Fantasy Book Critic: Blog Tour Stop for Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer: Read an Excerpt from Chapter 5!

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but that is exactly what attracted me to Beneath the Haunting Sea. I saw the cover a while back, read the short blurb about it, and it immediately went on my to-be read pile. When I was asked if I wanted to be a part of the blog tour for the book, I immediately said 'yes'.

Now, I get to share this amazing book with you. For our blog stop today, we have an excerpt from Chapter 5. The blog tour is still going on throughout the month, so if you see something you like, please do stop by the other blogs and check it out.

List of blog tour stops!

December 19: Mother Daughter Book Club
December 20: YA Books Central

December 22: Brittany’s Book Rambles
December 27: SFFWorld
December 28: Short & Sweet Reviews
December 29: SciFiChick

January 2: The Cover Contessa

January 3: Seeing Double In Neverland

January 4: All Things Urban Fantasy

January 11: Fantasy Book Cafe

January 18: YA Interrobang

About the book:

Can't you hear it, Talia?
Can't you hear the waves singing?

Sixteen-year-old Talia was born to a life of certainty and luxury, destined to become Empress of half the world. But when an ambitious rival seizes power, she and her mother are banished to a nowhere province on the far edge of the Northern Sea.

It is here, in the drafty halls of the Ruen-Dahr, that Talia discovers family secrets, a melancholy boy with a troubling vision of her future, and a relic that holds the power of an ancient Star. On these shores, the eerie melody of the sea is stronger than ever, revealing long-forgotten tales of the Goddess Rahn. The more dark truths that Talia unravels about the gods' history--and her own--the more the waves call to her, and it may be her destiny to answer.

About the Author:

Joanna Ruth Meyer is a writer of Young Adult fantasy. She lives with her dear husband and son in Arizona, where it never rains (or at least not often enough for her!). When she's not writing, she can be found teaching piano lessons, drinking copious amounts of tea, reading thick books, and dreaming of winter.

Excerpt from Chapter 5

She looked back to where her mother still leaned against the port rail, purple dress bright against the sky. She told herself there was nothing wrong with her—a few solid days of food and sleep would set her right again.

“I’ve never seen anyone, man or woman, as enamored with the sea as she is. Except maybe you.”

Talia jumped and turned to see Hanid climbing up beside her, his silver hair mussed from the wind. He gave her a wry smile. “It’s like the sea is in your blood.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped.

He shrugged. “Most people get horribly seasick their first time aboard ship. You and your mother seem entirely unaffected.”

She didn’t know why this line of questioning was making her so irritated. “I guess the sea air agrees with us.”

“I guess it does.” Hanid studied her a moment more, then shook his head and chuckled to himself. “Glad to have you sailing with us, in any case. Women are good luck aboard ship, you know. The Waves seem to prey mostly on the men.”

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t heard the stories?” He spread his hands out toward the sea. “The Billow Maidens, singing in the storms to wreck the ships and drown the sailors. Their songs are so beautiful men can’t resist, running their ships onto reefs or rocks, throwing themselves into the sea just to follow the music.”

The wind flung a snatch of her mother’s song into Talia’s ears, and she cursed, which made Hanid laugh. “It’s all superstition and nonsense.”

“Maybe. But maybe not. I’ve been to the ends of the earth, Miss Dahl-Saida—not everyone is as apathetic about religion as you Enduenans. I can’t dismiss such stories entirely.”

“Aren’t you Enduenan?”

“My parents were. But I was born in Od and lived on Ryn. I served in the emperor’s army and was part of the failed campaign against Denlahn. I climbed the tallest mountain peak on Halda and saw millennia-old offerings to the god Tuer: wine and fruit and grains, as fresh as the day they were laid on his altar. I met a woman in Ita who kept a temple to the wind goddess—she swore the goddess spoke with her, and was teaching her how to weave the winds.”

Talia shook her head in disgust. “That’s absurd.”

“She didn’t seem to think so.”

“Doesn’t mean she was sane.”

“Perhaps not.” He smiled. “In any case, Miss Dahl-Saida, I didn’t come up here to harass you. Captain sent me to ask if you needed anything.”

She glanced once more toward her mother, who was still by the rail, staring transfixed into the waves. But Talia couldn’t worry about her right now. “A proper tour of the ship would be nice. And ink and paper, if I may.”

He saluted her smartly and quirked another smile. “At once, m’lady.”

***

The sun slid into the sea, staining the water scarlet and the same fiery orange as Ayah’s hair. Talia sat tucked up on the poop deck, her legs growing numb underneath her.

Dear Ayah, she scratched onto the paper Hanid had given her. She paused to glance west toward the sinking sun. She’d begun mentally composing a letter to her friend on the endless carriage ride, but now it came to it, she didn’t know what to say. I miss you, perhaps, or, I should have told you I am the emperor’s daughter. Or, I hope Eda didn’t turn you out of the palace just because you’re my friend.

None of that seemed right. She rubbed one finger along the feather of her pen, and dipped the nib back in the inkwell.

There’s a sailor called Hanid on this ship who’s even more religious than you. He talked to a woman once who claimed she communed with the wind goddess and he believed her. But at least he’s full of information, too. He told me all about our ship, the Lazy Jackal, which hails from Evalla and is paid for on the emperor’s coin, but makes port all over the world. The captain is part of Evalla’s private navy, and one of the most esteemed sailors alive right now. Do you know, he’s so renowned he’s allowed to port in Denlahn without fear for his life? He’s very polite to my mother and me, but there’s no use trying to convince him to turn the ship around—Eda’s gold is heavy in his pocket, and Hanid seems to think she’s promised him land as well. Maybe even Irsa, though I try not to think about that.

The Lazy Jackal sails first to Ryn, and then on to Od and Ita before returning to Enduena. We’re carrying figs and tea, cinnamon and other spices, mounds of cotton, and barrels upon barrels of rice (Hanid pointed them out to me when we were down in the cargo hold). There’s also a half dozen pigs and one small goat to provide fresh meat and milk for the voyage, but so far all I’ve had is fish and biscuits. I expect I’ll be heartily tired of them by the time we reach Ryn.

My mother and I are not allowed to leave Ryn, not ever. I hope you will come and visit instead. The inhabitants swear the Tree was there once, which I hope will tempt you—you can investigate their claims and write them all down in a dusty book. I can laugh at you and all will very nearly be like it was before.

I do wonder you never told me how beautiful the sea is—you were on a ship for months from Od. There are so many shades of green and gray. My mother thinks she hears it singing.

Her throat tightened, and she stilled her pen. The last of the sunlight was just glancing off the water, and she turned to see her mother still perched by the rail. She hadn’t moved an inch all day.