Official Review: Underneath by M.N. Arzu

[kandscreeley]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Underneath" by M.N. Arzu.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A merman washes ashore in Maine, injured and unconscious. How do you fix a man with a tail? How do you keep him from being swallowed up by the US government never to be seen again? How do you thwart the media circus that is sure to follow his trail? Where did he come from, and are there others like him? If so, are they going to try to get him back?

Underneath is book one in The Under Series by M.N. Arzu. It's a little over 300 pages and falls into the science fiction/fantasy genre. The book explores what would happen if merfolk really did exist in today's world.

This story seemed to set the scene for the series as a whole. We are introduced to the major players in both the mermaid world and the human world. We get glimpses of life as a mermaid but not much factual information. That's not to say, though, that the story didn't have merit by itself. Indeed, I was intrigued and entertained throughout. The author drops hints all through the story of things that will come later in the series. This whet my appetite for more, making me want to snatch up the second book before I was even done with the first. Very clever on the part of the author.

The ending was just what it should be in a series such as this. Without giving anything away, I will say that it wasn't really a cliffhanger. Most of the plot was wrapped up in a nice, neat, little box. However, because of the foreshadowing that the author does during the novel, you still want to read the next in the series. I loved that as so many authors simply rely on breaking up what should be one story into two.

As for the characters, it was a nice mix of the good, bad and indifferent. Some of the characters you wanted to congratulate; some you wanted to hit over the head with a baseball bat. The story was told from the third person with many different participants to follow. Nevertheless, I never was in doubt as to which character was speaking.

I rate Underneath 4 out of 4 stars. There were very few errors, and the book as a whole was entertaining. This is one of those books that there just isn't much to talk about because everything was so well-written. Nothing was particularly noticeable because it wasn't supposed to be notable. Any science fiction/fantasy fans will enjoy this one immensely as well as those who enjoy a good mermaid tale. It won't be particularly attractive if you don't like much mythology in your stories. I, however, can't wait to find out more about these merfolk and their society! Will there be continued interactions between humans and merfolk?

******
Underneath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like kandscreeley's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Debjani Ghosh]

As for the characters, it was a nice mix of the good, bad and indifferent. Some of the characters you wanted to congratulate; some you wanted to hit over the head with a baseball bat.

I am bowled over by your review. I will like to meet these "indifferent" characters. This book has a unique premise and based on your review, has an entertaining plot. I will have it to pin it to the top of my TR list.

[Alice Heritage]

Ah, the fascinating topic of merfolk! I'd join you in commending the author on wrapping the book up well while letting the reader know of the stored surprises in future books in the series. Too often you can see that books have been arbitrarily broken up to make a trilogy, which is a bit of a con really.

[inaramid]

Ohhh, nice concept. Glad to hear that there's a resolution to this even though it's setting up a series. Still, it would be nice to have it fully edited. Thanks for the review!

[kandscreeley]

As for the characters, it was a nice mix of the good, bad and indifferent. Some of the characters you wanted to congratulate; some you wanted to hit over the head with a baseball bat.

I am bowled over by your review. I will like to meet these "indifferent" characters. This book has a unique premise and based on your review, has an entertaining plot. I will have it to pin it to the top of my TR list.

Have you never had people in your life that you were indifferent to? I don't know... Maybe it's just me. In any case, it was a good blend of types of people. Definitely well-written. Thanks.

[kandscreeley]

Ah, the fascinating topic of merfolk! I'd join you in commending the author on wrapping the book up well while letting the reader know of the stored surprises in future books in the series. Too often you can see that books have been arbitrarily broken up to make a trilogy, which is a bit of a con really.

Exactly! This was different and quite refreshing. It was brilliant, really! Thanks for your comments.

[kandscreeley]

Ohhh, nice concept. Glad to hear that there's a resolution to this even though it's setting up a series. Still, it would be nice to have it fully edited. Thanks for the review!

There were only a couple of mistakes here and there. It was well-done as far as the editing. Thanks for commenting.

[Cecilia_L]

The merman plot sounds really intriguing. It sounds like an interesting read and I can tell you enjoyed it. Great review!

[kandscreeley]

Thanks Cecilia_L! I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book has to offer.

[T_stone]

This book has a very entertaining plot from your review. And the author has succeeded in making readers want to read the other books in the series. Thank you for this review

[Caylie_Cat]

Although books in a series are designed to be read in order- for obvious reasons- I prefer when each book stands alone and is still able to be enjoyed if you haven't managed to get hold of the previous ones first. Good review!

[Sonya Nicolaidis]

I must say, I’m fascinated that the imagination these authors have! A series about mer-folk is strange and unexpected , to say the least, so before I dismiss it as ‘not my thing’ I think I need to have a closer look. Many thanks for this.

[Emi_Review]

This sounds so intriguing; I personally think it's quite refreshing seeing a merman being the focus rather than a mermaid. I like the fact that the author wraps up the story rather then split it up, it can be so frustrating when that happens sometimes. Thanks for the review!

[Amanda Deck]

This sounds so intriguing; I personally think it's quite refreshing seeing a merman being the focus rather than a mermaid.

I agree with that, what a nice change!

I'm sending the link to this review to my niece who, as almost an adult, still wants to be a mermaid. Maybe she WAS one in a previous life.
I've never been all that enamored of mermaid, merman, merpeople stories and myths myself, but this sounds like something I would like to read anyway. Mostly because of the comment about having to beware of researchers and the government getting hold of him. I've thought about that before reading time travel books because I know I'd certainly be extremely intrigued, and would hope someone would get more information. Discovering real Merfolk would be just as exciting.

[A G Darr]

Your review was fantastic. I've never read a book about merepeople, but I think I need to change that. I definately want to add this book to my bookshelf.