I've seen a lot of mermaid-type books around, some of them with really positive reviews. I always just kind of looked at them and thought, "Mermaids. Meh." But when I read the description for Everblue, it was like a light went off. Here was a book about my two absolute favorite things in the universe: YA fantasy romance, and the ocean. (Insert ear-piercing squeal.)
See, I love the ocean. I threaten to run away to the ocean like some kids do the circus. Notice I'm using present tense; I'm an adult, and I still make this threat. Sometimes I make good on it, too. :) That's why I was so excited about Everblue. It's a good dose of oceanic escape, with romance and magic and other fantastical things.
Everblue's land-bound action actually takes place in Lake Tahoe, so the setting was very well done. The underwater setting is beautiful and well-imagined. Pandos has constructed a meticulous, detail-oriented world here where plot isn't sacrificed for convenience. I found it to be both imaginative and practical. The author clearly sat down and thought, "Ok, what would it be like to actually live underwater?"
The two main characters were well done. I have to say that Fin was my favorite, though. The story is told in alternating male-female 1st POV, which was refreshing. There really does seem to be a lack of male 1st POV in YA, but Pandos does it well. The book is long enough to be a full-length novel with a complete story arc of its own, yet it clearly leaves room for its sequel without leaving readers feeling like, "What??? But what next???"
An overall great read. Fans of Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy, Addison Moore's Celestra series, and Aprilynne Pike's Wings series will probably find this to their liking.