Blog Tour- The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
"For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he's heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he's suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea...and now it wants him back."- summary from Amazon

This is an AWESOME merfolk story. I mean, first off, the fact that it's told from a guy's point of view as he becomes a merman is fantastic. There's also some really great world-building here and a journey filled with many twists and turns. Humor is a big part of the story too, which was really nice to see.

I liked Tristan as a character because he was a good guy at the heart but still flawed and trying to become better as the story progressed. Cordova did a wonderful job writing his interactions with everyone he encounters, but especially his best friend Layla.

I wasn't a big fan of the ending, just because it's not a standalone title but I will say it's not a huge cliffhanger or anything.

Overall, a great debut and I can't wait to read more from Cordova!

and here's an interview with Zoraida!

1) How did you get the idea for The Vicious Deep? Was it difficult to figure out Tristan's story?

The idea for the novel came from a lifetime love of mermaids, the supernatural, and adventure quests. Tristan's story is the story of a guy. He just happens to be a merguy on a pretty cool journey.


2) What is it like holding your debut book in your hands, and knowing it will be out in the world very soon?

I only have an ARC right now, but it's surreal. Sometimes I have to force myself to stop thinking about it to quell the butterflies! Mostly, I feel blessed and excited.


3) What are you currently working on? Can you tell us anything about it?

Lets just say I have some big surprised for Tristan Hart and his friends. The adventure continues in The Savage Blue.


4) You learned to speak English by watching The Little Mermaid (Disney version). What's your favorite song, scene and character from that movie?

Kiss the Girl. It's totally cheesy, but it's the perfect set up scene. And I like that they don't actually get to kiss. My favorite character is King Triton, because after thousands of years, even a king can still change.


5) What is your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor(s)?

The soap flavored ones. (Really.)


6) You got to attend the National Book Foundation's writing camp for two consecutive summers. What was that experience like?

It is honestly the reason I'm a published writer at 24. I got to be around poets like Cornelius Eady and YA writers like Jacqueline Woodson. I got to meet people from ALL over the U.S. and for that whole week, we breathed books and words. I made some of my best friends at that camp. Wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.


And Sourcebooks is also providing one copy of The Vicious Deep for a giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Thursday, May 3 at 9pm EST and you'll be entered! US/Canadian residents only. Good luck!

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.