Blog Tour Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Deep End of the Sea – Heather Lyons

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

Series:
Release Date: February 13th 2014
Publisher: Cerulean Books
Source: Inkslinger PR
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I adored this book.  Heather Lyons took a character from Greek Mythology and humanized her, weaving a tale of a girl who was made to suffer thousands of years as a monster because of the pettiness of a God.  It was unique, wonderful and a story I will undoubtedly read again and again.

For those that may not know the story of Medusa, she was assaulted in Athena’s temple by Poseidon.  Athena became enraged and punished Medusa by turning her into the monster with a snake body, snake hair and who’s stare turns anyone to stone.  The new twist for this story is Medusa spending the next two thousand years riddled with guilt over the deaths she has caused.  Even her snakes feel guilty in their part.  She putters around her island developing new hybrid flowers and waiting until one of her two friends:  a blind elderly man who stumbled upon her island and the messenger God Hermes.  She wishes things were different, but after this long she resigned to the fact that this is how she is going to live for eternity.  But that all changes when Hermes finally gets Medusa to reluctantly agree to petition Olympus about her punishment.

Medusa is one of those characters that you want to befriend, protect and find some way to ensure she’s happy.  I was hurt and angry for her at what she’d suffer because Poseidon couldn’t take no for an answer.   I wanted her to grab onto what Hermes was offering when he begged her to let him petition Olympus about her punishment, but also understood why she was terrified of what could happen should something go wrong.  She had not only suffered at the hands of Poseidon, she was used as a pawn in petty jealousy of a God whom she worshipped.  And we saw those fears become realty for Medusa as she was forced away from her new home and everything she loved because of the two Gods who ruined her life to begin with.

Hermes was the perfect hero.  He befriended Medusa early in her days as “the monster”, but he never saw her that way.  For two thousand years, he was her best friend, but he wanted more for Medusa. I loved how he fought for her freedom and then to protect her from the Gods that still wished to harm her, even at a detriment to his own happiness.  He was able to prove to Medusa, even when she started doubting him a bit, that he truly did love her and everything he did for her was because of that love.

The secondary characters to this story were fabulous.  I loved Persephone and Hades.  They were perfect  as the staunch supporters of Hermes and Medusa.  They, along with Hermes, show Medusa how a loving family should act and it does a lot to Medusa let go of all her hurt.

This was my first Heather Lyons book, but I will definitely be looking for more from this author.  She weaves a story that is mesmerizing and creates characters that you dread to leave when you get to the last page of the book.

“Where are Hades and Persephone?” I ask, glancing around the empty living room. They are nowhere to be seen tonight; neither are any of the Automatons.

The corner of Hermes’ mouth quirks. “Out. Possibly in the Underworld. One never knows with those two.”

Relief unfurls in the muscles in my shoulders. Still, I can’t help but ask, “Without saying goodbye?”

He’s definitely amused. “Shall I fetch them for you?”

“No!” My answer is too quick, which I fear broadcasts just how ecstatic I am at the thought of being along with Hermes right now. And that realization causes me to blush for the millionth time around him in the last month, so I clarify, “Of course not. I was just curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.” To my delight, his hand finds mine and our fingers intertwine. It is a delicious sensation: his hand, warm and worn in mine in just such a way that feels like it’s an extension of my body.

It must be criminal to adore touching someone so much.

“Did it, though?” I ask, and he laughs a burst of exasperated air.

“Possibly, but then again, who am I to judge, when I am often struck by curiosity that I cannot help but sate?” He gives me that dazzling grin of his and pulls me through the house. “Case in point: you.”

“Me?” I squeak unattractively. There are lights ahead through the French doors leading to the patio, and I am curious myself enough to wonder what they are, but not nearly as much as I am for what he might mean.

“Yes, you.” He glances back at me. “I’ve never told you that I was overcome with curiosity when I heard Athena cursed some girl from one of her temples. It wasn’t like it was the first time she’d gone vindictively bonkers, but she was really put out over you. I mean . . . one of her followers? Even that was low for her.” His fingers squeeze mine gently and we stop about twenty feet from the doors. “When I first showed up on your island . . .”

I am helpless at looking anywhere but in his eyes. Tonight, they’re green. Vivid, beautiful, clear green. “Yes?”

“I’d been warned that you were a monster and that I best keep my distance. That you would slay me at the slightest provocation, and naturally, I believed it, as I could not blame anyone’s hatred toward my family after what my sister and uncle had done to you. But once Death handed me that first soul and departed, I heard you crying. My curiosity inflamed tenfold. What kind of so-called monster weeps like her heart had shattered and never would form whole again?”

Like clockwork, my cheeks burn. His fingers brush my reddened skin ever so gently before I turn my face to rest in his hand. The butterflies in my chest swarm frantically. “My sister misjudged you. I knew that the very second I heard your anguish. I’m afraid I was lost to you from that moment on. I had to discover all that made you you, even if I would suffer the same fate as the proverbial cat. And I never cared about the risks, as long as my curiosity about you was sated first.”

“Truly?” The word barely escapes my lips.

His eyes are so intense. “Truly.”

Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.

Links:

Website: http://www.heatherlyons.net

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/heatherlyons

THE DEEP END OF THE SEA Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18844839-the-deep-end-of-the-sea?ac=1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hymheather

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