I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mercadia Calling
by Shaka Bry
Series: Mermaids and Merliens #1
Series Rating:
on Sep 22, 2020
Genres: YA Urban Fantasy
Pages: 324
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Something fishy is in the water, and Jonah’s gonna swim.
Mermaids and merliens have existed deep in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean for hundreds of years. Jonah, the first human to dive headfirst into their underwater realm, is about to discover a fantasy of epic proportions.
On a sweltering August day at the Jersey Shore, from his lifeguard chair, Jonah spots an old man drowning. After a dramatic rescue and resuscitation, the seventeen-year-old hero begins an incredible journey to an enchanting city beneath the waves.
Mezzy, a mermaid from another world, longs for adventure in or out of the high seas. Rebellious in nature, she is drawn to land… and to Jonah.Between the two of them, they might just open a magical portal so the courageous mermaid can return home. But what awaits her on the other side?
Merlien emotions and ocean tides are rising, multiple worlds are colliding, and Mercadia is calling…
Mercadia Calling by Shaka Bry is another version of the merfolk that we hear myths about while growing up. Yet, it has a new and slightly sinister spin.
Do mermaids actually exist?
Jonah
Jonah is our human character, and he is unabashedly entered into this world of mermaids and merliens when he rescues this older man named James George. He is only seventeen, and lots of things happen to him that never entered his realm of possibility. Jonah is an interesting kid. He deals with the unknown by bringing in his sarcasm and witty remarks that don’t go off very well at specific points. There isn’t much about this character that I really like or dislike.
Mezzy
Mezzy is our mermaid character and is very different than what we know about mermaids. All Mezzy wants is to return to her world where they came from not that long ago. The problem is no one knows how to work the portal to return home, and worse of all, they aren’t doing what they were sent over to do. Mezzy, Mezermalda, is quite different from the others in that she does things that they are scared to do. She is an interesting character, but once again, I don’t really have any likes or dislikes about her.
Mermaids and Merliens are very different, but I can’t say with why, as that is a significant plot point.
Four Stars
Mercadia Calling by Shaka Bry is a different approach to the whole mermaids’ culture that we think is a myth. Mr. Bry has a nice approach to making it different while creating this entirely new world for them. It’s fascinating. I am giving it four stars and recommending it to readers that like mermaids.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Mercadia Calling by Shaka Bry.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Shaka Bry
Shaka Bry is an author for all ages. In the not-so-distant past, he was an award-winning writer and editor of literary publications for teens. His stories, influenced by phantasmagorical classics such as Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” do often steer off-course, alighting on the wings of the fantastical. In other words, his books don’t always fit the norm.
When not writing by proverbial candlelight in the wee strange hours of morning, he is a devoted father of three and loving husband of one. He summers, winters, springs, and falls with his family along the sunny beaches of the Jersey Shore.
In doing research for the Mermaids and Merliens series, Shaka Bry spent six months ensconced in merlien culture at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Though it was difficult to write down there in the deep, the merliens of Atlantis showered him with extraordinary efforts of cordial indifference.
Visit him at his website to learn more about Shaka Bry’s adventures, get free literary junk, and join his newsletter where fiction is always stranger than truth.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- 2020 Supernatural Creatures Reading Challenge
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