I tried very hard to get into this book, but I was unable to do that. After hitting the 70 page mark I gave up...it just didn't grab me like I was hoping it would.

I really, really wanted to like this. I know so many mermaids, and I think there's a real lack of them in fantasy novels, but this... was unfortunately not my answer.

The premise is typical. The merpeople are the superior race and there are tensions between them and the lesser naiads in an underwater metropolis. A girl from the upper crust of the merpeople finds compassion and fights for the underdog, and finds herself in the process.

I just couldn't get into it. There were a lot of things that broke my suspension of disbelief like things being thrown as if it weren't all taking place underwater. The dialogue was pretty stiff, and the book felt very slow even though what were supposed to be the big events were quick and vaguely explained and out of nowhere. The feelings came from events that weren't properly described, so it was disorienting throughout.

I think this author has potential, and would be willing to eventually read a book from her after she's had some time to edit and refine.

Jade is a young mermaid who is happily engaged to a young merman rising in social status. But things go wrong when she catches him trying to cover up the death of a naiad woman - creatures who are treated badly by mer society - and reports him to authorities. Soon Jade is in the centre of a war between two species and being blamed.

I picked this book up basically because I saw it was about a mermaid and I love mermaids! While I did like the society that jade lived in and how things were described, such as buildings, clothing and food, there wasn't much about this book that really grabbed be.

While the story itself is important enough as it highlights today's own struggles with racism in modern society, I felt like there could have been more action. It seemed like Jade did a whole lot of nothing and was repeating the same actions over and over again. I also thought the sudden appearance of Alexander a bit eye roll-inducing and it was so typical that she'd fall in love with a guy she hadn't seen in years. This story unfortunately was just bland and boring for me, and while the very last line peaked my interest I don't think I'd read any more in the series.

I received a copy through Net Galley.
Initially I was excited to delve into this after reading the description and seeing the beautiful cover, it seemed like it was going to be the perfect recipe, but I found myself greatly disappointed.
I couldn't even get into it, let alone handle the writing enough to finish, and I rarely have stopped reading a book mid way. We meet Jade a mermaid recently engaged to Prince Tor, there's societal split in their world between mermaids and naiads a two legged aquatic creature. Naiads are considered second class citizens who work for higher society families and are tolerated at best.
The premise seemed so good, but I couldn't get into the style of writing. It feels so flat and one dimensional, the characters feel under developed with shallow base emotions.

I would not recommend it.

I found the story refreshing. Different than the books I usually read, & that's what made it unusual, but at the same time a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The story is a lot different than what you would normally expect in a mermaid tail, but then again this is the first mermaid tale I've read so I don't have a lot to base my judgment upon.

I was in a bit of a reading slump before I started reading Breakwater, but it ended up being a really fast read once I started & perfect book to get me out of the slump.

The story is simple, yet masterfully written, the characters have enough depth to them to carry the story, but they have been subjected to it, as the story takes the focus. While some book have the characters tell the story, here it's different, as the characters serve to make the story accessible. You follow the story as an observer from afar but the characters draw you in and give you focal points you can follow, and the more you relate to the characters the more you're drawn into the story.

And at the same time, while the story is masterfully written, it is somewhat predictable. There are enough flips and turns to keep you guessing but you get the jist of it. And while the book ends with a cliffhanger, (you are given enough information through the book to be able to conclude what happens) I can't wait to read book 2 to find out what happens next

All that being said, I'd recommend you pick it up & read it, and to be honest this is probably going to end up on many a shelf as a cover buy as the cover is gorgeous

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance, I'm really greatful for that. Unfortunately, this does not influence my opinion.

I got lured to this book by the wonderful cover and, of course, by the fact it talks about mermaid.
I have been looking for a book on mermaids for years and was really excited about the idea of finally reading one.
Sadly, this was a huge disappointment.

The world-building is lacking. We have no real information about the Naiads popolution, so much as it was really hard for me to even imagine them.
Same for the merpeople's society. Apparently, there is some sort of nobility and merpeople are discriminating Naiads but it is all very confusing.

The writing is juvinile. The characters have very shallow interractions and scenes changed so quickly it was hard to keep track of what was going on.

Jade, the MC, was exactly the kind of character I do not like to read about. She is egocentric, she jumps to conclusion and is so very judjgemental.

All of the above meant I could not really relate or care for any of the characters or the plot making the hole book too boring for me to keep going.

Also, I really think the author was trying to spark a discussion on the topic of discrimination, which could have been a great idea if only executed in a better and more attentive way.

