouldn't be disappointed with a happy ending; I also wouldn't mind a spin off with many more adventures. People never believe me when I gush about the relevance this series has brought back to mermaid lore. Gone are the days of sing-a-longs, forever fins, leg wishes, and insta-human-love. In with danger, wars, power, manipulation, shape shifting fins, love triangles, and a plethora of other elements you wouldn't believe would be in a book concerning Ariel's decedents. My husband teases me because he's familiar with the original mer tails of the scary sailor murderous kind. But hey, this book has found a very comfortable middle ground between too cute and too evil. If this book was cake, I would be licking the icing off my finger tips right about now...simply delicious!
Thanks again to the author for entrusting me with an honest review. Thanks also to the tour host, Abby @ Bookshelf Confessions for th opportunity and special invite. I fear that my once fascination has now morphed into a full fledged infatuation with mermaid fiction! More fins please!!!
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
4.0
‘Betrayal’ ended with the huge bombshell and Eviana’s kidnapping. ‘Arise’ picks up right after that. Eviana is in captivity along with Graham. The future of the merpeople and especially her clan depends on her decisions and actions. She has limited choice and is unsure about who to trust. Kain wakes up from his injuries to realize that it is up to him to rescue Eviana. However, as he proceeds with his plans, he finds a few unexpected allies who will stand by him and like him they will do anything to save her. But unfortunately not everything goes according to his plan and before he knows he is not only fighting for Eviana, but also for his life and for the future of his people. With the mermaid world at the brink of war, who do they trust?
Eviana is truly a likeable character. Except for her love life in book two, she has lived up to all the expectations that one can have from her. She is strong and she is caring. The few goof-ups / mistakes on her part make her more human (Or, should I say mermaid?) In this edition of the series, she discovers a lot of things about herself and her family. She is finally aware of the actual significance of the burden that she carries. Kain on the other hand has been the most dependable and strong character throughout the series and that doesn’t change in this final installment. There’s a lot expected from him and he lives up to each and every expectation. Graham is a character that I loved and hated at the same time. You have to give credit to the role he plays in the series. Brendan finally redeems himself though at a very high cost.
Amber Garr has done it yet again! She is truly the master of twists. After reading the first two books, I was sure that I had some idea about how this is going to go and I was also expecting a lot of twists. But still, the story managed to catch me off-guard a number of times and what a plot. The ending was in sync with the complete series and I am sad to see it end. I would have loved to read more about Kain [Yes, I am all for team Kain if you hadn’t realized it already] and Daniel.
I loved the complete series and the final installment was the perfect ending too.
Eviana is truly a likeable character. Except for her love life in book two, she has lived up to all the expectations that one can have from her. She is strong and she is caring. The few goof-ups / mistakes on her part make her more human (Or, should I say mermaid?) In this edition of the series, she discovers a lot of things about herself and her family. She is finally aware of the actual significance of the burden that she carries. Kain on the other hand has been the most dependable and strong character throughout the series and that doesn’t change in this final installment. There’s a lot expected from him and he lives up to each and every expectation. Graham is a character that I loved and hated at the same time. You have to give credit to the role he plays in the series. Brendan finally redeems himself though at a very high cost.
Amber Garr has done it yet again! She is truly the master of twists. After reading the first two books, I was sure that I had some idea about how this is going to go and I was also expecting a lot of twists. But still, the story managed to catch me off-guard a number of times and what a plot. The ending was in sync with the complete series and I am sad to see it end. I would have loved to read more about Kain [Yes, I am all for team Kain if you hadn’t realized it already] and Daniel.
I loved the complete series and the final installment was the perfect ending too.
kristyw's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. Another interesting story ruined by the heroine being too caught up in a love triangle.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Great, great ending to this series, pretty sad, but good ending, and yeah, really enjoyed it!
ravenkiller88's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating 4.5!
I actually like how it ends! It really is a surprise considering the fact that I normally love the uh....main hero more, which in this case it was Brendan (*for the first 2 books*).
