Florence By Ciye Cho

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My thoughts:
When I first started reading Florence, I was excited due to the fact it was about mermaids. Mermaids are the "new" vampire so to speak. I don't know what it is abut mermaids that I find so intriguing but for some odd reason they have a place right smack dab in the middle of my heart.

I like Florence for many many reasons. I also dislike some things, not many, but enough to bug me. Let's start what I like about the book.

Florence Waverly is a loner, who doesn't quite fit in with anyone. With a mother who hardly pays attention to her and father she lost due to cancer, she is very much alone. Right there, I could relate to her. I still have both my parents thank God, and they both love me very much. I feel lonely in different ways than Florence.

As you have read from the summary above, she gets kidnapped but none other than mermaids themselves. Right off the bat we meet the characters that will be an influence on Florence. First is Prince Kiren, Princess Yolee, and Prince Rolan. Such strong, amazing characters.

Now here is where I get to the part I disliked. I did not like Florence too much in the begininng. She was immature, and to me she seemed younger than she was. But I think that is exactly what Mr.Cho wanted us to think because she grew throughtout the book into a strong young women. Headstrong and indpendent, such a lovely combination. Okay, so I didn't have too much to complain on:)

The imaginary world that was created was magical. I can see it being a real world some where deep in the ocean that we can't get access to. The possiblities are endless and that to me is just amazing. I have no idea if there is a second book but I really hope there is with the way the book ended. It was just too good.

Of course what kind of book would it be without some romance!? There is definitely some sparks going off with a certain prince, or two. Hahah. I guess you have to read the book to find that out for yourself which prince it ends up being.

Florence is for the readers who love action, some family drama, imaginary worlds you can only read about in books, and romance. Beautifully written and full of some great characters, I look forward to reading more about Florence and gang.