I wanted to die when I realized how long I'll have to wait for the second book, mainly because after everything I've been put through, I grew to not only appreciate Jade's character growth but the world itself. It started off as a very easy mer read with pretty writing, but then things go complicated with the politics and image, and the more Jade was forced to see the world for what it really was, the more frustrated I got at her young, unrealistic ideals. At the same time, when she'd learn something from it, my frustration not only turned to relief, it added a complexity to Jade that I more than appreciated. She wasn't perfect, and though immature, annoying young girls bug me, Jade was far from one. Yes, there were a handful of times when I wanted to choke her, but Payne did a great job at convincing me that it was all warranted. She's the daughter of a high-ranking woman who's sheltered her two kids their whole lives, even more so when she lost her husband. Seeing her learn the harsh realities and slowly stand up to her mother was more than satisfying.

Payne gave me a story that spun realities we all know by heart- segregation, racism, terror -and turned it into a unique tale of life under the sea. I won't lie and say Jade isn't annoying at times, because she is, but they aren't pointless, and I think you'll be more than happy with witnessing not only her growth through all the chaos, but the drama itself with a king, an army, and a teenage girl that's only now realized what it means to swim with sharks.

I feel really bad writing this review knowing it's not going to be positive but alas.. the review will be honest. And I honestly did not like this.

I've never read a story, YA or adult, about mermaids and the concept of BREAKWATER along with the political element of mers vs naiads and murder, intrigue, etc, was hard to pass up. Also, hello, pretty cover. It just never, not once, lived up to the potential. The writing, the characters, the machinations, the dialogue.. it all felt very juvenile and flimsy and one dimensional. There wasn't a single person or event that got me excited or felt.. I don't know, realistic? Warranted?

And don't even get me started on the repetition and ridiculousness within these pages. I swear the word "wrap" (to describe shirts/clothes) was used a hundred times in the first few pages.. maybe a thousand by the end of it all. "Peace be with you / go in peace" was also used ad-nauseum as some kind of farewell. There was backstory mentioned and yet never expanded on. Little comments dropped about this or that but never as reference to something explained. Just.. dropped and left for us to piece together or just ignore. Everything that could've made this a really intricate and fascinating story just.. wasn't there or wasn't used or was only mentioned off-hand with zero follow through.

"<b>Why do mer hate the naiads so much?</b>"
<i>I didn't have the energy to explain the messy, complicated history.</i> <-- mmhmm, okay.

Jade, the MC, might have been the worst part of it all. But that unfortunately isn't saying much as there wasn't anything I did enjoy beyond the synopsis of the story. Between the contradictory behaviour and thoughts, immature behaviour, the thinly veiled attempt at "doing the right thing" for the benefit of angst and tension, and the preoccupation on things that had nothing to do with the specific unique nature of the setting and circumstances (thereby completely defeating the point of it all), this was a hard one to get through. The ending, left wide open for a sequel to follow the rather painfully predictable cliffhanger, did nothing to hook me and I definitely won't be reading on in this series.

This was Payne's debut and so there's always room for improvement in future releases, not only in this series but others, but at this point, I'm sorry to say, I won't be counting myself among her readers.

The story had an interesting premise, but it was lacking a little in execution. The world building was barely adequate - if we could have had some more information to explain the history of the mermaids/mermaid city, and daily life (beyond that of the snobby nobles) I think it would have brought the story up another level.

I would have loved the characters to be fleshed out a little more (I didn't really feel that connected to any of them, tbh) and the 'insta-love' relationship whats a little boring.

What I did like - the naiads - what an interesting race. I would have loved to explore them more deeply.
The racial and political conflict was really great - it made the story.
The original idea - its like nothing I've read to date.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I feel I was missing details about this underwater world. I feel like this story and it's characters could have been a bit more developed. I also feel that I didn't get a very good explanation about how life underwater works, and more about the Naiads and how they walk underwater. For me this was a fast read and it caught my attention and interest early on, I still fell it could have used more depth..
Jade was a great character. and the love story was unexpected, also the unexpected, it left me wanting a sequel to see what happens next.

After a severe let down by Deep Blue, I have been waiting and on the search for a Merfolk book that didn't have me rolling my eyes constantly or wanting to lob the book across the room. [See my review for the reasons why I felt that way!]

I wish I could say that this book was refreshing, but it simply wasn't. Jade came across as a shallow, self centered individual the moment the book opens, her ideals are frivolous and even as she is supposed to grow she is floundering [no pun intended.] The supporting roles add a distraction, rather than enrichment to the story.