And FINALLY!!!!!! That LUNATIC is dead or should I said both LUNATIC are dead....(*while I'm declaring this I'm doing some victory dance!*). God....I cannot believed that I actually like Graham, he seem so genuine and everything, and BAM....he suddenly turns out to be just like Lucian. I cannot remember how many times that I imagined that I'm Eviana and mentally imagined a knife/sword and just plunged it into both Lucian and Graham. Thank the gods, the moment both of them are dead.
I guess this book is better than the previous two since its much more adventurous (8eventhough there's the part where Lucian and Graham is sooooooo.....annoyingly manipulative*) and the story in this book is alternated between Eviana and Kain. I guess its the perfect ending to a nice series.
I actually like how it ends! It really is a surprise considering the fact that I normally love the uh....main hero more, which in this case it was Brendan (*for the first 2 books*).
Spoiler
But I am SOOoooo.....happy that Eviana ended up with Kain. Not that I hate Brendan, its just that it is quite obvious even if Brendan survived, he could never be with Eviana despite how much he loves her.And FINALLY!!!!!! That LUNATIC is dead or should I said both LUNATIC are dead....(*while I'm declaring this I'm doing some victory dance!*). God....I cannot believed that I actually like Graham, he seem so genuine and everything, and BAM....he suddenly turns out to be just like Lucian. I cannot remember how many times that I imagined that I'm Eviana and mentally imagined a knife/sword and just plunged it into both Lucian and Graham. Thank the gods, the moment both of them are dead.
I guess this book is better than the previous two since its much more adventurous (8eventhough there's the part where Lucian and Graham is sooooooo.....annoyingly manipulative*) and the story in this book is alternated between Eviana and Kain. I guess its the perfect ending to a nice series.
tien's review against another edition
4.0
I swear by everything that’s holy that I wrote my review for Betrayal (book 2) before I even touched Arise! The fact that my wish came true was a miracle!! Well, not quite, it’s really the work of Amber Garr in totally pre-empting her reader’s wish (me, in this case) of which I am completely grateful for. When I first saw that chapter in Kain’s POV, my ‘Yes’ reverberated through the house and my fist was pumping the air, I was so freaking excited for it. I really couldn’t believe my luck! Here I am, going to be in Kain’s head!
Exciting as it was to see things in Kain’s head – how he truly cares for Eviana, what he’s willing to do for her, etc… In the end, I found that the voice didn’t really change much. I feel like there’s something missing -it wasn’t masculine enough for me. I think I’ve been spoiled by all those overprotective alpha male characters. That’s not to say that Kain isn’t protective of Eviana – he is but he’s just not primitive about it. He is gentle and has confidence in Eviana which is refreshing to see that he trusted her to make her own decision.
In the midst of my read, I wasn’t sure if this is the last book as it just didn’t feel like it’s going to end and I wasn’t sure either if I wanted this to be the last book or not. The reason being, of course, is that it’s sooo good that I don’t want it to end but I don’t think I can stand the pressure of having to wait for the next book. The tension and action continued to escalate in Arise – right up to the end. I was cheering, I was cursing, I shed some tears and then I shed some more tears in joy.
This was my first merfolk series ever and whilst I wasn’t too keen on book 1, I am so happy to have read books 2 & 3 – to me, this is a series where all my wishes came true. It’s been a great ride and am looking forward to my next merfolk tales (they have a lot to live up to!).
Exciting as it was to see things in Kain’s head – how he truly cares for Eviana, what he’s willing to do for her, etc… In the end, I found that the voice didn’t really change much. I feel like there’s something missing -it wasn’t masculine enough for me. I think I’ve been spoiled by all those overprotective alpha male characters. That’s not to say that Kain isn’t protective of Eviana – he is but he’s just not primitive about it. He is gentle and has confidence in Eviana which is refreshing to see that he trusted her to make her own decision.
In the midst of my read, I wasn’t sure if this is the last book as it just didn’t feel like it’s going to end and I wasn’t sure either if I wanted this to be the last book or not. The reason being, of course, is that it’s sooo good that I don’t want it to end but I don’t think I can stand the pressure of having to wait for the next book. The tension and action continued to escalate in Arise – right up to the end. I was cheering, I was cursing, I shed some tears and then I shed some more tears in joy.
