Book Tour + Review: Updrift by Errin Stevens

“Best mermaid book I have EVER read? Updrift by Errin Stevens.”
– Ben Alderson, voted leading vlogger by Teen Vogue and The Guardian

“Stevens is a treasure to be found in today’s cluttered literary market.”
– Peachy Keen Reviews

Excerpt:

All of the emotions she’d denied feeling the past four years enveloped her now, overwhelming her with their poignancy. She wondered if she should have tried harder to be with Gabe, if she should have fought against the wishes of their parents, acknowledging even as she had these thoughts, she would not have made herself oppose them. But she also realized nothing she’d been working toward would bring her lasting happiness, not recognition at work, not her aunt’s approval, not a portfolio of published articles. She saw with new clarity how the path she was on would not bring her more security or happiness, not to any real extent; how achievement would be no more the holy grail of fulfillment for her than it had been for Dana. As of this moment, the difference between her and her aunt was she knew this.

What she really wanted was to talk with Gabe. She needed to understand their separation through high school and college, to know why they were driven so hard, to look into his eyes and see again what she had first seen when they were seventeen. She felt she would be forever stuck if she could not know these things and know them now.

She stood up then, resolved. With a certainty she hadn’t felt since she was five, she recognized what mattered to her. She felt her own humanity as it had been given to her when she was born, not as a theoretical set of activities she’d developed along the way. She saw her approach to adult life up until now as a contrivance, one taking all her energy to maintain, her boulder to force uphill again and again, her disappointment in her progress predictable and repetitive as the boulder inevitably rolled back down. She was done carrying that boulder.

She stared out at the sea and yelled at the top of her lungs for Gabe. Some part of her knew she should be calling toward the beach but she could not shake her desire to stand where she stood and cry as she did. She saw a splash far out on the inky water, and she stopped shouting.

Review:

Gabe held her hand to his chest, wrapped the fingers of his other hand around her wrist, and then bent to kiss her once more. He stopped when his lips were almost to hers and whispered. I’m checking your pulse. Please don’t ask me to explain. Then he closed the remaining distance between them, and Kate once again forgot their conversation. This is going to sound weird but I’m hoping to put the rest of this conversation off for another two years. Can we do that?

Mermaids and Sirens are so mysteriously entertaining to read about. Authors almost never portray the same characteristics or lifestyles when writing about them, which is another factor to what makes these stories distinctly unique. There are no rights or wrongs to describing life beneath the water and that makes reading about them enjoyable. Stevens has a first installment that is full of surprise, romance, betrayal, and adventure into the unknown.

Kate Sweeting moves to a new town with her mother, Cara, after the death of her father. They are instantly united with a family that lives beside the ocean, who has a son that is Kate’s age. Their first encounter happened while out on a boat, Kate slipping into the water after discovering what appears to be a very memorizing fish. Gabe helps Kate swim back to shore, unaware of her mother’s frantic state at losing her daughter in the water. With no recollection of how they returned to the shore so quickly, Gabe and Kate become fast friends that carry throughout their entire schooling. Once Gabe is transitioned from public school to homeschooling during their high school years, the friendship that Gabe and Kate share does not diminish, but becomes a little distant. Her mother, finding a man named John which happens to be one of Gabe’s cousins, gets married and becomes pregnant while Kate is traveling back and forth to her aunt’s house in another state.

With everything moving so quickly, she becomes very lonely but determined to finish college which both Gabe and Kate’s parents seem to push very diligently for. Kate realizes that Gabe and his relatives are a bit unusual, but never truly notices the distinction until her and a friend crash one of his parent’s male mating parties. When Gabe finds out that she is there, he instantly becomes aware of her presence and tries to force her to leave due to a danger that she is unable to understand. Gabe promises her that he has never felt a strong bond to anyone else except her, but that she would have to wait until they both had their college degrees before pursuing any type of relationship per parental orders. Not understanding any of his inability to provide explanations of his behavior, she agrees to wait.

After two years, she receives the call that will change her life forever. What she did not previously understand is now something that can be explained. Can Gabe and Kate finally be happy and have a true relationship? Or…will her much awaited desires be denied again?

Stevens has an interesting story-line; however, the pace is all over the place. At first, the story begins slow and remains at a slower pace until part three, to where it picks up very quickly. The character development is good, but is still a bit confusing. While most of the material is very creative and well-written, there are some scenes that are not deemed relevant to Gabe and Kate’s story which could have been omitted to cause less confusion. If you are a reader of fantasy and paranormal romanced, you may be interested in picking this one up. Since this is the first installment, the reader can jump right in.

A copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by Book Unleashed, but this in no way affects our honest opinion of the book or the review that has been written. We provide a three-star rating for Updrift by Errin Stevens.

Other Books by the Author

BREAKWATER Series: The Mer Chronicles Book 2 Breakwater continues the story of Updrift focusing on other characters. The narrative follows the lives and loves of a group of sirens in the fictional town of Griffins Bay, North Carolina. Buy Now at Amazon.com | Add to Goodreads “If you are a fan of Mermaids and Mythical creatures, UPDRIFT and BREAKWATER need to be a must read for you. I promise you will enjoy them, and grow attached to the characters, just like I have.” – Tracy Thomas, blogger/owner of The Pages In Between

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