For the first half of the book it is Jade wallowing in self pity and fretting over trivial things. There is room here to explore on the world, in fact, there were many missed opportunities to delve into the world, to show us Thessonalike on a larger scale or even present a deep, interesting view of political intrigue. While there is some it is [no pun intended,] shallow on many levels. I never felt invested in this story, likely because I felt it just skimmed the surface, sprinkled ideas and [ughhhh these punny things,] just continued to tread water.

The second part? I felt the same way, it only touched on surface issues, never really made me connect or feel as I were part of their world. Friendships were easily lost, love was cast aside and picked up again. I just felt terribly disconnected.

The story ended abruptly, so abruptly that I squinted and flicked backward on my ipad to ensure that I hadn't skipped a part.

It was not living up to my hopes, but it also wasn't terrible.

Rating - 3.5 Stars
That cover though!! Sigh. This book was so promising and it many ways it did fulfill what I look for in a YA/Science Fiction-Fantasy. The author provides an amazing setting, with lots of details. But after stewing about this book for several days I've come to realize what exactly what bothered me. Jade, the main protagonist, seems one dimensional. Her back story seems haphazard (WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER FATHER!?!) and the author brings details in the story that were never fully explained. A few of these are answered (Why are the naiads there, why do the mer hate them so much) but it come so late in the book I felt robbed once I found out. It was no big secret, why wait to tell me until the end of the book?!

Review - 4/5

I really enjoyed reading this. It was a good story. I was impressed that it took a fantastic background of a world of mermaids and naiads, that we could relate to racial tensions around the world today. I felt like Jade was a pretty well-thought out character as far as her faults and strengths, but I was never convinced that she romantically "loved" either of her gentleman suitors. She did things that we would think of as romantic, like holding hands and stroking cheeks, but compared to the internal monologue of her feelings on justice, I would say that Jade was in love with doing the right thing and not another person.

As much as Jade fought against Tor and believed she could never be with him because he was "loyal to a fault," so was she. Jade and Tor would have made it if they could have been loyal to each other instead of their own families, but then we wouldn't have had story. I think Jade's character was strong enough to support my desire to keep reading, where her relationships with others seemed to be lacking. She seemed frivolous with her ties to others, outside her younger brother's consideration, and seemed to only be tethered down to doing what she thought was right. It was frustrating to read conversations between characters that seemed to repeat and then end in a smirk or smile of some sort of stalemate instead of developing more into a relationship.

I thought the memory of her and Alexander being italicized was weird. I think it was supposed to be a convincing scene to show their past feelings for each other, but it was short and not really that sentimental. And the ending? Blah. I was cool with it not having a final resolution, but then ending with Tor's mother dead without any other mention of the repercussions or possibilities? Not such a great way to end.

It would be a great read for my students interested in a grown up Disney story or those wanting to explore racial tensions. The language was appropriate and appealing. It was lacking the romantic interludes I wanted, but still a pleasurable read.

This one was ok it tosses you into a new world of mermaids. I really loved the city of Thessalonike! The politics in this story were fabulous I loved learning about their social classes. Reading this I was never lost but I do think the author could have been a little more descriptive on certain things to make the world come alive. I also think that the characters needed just a little more development. A few other things were left out as well about how water to land living works so I would have liked some back information about that as well.

This one although a good story lacked the depth to be an amazing story.

I was excited to read this because of the beautiful cover and the description. For the most part, I was happy with the book. Though I felt that the underwater city of Thessalonike and some of the supporting characters still needed more details to help readers visualize a bit better. Hopefully, since there seems there may be at least a sequel, this can be remedied. Will spread the word to my mermaid loving friends and will read again.

This has all the classic elements of a great YA fantasy novel. There's mystery, there's magic, there's a society divided into factions and there's murder. I started this book thinking it was going to be laughable and that I would be entirely disenchanted by page four. But, like a current, this book swept me along and I found myself reading the whole thing in a day because I had to know what happened! Add to that the (possible spoiler alert?) massive cliffhanger of an ending (end of possible spoiler) and you have yourself a recipe for a book, the sequel of which will definitely end up in my TBR list on goodreads as soon as it can!

The plot is pretty darn cool. I loved the elements of internal conflict in Jade as she struggles with the complications of noble society and the implications her actions could have on the rest of her family while still trying to be herself. In fact, you could probably take away the under the sea element and this would still be a halfway decent YA novel. But it's the fantasy element of having mermaids and naiads that makes this extra amazing. There are little touches, like how mermaids might administer medicine through the gills, or how mermaid clothing would work, or how there would certainly be a small amount of trade with 'overlanders' that make it clear that the author has really thought about how this society would function.

