Captivate (Submerged Sun #1)

Captivate has potential to end up being something pretty good. I admit, I picked it up based on the cover and because I thought it was going to be a mermaid book. This is not a mermaid book. It's rather complicated, actually. For originality, Captivate gets a strong A. I like the idea of this utopian society living far removed from the troubles of the world-- even when it's deep beneath the ocean's surface. And like any good literary utopian society, there are plenty of troubles that develop over time to challenge the way of life. I was a bit troubled by the limited number of people within reproductive age in the city. Seems like things might get a bit icky over time. Maybe I read it incorrectly, but it came across as being slim pickings. Of course, there is a scientific explanation for the sterile female population, so it helps the buy in some. The characters are pretty interesting so far. Robbie is still mysterious (as is Marko). You get little glimpses into each of them along the way, but I never felt like the whole picture was presented. I can't say which is my favorite love interest so far. I may actually be pulling for Marko, despite the fact that he starts out super creepy. Robbie just seems too clean and blindly romantic for my taste. Our main protagonist, Miranda, did not leave much of an impression on me either unfortunately. I didn't think she was extremely strong or resourceful. She just kind of floated along with the plot. I did, however, love that she was a reader. So rock on, Miranda. I know I'll read the next book because I want to know what happens. There was a pretty great cliffhanger ending in Captivate. Whether this book blew me away or not is beside the point; it still did enough to make me curious.