Prelude by A.M. Hodgson

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

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About the Book:

Sarah Mills is an endangered species— she just doesn't know it.

Then she turns sixteen and ‘transitions.’ One magical hangover later, she’s awakened as a gorgeous adult siren— a species the other magical races thought went extinct thirteen years ago. Most girls might adore the attention Sarah’s suddenly getting, but all she wants to do is become invisible for the remainder of her high school career. 

Unfortunately, Sarah can’t seem to turn off her siren compulsion. People hang on her every word. They do whatever she asks them to. The best looking guy in school wants to date her. Sarah just wants to go unnoticed, but it seems all she can do is make mistakes. 

After she shatters the minds of her foster parents with her first siren song, Sarah has no choice but to move in with the class diva. It’s the foster system all over again, but this time her host is a mermaid princess, backed by a council of magical creatures. 

The council claims to have her best interests at heart. They even assigned her a stoic elf bodyguard just to keep her safe. Because unfortunately for Sarah, there’s a reason the sirens all died off over a decade ago. Someone isn't happy that she survived. Someone wants her dead. 

The first attack was a wraith. The second attack played on Sarah’s greatest fears. The third attack might succeed.

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My Thoughts:

 This book was a fascinating read from start to finish. There, I said it. No preamble, it's just that good! Okay, so I'd never really read a book with sirens before. I'd heard of a few, but this was my first. Well, besides the old folk lore and things like that. I'm pretty happy it was, because it was unputdownable! 

Sarah is a very relatable character, despite, you know, her being a siren. I was also really happy with how well written this book was. It was my first big outdoor read of the year, where I read the entire book outside. I have to say, I rarely stopped reading except for the occasional pause to pet me attention-seeking furbabies. 

Prelude is the first in a series, and I truly look forward to reading the next. It's a lot different than what I was expecting going in, but I really liked it. A.M. Hodgson certainly has herself a new fan in me, and I can't wait to read whatever she has cooked up for us next. The plot is so perfectly woven and the book actually has a kind of coming of age feel. Sarah is trying to discover herself, and find out who she's meant to be and it's kind of inspiring. I think many people have been in similar spots to her, and I feel like A.M. was really able to portray that through Sarah in a wonderful way. 

One thing I really loved about this book is you don't get all the pieces of the puzzle at once, and in the book world today that seems to happen too much. I like when a story kind of carefully gives you the information at just the time you need it, and A.M. Hodgson did a spectacular job with that. 

In closing, I have to say: if you love a good YA Fantasy or just a good young adult or fantasy book in general, I  recommend you check out Prelude.

Excerpt: 

The melody came to me, complex, freeing, drawing the emotions of my day like poison from a wound. Searching the faces of Susan and Rick, I could see they felt everything I felt— surprise, disbelief, fear, and yes, even a bit of happiness and satisfaction, pride of what I had become. I watched my fingers fly, my right hand strumming the strings and my left pushing the frets fluidly. Effortless complexity, effortless perfection. It was exhilarating. I could feel the heat of a flush rise to my cheeks as I played on and on, my gut guiding me to the next step, pushing me towards it.

Doom, my head hissed. Doom.

I didn’t care, the music catching me into a whirlwind. I need to know, I thought back, a thin excuse to the warning. Stacie doesn’t know much about sirens. She isn’t even right. I might not even be a siren. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was a lie. The real reason that I needed this test was a desire that had flared up and suddenly engulfed me like a flame. If I didn’t try this now, if I didn’t sing for an audience, then I’d be roasted alive under the roaring, ravenous urge overwhelming my body and mind.

Doom, my head answered back. Doom. Doom. Doom.

About the Author:

 We’re not saying A.M. Hodgson is a deadly ninja by night. But we’re not not saying that, either. When she’s not making up fantastical plotlines and endearingly flawed characters, she’s reading, playing video games, or being forced to socialize with real, living, breathing people.

She lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband, two cats and a rage-filled chihuahua. She enjoys long walks on the beach, daring adventures, and other activities she only frequents in her imagination.

Giveaway:

We're going to be mixing things up a bit! A.M. has decided that, since she's having a special early July promotion for Prelude, that she'd instead like to give away Kindle copies of another book of hers, Tryst. A fun, accessible book about mermaids!

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