Seaweed

Dori also called Seaweed by her best friend Colby loves to swim. Colby would really love to take their friendship to the next level until the new boy in town, Tor, catches her attention. Especially after diving into the water one night and never coming up. When Dori starts dating Tor and notices his avoidance of water she begins to wonder if maybe the sightings of mermaids were real after all. And he is causing a reaction in her to come to the surface that she never knew was possible.<br /><br />Tor was your usual sweet, hunky, and mysterious love interest. He was a little boring at first but then he does end up having an interesting family tree and history. Just as I thought I knew what was going on with him more surprises would arise. But I also loved Colby. I'm a huge sucker for the best friend left behind but Colby was a jerk to Dori during certain parts. I understood his hurt but after a life long friendship I was sad that he turned his back on her. He does come through for another important part and made my heart ache for him again. Dori's friend's were a bit annoying to me too and I felt like they didn't support her well. I didn't feel like I got to know them very well though.<br /><br />Dori was fun and and took the discoveries of Tor and some unexpected discoveries of herself very well. But there was a part where she was a bit naive and it annoyed me. A very clear trap and she was just la de da I want to do what I want. Like no you are in danger! Also another thing that bothered me was the weird mermaid family trees. Seemed a lot of mermaid romances were cousins and it just oged me out a bit. Can't all the mermaids just not be related lol But looking past the few things I didn't like it was a super cute story great for any mermaid fans. The details of the mermaids were very descriptive. I loved their underwater life and the changing of the fins was an interesting detail. There was romance and action and once I was half way through I couldn't put it down.<br /><br /><br />"He gently rubbed his lips against mine, and little tingles swam down my arms and chest and throughout my body. His lips were soft and full with a delicious hint of saltiness. If this was how Tor wanted to keep track of me, I didn't mind."

Dori is a great character - she pretty much acts exactly as someone her age should. That said, some of her decisions can lead you to throw your arms up in frustration, or at least shake your head in disappointment. Although most of the time she's trying to do the right thing (from her POV), there's an old saying that applies: the road to hell is paved with the best intentions.<br /><br />Multiple important scenes involve Dori deceiving her family and friends and participating in dangerous activities. I didn't really approve of this, especially after the first time. However, I do think this is something a 15/16 year old would do.<br /><br />Other characters are interesting; I liked the mer-lore that the author created as the backdrop to this story. I felt bad for Colby, though I'm glad he didn't end up like Benjamin!<br /><br />Overall good read: bit of romance, merpeople, and typical teenage stuff. Oh, and kings/queens/etc!

Super cute read that had me hooked. <br />I will absolutely read more from this author. Great character development and I'm thinking mermaids are the new vampires. ;)

I want a sequel!

Despite a bit of an awkward beginning, Seaweed turned out to be an undeniably fun and unique reading experience. Yes, it has to do with mermaids, no secret there just by the cover and the description you know that, but it is an unusual mermaid tale. Dori is a fantastic swimmer. And looking for a boyfriend. She lives in the very small town of Eastcove New Brunswick and when a new guy shows up at the end of the year Bonfire, everyone notices, especially Dori. Dori isn't shy so she goes up to introduce herself. But when the guys get a bit rowdy and start spraying soda at each other and Dori decides to spray her water in new guy, Tor's face he dashes off down the beach and heads into the ice cold June waters. Dori, being a lifeguard goes in after him, but cannot find him, and at the risk of hypothermia, she has to get out of the water. Her story launches a massive Coast Guard search for Tor until Tor's Uncle shows up at the police station saying it was all a mistake and Tor is fine.<br /><br />It's all a bit awkward in the beginning, the relationship rushed, Dori's anger at Tor a bit too much for only knowing him such a short while, anger, jealousy, feelings. All of that was a bit much and not like the other Elle Strauss book I've read. But, once all that was over with, which wasn't very much into the book, things settled down and the book got very interesting. Dori finds out that she has a very interesting family tree. And that may explain the pearl like mounds behind her ears and the itchy rashes on her legs. And the deep longing and feelings she has towards Tor.<br /><br />I liked Dori but sometimes she was just plain stupid. She didn't learn from her mistakes and it was as if the guys around her didn't learn from her mistakes either. Every time she asked them to do something and they tried to talk her out of it they gave into her and it ended badly. Come on! How many times does it have to happen before you learn your lesson? And I blame the people that were more experienced for giving in to her. They knew what they were doing was stupid! That was an annoying trait of hers. She never forsaw the danger, until the very end. Finally, she catches a clue and listens.<br /><br />This was a bit predictable as well. I knew what was going to happen before it happened and knew who was who before it happened. But it didn't make everything predictable and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel. I had a great time with the novel. I've been having a hard time finding things that I've wanted to read lately and this one fit the bill for me. There is plenty of room for a sequel so I'm hoping there will be.<br /><br />Thanks to AToMR and Elle Strauss for the review copy of Seaweed. <br />

