#REVIEW: Scales: A Falling In Deep Collection Novella by Pauline Creeden

 

Verona is a bottom feeder. She is the one mer in her clan who is considered the ugliest and least intelligent. Growing up with the constant bullying and abuse wasn’t the worst of what her kind had in store for her. At seventeen years old, she must now endure “The Reckoning.” The scales will measure her worth to her clan. Will she endure thirty days as a land-walker to gather information and knowledge to appease her clan and return a valued member? Will she wait three years, until she is twenty, and find a mer of her kind to accept her and marry her? Or will she suffer exile for the rest of her life? Genre: YA

Buy on Amazon Available May 26th

RATING: 4 1/2 stars

My Review: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have learned that Pauline Creeden is an amazing author, very versatile in her writing. She doesn't stick to one genre or setting. I have read science fiction Christian from her, steam punk adventure from her,  and now an underwater  possible romance. Pauline is the type of author that knows no boundaries. She writes in such a way that you are part of the world she has written about.
This novella was amazing, it was the first mermaid story I have read that wasn't The Little Mermaid, and I had no issues with the new world or culture. The author has made it so easy to be able to believe that such a culture could indeed exist. It is so easy to be transported by her words into an underwater fantasy in Verona's life.
The only drawback that I had was that the reader doesn't really know Verona's name until much later in the book, unless the reader is familiar with Romeo and Juliet.I wonder if this is going to be the story that this book parallels. Is it going to be a star crossed lover type story between Verona and her defender?
The story addresses the very real issue of societal bullying that we see every day, people being shunned for being less than what society has deemed "acceptable" or "worthy". Racial issues, gender identity, sexual orientation and financial worth are all things that we face on a daily basis with bullying in society. I truly felt for Verona, and wish I could have defended her. I hope as the story continues, Verona finds her self-worth is not decided by her society but by herself.

Pauline Creeden

Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.   Follow Pauline Creeden: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter  

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