Title: Luminaire (Florence Waverley #2)
Author: Ciye Cho
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Mermaids
Publisher: self published 
Publication Date: December 2012 
Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis (from goodreads):
Being the only human in a world of merfolk… isn’t easy. Florence Waverley chose to stay in Niemela, but things have gone awry. Secrets have risen and the prince she cares about has pulled away. All the while, dark dreams warn her of a tragedy that only she can stop. But in order to save the merman she loves, Florence will have to enter the Life Path tournament: a brutal test of fear and madness.

The tournament is a rite of passage–a maze where young mermaids and mermen battle to find their purpose. It is also a place where Florence will face grave danger: mermaids with evil magic, tunnels filled with sea fire, and guardians who wish to use her as a pawn in their secret plans. But will Florence be strong enough to survive the tournament… or will she perish inside it?

Everything hangs in the balance: her life, her world, and her love.

My Review:

Florence Waverley is slowly making a life for herself in the underwater world of Niemela. Florence thought things were mostly right with the world. They’d managed to defeat the Darkness and her romantic relationship with Rolan was blooming. But the newly crowned King Rolan has been acting strangely cold and oddly formal to his Luminaire – and Florence has no idea why the sudden change in attitude. In the days leading up to Rolan’s coronation

But Florence isn’t given too much time to dwell on her Rolan situation – the powers that be in Niemela have decided to move up the all important Qualifying Challenges and the Life Path Tournament in an attempt to get more warriors to protect Niemela from underwater enemies.

To help her friend, Princess Yolee, Florence decides to undertake the important test that every Niemellian must take in order to be a productive member of society. But with Truth Dreams haunting her and the unknown dangers of the Tournament to face, Florence needs everything she has to master the maze and save Niemela.

In this second book in the Florence Waverley series, I found myself falling as in love with Florence and the world of Niemela as I did when I read the first novel, Florence. Florence as a character is slowly finding her way in her new life and doesn’t shy away from the challenges she has to face. Even when her relationship with Rolan falls apart, Florence still manages to do all she can to try and protect her adopted land. She’s smart, brave and good in a crisis. That said, she’s still vulnerable and has moments of uncertainty.

The new characters that were introduced in this book were one of the highlights for me. Wynn, Mara and the others are fantastic. I loved their personalities and the unique ‘Mer’ness that they bring to the story.

Luminaire is not short on action – but it progresses at a rate that feels natural. I loved the pace and thought the concept and execution of the Qualifies and the Life path Tournament were brilliant. They was well thought out with lots of tiny details that really went the extra mile.

The vivid colours and beautiful scenery that I adored from Florence  were present throughout Luminaire and once again I felt like I could see everything that was described. I had a great time reading this book and can’t wait to see if there will be a third book in the Florence Waverley series.

The book trailer for Luminaire is just as gorgeous as the one for the first book. I think it’s very clever in that it shows everything that happens in the book and yet doesn’t manage to spoil a thing. And the colours are just beautiful.

Purchase the novel from:

Amazon / Smashwords (ebook) / Buy the Book (from the Luminaire website)