MerBook Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

It's sort of a fantasy of mine to fall in love with a mermaid. But can you blame me? I mean, lots of girls these days dream about dating vampires and werewolves (aka getting bitten or dating a dog), so am I at fault for having a crush on a female with fins? :D And in Tera Lynn Childs's Forgive My Fins, mermaids (and mermen) are able to kiss humans and with their magical powers can turn them mer, too. So of course this book was the stuff of dreams for me.

I really loved plunging into Lily Sanderson's underwater world, and I didn't want to leave it behind! The mermaid mythology in this book was so incredible, and I hope we see more of the underwater kingdoms in later books.

The book reminded me of movies like Aquamarine and The Little Mermaid, both of which are two of my favorites, and the scene where Lily finally reveals to Quince that she is a mermaid and the events that follow is probably my favorite scene in the book.

It takes a rare book to make me laugh out loud, but Forgive My Fins did that. The scene after Lily returns home from the dance mad at Quince was funny, and I couldn't stop laughing.

And the imagery in this book was amazing, too. Everything was so colorful and vivid, and I so badly wanted to explore the mesmerizing undersea world Lily and the other characters live in.

I definitely can't wait to dive into the sequel, Fins Are Forever, and I hope this series lasts a long time, because it was definitely one of my favorite mermaid stories! So dive in and explore Tera Lynn Childs's magical undersea world!

Ninemia by Marilena Mexi REVIEW

The ‘Antara’ had disappeared... or at least that’s how it seemed, until one night a terrible nightmare will overshadow Asteria’s dreams forever. Some lust for revenge, others hide vital secrets, demonic souls want to corrupt the Aster Island and the merfolk. Where the present unites with the past, where dreams pause to exist, the fight for survival begins. Is love strong enough to face the enemies? The infinite blue of the sea, a sweet song and an angelic soul will be their only hopes to keep their beloved ones alive. After the illustrated novel ‘Antara’, the second and final part of the story follows. A sequel which is going to move you and travel you to heavenly worlds.

I'm writing this review after just finishing NINEMIA, the second and final book in Marilena Mexi's 'Antara' series. This one was incredibly short, and darker than the original. When we come across Asteria, the adventurous mermaid queen from the first novel, she is plagued by dark visions and doesn't seem like the same brave mermaid we encountered in the first novel. But then, tragedy strikes the island of Aster again, and Asteria will have to make the ultimate sacrifice, proving just how brave and self-sacrificing she truly is.

I won't give away much, so you can enjoy the book as much as I did. I didn't know what to expect when I began, but I found myself gasping in surprise and on the verge of tears in some parts as well. I loved this one so much more than the first, and it has as many twists and turns as the original. As this is the final book in the series, the ending was bittersweet and almost me crying.

And, of course, like the first book this one has a lot of beautiful artwork done by Marilena Mexi herself. The painting of Asteria lying on the beach is GORGEOUS, and I'd so love to have a physical copy to enjoy the paintings better. The ebook doesn't do these extraordinary drawings justice!

So, if you enjoyed the first, I definitely recommend this one, although I'm fairly sure, with how the events of the story take place and how everything is described, you could possibly read this one without reading the first.

All in all, an extraordinarily beautiful book, and just as captivating and breathtaking as the original!

My Personal Favorite Mermaids on the Internet

Hi all! So I'm going to take some time to show you some favorite stops on the internet that involve the mer. Lets dive in shall we? (Yes, I know lame pun)

http://www.iamamermaid.com/ - This blog is run by Carolyn Turgeon, the author of the excellent book Mermaid (It's a retelling of the little mermaid that I have not yet finished). It features anything at all to with mermaids. some of my favorite posts have been with the Mertailor, a few real life "mermaids", Weeki Wachee preformers and artists, and Carmandy from that What Not To Wear Show. It's an excellent blog that updates fairly often:
http://iamamermaid.com/
(of course I'm going to link you twice!)
Sade's No Ordinary Love video- Sade + Mermaids + Beautiful music = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WcWHZc8s2I

THe Goodreads group Merbooks- This is where  this blog started. Come join the madness as we read, write, review, and talk together

Now I wanna see what you get. Leave links in the comments.


