When the Sea is Rising Red

Author: Cat Hellisen

Series: Stand Alone (for now)

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Dystopia, Fantasy

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Released: 28 February 2012

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend, Ilven, kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven's death has called out of the sea a dangerous, wild magic. Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg's caste system, and the whole city along with it.  

For Fans Of: Slice of Cherry (I only say that because that book was also terrifying, in my opinion, and I didn’t like it at all.)

My Review: This book wasn't really my cup of tea, it was very well written and the plot was well established. It held with the same ideas through the entire thing and I felt that all of the characters were justly motivated I just didn't really like any of the characters.

Dash can basically be caught as a player from a mile away.  He’s a drunkard and a drug addict that likes to sleep around, and while Jannix is quite devoted to Firell (Felicita) he is still a vampire, and pretty open about what a bad guy he is.

Felicita (known throughout most of the book as Firell) is kind of a pansy, never really stepping up to the plate until she absolutely has to, and even then she kind of fails miserably.  This got off to a good start, which is why I kept on going, but it quickly tapered into something that I didn’t find very appetizing.

I guess my problem isn't with the author, because the book is quite well written, but with the publisher. This book is marketed as a paranormal love story, and whilst they got the paranormal part correct this is in no way a love story. None of the Firell's (Felicita’s) relationships are particularly healthy at all and that was hard for me to deal with. I felt so sorry for the main character the entire time that it was impossible for me to like the book.