Lies Beneath Book Review

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown. Release date: 2012. Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780385742016.

Annotation: Calder White and his three sisters are a family of mermaids that hunt in the waters of Lake Superior: feeding off the lives and emotions of humans. In order to avenge their mother’s death, Calder and his sisters vow to kill the person they believe to be responsible, a man named Jason Hancock. Calder’s sisters order him to seduce Lily, Hancock’s daughter, to get close to her father, but Calder doesn’t expect to find himself falling in love with his prey.

Personal thoughts: I’m always intrigued by mermaid tales, especially ones where the mermaids are kind of mean, so this story was up my alley. While I did enjoy it, there were some aspects that I wish had been downplayed and some that I wish had been highlighted more. I really liked reading about Calder and his sisters and their ability to lure victims to their watery graves. I wanted to know more about the mermaid family, but instead the bulk of the novel focused on Lily and her relationship with Calder. The romance was sweet, but seemed to blossom incredibly quickly from trepidation to full-blown love within a few chapters. I also felt like the ending got a little muddled, but I will still likely pick up the sequel when it’s released later this year. I think the series has potential and would recommend it to readers who like paranormal romance, especially of the mermaid variety.  

Plot summary: For decades, Calder White and his sisters, Maris, Pavati and Tallulah, have hunted in the waters of Lake Superior. Feeding off the lives and emotions of humans, Calder and his sisters are not like the Disney version of mermaids: their supernatural powers and ability to survive both above and beneath the surface of the icy waves makes them lethal to their prey. Years earlier, their mother died as a result of a broken promise made between her and a human man who’s life she saved in exchange for that of his infant child. The man, Tom Hancock, took his family away from the lake, but his now adult son, Jason, has returned with his wife and children. Determined to avenge their mother’s death, Maris, the eldest of Calder’s sisters and the leader of their family, orders Calder to seduce Lily, Jason’s seventeen-year-old daughter. In order to please his sisters, Calder gets close to Lily, spending more time with her than he ever has with another human. What Calder doesn’t expect, however, is to find himself falling in love with his prey. As Lily and Calder get closer, will he be able to deliver her father to his sisters?

Review: Author Anne Greenwood Brown’s enthusiasm for Lake Superior is evident in her debut novel, Lies Beneath, the first installment in a new series for young adults. It’s not very often that mermaid tales take place in a lake, but the author’s obvious love for the beauty surrounding the nearly ocean-sized body of water makes the presence of sea creatures perfectly acceptable. The geography and climate of the lake is almost as much of a character as Calder, the leading merman, and Lily, his unknowing prey. Readers who are unfamiliar with Lake Superior will feel like they know the area quite well by the end of the story, largely due to the factual information the author includes about the history and lore that surround it. The plot of the novel itself is also interesting, with Calder and his mermaid sisters being more like sharks circling the shore watching for prey. The revenge aspect of the tale gets slightly confusing at times: it’s clear that there is more to the story but it isn’t until the end of the book that the author really decides what direction she wants to take the characters. The conclusion feels somewhat abrupt, but overall, the novel is entertaining and will likely leave readers excited for the sequel, Deep Betrayal, which is set to be released on March 12, 2013.

Genre:  Fantasy

Reading level: Grade 7+

Similar titles: Lost Voices by Sarah Porter, Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.  

Themes:  Mermaids, revenge, murder, sibling relationships, romance, secrets, betrayal.  

Awards/Reviews:  Positive review from School Library Journal.

Series Information: First installment in Lost Voices series. Sequel, Deep Betrayal, set to be released March 12, 2013.

Discussion questions:

-         Why do you think Calder had a hard time feeding off of humans but his sisters seemed to enjoy it?

-        Which of Calder’s sisters was your favorite? Which was your least favorite? Why?

-         Have you ever been to Lake Superior? If not, did you learn anything about it while reading the novel?