I love the cover of this book and I seem to be into mermaid books as of late, so I signed up to tour this book. It was a great read, fun book, I enjoyed it very much! <br /><br />The story is about a girl and a boy. The girl loves to swim, grew up in a small town, and has some really great friends. The boy is new to town, mysterious, good looking, and is interested in the girl. Girl meets boy and starts hanging out with him. She begins to notice things different about him, jumping off a cliff into the cold ocean and disappears, doesn’t like to get wet, and has some strange tattoos. She also notices strange things happening with her, school breaking swim records, strange bruises, and skin rashes. This is the story of a girl, Dori, and a boy, Tor, and how they fall in love. <br /><br />Dori is a great character; I really didn’t seem to find any faults in her other than she was a little slow to figuring things out. Of course if she figured it out as fast as the reader, it would be a very short story. Dori is a very kind soul; she wants to give everyone a chance and is really loyal to her friends. She jumps in head first and thinks about the consequences later, but that is about every teenage girl. Tor is great. He is cute, a great swimmer, sweet, but a little too hardheaded sometimes. <br /><br />The book was a very fast read, really entertaining, and full of creativity. I loved the world of mermaids, the story behind the merpeople, the land vs. water, and the way they live. It was different then many of the mermaid books I have read recently but still had the main elements of being a mermaid, like the tail and gills. The writing flowed and it was a pager turn. I didn’t come across any slow moments. What I did notice is that even though the book is short, it felt like there was quite a bit to the story. Every time I thought I was near the end, something else happened. <br /><br />If you like quick and fun reads, fantasy, romance, and a little bit of mystery, action, and thrills…read this book!

Seaweed is a very fast-paced, cute and quick read. Eastcove is as far away from anything exciting as possible. But that is soon over when Dori meets Tor on the beach. And then he takes off rather abruptly and mysteriously. This ends up starting a trail of events in which Dori has the front seat.<br /><br />Dori is a swimmer and a competitive one at that, her competition being with Colby who has a crush on her. Dori wants out of Eastcove and a swimming scholarship is the only way, really. But lately, her legs are getting itchy and gets an unattractive shade of red whenever she swims. Also, there is a weird clump of pimples behind her ears and random bruising.<br /><br />As time passes, Dori and Tor find themselves spending time with each other more and more. But things take an unexpected when Tor has to leave Eastcove to be with his family because of some approaching danger. Dori is devastated and tries to cope. However, when another new boy, Riley, starts taking interest in her, she figures it's a good way to get her mind of off Tor. But things are bound to get more complicated.<br /><br />In all, Seaweed is a great read for summer. It is definitely set apart in the paranormal aspect being my first book reading about it. I enjoyed it and it took me a couple of hours to finish it. The world-building in the book is creative and I really enjoyed reading about Tor's way of living. The ending does leave space for another book and if there is a sequel, I'd like to know what's in store for Dori.

Dori lives in a small coastal town called Eastcove, where everyone knows everyone. And when the new guy Tor shows up, everything Dori thought she knew changes. Dori is drawn to Tor, he’s different, interesting, and has a secret that will put Dori on the adventure of her life. <br /><br />The story starts right away with Tor and Dori meeting and the instant love or attraction she has for him. I felt a little bewildered because I was just thrown into the story with no warm up to the characters or situation. It was very different from other books I’ve read. However, I also found that to be a breath of fresh air. Seaweed was unique and I quickly got into the story and enjoyed it greatly. I love mer-books to begin with and I especially love the ones with mermen as the lead male character. The world Elle Strauss created was interesting and I could fully immerse myself into it. The book was an easy-quick read, I felt like I was in the book world for so long even though it didn’t really take that long to read. I also loved that it took place in Canada because as a Canadian that excited me. Seaweed is definitely not a mer-book that disappoints. Sure, there are a couple times I wanted to scream at Dori for being stupid and not noticing the obvious but when your heroine is a typical teen girl, what do you expect. <br /><br />I recommend this for anyone (mostly young adults or teens) who want to lose themselves in an adventure of mermaids, secrets and romance.<br />

Another great read from Elle Straus. I know that when I read her stuff I will be getting something fun and entertaining. I also know that her stuff is definitely something I would let my girls read when they get a little older and are ready for YA. Plus Seaweed is very well written you can trust this author knows what she is doing. <br /><br />When Elle asked if I would be interested in reading Seaweed I knew I would have to. I love mermaid stories and this one seemed perfect. And it was. It had some really cute characters, an interesting storyline, and the right amount of suspense to leave me wondering. My favorite part was the suspense. There was quite a bit in the story and I found myself pleasantly surprised by how some things revealed themselves. Some of which I never saw coming.<br /><br />One thing that kept me from rating this a 5 star book was probably how unbelievable the relationship between Dori and her parents were. I won’t give away what happens, but if I were to have done half of the things she did…well I probably would not be alive right now. I don’t know that’s just me. Maybe other parents were a little more lenient with their kids. I felt she should have been held a little more responsible after all that she did.<br /><br />Anywhoo, loved Seaweed! Thought it was beyond cute and I suggest anyone looking for a clean YA read about merpeople to pick it up today. <br />

First I would like to Thank AToMR for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. I have a lot of blogger friends who love merfolk stories and told me about Seaweed. I decided I would give it a go and I was not disappointed. Seaweed starts out with Dori and her best friend Colby. They enjoy swimming and hanging out but Colby wants more from Dori. Dori only sees Colby as a friend and nothing more. She does not want to hurt his feelings but Colby just seems determined they were meant for one another and continues to pursue Dori in that way.<br /><br />Then the new guy comes to town Tor and Dori's world is turned upside down. She likes Tor and wants to be with him but Tor is mysterious and has the bad boy persona thing going on. No matter because Dori can't seem to get him out of her head and they start dating. But like I said there is more to Tor than meets the eye and when Dori keeps asking questions what she finds out is mind blowing. <br /><br />Dori will have to decide if being with Tor is the right thing to do? Will her love be able to handle the secrets and the mysteries that lie ahead? Will Tor open up enough to tell her the truth? Come along on this FANTASTICAL ride where the secrets and mysteries that unravel are sure to blow your mind. Where sacrificing friendships may or may not be worth it in the end.