Review: Ice Massacre (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai, #1) by Tiana Warner

Print Length: 375 pages

Published By: Rogue Cannon Publishing (September 18, 2014)

From Goodreads.com: A mermaid’s supernatural beauty serves one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.

The Massacre is supposed to bring peace to Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends its warriors to battle these hostile sea demons. Every year, the warriors fail to return. Desperate for survival, the island must decide on a new strategy. Now, the fate of Eriana Kwai lies in the hands of twenty battle-trained girls and their resistance to a mermaid’s allure.

Eighteen-year-old Meela has already lost her brother to the Massacre, and she has lived with a secret that’s haunted her since childhood. For any hope of survival, she must overcome the demons of her past and become a ruthless mermaid killer.

For the first time, Eriana Kwai’s Massacre warriors are female, and Meela must fight for her people’s freedom on the Pacific Ocean’s deadliest battleground.

                                                         *******************

My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

I really wanted to like this novel more than I did. The premise sounded unique, and I was really rooting for the all girl warrior team. The fight scenes were tense, and the author's take of mermaids different from the norm. Altogether, there was a smooth writing style that kept the reader's attention throughout. 

So why only three stars? 

Because despite all of that, there were things that I just felt held this story back. To begin with, I feel like after all the years of attacks - they would have been better prepared. I felt there would have been more than one ship, more than 20 warriors - and definitely more training. These girls were untried and for the most part - spent more time forming their own alliances and going against the leadership that it was a miracle they survived the first battles at all. 

Plus this book ends on a cliff-hanger which wasn't mentioned in the synopsis which (in this case) was a real turn off as it felt things largely unfinished. 

Overall, I'm sure this book will appeal to certain readers. However - it is doubtful that I will be continuing on with this series. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Ice Massacre is available from Amazon.com