Book Review: Luminaire by Ciye Cho

Luminaire
Florence Waverley #2
Author: Ciye Cho
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Mermaids
Released: November 28th 2012
Review Source: Author
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Being the only human in a world of merfolk... isn't easy. Florence Waverley chose to stay in Niemela, but things have gone awry. Secrets have risen and the prince she cares about has pulled away. All the while, dark dreams warn her of a tragedy that only she can stop. But in order to save the merman she loves, Florence will have to enter the Life Path tournament: a brutal test of fear and madness.

The tournament is a rite of passage--a maze where young mermaids and mermen battle to find their purpose. It is also a place where Florence will face grave danger: mermaids with evil magic, tunnels filled with sea fire, and guardians who wish to use her as a pawn in their secret plans. But will Florence be strong enough to survive the tournament... or will she perish inside it?

Everything hangs in the balance: her life, her world, and her love.

I really enjoyed the first installment because I had never read a book based on an underwater world before but I loved Luminaire because it was such a strong sequel. Luminaire follows the main character, Florence Waverly as she continues to live her life in the underwater world of Niemela. She's been getting more acquainted with Rolan who is the newly appointed King of Niemela. But as the story begins, Rolan has started pulling away from Florence. He is going back on everything he has ever told Florence since her arrival in Niemela and is trying to get her to let him take her back to the surface so she can return the the human world.

Florence of course wants nothing to do with the human world any longer. She wants to remain in Niemela and build on the life she has started to create for herself. She wants to stay with her friend, Princess Yolee and try to find her niche within their world. In an effort to try to find her place within Niemela, Florence agrees to join the Life Path Tournament with Yolee so she won't have to go alone. King Rolan of course is furious and lashes out at Florence trying to drive home the point that he doesn't want her in Niemela any longer but the reality is he is scared for her. The Life Path Tournament involves a maze and it is incredibly challenging and dangerous. Unfortunately Rolan has no say over whether Florence can join the tournament or not, the Guardians have control over it and the King can not intervene.

The suspense of what will happen as the novices make it through their trials and into the Life Path Tournament is very well written. I would find myself biting my nails as I read through the danger that awaited them inside the maze. I loved the interactions that Florence has with several of the novices participating in the Life Path Tournament. I hope to see more of these characters in the next installment. There is a hint at the end as to the return of a character long thought to be dead, so I am pretty excited to see where the author goes with that unexpected plot twist. Overall this was a very well written second installment and I enjoyed it very much. Can't wait to see what Ciye Cho comes up with next!