Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (5)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (2)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (3)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (6)
- England (11)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Saturday, February 19, 2011
Mermaid Tale (Tail?) Atmospheric, Absorbing
1:00 AM

Everyone on Windwaithe Island knows the story of Lady Lauretta Durran, the young wo

Fourteen-year-old Adrianne Keynnman doesn't have time for such nonsense, not when there's a cow to milk, eggs to gather, and stalls to muck. With her father dead, she's in charge of her family's survival. She gets little help from her mother, who's still weakened with grief, or her surly aunt, who holds Adrianne accountable for the family's abrupt reversal of fortune. So, it's
her who toils, day after day, to provide for the two older women and her younger sister, Cecily. Adrianne knows she's too plain to attract a wealthy husband, but she's determined to help pretty Cecily rise above their poverty-stricken island life.

When Cecily runs off in a rainstorm one night, Adrianne races to the rocky shore, desperate to find her sister. What she discovers there shocks her: a beaut
iful, shimmery mermaid watches over Cecily's limp body. Though Adrianne's sure she must be dreaming, she fights the creature, who scratches Adrianne's arm in outrage. When she wakes up three days later to find Cecily perfectly safe, Adrianne puts thoughts of mermaids firmly out of her head. Obviously, the mermaid was some strange vision brought on by her feverish mind. But if the creature isn't real, then why do the marks on Adrianne's arm burn every time she thinks of it? And why does she hear a whisper on the wind beckoning her to the water? Can Adrianne break the mermaid's hold over her? Or will she be dragged under the sea just like Lady Laurette was a century ago?

Forbidden Sea, a debut novel by Utah librarian Sheila A. Nielson, is a wonderfully atmospheric story aimed at tween fantasy lovers. With the voice and pacing of an old-fashioned fairy tale, its prose echoes the poetry of the sea - gentle at times, turbulent at others. The first 3/4 of the book enchanted me thoroughly; the last quarter not so much. Nielson rushes the final bits, especially Adrianne's underwater experience, so that the finale seems too different, almost unanchored, from the rest of the story. Also, although the main storyline comes to a satisfying conclusion, Nielson leaves all the subplots dangling, making the book feel unfinished. A sequel is in the works, which will no doubt tie up loose ends, but still, I think all the plotlines could have been weaved together better. All in all, though, Forbidden Sea kept me entertained. When it came to a choice between going to bed and staying up until midnight to finish it, let's just say I was a little tired the next morning.
(Readalikes: A tiny bit like Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs)
Grade: B+
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Forbidden Sea from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
4 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Listening
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
Happy June!43 minutes ago
-
Time Travel Thursday57 minutes ago
-
Randomness...1 hour ago
-
-
-
-
State Of The ARC #275 hours ago
-
-
-
The Wind of Gath13 hours ago
-
-
Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser18 hours ago
-
Monthly Round-Up: May 202319 hours ago
-
Wyrd & Wonder 2023 Wrap Up19 hours ago
-
Crook O Lune by E C R Lorac20 hours ago
-
May Reflections21 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin1 day ago
-
-
How I Select Books to Read2 days ago
-
cleaning wins!2 days ago
-
-
-
Review: Family Baggage by Ilsa Evans6 days ago
-
-
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
5/20/20231 week ago
-
A Couple of Recipes!1 week ago
-
-
This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now.2 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Dotty Beanie with Ears4 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
16-Year-Old Blog Post Deemed to Be Offensive3 months ago
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?7 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen9 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
I have never read a mermaid story. This one sounds lovely. It'll be good for the debut author challenge as well :)
ReplyDeleteI just want to give you the 7 facts award, if you want to know more about it visit my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://mybookaddiction.blogspot.com/2011/02/7-facts-award.html
This sounds interesting about mermaids,thanks! for sharing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting review. I might have to check this book out at some point.
ReplyDelete