Review: Shades of Atlantis

Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates

Synopsis:
Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn’t quite fit in…in Camden, or anywhere else.

Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona’s small town. While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous…and deadly.

When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It’s there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her – secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well. Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.

Review:
I’m in love!

First I should say that although I take my Kindle everywhere I go, I never read at work. I don’t want to get busted reading during my office hours. Nor do I ever try reading while driving. But with Shades of Atlantis, I was so hungry for every word, it was all I could do to put down the book when a student popped in to my office or when the red light changed to green!

Triona Pryor is your typical girl with dreams of leaving her small town behind once she graduates from high school to head to London, the city where her parents fell in love. She never expects the meet “the one,” and she never expects to find her life so changed that she must now find the courage to embrace a destiny that could alter everything she knew.

Shades of Atlantis broke many of my barriers. Plot devices I usually find myself groaning at, I really came to enjoy with this story. Having been largely disappointed with the last couple of books I’ve read dealing with Fae mythology, I was beyond thrilled to find that the mythology offered in Shades of Atlantis was familiar yet still mysterious and exciting. I loved the way it all came together to make something that was consistent yet unique. I believe that not only would fans of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series recognize the mythology used in Shade of Atlantis, they will also enjoy this Young Adult version because of the similarities but also because this story brings new, thought provoking elements to the mythology. 

Triona’s character development was as fascinating as it was frustrating. I have to admit, I’m kind of tried of reading YA fantasy books with a protagonist that doesn’t think she’s attractive despite boys throwing themselves at her. Such was the case with Triona. At the beginning, there were times I could have just slapped her for pretending to be so mature and thoughtful, only to break out into tears when she didn’t get what she wanted. But as the story progresses and Triona is forced to face the unknown, she develops a stronger sense of self, she becomes more confident and sure of who she is. She grows into a beauty that shines inside and out.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the male lead, Caleb. Utterly beautiful, yet cryptic, he spent most of his time talking in circle with Triona, which drove me mad! Also, love at first sight stuff always seems so cheesey to me, but something about the way it was done in Shades had me feeling anxiously giddy. Every time butterflies fluttered in Triona, I felt them, too! Ultimately, Caleb had his reasons for being so cautious, and he was completely devoted to Triona despite her being a brat sometimes. By the end, my reservations about Caleb melted away and I fell hard for him. Also, I don’t think there was a secondary character that I didn’t love. They were a mix of warm, caring, stubborn individuals who brought out all kinds of different emotions in me.

Finally, everyone who knows me, knows I loath epilogues. I think they ruin the story. Some of my favorite books have been murdered by picture perfect epilogues, and it is enough to make me seethe. BUT, in Shades of Atlantis, *gasps* I actually really enjoyed the epilogue. I thought it concluded the story with a different kind of perfect, one that was hopeful, and it proved to me that epilogues are not always a bad thing.

If I had to point out something that didn’t work for me with this story, it would be the eerie similarities Shades of Atlantis had to the Twilight series. Triona ‘drank in’ Caleb’s scent one too many times for my liking, and there many have been some other stuff, but I don’t want to spoil anything. And to tell the truth, I didn’t mind it too much since I am actually a Twilight fan.

Really, I can’t say enough how much I loved this book. Author Carol Oates is a master story teller, and the proof was in everything that I usually dislike in stories because somehow she managed to make me not only accept those things but also really appreciate them. I really can’t wait to read more from this debut author.

I received Shades of Atlantis as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and as soon as I was done with it, I ordered myself the paperback because I just have to have it on my bookshelf. As soon as I get it in, I’m gonna re-read it. 

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Posted at 6:11 pm  •  Labels: 2010, 5 stars, Book Review, Faeries, Kindle Edition, paranormal romance, YA