Book Review for Breakwater by Errin Stevens
Breakwater, by Errin Stevens, is a paranormal romance about protecting your home, and learning how to properly love others, no matter how painful it may be.
The book is separated into three parts. Part One delves into the love lives of Maya and Sylvia, both of whom meet two mysterious, yet charming strangers. Meanwhile, Carmen finds out that she is the heir to the Siren throne, and must prepare herself to lead her people. Part two introduces Duncan Fleming is a disgruntled siren who is desperate to lay claim to the throne, and will do whatever it takes to wield that power again. All the while, Simon and Aiden must realize that love isn’t like the wondrous affection that everyone dreams of. In Part Three, Carmen and her allies must foil Duncan’s plans in exposing the sirens, and learns that no matter what, family looks out for one another. With the ending of one fairytale, and the beginning of another, Stevens illustrates the same, timeless gifts that love has to offer.
I enjoyed Maya’s practicality, as well as Sylvia’s determination. Kate does have a point; owning a business at her age, falling in love with a siren, Sylvia has done a lot. Personally, it did seem like Simon did force his way into her life; for instance, he simply whisked Sylvia away to a place where he felt would be the most romantic. Even so, I must advise Simon that what he did was not an act of love; in fact it’s illegal in, I believe, most parts of the world. But despite that, it still worked out for them, however strange the experience was. I do admit that I did feel sorry for Aiden, especially since he felt like he belonged to Maya. Even so, he learns that this is just another aspect of love that he needs to understand; love hurts, and no matter what he chooses to do, it will keep hurting.
Then there’s Duncan Fleming, a man ruled by his own selfish ambition. He used his wife to try to get what he needed, and enslaved humans simply because he had this need to be worshipped and loved. He denied Carmen her rightful birthright, because he was already addicted to the power he once had. While I was initially sympathetic to him, over time, he started to deteriorate in my eyes. He went as far as to try and expose his own kind to humanity. He lost all credibility with me, but because of that, he became an excellent, irredeemable villain.
The book explores the inner workings of an incredibly confusing concept known as love. Like Updrift, the book shows that love can be innocent, and sometimes, our adoration of a person leads us to do crazy things. After all, a teacher did once tell me that love and insanity are two sides of the same coin. Simon had stolen Sylvia away from her life, though he did realize his mistake. At the same time, Duncan was in love only with himself. He was willing to do whatever it took to appease his arrogance, even if it meant that betraying his home. Stevens shows that love does encompass all types of timeless aspects, whether it be innocence, or selfishness.
Like Updrift, Breakwater carries with it the same, enchanting atmosphere, bringing back the age-old possibility that anything can happen. From the amusing romance between Sylvia and Simon, to Carmen’s ascension to the throne, to even the sinister Duncan, this book reminded me of the classic fairytales we all loved when we were little. It carries the traditional ideas of good and evil, as well as the fact that justice always perseveres. There were times when the book seemed a bit too sweet for me, but other than that, I enjoyed this book. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 3.8 out of 5 stars, and would recommend this book to those who fell in love with I, Coriander, by Sally Gardner, and Gail Carson Levine.
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