Perfect Halloween Read: Fathom by Merrie Destefano

Fathom
by Merrie Destefano
Copyright 2012

About the Book:
Everything is changing . . . Turning sixteen can be hell, especially if everyone in town thinks your mother killed herself and your sister. All Kira Callahan wants to do is swim, hang out with her best friend, Sean, and ignore the kids who torment her at school. That is, until one day when she gets invited to a party. For three minutes her life is wonderful—she even kisses Sean. Then somebody spikes her drink and some girls from out of town lure her into the ocean and hold her underwater. 

Kira soon discovers that the group of wild teenagers who have come to visit Crescent Moon Bay are not as innocent as they seem. In fact, nothing is as it seems—not the mysterious deaths of her sister or her mother, not her heritage, not even her best friend. And everything seems to hinge on the ancient Celtic legends that her mother used to tell her as a child.


My Thoughts:
I love Merrie Destefano's adult urban fantasy fiction and when I learned that she was writing a full-length young adult novel I just knew I had to read it. With her flair for writing unusual characters and plot lines with unexpected twists and turns she never disappoints and her new book Fathom is no exception - in fact it's my favorite book from Merrie! She combines the struggles of a girl struggling with fitting in in high school with a dash of mystery and a spooky Celtic legend that makes this the absolutely perfect Halloween tale.

Kira Callahan's mom and little sister mysteriously vanished years ago. Kira can still picture the blood and hear the screams from that night. Even now at 16 she can't escape the nightmares and the haunting memories. Living with her dad and Irish grandmother she's grown up on Celtic legends and stories and something about them intrigues her. One day, after a group of beautiful strangers show up at Crescent Moon Bay she learns that there is much more to her past and her future that she never thought possible. She also learns why she is so drawn to the water and its cold, crashing waves.

In a world of YA dystopian fiction and vampires and angels it's refreshing to read a novel centered around ancient tales of Selkies and sea monsters. Destefano does an excellent job of making Kira likeable and relatable while still making her completely unique and interesting. I can see a possible love triangle taking shape between Kira, her friend Sean and "new guy", Caleb which could be very interesting especially since we learn some interesting tidbits about both Sean, Caleb and the Selkie legend. Fathom's ending is most definitely a cliff-hanger and I hope Ms. Destefano doesn't keep us waiting too long to see what happens next!

Note: Isn't the cover great? It fits the story so well. As of right now this is only available in e-book form but it's soon to be released in paperback!

To learn more about Merrie visit her WEBSITE.

~ My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ~

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*

Happy Reading!