Book Type: novel
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore Pages: 229 Summary(goodreads.com): For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air My Review: When I first picked up this book, I admit, I was slightly intimidated. I thought the plot would be too complicated or confusing. However, after the first few pages of this book, I fell in love with it! The mermaids in this book were so believably real, and I love how they had their own culture and set of traditions, and were recognized as a race of people even amongst the humans and the Fandarsee, the winged people. I was really connected to Esmerine, who has a love of learning and books, just like me! Readers might not like Alander at first, and might think him snobbish, but he has his reasons. I think my My favorite part of this awesome fantasy novel was the multiple settings throughout the story line. When I read this, I felt like the town of Sormesen was inspired by Venice, Italy and I even imagined some elements of Greek architecture and rural landscapes. Dolamore was really creative and had amazing ideas when writing this beautiful story, full of rich detail and a fantasy plot that wasn't overly complicated. I give this book (*****) 5 stars. -Sirenita The Selkie