Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

Rating: 3 stars

I was hoping to enjoy this book, I really was. I read a lot of good reviews of it, so I was genuinely hoping it wouldn’t be a waste of my time. Which it kind of was.

I was super excited when I got it: the cover was pretty, everyone loved it, it was about freaking mermaids—but alas. It wasn’t poorly written, and Fama obviously knew her materials, I just didn’t like it.

The story was told from several different points of view, and two different time periods. While in the old time period, Ezra, Syrenka, Eleanor, and the old preacher were present in their own POV, but while in present day, only Hester’s POV was there.

The book starts off with Hester, who knows she is going to die if she has a baby. She had decided to say no to love, except for the fact that she had a huge crush on this guy named Peter, who, coincidentally, she is an incredible jerk to for the entire story despite his constant patience with her. And I really did try to sympathize with her, it just seems to me no matter how good and sweet and kind he was to her, she was just going around stealing crap from everyone, despite the fact she ‘never’ steals. Seriously, by the end of the story she stole like, three important historical artifacts.

 

Seriously, the fudge?!

I found Hester’s personality in general incredibly grating. She was rude to everyone, had no sympathy for anyone else's problems, and was completely and utterly self absorbed. She just straight out irritated me, I have no more to say.

Ezra was sweet, kind, as well as a complete pansy. He had a total of one hard core moment, and the rest of the time he just wanted to love the world. I get that some girls like their men a bit more...pathetic, but it annoyed the heck out of me.

Syrenka was nothing like Hester, because unlike Hester, her relationship with Ezra actually took time to develop rather than Hester's: 'I've seen you twice. Let's break my vow of no love and have sex because I love you.'

Where Hester was annoying, Syrenka tried to be kind to everyone, unless she was fighting. Then she tried to kick-ass. Even when she was raped by Olaf, she went and ripped his lungs out right after. A bit extreme, but I can at least understand her anger.

There's always that one book that has the extremely awfully written romance, well, this one was it. 

I didn't hate this book, I just didn't like it either. It took a long time to grab my attention, the instant love was awful, and I didn't like or empathize with the characters.

I'd recommend this book to people who like mermaids, historical fiction, and who don't mind insta love. 

xxAvalon