The romance was the only thing that might not suit everyone as there is a slight element of 'insta-love' that is disguised by 'we used to know each other as children' but I think this can be fleshed out in later books and it was certainly nowhere near as cringey or awful as these things have a tendency of being. Her romantic interest was also pretty awesome -at least in my imagination.

This is a strong opening to a series that could get a whole lot more amazing as it goes on and the underwater world expands in later books. The setting is interesting and captivating as it feels so different to the vast majority of fantasy books that I have known or loved, mainly as they are so often set in a forest. If you're at all on board with this mermaid trend that seems to be turning up everywhere (again?) then I recommend having a read of Breakwater, it'll quench your thirst for unique fantasy settings.

My rating: 4/5 Stars

Breakwater is due to publish on the 30th of May 2017 but is available to preorder now if the fancy takes you.

By the way: I received a digital advanced review copy of Breakwater from the publisher (Fathom Ink Press) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all my opinions are my own and I wouldn’t recommend this if I didn’t think it was worth reading.

Breakwater is the debut novel by Goodreads author Catherine Jones Payne. I was provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. So here we go:
First off we can talk about the beautiful cover. It catches the eye right away, the full voluptuous hair and gleaming tail of one of fantasy most elusive creatures, the mermaid. I love the pink hair and the multi-color tail, I also enjoy that she and the mermaid community is not white.
Now we can move onto the book itself, I just REALLY enjoy this book’s cover. The story here is fairly standard coming of age story, with some politics and drama. The writing is not overly complicated and pacing is well done. Often times, I felt it difficult to put down as the story built and I needed to find out what happened next.
I feel I would have enjoyed some more description of Jade and the other mermaids, the pictures we get are mostly eye and hair color, only a few mentions of tail color or anything about the town, the buildings, or the other creatures. Maybe it is just my personal feeling but I wanted to enjoy the beauty of the mermaids themselves as well as their ocean world, and it was hard to do with such little description. There is also Jades bond with the sea creatures which is lightly touched on but not deeply explored, maybe in a second book? Finally the book ends on a cliffhanger, leaving plenty of room for a sequel or a possible series. Now I will be waiting for the follow up.
Overall I really enjoyed Breakwater and I will look forward to more in this series and more from Ms. Payne.

3 stars for trying to be original with mermaid characters, however the pacing was too slow, the "action" or drama not big enough to keep an interest, and overall it was really slow reading for me, it just didn't do it to keep my interest. I requested this book because I mostly read YA and I love everything mermaids, but unfortunately, for this read, I was really disappointed.

Leaving 3 star reviews on Goodreads and Amazon

*I received an ARC of Breakwater by Catherine Jones Payne from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This was an interesting read, think Law and Order with mermaids. The main focus of the story is about a trial for murder that involves the fiance of the main character. Jade is a seventeen year old mermaid who is engaged to a captain in the mer guard. At a party at her fiance’s house, she finds him holding the body of a dead naiad girl. Tor, her fiance, admits to killing the girl, and thus sets the story in motion.

The story is set in a fictional underwater city of Thessalonike. The mermaids, or mer as the author calls them, live with another two-legged race called naiads. The naiads originally come from a river kingdom, but had to leave when their river started dying. The mer of Thessalonike allowed the naiads to move into their city years ago, but they have never been equals. The naiad’s have the ability to manipulate water and even fashion their clothing from it. The mer are jealous of this ability.

When the trial starts the tensions between the mer and the naiads rise. Jade befriends Pippa, the sister of the murdered naiad. Together they try to prove that Tor is a murderer and that his family is hiding a secret.

What I liked about the story is that it had an intriguing twist for a mermaid story. The murder trial involving mermaids was interesting. The characters felt real and the dialog was great.

I wish the world building had been a little more detailed. I would like to know how the naiads are able to walk on the ocean floor. Also Jade talks about her gills, but you never really know where they are located. Just small things that could easily be fixed if there is a second book. Also the book ends on a cliff hanger. It didn’t seem like an ending to me so hopefully this is the first in a series.

This book has an expected availability date of May 30th 2017.

This book was a quick, enjoyable read. I've read very few novels dealing with mermaids, but this was one of the better ones I've read. It presented some social issues, such as systemic racism, to the forefront, and I enjoyed reading about the struggles between characters of different backgrounds, races, and social statuses. I wished the novel would have focused a bit more about the emotions of the victimized community and a little less on the social struggles of the main character, but it was still entertaining.

Overall, a good read that I would recommend to many, especially if they are fans of mermaids!