Waterfell is not your typical mermaid book. I liked how Howard put her own spin on the "mermaid" tale and that these aren't just regular sea creatures, but actual alien sea creatures. She did a great job with describing their race, their powers, and their hierarchy. This story has a lot of twists and turns, some that are obvious, and some that surprise you. There's a good amount of danger and intrigue to keep you interested, but I have to admit, it didn't really do anything for me. Like I said, while I do like all that Howard created and her writing is great, I felt like this wasn't the story for me. It took me quite awhile to get through this book, and not because it was bad, but I just wasn't into the story. I liked it more than disliked it though and the ending was pretty good, but getting there was a real trek. 
 Maybe what really didn't work for me were the characters. I just couldn't connect with any of them and you know how I'm all about the characters. I didn't really feel the romance between Nerissa and Lo and often times didn't care for Nerissa, personally. She does grow as a character, but because it took quite awhile for her to stand up to her adversaries and face her reality, I guess I just felt indifferent towards her in the end. Lo didn't spark anything in me at all and it annoyed me the way Nerissa acted towards him at first. Speio, Nerissa's friend, was annoying and I didn't like him at all. The only character I mildly liked was Jenna, another one of Nerissa's friends. 
 So while this wasn't my kind of thing, I have a feeling a lot of other readers will enjoy it. I don't know if I'll be keeping up with the series, as my overall feelings towards it was one of indifference, but if I have time and get re-energized about reading different things in general, I might pick up the second book just to see how things are going.