Purchased: 3½ stars/5 stars
Review by Leisha O’Quinn

I have always maintained that a good set of characters can carry a mediocre plot right on through to the end. I honestly never imagined that I would come across a book with just the opposite scenario. I did however find this to be true with Carol Oates Shades of Atlantis.

From the beginning I knew I was in for something pretty sweet – the title alone had me hooked as I love all things related to the Atlantis legend. (Lynsay Sands anyone??) I was right; the plot for Shades is really good and hands down the novel’s greatest aspect. There is lots of action, drama, and some very, very intense romance. To be completely fair, the combination of action, drama, and romance is sort of like a perfect storm and really keeps the reader moving through the book at near lightning speed from beginning to end. The super quick summary includes:
1) Triona and Caleb are crazy, scary in love after only a few days of knowing
one another; this part of the story gets really intense
2) Caleb and his family are something other than human; it takes Oates
quite a while to get to the explanation of what the “other” actually is but the dragging out of the big reveal worked quite nicely
3) There’s a nasty little prophecy floating around that Triona may be the
beginning of the end for Caleb and his kind
4) As you may of guessed from #3 above there is a group of super-bad guys that will do whatever it takes to prevent Triona from fulfilling the prophecy – nastiness ensues!

Here’s the downside for me: I am a strong character lover and Shades just really didn’t deliver for me in this respect. Here’s the skinny on the characters for me:
1) Triona: if ever there was a case of someone needing to be told “suck it up buttercup”, Triona is that girl; at some point, I just got used to the fact that no matter what the situation, big or small, Triona was going to break down into tears
2) Caleb: although delightfully lickable in terms of his looks, as my grandmother used to say “pretty is as pretty does”. Caleb, while well-intentioned, is really kind of an idiot! Caleb’s trouble all begins when he tries thinking for everyone else and determines that everyone, especially Triona is better off not knowing everything about the über-dangerous situation they are all in. Add to this the fact that Caleb totally wimps out and runs away at a critical moment and you have a recipe for a wreck!! All of Caleb’s credibility and likability pretty much goes out the window after all the mistakes.
3) The characters that were pretty awesome for me are Triona’s brother Ben, her BFF Amanda, and the super-awesome, lie detector Eila. For me, none of these characters were present enough. Each of these characters were the by far the strongest, most straight-forward and forthright in the novel and I really, really wish there would have been a lot more of all them in this story. Ben is strong, courageous, and loyal; Amanda is faithful, kind, and brutally honest and; Eila is beautiful, strong, and compassionate all while being a super-human lie detector. It’s a pretty sweet super-power 

The bottom line: I really am torn over this book as it had such a great plot but characters that sadly fell short for me. The plot in this novel is strong enough to carry the weaker characters and I think the book will actually play well with readers who are fans of super-intense, love at first sight romance reads. This is a YA novel but I would be remiss if I recommended it to the younger end of the YA reader spectrum as the romance is certainly not sexually explicit but it is quite intense. ( )

Shade of Atlantis was a very refreshing read for me. I enjoyed it a lot and I am glad that I got the chance to read it, thanks to Omnific Publishing.It was different from what I normally read, but in a good way. I loved Carol Oates take on immortality and where she took the story. When I first started reading Shades of Atlantis, I honestly did not know what to expect. I was thinking Vampires, werewolves, something along those lines. It turned out to be something totally different and caught me by surprise. There were lots of moments where I just couldn't put the book down. Then there were those moments I wanted to throw the book across the room, but at the same time I just couldn't stop reading. I loved the relationship between Caleb and Triona. I love it when two characters first meet and they just can't stay away from one another. All they think about is each other and feel an instant connection with one another. That is exactly what happened to Caleb and Triona. No matter how hard Caleb tried to deny the chemistry between the two, he just simply couldn't. Now we all know every book has to have some kind of love triangle, but what makes Shades of Atlantis different is that, Triona from the very beginning knew exactly who her heart belonged too. Even after others try to tell her maybe it didn't, her heart and love for Caleb NEVER changed. That was another thing I absolutely loved about this book. I wasn't torn between two characters and even felt positive myself that Caleb was the one for Triona lol. The only issue I had with the book is that in the very beginning Triona was very needy and whiny. She cried over every little thing and always assumed the worse instead of hearing things out. I was a little annoyed with her character, but I have to say she did grow. She went from needy and whiny, to strong and being able to hold her own. Especially with everything Caleb and Triona go through, she was perfect. So my advice, keep reading. Triona grows into a very independent person. ( )

This is a paranormal romance. I like the way that Carol Oates was able to take the legends of many paranormal creatures and incorporate them into one. Takes you from Maine, to London, and stops in Ireland. Adventure and romance. ( )

Shades of Atlantis almost feels like two books in one. The first half is building relationships and connections, where the second half is revelations and action. You do need the first half to understand the unwavering decisions in the second half. The main character Triona transforms toward the end and it is necessary as she learns her destiny. In the beginning, I wanted to smack her for crying at the drop of a hat. But as the end neared, she had grown into a heroin. This is a good thing since there is a sequel to this book! I thoroughly enjoyed Oate's take on legends, lore, and Atlantis. The men in her book have yummy qualities, like Caleb, Ben, and Joshua, but they do not over power the plot. I don't want to give anything away of the paranormal nature, but I like the paranormal elements introduced. I personally would like to learn more about Caleb's brother Joshua and the intriguing Eila. She fascinates me, but in this book is a minor character. I feel there is more of a story there though? :D I recommend reading Shades of Atlantis if you are a fan of paranormal romance. ( )

Triona is a high school senior working at a restaurant in Maine. She’s red-haired, green-eyed, and feisty, which is a good thing since she has to navigate a world without her parents, who died when she was young. Fortunately Triona has a helpful supportive cast around her, including wonderful adoptive parents, a brother who mixes in teasing with caring, and truly loving girlfriends who are honest and fun.Three wealthy brothers own the restaurant where Triona works. When she catches a glimpse of one of the brothers — Caleb — all bets are off. (For some reason I pictured golden-skinned Caleb as a tall, blue-eyed Enrique Iglesias oo-la-la!) Triona’s completely drawn to him but, drat, he reportedly has a girlfriend in New York. Their feelings for each other smolder and then take an unexpected turn, leading to some fantasy and paranormal elements in the second half of the book.What I liked: I loved the strength of Triona’s character. She’s emotional and her emotions provide her with a sense of passion and fortitude. I really enjoyed Carol’s easy writing style. I’m a big fan of unique descriptions of the hero’s glittering blue eyes, like:“Staring into Caleb’s eyes reminded me of staring at the flames of Bunsen burners in school, fiery and dancing with blue light.” (p. 43)I also enjoyed how Triona’s friend Jen was insightful and honest:“You don’t want to admit this is some kind of freaky, we have to be together, love at first sight connection because your parents died. What you fail to remember is they died in a car wreck and not because they followed their instincts about being together.” (p.63)What I didn’t like as much: I didn’t really find the whole Seth storyline very engaging, and while John seemed interesting I didn’t feel like I got to know him well enough to have sympathy for him. I happen to find reality fascinating so I’m not a big fan of fantasy, but fantasy-lovers will thoroughly enjoy the twists and turns in the second half of the book as well.A great debut novel for Carol Oates! ( )