-         Why do you think Lily was scared of Calder at first? What do you think changed her mind?

-          Do you think Lily always suspected Calder was a merman? Why or why not?

-        What would you like to see happen in the sequel?

Between the Sea and Sky Book Review

Author: Jaclyn Dolamore. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Bloomsbury USA Childrens. ISBN: 9781599904344.

Annotation: After her older sister, Dosia, disappears, Esmerine, a young siren, leaves the safety of the ocean to search for her sister in the human city of Sormesen. There she reunites with Alander, a handsome winged boy who she was friends with years earlier, to try to find Dosia and bring her home.  

Personal thoughts: I had heard that this novel was a bit fluffy, but after reading it I found that that was what I enjoyed about it. I really appreciate the author writing a story that is interesting and creative but also appropriate for younger teens and tweens. So often authors have really clever ideas, but the resulting books can only really be appreciated by someone over fifteen or sixteen. I could easily see a 5^th or 6^th grader enjoying Between the Sea and Sky, and I think there is definitely a place for novels like that in the young adult genre. Even though there is nothing Earth-shattering in the story, I would recommend it to someone who wants something easy, light and entertaining.  

Plot summary: Esmerine has recently been invited to follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Dosia, and accept the highest honor a mermaid can receive: the title of siren. Being invited to become a siren, and inherit a siren’s belt with all of its intrinsic magic, is a very prestigious event, and Esmerine is excited to begin to live a siren’s life, enchanting human men and guarding the bay from those who abuse its abundance. Soon after Esmerine pledges herself as a siren, however, Dosia disappears. Worrying that she has been kidnapped by a human, her siren belt stolen trapping her on land, Esmerine leaves the safety of the ocean and travels to the human city of Sormesen. Although mermaids are able to take human form if they desire, the transformation is very painful, and Esmerine has difficulty walking through the busy, crowded streets. Fortunately, she soon reunites with Alander, a handsome winged boy who taught her to read years earlier. Now, Alander is almost nineteen, and Esmerine feels drawn to him, even though their races, she being a mermaid and he a Fandarsee, would never allow them to be together. Esmerine is determine to rescue Dosia, but the more time she spends in the human world with Alander, the more she begins to wonder if a life on land is what she is really seeking.

Review: Light, brief and sugary sweet, Between the Sea and Sky is the perfect pick for tweens (and parents of tweens) who want a paranormal romance that is appropriate for upper elementary or middle schoolers. Set in a fictional land full of mermaids, winged humans, fairies, and other creatures, this novel also makes for a great introduction to the fantasy genre. Author Jaclyn Dolamore doesn’t spend a great deal of time delving into the mythology or layout of Esmerine’s world, but there is just enough build-up of the setting to give a little more meat to the story. Readers will enjoy the blossoming romance between Esmerine and Alander, picking up on the common but always popular “there are forces dividing us” theme. There is also little in the novel to give alarm to parents, with only some minor kissing and a few suggestive turns of phrase delivered to Esmerine from some unsavory humans. Overall, there isn’t a whole lot of depth to Between the Sea and Sky, but that makes it an ideal choice for readers who are just beginning to get into the young adult scene.

Genre: Science-fiction/Fantasy

Reading level: Grade 5+

Similar titles: Lost Voices trilogy by Sarah Porter, Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs, Fins are Forever by tera Lynn Childs, Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic tale by Carolyn Turgeon, Ripple by Mandy Hubbard.     

Themes:  Mermaids, sirens, wings, fantasy, love, sisters, duty.

Awards/Reviews:  N/A

Series Information: N/A

Discussion questions:

-      Why do you think Esmerine was unsure about becoming a siren?

-      Did you find it interesting that Esmerine was able to transform into human form? Do mermaids in literature typically have that ability?

-       Why do you think Alander was less than nice to Esmerine when they reunited?

-      Do you think Dosia did the right thing?

