I love anything to do with water and I would love to visit Atlantis, so I am eager to read The Undine’s Tear by Talena Winters. The blurb says epic fantasy, mermaids like you have never seen them before…and I HAVE TO KNOW.

Amazon / Goodreads

The Undine’s Tear by Talena Winters

GENRE: Young Adult epic historical fantasy

MY REVIEW

Calandra is the most powerful healer to arise in three thousand years. Her people are counting on her to save them. The cost may be too much and time is running out.

Even though Calandra and Tanni are complete opposites, they became fast friends. Tanni’s dream was to be a guardian of the island and would put down her life for her.

Zale performs with the gypsys using his fishy ability, like a carnival act in a freak show. He spends his day in a tank of water. Abela came to him, telling him he had a sister and only he could save his mother, who had been taken by the Grigori.

Damon comes to Calandra in her dreams. He has become her hidden teacher, but I am leery of him. She has a push/pull attraction to him and I think, deep down, she senses there is more than meets the eye to him.

Women rule the island. There are no male Undines, so human men were brought in and Redeemed. That is a misnomer, because all their will is taken from them, so what’s to redeem? Calandra’s conscience is telling her there is something very wrong about this.

Narcissa is a princess whose mother is Adonia, the queen. Narcissa envies Calandra and will do all she can to bring her down, maybe even be the cause of her death. AND, not all the characters will survive the story. There is one that I really hate Talena Winters took a particular one out, but I also like when an author isn’t afraid to kill them off if it adds to the story.

I know there are people who thrive power. Those that have it often feel justified and entitled in their actions, but it is not necessary to be cruel.

Reverend Berian. I am having a hard time deciding if he is a good guy or if he has his own agenda.

We do have mermaids, Atlantis, other magicals, danger, betrayal, sacrifice…

Even though the mers spent most of their time on two legs, I loved the concept of the story. I am curious about what happened to all the mermen, seeing Zale is the only one of his kind…

Action packed, suspenseful, and I want more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Undines Tear by Talena Winter.

Bonus Review for The Waterboy

The Waterboy by Talena Winters is a novella that tells Zale’s story. It is not necessary to read this before The Undines Tear, but if you are going to read the series, I would recommend adding this to your reading list. The Undines Tear covers the basics, but The Waterboy adds a lot of the details of his life and how he came to be with the gypsys.

BLURB

She’s destined to save the world . . . if she doesn’t destroy it first.

Calandra’s destiny is also her doom. As the most powerful healer since the woman who sank Atlantis, she’s been raised to restore the Heartstone that protects her island from humans . . . before she goes Mad like her mother and all the powerful undine healers before her. When she learns she needs both male and female magic to succeed, she becomes desperate—there hasn’t been an undine male born for over three thousand years. Instead, she’s being pressured to use the siren mind-bond to enslave her childhood friend, the one man she’s sworn to risk a death sentence to free.

When Calandra discovers a cryptic message that shows her exiled mother was not only sane but pregnant with a boy, she questions everything she’s been taught to believe. But revealing the horrifying truth of the bonds could tear her island apart—and concealing it could unleash the Earth’s oldest, most destructive enemy. With insanity looming, can Calandra find her brother and save the Heartstone, the man she loves, her people, and the world . . . before she loses control and destroys them all?

The Undine’s Tear is the first book in the mind-blowing young adult epic historical fantasy series Rise of the Grigori. Packed with complex characters, lush world-building, gritty action, and impossible odds, this intricately woven tale presents mermaids like you’ve never seen them before. Join Calandra in a search for redemption that will threaten the very fabric of the universe. Dive into the adventure today!

EXCERPT

“You are wondering how to gain control of your powers,” Damon said without preamble.

Calandra thought about ignoring him or denying it, but what was the point? This was nothing more than a dream, and the slippery logic of dreams fuzzed her will to keep her more rebellious thoughts to herself.

“You know, I shouldn’t even be talking to you. An Unredeemed male. I could get in big trouble.”

The corners of his mouth curved under his trim goatee.

“And who will report you?” He indicated the blackness around them. “Certainly not I. I exist only in your mind.”

She crossed her arms and cocked her head, studying him. “Have you ever been Redeemed?”

His expression became stony. “Redemption is for humans.”

“Redemption is for men. To make them safe. It just happens that the only men are human.”

Thinking of Osaze’s dread, she wondered again at the morality of it. Uncrossing her arms, she shifted her gaze from Damon’s face to his bronze chest.

“And one of them is my friend.”

“All humans should be controlled,” he replied nonchalantly, drawing nearer. “They have not the patience nor discipline to control themselves. And I am not human, yet I am male.”

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “I can see that. What are you? I’ve never seen an undine with golden eyes.”

He smiled knowingly. “Not human. But I could be your friend.”

That same feeling of security and warmth from their first encounter enveloped her, as though he were projecting it from himself intentionally. She frowned, wanting to accept it and shake off her heavy heart, but not daring to trust him yet.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to help you.”

Damon came near enough to touch her but didn’t, pausing before her with his arms to the sides in a placating gesture.

She wrapped her arms around herself and glared into the blackness beyond him. “Yeah, well, you can’t. Not unless you can tell me how to control powers that could sink an island and heal the Heartstone without going Mad.”

“Little lark,” he said, amusement dripping from his voice like honey from a spoon, “that is exactly what I intend to do.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Talena Winters is addicted to stories, tea, chocolate, yarn, and silver linings. She writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres, coaches other writers, has written several award-winning songs, and designs knitting patterns under her label My Secret Wish. Master of the ironic GIF response. She currently resides on an acreage in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, with her husband, three surviving boys, two dogs, and an assortment of farm cats. She would love to be a mermaid when she grows up.

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