Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Title: Lies Beneath
Author: Anne Greenwood Brown
Publisher: Delacorte
Age Group: Young Adult
Category:  Fantasy/ Romance
Release date: June 12th, 2012
Pages: 303 (Hardcover)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: Won
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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 prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

When Calder White gets the news that a man they've been searching to kill is moving back to his old home near Lake Superior, he and his sisters begin planning how to get closer to him in order to get their revenge.  Years ago, their mother died and her children have taken it upon themselves to finish their end of the contract that she made with Jason Hancock's father.  Little does Calder realize, he'll soon forget about his duties when he begins to focus on Hancock's eldest daughter, Lily.

Though I'm new to books involving mermaids, I can see why people love them so much in YA.  The mermaids in this story are menacing, vengeful and absolutely deceiving, which I loved most of all.  When most people think of mermaids, they think of Ariel and in fact, they're quite the opposite.  Calder and his sisters are predators and they must kill to survive.  I fell for Calder's personality and Lily's quirkiness, but I also had a bit of a soft spot for Calder's sister, Tallulah, because she seemed genuine.

One of the best things about Lies Beneath is that everything was explained within due time.  There was never a question left unanswered, such as why Calder and his sisters seem a little different or why they're able to transform themselves from having a tail to two legs within a matter of seconds. The relationship that develops between Calder and Lily is a little cliche, as expected, but I still found it enjoyable.  For the most part, it's believable, but I didn't find it very heartwarming, as I knew the foundation of the relationship wasn't a steady one.

Overall, the author did a fantastic job with this story. The plot, characters and writing grabbed me and wouldn't let go.  It was perfectly paced and I always felt the need to keep reading in order to find out what would happen next. The ending took me completely by surprise, as I was expecting one thing and something else happened that I think will shock most other readers.  Lies Beneath is a perfectly delicious summer read and anyone who picks it up will devour it in no time.