-Randi

More on Lady Gaga the Mermaid

Hey everyone! So this post is a follow up to Lady Gaga's preformance of "The Edge of Glory" with a mermaid tail. Apparently, Lady Gaga tweeted about it on twitter. I would take  a screen shot for you, but it's glitching for me, so here's the exact tweet.

"A reincarnation of my birth +artistic spirit. In incubation, awaiting a human lover to save her. YUYI THE MERMAID."

Here's the preformance if you missed it!
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hVPtWER0SZU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Apparently Gaga has introduced somewhat of an alter ego mermaid thing. I'm not too sure on the whole concept yet, but I'll keep you updated for what's up.

Much love
Randi

Antara by Marilena Mexi - Review + Giveaway

**CONTEST CLOSED-Michelle & Rogier Will Both Receive Copies of ANTARA**

This review should have been written quite some time ago. So, I rushed to finish the book, and I skimmed in some places so I could get through faster, as I really needed to get finished, but let me tell you, that didn't keep me from enjoying the book! It was amazing!!!

Antara reads like a fairytale, sort of like a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but not quite. The mythology was very interesting, and I loved the descriptions of the mermaids and the merworld.

The story talks about how everyone deserves a second chance, as King Orestis is given when he falls for Asteria, the mermaid queen. Their romance was beautiful, and they had some of the most tender scenes in the book.

And the twists! I didn't expect for there to be so many surprises! Many of the characters aren't who they seem, and each one is layered and three-dimensional.

As for the writing itself, there were many quotes I really liked in the book. Here's an example: "The pain of dying will surely be nothing, for the pain of love is so much stronger and agonizing." The book has some grammatical errors, but they can easily be overlooked and do not detract from the amazing story.

Also, the art - the art in this book is beautiful and breathtaking. The paintings help add an ethereal beautiful quality to Marilena's descriptions of the underwater world.

So, all in all, Marilena Mexi has created a beautiful, hypnotic world that reads like an old-fashioned fairytale, and it's a story that ends on a hopeful note that there will be more in the future...

Okay, now for the giveaway! If you would like the chance to win an ebook version of Antara by Marilena Mexi, just leave a comment below with your email address and that also states why YOU love mermaids. The contest is open internationally, so anyone can comment! Let's have the contest run until Sunday, June 26th.

Lady Gaga...The Mermaid?

Yep, you read that right. Lady Gaga performed her song "Edge of Glory" on Le Grand Journal, where she was dressed as a mermaid for the most part. The tail looked really fake, I have to admit, the way it was all wrinkly. Plus, the whole ensemble didn't work well with the tail.

I mean, Lady Gaga is known for being weird and wacky. Not many people could pull off wearing a meat dress or showing up at an awards ceremony inside a giant egg. So you might think she would be able to pull off the mermaid concept better. She could have done a whole under-the-sea thing and worn an outfit similar to the costume Sierra Boggess wore when the portayed Ariel in The Little Mermaid on Broadway, rather than how Lady Gaga did it, since she was sitting there most of the time.

Lady Gaga and mermaids might still be involved in the future, at least I hope so, because she could make one awesome mermaid video! Until then, a better choice would be Sade's mermaid-themed music video for "No Ordinary Love."

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Every year, people from all around the world dress up in mermaid costumes and stride around Coney Island. And it's starting this weekend, too! I've always wanted to go to Coney Island during this time, and someday I might. Paying homage to this annual event, here's a history of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade! Source is Wikipedia (hey, it's reliable sometimes!)

The tradition of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade began in 1983 when the concept was established and organized by Dick Zigun, the founder of the non-profit arts group Coney Island USA. The Mermaid Parade is held in celebration of the beginning of the summer season, and so it traditionally takes place on the Saturday closest to the calendar start of summer, regardless of the weather. The event sometimes attracts a couple of thousand actual participants, along with hundreds of thousands of spectators, some of whom have traveled to Coney Island's beach primarily to escape the heat which often marks the beginning of summer.

