Review: Waterfell by Amalie Howard

Posted September 24, 2018 by Stephanie in Uncategorized / 11 Comments

Title: Waterfell
Author: Amalie Howard
Series: The Aquarathi #1

Publication: October 29th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Play | Kobo

Rating: 4/5


THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE QUEEN

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father’s betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa’s upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age.

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa’s mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?



It took me a long time to finally post my review of Watefell (over a year…) but at least I did it. Haha!

So I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. It was way more awesome than I had expected. I thought it was super original and the heroine was really badass.


I tend to dislike any type of books featuring mermaids or sirens, which is weird because I love all things mermaid related in general but this story was obviously way more special and different than other books of the same kind. The “mermaids” in this case were actually… wait for it… ALIENS! And boy, do I love reading about aliens. So yeah, I thought this was a very unqiue take on mermaids.


Nerissa, our heroine, was on the one hand like a typical teenage girl but on the other hand so very different and just, well, awesome. Oh and did I mention she’s a princess? Yeah, there’s that too.


I rally liked her love interest, Lo. I, just liked Nerissa in the story, felt really intrigued by him. It wasn’t insta-love for her, but definitely insta-crush although she seemed to dislike him so much at first, which was actually really fun to read about. It was really obvious though who Lo really was. Usually I don’t like books where something is quite obvious like that but in this case I just really didn’t mind.


Overall, Waterfell by Amalie Howard was a really good read. Unique with a badass heroine and great supporting characters and amazing writing, it was quite the adventure. 



About the author:

AMALIE HOWARD is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and the sequel, Bloodcraft, was a national IPPY silver medalist and Children’s Moonbeam Award winner. She is also the co-author of My Rogue, My Ruin in the historical romance series, the Lords of Essex. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children.
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11 responses to “Review: Waterfell by Amalie Howard

  1. Believe it or not, I love all things related to them too, but I have your same issue with books featuring mermaids or sirens, so that is why I'm thrilled when I finally find one that works SO great! Plus, did you just say Aliens? Because THAT, my friend, is the magic word! Gotta try this book <3 Thanks, Stephanie!

  2. Bookworm Brandee

    I have had this book FOREVER…and still haven't read it. But it'll be added to the queue Stephanie because I do like stories with sirens and sometimes mermaids but I had no idea there were aliens! And a badass YA heroine is something I'm definitely a fan of. I'm so happy you got around to posting this review! Ha!

  3. The Candid Cover YA book blogg

    I am really picky about mermaid books as well. This one sounds so unique, though! I am not sure that I have heard about it before, so it is going on the old TBR. Thanks for sharing it. 🙂

  4. I haven't heard of this book before but it actually sounds like one I would be able to enjoy reading myself as I love books about sirens and mermaids. I also really love originality so mermaids being aliens? I could dig it! The cover is great and I love that this one was able to pleasantly surprise you so much ^.^

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