**REVIEW** Revel by Maurissa Guibord

Release Date:  February 12, 2013
Published By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Length: 352 pages
Review Copy: Provided by Publisher for honest review

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There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.

Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.

Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.

  So despite all odds and me being the mermaid lover that I am did not see this one coming.  I knew there would be some sort of mythology because "ancient Greek symbols" kind of gives it away.  Looking back at the description all of the signs were there I just missed them.  What I didn't realize was, that this was going to be a twist on the mer's that I was truly going to fall for.  Guibord has a captivating writing style and really pulled me in with her unique and intriguing tale that had creepy and different twists to it.

  Delia has no idea what she is getting herself into.  Having lost her mother and being bounced around in foster care has made her go looking for the one place she should never go...her mothers birthplace.  It is clear that outsiders are not welcome and Delia is no different but what they don't know and she doesn't know, is that she is.  This island where no outsiders go and no insiders leave but what happens when you belong to an insider and life is about to get complicated.  There is more to Trespass Island than anyone could have ever imagined and more than Delia had bargained for.  The question became not if she could survive it but if she could survive the storm that her arrival has awakened upon the island.

  It took me awhile to get a feel for Delia.  Not that she was someone that I disliked but I wasn't instantly drawn to her. She was a well balanced character although the balance was strewn throughout the book and not a constant.  The girl was anything but a pushover and once she made a decision there was no going back and as the story progressed I found that her quick mouth and stand her ground behaviour was winning me over.  Not that she did everything without thinking because she often did have rational thought, a good conscious and a good sense of right and wrong in a place that seemed to be lacking in that.  What I think the biggest thing was, was that despite all these quirks she wasn't overly developed and I never had a clear picture of her in my head but I liked what I knew of her personality.

  I'm not quite sure if I should say there was a triangle in this one because there really wasn't but there was the making for one.  To be honest the guy I liked didn't even win and I honestly thought he would.  It's not like she was dating both of them and couldn't make up her mind, it was more of a they were both interested in her and she was not really sure what was going on.  Sean was a good guy with great intentions but he was never really around because of his job and a few secrets he was hiding.  When it came to Jax things were just as shady because he came and went as he felt with no real reason.  As you can see both guys are kind of there but it was kind of the story that dictated who she was with and the why because she was never fully with either until she started feeling something fully for one.

  This was a quick and interesting read that I did start and finish all in one go.  It was the kind of book that kept me guessing and completely involved.  Though the characters weren't as fleshed out as I would have like the story itself made up for it.  What may also draw many of you is that there is no cliffhanger, as this is a standalone read!! To be honest after this I would love to get my hands on Guibord's previous novel Warped because I did love her writing so much.  If you like mermaids and something a little different that you can enjoy in one go I would recommend this read.  Actually if you aren't a fan of mermaids give this a go because it really is a different type of read.

  Drip, drip, drip.  The oddest notion came over me: that something had just climbed out of the water and was under the dock.  Waiting and listening.

There was probably a perfectly normal explanation for the eerie noises beneath the dock.  i just couldn't think of one.  So I tried to forget that perticular hissing noise and the feeling that something had been watching me from the dark.

His skin was so pale he looked like a marble statue rising from the water.  He strode forward through the waist-high water and whipped his head to clear a long hank of black hair from his face.  The water coursed over him like...well, I didn't know what...but something hard and wet and very well made.

"We are descended from Poseidon, who had legs.  Two of them," he added.  "Only the children of Triton have tails.  Which is very lucky for you.  They like land meat.  Even such a small portion."