On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.
Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?
The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?
Tera Lynn Childs’s sequel to Forgive My Fins offers another tail-flicking romance with plenty of fun, sun, and underwater adventure.
Son of a swordfish! This book was pure awesome-ness, even better than the first book! In the sequel to last summer's Forgive My Fins, Lily is forced to choose between her kingdom in the sea or life on land. I actually felt for Lily as she must deal with all these choices that no teenager should have to make. The most interesting part for me in the book was how Lily has become frustrated with having to hide the secret that she is a mermaid, and her yearning to come out of the ocean and reveal her true self to humankind, though that might not be the best idea, as we all know how humans feel about anything that is different. Still, the concept of mer kingdoms joining the United Nations and assimilating into human society makes me hope this will be dealt with in future installments.
Tera Lynn Childs is one of the only authors who has managed to make me laugh and cry while reading her books. The scene in the rain with Quince and Lily (I won't say anymore, for fear of spoiling it for others) literally almost made me cry.
I'm also not sure how I feel about the new character of Tellin. I mean, I felt sorry for him, but at times I found him too pushy and invasive of Lily's privacy. Then again, if you're a teenager confronted with the possibility of your entire kindom's demise, you might act the same.
And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I totally loved Dosinia by the end of the book. She definitely matured from a snobby immature teenager by the end of the book.
I think Lily's choice at the end was perfect, and the book ended on a hopeful note. It was hinted at that there may be sequels, and I sure hope so. (I'd love to read a book about the Trio, or Dosinia, or Peri, too, a character I really love but who barely gets book time, and who I would love to read a whole book about!)
So, if you love mermaids, magic, and you're looking for the perfect summer read to take with you to the beach or even sitting by the pool, Fins Are Forever is for you. I don't think the first book needs to be read to understand this one; it's its own self-contained adventure. And if you HAVE read Forgive My Fins, then water you waiting for? (Water? Get it? Oh, forget it.) Dive into Fins Are Forever and get ready for an incredibly well-crafted underwater world filled with undersea fun, teen romance, and mermaid magic.
I've heard this one was a little edgier than the first. I'm looking forward to reading it. :)
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