Seaspoken by Sarah Delena White

 

An ocean consumed by rage. A challenge that demands blood. A love that defies everything.

Battle-hardened mermaid warrior Evya Atathari longs for a truce between her sea-dwelling tribe and the elven invaders. But her mother, the powerful and vengeful Seamother, will stop at nothing to see the elves destroyed.

Then the Seamother enacts a brutal rite of challenge for Evya’s hand to gain a powerful ally in the war. But even as the greatest warriors of the sea vie for her favor, her heart is captured by a man who should be her mortal enemy.

Keliveth Dalzana is a failed prophet of the elven king’s court—until a vision leads him to Evya and a chance at ending the war. Drawn to Keliveth’s idealism, Evya agrees to help him win the deadly contest for her hand and establish a peace treaty through their marriage. Together, they dare to dream of a better future.

But when their own peoples turn against them, Keliveth and Evya must find the courage to embrace their true destinies—and decide how great a price they can pay for their love.

Seaspoken is a standalone fade-to-black fantasy romance perfect for fans of star-crossed love, epic stakes, and atmospheric world building.

Back Cover: Evya doe not need love. She does not need kisses or words of wooing. She does not need a husband. What she needs more than anything, is peace. Battle weary, she has nearly forgotten what it feels like to drift in a calm ocean or to taste the salty sea without the tang of blood souring her tongue. Her soul is heavy.

Then a song from across the ocean's angry surface reaches her ears... a song of forbidden hope and peace. A song that seems to know her innermost desires and hopes.

Through the crashing waves, Evya finds the giver of the song. An elf. The sworn enemy of the Seamother. Keliveth, a prophet of the elves, already knows Evya's heart... and by some wild hope, gambles his very life in a desperate bid to win peace... and her.

I really loved this story. Seaspoken is sweet, insta-love, heroic. honorable, and creative adventure. It is a perfect YA book. Content: there is magic (ruins for strength and such, power over the seas...) and there is a fade-to-black marriage night scene. The violence is minimal.