Skye's Lure

A Clean Contemporary YA Fantasy for Fans of The Little Mermaid

Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
138 Pages
Reviewed on 02/10/2016
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Have you ever had a dream you couldn't shake? It got under you skin and followed you through the rest of your day. Maybe it returned the next night, or even years later. That's the story of my writing career.

Literature has always been an important part of my life, whether as a reader or a writer. I particularly love clean young adult stories with at least a touch (or more) of magic and romance, which also happens to be what I write.

In addition to the books already published, I'm working on revising Antarctic Discovery, the modern uncovering of the Tower of Babel -- and the man who survived. I'm also revising my original novel, Call Her Forth, a tandem dream romance.

Between writing and chasing kids, I enjoy doing all things book. You can find out more at: www.AngeLeya.com

    Book Review

Reviewed by Samantha Gregory for Readers' Favorite

Skye's Lure by Angel Leya is the story of Skye, a mermaid who lives in a pod with other mermaids. One night she sees a party boat and a man falls overboard. Skye breaks all the rules by saving his life. The man she saved, Vince, intrigues her and she visits the boat again. She lets him see her and they talk. Vince reveals he has a condition where his legs will eventually give out on him and he will end up in a wheelchair. Skye, however, longs to have legs. The two form a friendship, until Vince does something stupid. Can Skye forgive him? Or could he help her get what she wants?

Angel Leya has written a good story with Skye's Lure. It will be compared to the likes of The Little Mermaid and Splash, but that isn't a bad thing. As a Little Mermaid fan, I enjoyed this story. It went in a different direction than I thought it would. Skye was a good character and, as a mermaid, it makes sense that she would want to see what land was like and would make a bad decision to do that. Vince doesn't start out as a very sympathetic character, but again, considering what he faces, it is understandable. This book is listed as adult fiction, but I think it would do well with the young adult market too.

Montzalee Wittman

Skye's Lure: A Contemporary Fantasy Romance Mermaid eBook by Angel Leya is a wonderful and delightful teen/young adult fantasy tale (tail) lol of a mermaid and a human. It is rich is legend, magic, feelings, trust, hopes, dreams, and youth. The plot is filled with twists and surprises. The characters are well developed. A lovely book for those that love a fantasy teen/young adult romance with a unique twist. A clean book also!

Wyogoody

Cute story. I wish we could have gotten more backstory or more depth to the characters. As a third person POV, we could have gotten the story through both Vince and Skye's perspective. It would have fleshed out the characters more. Also getting a bit more of each of their backgrounds would have been nice-why each were isolated, family stuff, etc... otherwise, this was a cute story overall and I would recommend it for a quick read.

Megan

Very good, short mermaid story.

Ica

Angel Leya’s Skye's Lure is a short read but what lacks in pages more than makes up in story line. I loved Skye and I rooted for her on her journey of discovery.

Future Boy

The book title "Skye's Lure," after reading, is a little confusing. It turns out (at the very beginning, so it's not a spoiler) that Skye is the one lured, daring to do a prohibited act, that is, rescue a human drowning in her territory, the sea. She didn't set up a lure--she was lured. The title implies she was the one performing the lure. Anyway, I digress.

True to its title, the book is a clean read. In fact, I wondered if it was best written for a middle grade audience, rather than young adult. For children, it's probably easier to accept the kidnapping (however well-padded it is) of Skye than it is for a skeptical adult. It might be easier to re-write it one of two ways; Skye eagerly comes ashore, or the love interest Vince becomes more of an over-the-top charmer, too ready to wine and dine her and to take her on many journeys to the wonders of the land environment--caves, cliffs, forests, meadows, and of course the glitzy shopping malls.

The charm of this story is what keeps it afloat (pardon the pun). Skye seems like a tremendously nice mermaid, someone you'd like to be friends with. As seems to be a requirement for many girls' modern-day stories, she even gets to enjoy being pampered on a shopping trip for clothing and accessories--and those shoes too!

