The synopsis: Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn’t quite fit in…in Camden, or anywhere else.

Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona’s small town. While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous…and deadly.

When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It’s there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her – secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well. Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.

My review:

I was so happy when I learned that Carol Oates was a part of the YA Summer Reading Tour, and that I was going to review her book,  Shades of Atlantis. I became aware of Carol last year after reading her book Ember. I love the way Carol writes, the stories she tells, and her characters are fabulous.

Shades of Atlantis does not disappoint. It’s full of romance, swooniness, and lots of UST. It’s also a paranormal story. Since I’m a huge fan of all of those things I was one happy camper. SoA drew me in immediately.

It begins in Camden, Maine where we’re introduced to Triona. I love that name btw…unusual but not weird.  She’s a typical teenager in many ways, but at the same time…there’s just a little something different about her. We don’t find out exactly what that difference is until about halfway through the book, but then neither does she. I like her two best friends…Jen and Amanda. She also has a brother, Ben who is about a year younger than she is. Amanda and Ben play a huge role later on…

Now let me talk about THE guy in this story…Caleb is dreamy…good looking, well-mannered, mysterious…and immediately drawn to Triona the minute he meets her. The attraction is mutual but there’s a bit of fumbling on both sides in the beginning. I felt right away that he and his brothers were different as well, but I could never decide exactly what…Vampire? Witch? Daemon? Something else? It’s a while before Carol lets us in on that, so be prepared to have some patience.

The first part of the book is good, but the second half is even better. Caleb and Triona have been separated, but I won’t tell you the hows and whys. Suffice to say I was devastated when it happened,and overjoyed when they were reunited. BUT…and there’s always one of those right?!? The action really picks up as Triona discovers who she really is…O, and what she and Caleb really are. Things become dangerous for the both of them once that happens.

Caleb believes in destiny and soul mates, and while Triona doesn’t…she knows that she can’t live without him. A life and death struggle is imminent not only for the couple I want so desperately to be together and their loved ones…but perhaps for humans and those like Caleb and Triona as well.

I loved Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates, and I’m giving it a high recommendation to all of you.

My rating: A solid I love it 4 hearts!

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I also wanted to share the book trailer with you:

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Thanks for another fantastic book Carol…I eagerly look forward to your next one

Y’all know how much I love doing giveaways right?!?

Coming up later today I’ll have a giveaway with a chance to win an e-book of Shades of Atlantis and a rafflecopter drawing that you can enter as well.

Thanks to AToMR for hosting this tour!

Tamie Xo