When I first heard about The Mermaid’s Mirror, I thought this book had to be “hokey.” I mean, come on, a teen girl swims with the mermaids? But I found this book to be a touching, heartfelt, believable story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Lena, the main character, is always looking for something, but she doesn’t know what. She wants to surf so badly, but her father refuses to let her because of a near-death experience he had when he was younger. But …. there’s more to the story (of course.) This book is about Lena figuring out the story that her father will not tell her. And yes, this story has something to do with mermaids.
And added to that, there are accurate descriptions of surfing, there’s enough romance that I actually choked up a bit, and mostly this is a story about family and the strong ties that families have.
I never thought I’d read a story about mermaids that I thought felt “real.” The characters, whether mermaid or human, were beautifully described. I longed to visit the ocean after reading this because of the vivid descriptions of the surf (and there’s not one anywhere near me!) The ending was appropriate, but I didn’t really “like” it. There’s no “happy ever after” for everyone, but I guess that wasn’t ever possible.
Don’t let the mermaid thing turn you off – give this book a chance and I think you’ll like it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me an ebook to review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me an ebook to review.
Thanks for this lovely review, TTM is on my christmas list! A mermaid book that I've read which felt completely real to me (and it is not very often thst happens)is Ingo by Helen Dunmore and the rest of the Ingo series. I think you might enjoy it :)
ReplyDeleteI was always a big fan of The Little Mermaid Disney movie. :) Seriously, this book looks very promising-- the premise sounds fascinating, and I've always wanted to surf. Thanks for the review. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Annette! Hmmm, this is one that I didn't like. Not surprising though! I had quite a few problems with Mermaids Mirror. :)
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Jellicoe Road being a tough sell to teens. I know what you mean. Kids probably won't read it unless they have an incentive because the beginning is hard to get in to. It is SO worth it though.
You can start them out with Finnikin of the Rock, which is much easier to get in to. It's very different from Jellicoe Road but so, so good. I gave both books 5 stars. It's got stuff for the guys AND the girls. I bought a copy and loaned it to the boys (juvie detention center) at my husbands work. Most of them have read it (it's still being read!), even the night staff.
You should also have them read Crazy by Han Nolan. I don't know if the teens will love it (they should), but I did.
If you have any questions I'd love to answer them.
peep at attackofthebook dot com
I agree, Annette. This book could have easily gone wrong and be cliched. I'm just glad, for once, the romance was on the back burner and the themes of identity and family were put forward.
ReplyDeleteI love water, therefore I'm a mermaid fan haha I love the sound of this one though, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for it! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteBe sure to enter my international blogoversary giveaway going on now! http://tinyurl.com/2faa8j3