I enjoyed reading the story. The author seems to have had fun writing it, and it shows.

robby charters

This takes a page out of Hans Christian Anderson's <i>Little Mermaid</i>. In fact, I went and looked it up on Wikipedia, and found the story line is different. In Anderson's book, mermaids don't have souls, and the lover-boy, the prince, marries someone else. In this one - well, that would be a spoiler, wouldn't it. But in this one, the lover-boy is simply a well off young gentleman, named Vincent, who owns a yacht, and has a debilitating disease that's eventually going to cripple him.

As a Romance novella about the relationship between a mer-person and a human, I found it quite good. My only hiccup was at the beginning, on finding that the ancient tribe of mer-people speak English. But then, I told myself, it is a fantasy, and in Anderson's story all the characters, sea people and humans alike, speak Danish. After that, the story behaved itself quite nicely, had its share of twists and surprises, and left me a happy reader.

AE Horn

This is a very short book; it only took a couple of hours to read. I think it would have been better if it were longer so that it were more fleshed out. Skye seems to put an awful lot at risk when she decides to interact with a human. She knows she's risking the safety of her entire species and she doesn't seem to care until it's too late. This makes it a little difficult to like her from the very beginning. And Vince is just shady from the moment we meet him--drunk, falling off a boat. The more I read, the more I began to sympathize with Skye and chalk her errors up to being young and unsure of herself. But there really is no excusing Vince for kidnapping her and keeping her in a tank against her will.
While the writing is pretty good, there are sentences that are missing words, and there are several times when the tense is off. The past tense for drown is drowned--as in, "I almost drowned," not "I almost drown." That means that you do it often--not that it happened to you once in a specific situation. He "patted" the seat beside him, not "pat," etc. There are also times when the same word is used over and over again within a few sentences, like the word "lock" when she's getting her hair colored. This was a bit much for me.
I do like the new twist on an old tale, and I think this would be a great story for middle aged girls. There's no harsh language, no sexual content. It's clean and light and easy to read. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting, but I think the author has a promising future.

Mariyam

Skye’s Lure by Angel Leya is a book that I really enjoyed in the recent times. It’s light-hearted, romantic, inspiring, and I really loved the retelling of Little Mermaid story with all new set of twists and turns.
The characters are believable with flaws and virtues. While Vince kidnaps the mermaid against her wishes and holds her captive, he unconditionally falls in love with her and does whatever he can to protect her identity.
The story is told from Skye’s point of view, a naïve and charming mermaid who falls in love with a human. Despite knowing the consequences of getting closer to humans and entering the forbidden world, she couldn’t resist herself. And what happens when a mermaid falls for a wealthy human is the morsel of the story.
The storytelling, pacing, and structure of the novella are well weaved. Skye’s Lure is a refreshing read and though the novella is for middle graders and Young adult, anyone who loves reading clean romance will feel happy and satisfied after reading this book.

Mary S.

Awwww this was a pretty cute retelling.

•I liked the world building (there wasn't a lot of it, but it was intriguing).

•The characters were both awkward in their own ways. Sky because she had never seen a human before, and the human, Vince, had tremors and didn't interact with many people that often.

•The little twist at the end was good, but I had a different ending in mind. I still enjoyed this ending too though!

•Not a spoiler, but it's how I thought (and kind of hoped it'd end:

•<spoiler>I was hoping for the Sea King to test Skye (and Vince) by making Skye choose either to be a human or mermaid, but green the other would have to be the other. Like if Skye said she wanted to be a human, Vince would be a mermaid, and if she wanted to be a mermaid, then Vince would have to stay human. </spoiler>Just my own thing!

•Overall, a cute, enjoyably quick read!

Miolo

This was a cute and refreshing spin on what I feel is a re-telling of The Little Mermaid. I enjoyed the author's take on the Mer world and appreciated the fact that they perfectly fleshed out their version and history of these sea creatures, and they did so in a way that perfectly fit Skye and Vince's story of forbidden love. Now, I did not care for kidnapping bit that took place in the story. I also don't I feel that the character's excuse for doing it had a strong enough leg to stand on. However, I did not take it to heart because I understand that it's fiction. And fiction is fiction. Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had a strong enough plot and was well written.

Stacie Eirich

** spoiler alert ** Skye's Lure, by Angel Leya, is a contemporary re-telling of The Little Mermaid. In it, we meet Skye, a mermaid who dreams of having feet and dancing on land. The ancient history & rules of the Mer people preclude her from having any contact with humans, but Skye is too much a dreamer to let rules stop her. When a human named Vince falls into the sea, she rescues him and they begin an unlikely and complicated friendship.

