Review - Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates

TITLE:    Shades of Atlantis
AUTHOR:    Carol Oates
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 307 pages
PUBLISHED:   Omnific, 2010
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour

FROM GOODREADS:  Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn't quite fit in...in Camden, or anywhere else.


Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona's small town. While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous...and deadly.


When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It's there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her - secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well. Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.

MY TAKE:    This was an enjoyable read that I think will appeal to readers of various ages.  I am glad that I was able to be a part of this fun blog tour.

The story starts with an emotional scene from the very distant past and then switches to the present and some normal teenage girl angst - "who am I going to the dance with", "what will I wear" and "will he or won't he kiss me"?  Then the story really takes off when Triona meets and connects with her new boss, Caleb.  It is romance in an instant with quite a bit of miscommunication and adventure thrown in the mix. 

Carol Oates has taken her inspiration from many sources:  mythology, history, current events and normal "growing pains".  I really enjoy the Irish and Celtic influences.  While I do see a few slight similarities to another popular book/movie series, this is an original look at Atlantis and the legends of immortals. She has created an exciting world with believable characters and believable explanations. 

I won't leave you with any spoiler bombs, but I will tell you that this is a book that I hope will have a sequel or two...
  

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

Available now at Amazon 

Be sure to visit the other blogs on the tour as there are prizes to be had!  Here are the blogs immediately before me and after:

April 14: Moonlight Book Reviews

April 16: Diva's Bookcase

View the entire schedule at  the tour host's site: A Tale of Many Reviews

Did you catch that above about PRIZES?  Carol Oates has generously offered to treat 4 winners to a prize!  Two winners will each receive an e-book of Shades of Atlantis.  Two other winners will get a prize pack similiar to that pictured below:

To be in the drawing for one of these great prizes, entrants must leave a comment on THIS post as well as EACH of the other posts on the blog tour.  The tour ends on 4/19 with winners announced shortly thereafter.  Don't miss out on the fun!

About the Author:

Carol Oates has never been one to remain still for long. After her parents' mad dash to the hospital through the empty city streets of Dublin, Ireland, Carol made her debut into the world in the early hours of Christmas morning. Since then her pace has not slowed down in the least.


Carol was introduced to the world of supernatural books when, as a child, her family moved to a coastal suburb on the northern border of Dublin known as Clontarf, famous as the birthplace of Bram Stoker, the prolific author responsible for breathing life into the legendary story Dracula. This stirred in Carol an early passion for reading about all things supernatural. Combine that passion with a deep interest in the history and folklore of Ireland, as well as an active and vivid imagination, and Carol Oates the author was born. Carol's love of writing about anything not entirely "human" emerged, and the premise for her debut novel, Shades of Atlantis, was born.

Carol still lives in Dublin, but spends a great deal of time traveling though the counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland with her partner and son. When not travelling through the countryside, Carol spends her days at the office and her evenings immersed in the world of Legends and Mythical Creatures.

Learn more about the fabulous Carol Oates at her website, be a fan on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

 
~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.