Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Pages: 303
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: supernatural romance/horror
Notes for Parents: mild language, some violence

The Inside Cover

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters must prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother’s death.
It’s going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder’s job is to gain Hancock’s trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock’s daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love—just as Lily starts to suspect there’s more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.
One thing’s for sure: what Calder decides, the outcome won’t be pretty.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first in a series.

What’s good?

This killer merfolk story is an intriguing tale that takes us far from the whimsical singing mermaids we’re used to. The writing is solid, the plot thickens with plenty of tension, and the climax is an action-packed ride to the end. The three cunning mermaid sisters are a wonderful contrast to Calder, their conflicted brother who dislikes the merfolk life.  
Best Part: Maris, Pavati, and Tallulah.

What isn’t good?

It wasn’t difficult to guess that this would be another “instant love” teen romance. With barely a hello, Calder was head over heels in love so much that his sister recognized it. Since the story was from Calder’s point of view, his love interest, Lily, never really developed (although I hear book 2 is from her point of view). Several elements of the ending were pretty easy to predict.
Worst part: the romance.

Recommendation þþþoo

This is essentially a vampire love story told with mermaids. The lore, though not deeply explored, is interesting and will hopefully be developed more in subsequent volumes. While the author’s choices for some scenes caused me to roll my eyes, I was never bored and read quickly to see how it would all work out. If I had the time, I would read the sequel, but it wasn’t so good that I’m willing to make the time. Good, but not great.

Brown, Anne Greenwood. Lies Beneath. New York: Ember, 2012.