Thus, the story begins as an enchanting fantasy in the sea, yet it takes a turn toward contemporary science fiction later on. Skye unwittingly allows herself to be thrust into today's human world of computers, internet and cell phones - and finds herself captive inside a tank on Vince's boat. He is portrayed as a playboy who is hiding a secret, and now, also harboring a mermaid in the midst of a human world that does not believe in her existence.

While I enjoyed the idea of a fairy tale retelling, and found the enchanting beginning promising, I could not reconcile that beginning with how the story progressed. Skye starts as a curious, intelligent mermaid - would she really be tricked that easily? Vince doesn't seem a strong enough character to attract her, and I found their connection to be lacking a spark, a depth that might come with more character and relationship development.

In the end, there are lessons learned on both sides - and the wise Sea King sets Skye and Vince on a new path that will hopefully bring happiness to them both. While I do enjoy a happy ending to fairy tales (even though many are indeed, originally dark), this ending was bittersweet. Perhaps I wanted to see Skye forge her own path, becoming a fierce, independent mer-woman without Vince.

If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, and are a fan of mermaids, light romance and contemporary fiction - Skye's Lure may indeed be a story you enjoy.

Dan Nanto

Ok, so first off, I have to admit I don’t usually read YA romance novels. In fact, this may be a first for me. So, I had my doubts when I picked up Skye’s Lure by Angel Leya. I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by this clean story and am glad I read it.

Leya has a new twist for a story about mermaids and humans falling in love. The story revolves around a mermaid named Skye who falls for a young man named Vince who suffers from a health condition that affects his legs. There are some nice plot twists and fun banter to keep a young reader engaged and interested.

By the end, I found myself both wanting to read more, but also satisfied with the overall story. The author does a good job of creating believable characters and interesting situations. My only recommendation is that the story seemed a little short. It would have been nice to expound more on some of Skye’s experiences on land.

Aside from that, I enjoyed reading Skye’s Lure. The story was crisp and well written. I’d recommend it for young adults looking for a quick escape and a fun read.

Dan Gillis

A mermaid tale set in the modern era presents an interesting twist on the classic tale. Skye is a young mer woman who is entranced by the surface world, that which is forbidden. She saves the life of a man from drowning in the ocean. This fateful meeting begins a journey of discovery for Skye which will ultimately determine her fate on land or sea.

I was excited by the setting and genre for this novel. I have not read a mermaid centered narrative to this point and enjoyed the journey of imagination. The author provides hints of the origin of the Mer people through the narrative and I was pleased to see the story continue with some additional lore (in the bonus material).

Areas, where I had some issues, were in the transition time for Skye from mermaid to human. I felt she adapted too quickly and broke the immersion factor. I kept asking myself if a creature/person from one culture could adapt so rapidly to a world so foreign. I guess I was looking for more culture shock, specifically when she interacts more directly with the culture. I don’t think the author’s intent was to get bogged down with the transitions and chose to focus more on the relationships of the main character.

The novel moves along quickly and the adventure ends perhaps too soon. I liked the conclusion and the resolution of the main conflict in the story. I was left wanting to know more of the underwater world, which the author has provided.

I would recommend this book to any who enjoy different perspectives on classical themes. A fun read!

Andrew M. Ferrell

Angel Leya has done it again. She takes the classic tail (pun intended) of a mermaid and a land dweller and throws a little different spin on it. Skye is a mermaid curious about the legend of her people that she grew up hearing. As an adult she is the one reciting it to the next generation. Where the story always left her with a sense of place, now it leaves her empty.

When she rescues a land dweller who falls off a party boat into the ocean, her life is changed forever. Being seen is a death sentence among her people, but Skye doesn't care. She embarks on a journey of discovery, both of life on land, and of love. Along the way she faces the fear of harming her people, of betrayal, and finally all the joy that love can bring.

A short read well worth the time for this feel good story about overcoming your fears and your past. Check out Angel Leya's "Skye's Lure" today. Like me, I think you will be left fishing for more.