A Red Tale by Nicola Mar
Snow has been falling on the Caribbean island of St. Michael for years, diminishing plant and animal life and leading to extinction. But underneath the island’s ocean lies Surritz–a tropical, magical realm where water dragons known as Wayters have discovered their power of reason.
After being hypnotized, fifteen-year-old Stasia Forrester meets Billy, a Wayter that makes her realize she has the ability to reverse global cooling. But Stasia has something that Billy wants, and to get it, Stasia must travel back in time. She soon discovers that her connection to Surritz is more complicated than she could have ever imagined. When love starts to guide her conscience, she faces tough choices.
How will her decisions affect global cooling if her needs are more important to her than saving humanity? Does she trust that Billy is telling her the truth? If so, she may lose the only true love she has ever known.
Yep, I will admit it: the cover of this book reeled me in. Such creative imagery reminiscent of the work of Mark Ryden. Nicola Mar is an absolute phenomenal storyteller. This e-book combines just enough fantasy and contemporary fiction to appeal to all audiences.
Dragons. Talking sea horses. Spirit boards. Hypnosis. This story has it all.
I cannot emphasize how much I loved the presence of animals in this book. They are among the most prominent characters, which by default already makes this story exceptional.
With the presence of global cooling, the Caribbean is my absolute idea of heaven: cold weather and a gorgeous ocean view. To me, that is truly paradise. No detail is skipped over by Mar, she takes you through a very detailed journey of Stasia’s encounters between Surritz and St. Michael. As a reader, I can see and feel everything Stasia is feeling.
Mar is a master of polished prose. The story streamlines effectively due to great writing. Great execution of a very original idea.
There are so many hidden gems of thought in this story. Ideas that go far beyond simple fantasy or typical YA content. There are elements that question faith, the afterlife and everything about the world we see in front of our very eyes. I love that a story can stretch through time and space and leave you questioning; what is real and what isn’t.
Gorgeous prose and a delightful story. This book will be one I re-visit often. This is a world I loved escaping in.
Thank you NetGalley for the review eArc.
Lisa Loves Words 
