Book Review: Undertow by Michael Buckley

Undertow (Undertow #1) by Michael Buckley
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of District 9 and The Outsiders.

Undertow is the first book in the Undertow series by Michael Buckley. This is not your typical mermaid story. If you can even call them mermaids. There are so many varieties of alpha. Yes, there are some that resemble the mermaid like creatures we're most familiar with, but there are also selkies, others that are more squid like, and some even have shells. The Alpha are super powerful, and they've come from an underwater world that seems very violent in nature. Now, they are forced on land, and they all have to get along with each other and humans. Lyric and Fathom seem to be the first test on how the peaceful uniting of the two worlds will go. It's not smooth sailing, but it's very interesting. I love the unique take on mermaids and other ocean creatures. This was different, and very hard to put down.

 

New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley was born in Akron, Ohio. He tried his hand as a stand-up comic and lead singer for a punk rock back before attending Ohio University. After graduating with honors he moved to New York City to be an intern on the Late Show with David Letterman which led to stints developing programming for Discovery Networks, MTV, MTV Animation and Klasky Csupo (producers of Nickelodeon’s Rugrats). Today he lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Alison, and their son Finn.

To learn more about Michael Buckley and his books, visit him website. You can also find him on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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