On the subject of threes: e.g. trilogies. Picture this, prior to beginning her first Queens of Fantasy novel, the author stands atop the Empire State Building (or The Shard… very sci-fi of England) and shouts to the world far below… “Hear me now! I shall write in threes and NOTHING will stop me!” And lo and behold, she did. Tidal’s third book The Kiss That Changed Me Is. A. Tome (and thank God… I like big books and I cannot lie). However, it easily could have been two volumes, but alas, the author’s public, Queen of the World, Titanic moment didn’t allow for taksies backsies – so mammoth it is!
Orion and Callie’s story continues to evolve, each god and goddess driven adventure unveils new characters, new cultures (I especially loved the Scottish mer!!!), and plenty of difficult decisions. After the couple’s rough patch (aka Callie going dark and some sexually Vexatious moments – sorry… I couldn’t help myself) they learn how to rule, how to hold true, and when to let go. Orion still has some self-doubt, prepubescent, ‘I’m not good with this whole responsibility thing even though I’m super old’ moments, but good news – old mer can learn new tricks!
Kristy Nicolle gives her readers an updated twist to the classic mermadian tale. No longer will you see only sparkles and rainbows, or hear Sebastian belting out Under the Sea. Instead, you’ll imagine god and goddess touched mer that shimmer and sing, but also mer who war and shake their weapons in wrath. There is dark and light, selfish mer as well as self-sacrificing, and desperation and delight. No one has just a good side, Nicolle mimics human hopes and flaws in her mertopia and I adore her out-of-the-box portrayal.
*Note – So happy for the novella Vexed!!! Even with occasional bouts of exasperation with Callie and Orion, I enjoyed their journey. However, I never ever stopped dreaming of a Vex and Azure team! Will she let Vex’s six arms and two legs past her guard or is calamari on the menu? This unlikely pair is American Heritage Idiom inducted – two wrongs can be oh, so right!
I did it! I finished the first trilogy in Kristy Nicolle’s Fantasy Infiniverse!!! If you would like to order The Kiss That Changed Me or the novella Vexed the Amazon links are below. If you would like to receive an email when I publish new reviews, Subscribe Now!
