The Eternal Sea Review (and win books!)

By now, I’m hoping that you’ve read my gushing review of Angie Frazier’s first book Everlasting here and have hopefully read the book yourself so as not to encounter any potential spoilers. And by now you will also have realised how much I LOVED Everlasting and how I read it in three hours and then immediately picked up the sequel. One of the good things about not reading a book on or near its publication date is that if you leave it long enough, then you don’t have the enduring wait for the sequel. So whilst I was kicking myself for not reading Everlasting sooner, I’m glad I didn’t have many months to think about the book until I got to read the next one. The Eternal Sea picks up where Everlasting leaves off. A world where Camille has chosen Oscar and he is living and breathing, a world where they are living in Camille’s mother’s house until they can figure out what to do next, a world where Oscar has gone a little weird and is doing what I like to call “an Edward”. What, pray tell I hear you ask is “an Edward?” Dear readers, I am referring to Edward Cullen in New Moon when he does the most idiotic thing a person can do and that is to tell the object of their affection that they don’t love them in order to protect them *head desk*. Never mind Oscar, I still love you even when you’re being a doofus. Basically, Camille and Oscar learn that the adventure is not over yet and just to make things a little interesting, guess who’s found his sea legs and ventured halfway across the world to make sure Camille is okay? Oh, hello Randall. Here’s the synopsis:

“Romance and adventure are just around the corner . . .

After the thrilling journey that led Camille through the dangerous discovery of love, secrets, and a magical stone that grants immortality, Camille has everything she wants. She's escaped the men who wanted her dead, and now she is ready to build a new life with Oscar, her one true love. But things are not to be so simple. Oscar is acting strangely, and before they can even board a ship from Australia back home, to San Francisco, Camille learns that the journey is not over. If she does not follow the magic of the curse of Umandu, her life and Oscar's could be in grave danger.”

This time around, they set sail for Egypt but do not be deceived, before they’ve even set off on the journey; the path is fraught with danger. We’re introduced to the likes of “couriers” who to put it mildly, aren’t very nice. And what about the sudden arrival of Randall, I hear you ask? Well, it’s only a matter of time before the shit hits the fan so to speak. And you know what? All in all, it turns out that beyond the riches and businesslike manner, he’s actually a decent guy once you get to know him and he truly loves Camille. And this is somewhat of a conundrum as I found myself torn (like Camille) between them both. Personally, I think Oscar has the edge but still! He may be acting a little weird, but he’s still fiercely protective of Camille and will not let her come to any harm even if it costs him dearly.

The Eternal Sea introduces us to some new characters besides couriers such as Captain Starbuck (was Angie drinking in a certain caffeine selling establishment when she thought of this I wonder) and Maggie, a stowaway onboard The Eclipse, a ship hired by Randall to take them on the next leg of their adventure. Everyone is connected to the stone in some way, some of which comes as a big surprise. In Everlasting, we were introduced to Camille’s half brother Samuel and in this book; we begin to get to know him better although I’m sure there’s still more to come.

I really enjoyed the fact that the story took us back to the ocean for a little while before resting in the bustling city of Cairo. I also enjoyed the mysterious dreams that overtook Camille on the journey and how they bled over into the real world. And let’s just say that having two guys fight over you? Two guys that you love? SWOON CENTRAL.

The Eternal Sea has somewhat of a devastating ending but I do not believe all is lost. I have faith that things will be okay and I’m hoping (read: desperate) to see that in the next part of the trilogy as Angie has definitely left things open for a third book. I just hope that the book gets written as I hear that Scholastic are not lined up to publish the third book. I do hope (read: beg) they reconsider.

The Eternal Sea was published on 1st June, 2011. Thank you to Angie Frazier for sending me an ARC that I won in her contest. To find out more about Angie and her books click here and for a direct link to her blog, click here. If you want to WIN a SIGNED copy of both Everlasting and The Eternal Sea (I'm actually quite jealous!) then please leave me a comment with your name, e mail address and country where you live. This contest is INTERNATIONAL and the winner will be chosen at random. Deadline is 31st August.