The Mermaid parade is well-known for extraordinary marine costumes, and for the occasional partial nudity. (This is not as surprising as it may sound, because it is legal in New York State for women to be topless in public, except as part of a business venture.) The parade is however very much a family event; it is quite common for at least one little girl's birthday party to march as part of the parade. There are sections in the parade for vehicles of all kinds, for floats, for groups, and for individuals. Mermaids and sea creatures of every shape and size are represented, and the audience is festive and appreciative.
Each year the Mermaid Parade features a merman and mermaid King and Queen. In 2005 the King was David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) and the Queen was Karmen Guy (Mad Juana). In other years, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Adam Savage, Harvey Keitel, and Moby have filled the royal seats. In the 2010 parade, the King was Lou Reed and the Queen Laurie Anderson.

Coney Island and mermaids themselves are the subject of Zoraida Cordova's upcoming debut novel, The Vicious Deep, in which the mermaids return to Coney Island to search for their new king.

Sounds great, huh? I'd love to go someday and see all the mermaids and sea creatures parading down the streets. Will any of you be attending the parade?

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure Ride Now Open In Disneyland California!

All you Little Mermaid fans out there can now experience Ariel's underwater world for yourself! The ride has now been opened in DisneyLand California. It's taken 22 years in the making, and I hope someday I can experience it! A similar ride will be opened in DisneyWorld's Magical Kingdom sometime in the next year or so.

The Origins of the Selkies

Alright, I have a good  understanding of the original selkies tail now (PUN!), so here it is!

Long ago, there lived a beautiful woman named Britta. She was taller than most men and more beautiful than the stars in the sky. She was the most sought after woman in all of the Orkneys, and had suitors calling day and night. But she did not love any who called.  And she would not have someone who she could not love.
As her father was the ruler of the island, he had to produce and heir to keep his line in power, and Britta was his only child. So he selected a man named Ronald a seal hunter with blood red hair* who was handsome enough, but Britta still did not love him.
Her wedding was a solemn affair, where Britta was sullen and silent.
On the fifth and the last night of the wedding celebration where everyone became very durnk, she ran to the seal caves at Nettle Gee She sobbed, crying seven tears into the sea until a chocolate brown seal came to her.
"How can I serve you, O Lovely One?" he asked her.
And Britta cried through her tears "Seal in the sea, Seal in the sea, come forth from the tides and salvage me!"
The seal hauled outon the rocks near the crying girl, the veil fell to her feet, and he saw the purple and yellow bruises that spotted her fair face and caused her to frown.
Dane, for that was the seals name, caressed Britta's face.
"Return here on the seventh tide of the seventh tide," Dane replied and slipped into the sea.
Britta did as she was told. She bore her cruel life with Ronald until the seventh tide of the seventh tide, and early that morning, lighthearted with hope,  she made her way to the cave at Nettle Gee ti wait for her savior, but the sea remained quiet. And Soon she lost all hope as the minutes became hours and there was no sign of him.
Then, when the sun was at its highest peek, and BIrtta had shed her woolen cload to enjoy it's warmth on her bare arms, she saw the sleek body of a seal swimming into the shore.
"Join me in the sea and we will make a life the likes of which has never known by human or animal We will have as wide as the two oceans and as high as the hawks that fly up to the sun."
Although Britta was terrifed aof the sea, like all the island folk, she fixed her eyes on his and believed the promise blazing there, she removed her wedding ring and threw it as far as she could into the sea. Dropping her gown  onto the rocks, she walked naked to the water, into Dane's embrace, and together they dived deep into the sea and down, down into the waters below.
And during their journey, a miracle transformed them both. Britta bame part seal, and Dane became part human each sharing half of the other, so that they understood the other's narture as none ever could.
Britta loved her mate with her whole self, and when they touched, it was with a tenderness that healed all she had deared at the hands of her human husband. Britta bore her chosen husband many children, each as lovely as a sea anemones. Then, in the secenth year of their union, Britta's skin  becan to grow thick and rough. Her fur fell in patches and she grew listeless and disinterested in feasting. Healers were brought together at the ebb of the tide, the time of the greatest portent and they prescribed that Britta must return to the land.
At first, Dane refused to let her go. For he frated that if she returned to the land, he would lose her forever. But the healer said that was the only way she could be saved. If she remained in the sea, she would die.
So Dane took his wife and propelled them moth up to the surface swimming to the csve at Nettle Gee where they had first met. Their children paddled hopefully behind. Carrying her limp body on his back, Dane hauled out on the beack and laid Britta fently on the sand. The moment her sofy underbelly touched the land, Britta shuddered once, then transformed before her husband's eyes into the elegant woman she had been so long ago. A great moan escaped Dane as he thought she was lost. But as soon as he and their children came to land, they too shed their pelts and joined Britta on the shore, dancing and leaping.
Far above the famliy, a fisherman saw the family and alerted Ronald he had seen Britta on the beack with seals, and Ronald was filled with rage. He rushed to the beach with a club, ready to kill them all.
But Dane stood on his human legs and took the a piece of driftwood and struck Ronald on the head, killing him. Britta and her children cheared, freed of a hunter.
So the family wrapped their shed pelts around their shoulders and transformed as they stepped into the sea to live happily for years.

