Ice Massacre

De: Tiana Warner

Narrado por: Sarah Beth Goer

A mermaid's supernatural beauty serves one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.

The Massacre is supposed to bring peace to Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends its warriors to battle these hostile sea demons. Every year, the warriors fail to return. Desperate for survival, the island must decide on a new strategy. Now, the fate of Eriana Kwai lies in the hands of 20 battle-trained girls and their resistance to a mermaid's allure.

Eighteen-year-old Meela has already lost her brother to the Massacre, and she has lived with a secret that's haunted her since childhood. For any hope of survival, she must overcome the demons of her past and become a ruthless mermaid killer.

For the first time, Eriana Kwai's Massacre warriors are female, and Meela must fight for her people's freedom on the Pacific Ocean's deadliest battleground.

©2014 Tiana Warner (P)2017 Tiana Warner

Pretty bleak, but a good story

So, thoughts as I'm just about finishing the book:
- It's all pretty bleak and dark for most of the book, **lots** of combat and drama without all that many points of light in there, which is not my favourite. I prefer a bit more hopeful myself
- The tech level is WEIRD, there's TV and helicopters and they get relief goods from Canada, but then they fight with crossbows and sail a barquentine (if I recall correctly), an age-of-sail tallship. It seems weird that there's no modern firearms and stuff, seems kind of like a copout to keep it interesting without ever giving it in-story reasoning.
- I really like the MC, and the themes around what it means to be human/a person, what indoctrination into an army/warrior situation does to dehumanize the opposition, and all that.

Overall not an easy "page-turner" type of book for me but it was cool and I like having read it. I don't think I'm going straight for the sequel though, maybe in a few months.

good love story bad war story (spoiler alert)

I loved the fight scenes but the way the main girl reacts to the first fight scene after 5 years of training didnt sit with me as realistic after that much training even if you are scared your body will go threw the motions almost without thought. As for the rest of the story it was great I really got emotionaly envolved but the writing is on the wall almost from the begining stop giving that poor boy hope its cruel.

So good!

This is such an interesting take on the idea of mermaids. All the characters are so complex and this series is so underrated. Can’t wait for the third book to come out on Audible!

Worthy read

Lord of the Flies meets Hunger Games meets mermaids. Totally worth it. I haven't sped through an audiobook nearly this fast before.

Mermaids. Badass Warrior Women. Lesbian Love.

If you could sum up Ice Massacre in three words, what would they be?

Brutal. Action-packed. Heartwarming.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love Meela. She knows she must fight the mermaids for her people, but she also has a soft spot for them since her best friend is a mermaid. Her struggle is real and while she will do anything to protect her crew, she will also do anything to protect Lysi, even if it means being called a traitor.

What about Sarah Beth Goer’s performance did you like?

I love how Sarah gives each girl their own voice. She's talented with voice work and she's calm and easy to listen to. I would definitely listen to more books she narrates.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I love the very end when Meela realizes that her feelings for Lysi is more than that of friendship.

Any additional comments?

Let me start off by saying that I bought this book (the paperback) back in 2015 and I loved it! I listen to Audible at work and I yearned for the day that Ice Massacre would be on Audible and I'm so happy that it's finally here!

Ice Massacre is about the people of Eriana Kwai struggling to live because of a mermaid infestation in the Gulf of Alaska. The people of Eriana Kwai are unable to fish because the mermaids kill their people and without fish (their primary source of food and their export to the main land) the economy of Eriana Kwai is going to hell. Every year Eriana Kwai sends men out to sea for a month to battle these sea demons and every year it's a lost cause. This year, though, Eriana Kwai is sending battle-trained women. The allure of the mermaid has no affect on women and as long as they can't be affected, they stand a better chance at winning the battle and removing the infestation.

The story is centered around Meela, our protagonist. When she was a child she had a mermaid as a friend named Lysi. Meela and Lysi were inseparable, but their friendship was a secret. Then, when something happens Meela is forced to grow up and see the mermaids for what they really are: ravenous sea demons who hunger for human flesh. At the age of 18, Meela is set to battle these mermaids with 19 other battle-trained, 18 year-old women. It doesn't take long for shit to hit the fan!

Ice Massacre is filled with brutal, heart-pounding action and a story of discovery that will you have rooting for Meela and Lysi as they come to better understand one another out at sea. Mermaids may be a threat to Eriana Kwai, but with 20 young women all trapped on a small boat out at sea, mermaids aren't the only threat to everyone's survival. Twists and betrayals will leave you dying to listen to each chapter until you get to the very end.

Sarah Beth Goer does an amazing job at giving each girl their own voice. She's an excellent reader and her smooth, calm voice is pleasant on the ears. I hope she reads Ice Crypt whenever it becomes available on Audible and Ice Kingdom when it's released.

Tiana Warner is an author I highly admire. I love her work and I look forward to Ice Kingdom and whatever she decides to do after the Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy is complete. Do yourself a favor and listen to Ice Massacre!