This was my first merfolk series ever and whilst I wasn’t too keen on book 1, I am so happy to have read books 2 & 3 – to me, this is a series where all my wishes came true. It’s been a great ride and am looking forward to my next merfolk tales (they have a lot to live up to!).
daisyoh's review against another edition
4.0
Well, first off. Arise is the third and final book in the fantastic Syrenka Series, so if you have not read the first two books you should because they are awesome. I loved Arise just as much as I loved the first two books. I am always worried about endings to series for some reason, but I think this was a fantastic ending.
Eviana is dealing with the recent betrayals of those closest to her, but now must also work out how to escape her kidnapper and get back to her friends and family to fight on the right side of the war. Eviana will discover new powers, love and how much her friends are willing to sacrifice for her and this war.
I really loved getting Kain's point of view in this book, for quite a few reasons. I love Kain's character, so it was lots of fun getting inside his head, and I love books with alternating views, it gives you more perspective on both of their feelings. Also it was good seeing what was going on with everyone else while Eviana wasn't there, which I am sure was the whole reason for it. I love all of the characters in this book and the whole series. I am a lover of developed secondary characters, and while the secondary characters weren't a huge part of this series, I felt like they were all really well developed with their own stories, without taking away from the overall story.
The end half of the book got really intense. I just had no idea what they were going to do, how they were going to get out of it and how everything was going to be resolved. On that note, Lucian was a seriously creepy antagonist. He was an awesome bad guy, but super creepy. I did cry at the end of this book, and then my sad tears changed to happy tears. Not that the sad thing became a happy thing, just a happy ending.
Overall Arise was a fantastic ending to a fantastic series! I have loved this whole series, and I would highly recommend checking them out.
Again thanks to the author, Amber Garr, for sending me a copy of this book.
This review is also on my blog The Confessions of a Book Nerd :)
Eviana is dealing with the recent betrayals of those closest to her, but now must also work out how to escape her kidnapper and get back to her friends and family to fight on the right side of the war. Eviana will discover new powers, love and how much her friends are willing to sacrifice for her and this war.
I really loved getting Kain's point of view in this book, for quite a few reasons. I love Kain's character, so it was lots of fun getting inside his head, and I love books with alternating views, it gives you more perspective on both of their feelings. Also it was good seeing what was going on with everyone else while Eviana wasn't there, which I am sure was the whole reason for it. I love all of the characters in this book and the whole series. I am a lover of developed secondary characters, and while the secondary characters weren't a huge part of this series, I felt like they were all really well developed with their own stories, without taking away from the overall story.
The end half of the book got really intense. I just had no idea what they were going to do, how they were going to get out of it and how everything was going to be resolved. On that note, Lucian was a seriously creepy antagonist. He was an awesome bad guy, but super creepy. I did cry at the end of this book, and then my sad tears changed to happy tears. Not that the sad thing became a happy thing, just a happy ending.
Overall Arise was a fantastic ending to a fantastic series! I have loved this whole series, and I would highly recommend checking them out.
Again thanks to the author, Amber Garr, for sending me a copy of this book.
This review is also on my blog The Confessions of a Book Nerd :)
myntop's review against another edition
5.0
What a great, albeit heart-wrenching, conclusion to this series. I didn't expect so many deaths, that was hard. I was happy with the way Eviana finally stood up for herself and took back control of her life. Everything came to a powerful climax and the story was resolved in a good way. It wasn't "happily ever after" as much as "this is how it's meant to be" and I liked that about this book. It wasn't all fairy tales and we kill the bad guy and ride off into the sunset. There were real loses and real life changing events. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves a good paranormal story, as well as anyone who loves a dramatic adventure!
bookwormreflections's review against another edition
5.0
Ahhhhhhhhhh I have to write a review for this! There are no words and ALL OF THE WORDS at the same time.