Lost Voices Book Review

Author: Sarah Porter. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Harcourt Children’s Books. ISBN: 9780547482507.

Annotation:  Abused and neglected, fourteen-year-old Lucette hopes the sea will swallow her up as she tumbles off a cliff near her Alaskan home. Instead, Luce is transformed into a mermaid and joins a tribe of other young mermaids who were once mistreated just like her.  

Personal thoughts:  I was looking forward to reading this novel and I was not disappointed. When I first read the jacket I was thinking the book would be much lighter fare than it was. There are some very serious and tense issues in the novel, and the whole concept of the “mermaid” is actually very thought provoking beyond the typical “girls with tails” mystique. The characters are well thought and intriguing as well. I look forward to the second installment in the series!  

Plot summary: Fourteen-year-old Lucette “Luce,” lives in a small Alaskan fishing village. Luce’s mother died when she was four and her father disappeared a year earlier when the boat he was working on presumably sank. Luce was left to live with her drunk and abusive uncle who is constantly beating her and making her feel worthless. One afternoon, Luce’s uncle attempts to rape her on the cliffs near their home. When Luce fights him off, he tells her not to come home and abandons her in a raging storm. Luce is bewildered and unsure of what to do, when she suddenly slips off the cliff and into the ocean below. She should be dead, but instead, Luce is transformed into a mermaid. She discovers a tribe of other teen girls who were also abused or neglected in their human lives, causing them to also turn into mermaids. The tribe is lead by Catarina, a beautiful and charismatic mermaid who transformed when she was sixteen. At first, Luce is enchanted by her life as a mermaid: the girls are strong, beautiful and have the ability to hypnotically enchant humans, and each other, with mesmerizing songs. Soon, however, Luce learns how the tribe uses their singing abilities: to sink passing ships in an effort to punish humans for how they were treated in their lives on land. Luce feels a primal urge to participate in the activities of the tribe, but isn’t sure if she can cope with a life dedicated to murdering the innocent. To make matters worse, a new mermaid enters the tribe, one who threatens to destroy the first family Luce has called her own.

Review:  Well-written and utterly unique, this first installment in the Lost Voices trilogy is made even more impressive by the fact that it is author Sarah Porter’s debut novel. Mermaids are an interesting topic for a young adult novel in their own right, but the back-story the author has created for the lives of the mermaid tribe, from how they are created to the rules that govern their lives to their eating habits, take the plot to a more sophisticated level. Certain aspects of the storyline are quite sad: Luce, and the rest of the mermaids, have all suffered inexplicable horrors in their lives on land that caused them to transform. The first several chapters of the novel chronicle Luce’s abuse at the hands of her uncle, and these are some of the most tense in the story. Roughly the first half of the novel focuses more on Luce and her transformation, and this is more poignant and, in many ways, enjoyable than the second half of the book. Porter introduces other characters into the novel, including an annoying and shallow mermaid who threatens the entire tribe, creating more melodrama that waters down the emotional response invoked by the first half of the story. This is the first installment in the trilogy, so Porter did have to create some plot points to keep things moving, and hopefully she can return to the more character driven aspects of the story in the next installment. Overall, Lost Voices is an emotionally charged by enjoyable beginning to a very unique series.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs, Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs, Ripple by Mandy Hubbard.  

Themes:  Mermaids, sexual abuse, physical abuse, friendship, orphans, death, loss, grief, Alaska.

Awards/Reviews:  Positive reviews from teenreads.com and Bulletin.  

Series Information: First installment in Lost Voices trilogy.

Discussion questions: 

- Why do you think that Luce became a mermaid? Do you think she deserved to become a mermaid? Why or why not?

- What is the timahk similar to?

-   Do you think what Catarina did with the men she drowned broke the timahk?

- Would you have been able to participate in sinking ships if you were Luce? Why do you think the mermaids got pleasure from killing humans?

- What do you hope to see happen in the next book? Why?