Kind of dark, huh? This was paraphrased from Laurie Brook's Selkie Girl that I mentioned in the other post. She tells it much better than me. I hope you enjoyed!

Much love,
Randi

Selkies: What You Need to Know (or Read)

So, we all know all about mermaids if you've stuck around long enough (although I suspect there is much more to learn) and sirens, but one thing you're missing in your sea education is Selkies.
Selkies originated in Ireland/Scotland (some people say specifically the Orkney Islands) and are either half seal and half human or all seal when in water, but when they step out, they shed their seal pelt. To re-enter the sea you must wrap your pelt around you and you can transfrom back and forth.
Some lengends say Selkies can only come on land on Midsummer's eve at the seventh tide of the seventh tide or if you cry seven tears into the sea. But either way, the most disinguishing thing is half seal.
I admit that I was really surprised on the origin of these creatures. The story is always the same. But I'll write that one up later.
Selkies seem to have been forgotten by most in pop culture, as I've only been able to find two books around on the fantastic creatures.

Selkie Girl by Laurie Brooks is a fantastic tale set it, you guesed it, The Orkney Isles about a girl who is half selkies half human and discovers a lot of hertiage and does brave things. It's very good, and very compelling. It's kind of hard to find, so you might have to scour your favorite bookstore's website (I got it from Books-A-Million).

The second isn't an entire book, but a short story my Wicked Lovely author Melissa Marr in the Love Is Hell compilation. She writes of a selkie falling in love with a human, and seeing as I love Melissa Marr, I flipped out a little bit. That's also a nice little piece on selkies.
I'm sure I can uncover more information on selkies later, and I'll be posting the origin story as soon as possible.

Much love,
Randi

Hello everyone!

Hi everyone :) My name is Randi, and I'm going to blogging a bit here from time to time.
I love merpeople and I'm really happy to be here! I'm writing a series of mernovels and I come here a lot to do research and the Goodreads companion group for feedback.
I have another blog as well, (distractedgenius.com) where I write about nerdy things and I've just done an interview with Ashley Knight, who's been interviewed here as well.
So again, I'm really happy to conribute, and I'll try to bring up some interesting stuff.


Thanks everyone!

Randi

Interview With FORGIVE MY FINS Author Tera Lynn Childs!

Tera Lynn Childs is the awesome author of the very popular book Forgive My Fins, as well as its upcoming sea-quel, Fins Are Forever. Check out the interview I did with Tera where we talk about all kinds of mermaid-y goodness!

What inspired you to write Forgive My Fins? Did you always know it was going to be more than one book?
Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mermaid. When I was in Florida for the summer in 2006, I was sitting on the beach thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if a merperson could walk out of the ocean and bestow their magical powers with a kiss?" I knew immediately it was a great idea for a book, especially if I added the conflict of a mergirl accidentally kissing the wrong boy. I never thought there would be more Lily books, but I did come up with two companion ideas, stories about other mer girls. One of them was about Lily's bratty cousin Dosinia who gets herself exiled onto land. When my editor wanted a sequel, I decided to tell that story from Lily's point of view.

Which character do you relate to most?
There are definitely pieces of teen me in all the girl characters (the nice ones, anyway). As a teen, I was quiet and reserved like Peri. Like Shannen, my freshman art teacher tried all year to get me to make softer, sketchier lines. And, most notably, like Lily, I was boy-crazy with blinders on. But I was never clumsy and awkward like her, and I didn't have secret fears or hidden ambitions like Peri, so I was probably most like brainiac Shannen.

