Beneath the Surface

The Four Kingdoms #2

by Sierra N. Terry

On a seemingly normal night, Jonas, a kind-hearted knight, saves a beautiful young woman from a vicious attack. He quickly finds out the young woman is actually a Mermaid and as she disappears into the water Jonas vows to find her again, so taken by her mere presence. However, ever since they crossed paths Jonas began having strange ominous dreams about her, making him want to see her again even more. What do these dreams mean and why is he having them so often? These are just some of the questions Jonas seeks answers to but all he really wants is a chance to make her his special lady.

327 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2019

Reviews

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I liked the characters and the overall plot idea. The story moved at a moderate pace and had a few interesting elements i.e. the illustrations. While I could not connect with Hime's plight, I did tap into Jonas. Hime was quite the unlikable being. I would be mindful of grammatical errors. One thing that confused me was the time period. While I thought it was a period piece with kings, queens, knights, etc. , there was indoor plumbing i.e. the bathtub with buttons to start the water flow. This came across as a modern touch. The story wrapped up nicely with a fitting end for all (good and bad) involved. I think this was a good addition to the series. A solid 3.5.

[Chanel Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Four Kingdom's series, and another nice read from Seirra. Unlike The Longest Knight, this book isn't erotic, and while these books are connected it isn't a direct sequel from the last book. This one tells the story of Jonas and Hime. Jonas is a knight who rescues Hime from male attackers one night, only to find out that she's a mermaid. I found Jonas to be a likable character for the most part. He was awkward and reminded me of your typical dorkish young man who would do anything to impress the girl of his dreams. I did find Hime to be a bit unlikable at times, especially how she treated Jonas when he bought her gifts. But I tried to empathize considering her having her guard up while dealing with humans. I did like the fact that she seemed to have the upper hand while dealing with him which showed that she was a strong woman while still being vulnerable at times.

Another thing I like about this author, is that she includes art work of her characters throughout the book, which makes the visuals entertaining for the reader. Some of the side characters were childish, like Lucas. Although his interactions with Jonas were funny at times. Jonas discovering his psychic abilities was a cool addition to the plot, and Anaisha was an interesting character whom I enjoyed as well.

While I did enjoy this story, there were some issues I had, including the editing. Which can always be fixed. I think it would have been a smoother read if the story had been told in third person past tense instead of present. I also felt like the mermaids existence caused some inconsistencies. For example, If the mermaids blended in so easily with the humans, then why were they so afraid to go on land? It seemed that only the werewolves could pick up their scent, so the threat of being exposed seemed inconsistent. All in all, I recommend this book and the series if you enjoy mideval stories with diverse characters.