Mermaids & Gorgons

Earlier this month I won a copy of Karen Amanda Hooper's debut book, Tangled Tides. I was thrilled! (Check out the awesome cover art! And yes, it's about mermaids, selkies, and other fantastical sea-creatures.) I've been a follower of her blog for a while now, even before her book deal. So when she had her first giveaway of her beloved book, I jumped at the chance to enter...and I won! *squee*

Of course, the book was originally scheduled to be released sometime next year, so it'd be a while before I would get it. But Karen recently found out from her awesome publishers (Rhemalda Publishing) that Tangled Tides will be releasing later this year. *double squee* I couldn't be more happy for her (and for myself since I'll be getting my copy sooner than I thought). If you would like a chance to win her sea-creature fantasy novel, check out the international giveaway at GoodReads or click on the widget to your left in my sidebar.

But Karen's generosity didn't stop at just a copy of her book. She also offered to purchase a sea-creature themed book of the winner's choice in her book giveaway. (Something to read while the winner waited for her book to arrive.) She offered some suggestions/recommendations on her site, but the choice was up to the winner. One of her recommendations was for Tera Lynn Childs' Sweet Venom. I had heard about this book on other blogs, but I have never read anything by the author. (For those that haven't heard about it, it's a story about three female descendants of Medusa in modern times. Yes, as in "Medusa" from Greek mythology.)

Now as I have stated on this blog before, I love mythology (just as much as I love fairy-tales). So when I come across a book that "retells" or "sheds new light" on mythological tales, I want to read it! So as the winner of Karen's contest, I chose Sweet Venom. *triple squee* The book came in the mail the other day, but I have several other books in line to read already. But I'm still happy to have it sitting on my shelf, patiently awaiting its turn. (Review of it to come soon, my dears!)

So why am I sharing my good news with you (besides to help promote these two books)? Well, I have noticed a trend in the books I have recently read, bought, or simply added to my to-read list: majority are either fairy tale/myths retold, revamped, or used as the basis. And this isn't just a trend in my reading habits either. Fairy-tales, legends, and myths have always been a part of our reading/story-telling culture, but it is nice to see them becoming so prevalent again. Some versions are happy and light (similar to Disney's versions), some of dark and gruesome (similar to the original Grimm brothers' versions), and some of a nice blending of the two. I think one reason they have become popular again is because one can set a "fairy-tale" at any time or place (be it modern day or alternate world), but still hold true to the original idea of the story. A writer (and reader) is only bond by their imagination!

Have you read any "fairy-tale" or "mythology" styled books recently? Or any sea-creature themed books? I would love to hear about them in my comments section. =)

~Namárië
(Elvish Farewell)