Can you tell us any hints about Fins Are Forever, the sequel to FMF?
In Fins Are Forever, Lily's cousin Dosinia does something really awful that gets her exiled onto land. She is sent to live with Lily, who is charged with teaching her to get over her hate for humans. There is an earthquake, a magical kiss, an SAT test, a handsome mer prince, and a birthday ball. To tell you any more would be a big spoiler.


How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media lately?
I love it, of course! Besides the fact that I love mermaids and want to see as many of them in the world as possible, it doesn't hurt my book sales either. And if book sales are good, there will be more books. It's always exciting to be part of a trend, especially when you're near the front instead of trying to catch up from behind.

If you were a mermaid, what color tail/magical powers would you like to have?
My tail would have to be turquoise, one of my favorite colors. And just to have the ordinary mer powers (to breath underwater and to regulate the water temperature around me so I wouldn't freeze to death) would be awesome. I've always been a water baby and was a competitive swimmer growing up, so I would love to be able to spend even more time under water without drowning or wearing loads of heavy equipment.

What do you hope readers will take away from FMF and FAF after reading them?
Besides having a fun, enjoyable time, I hope the Fins readers will see that you should always listen to your heart. In both books, Lily is faced with decisions that are conflicts between what her brain thinks she wants and what her heart yearns for. As a Virgo, I have a hard time turning off my brain, but things always turn out better when I listen to my heart instead. Lily listens to her heart, and I hope readers will too.


Lily, the protagonist, is a mermaid princess. Would you rather be a mermaid or princess? Or both, as in Lily's case?
Being a princess comes with a lot of responsibilities. That's a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, a lot of people relying on you. If I got to live under the sea, I wouldn't want a whole bunch of pressure to make my time there stressful. So I think I'd like to be just a mermaid. (Ha, just a mermaid.)

You've said your publishers are currently deciding if there will be more books in the series. How many more books could you see in the series if it is allowed to continue?
Oh gosh. Well, the end of Fins Are Forever kind of opens the door to a whole new level of the mer world. I already have the other companion story idea that would easily work in as a third book. From there... the possibilities are as endless as the deep blue sea.

Finally, what other projects are you currently working on?
I just turned in the second book in my new trilogy about triplet monster-hunting descendants of Medusa. The first book, Sweet Venom, will be out September 6th.

MerBook Review: Fathom (Fins Trilogy, #2) by Ashley L. Knight

Fathom puts a darker, edgier twist on Ashley Knight’s mermaid “tails” that began with the magical Fins. As the story unfolds, Morgan and her merman fiancé Thayde are living in New York City about to start college. But there’s trouble brewing. Morgan’s powers appear to be taking a dark turn, and Thayde is succumbing to an illness that only one person will be able to reverse. That person just happens to be Limus, Morgan and Thayde’s sworn enemy.

Unlike Fins, the characters have definitely grown up and matured in Fathom. Throughout the novel, Morgan and Thayde are forced to deal with adult issues, which can be tough for a mermaid who has just started college. Morgan contemplates her future with Thayde: will she ever get married, have a child, and be with the one person who shares half her soul?

But Fathom also deals with issues that most YA novels tend to shy away from. For example, this novel deals with the Big One: religion. Do angels really exist? Is there a God? I found it interesting that Knight manages to bring magic and religion together. As Morgan finds out more about the existence of a higher power and her own inner spirituality, one might think this book would veer off into Christian fiction territory, but not at all. Morgan doesn’t start preaching her beliefs to the reader, but instead she wonders if killing her enemy to protect the mermaid world is immoral and against her faith.
The romance in Fathom was much more developed as well. Morgan and Thayde deal with the problems of any other couple--sex, break-ups, etc.-- which adds more realism and depth than the “love at first sight” relationship they had in Fins. And there are definitely Morgan/Thayde moments in Fathom that are probably going to get the girls swooning!

I loved slipping back into Ashley Knight’s wonderful, mesmerizing undersea world and reuniting with my favorite characters, as well as meeting some new ones. I definitely can’t wait to immerse myself in Forever, the third installment of the series, because there are still some loose ends to be tied up that I can’t wait to see how they are resolved.

So, dive into the second book of the Fins Trilogy and experience the magic and wonder that first began with Fins and is taken up a gigantic notch with Fathom!