- Hook Value: 4
- Curious Nipple Quotient: 5
- Plot Rating: 5
- Predictability Rating: 4
- Series Score: 1:5
- Recommendation Value: 3
- Genre Score: 5 YA fant para
- Emotion Warning: none. pretty standard overthrow the evil queen story.
This book has one of the most lyrical opening passages I have ever come across. It not only uses written word to describe the quality of the music, but the feelings the hearer felt: relaxed, content, conflicted, horrified, guilty; while also informing us of the underwater setting and species. Not bad for 4 sentences. Rhines sets herself a very high mark in this opening passage, and although most of the book lacks the polish this paragraph contains (because you couldn’t possibly agonise over the whole book as much as the opening passage was likely agonised over) you don’t notice because by the time you’ve reached the second paragraph you want to know what has/will happen to cause Pauline to feel such disparate emotions. Which leads you down the rabbit hole. This book has no proofing or editing errors, making it a joy to read.
The plot is a version of The Little Mermaid, not a horrifically original one; but a well realised one. The world that Rhines has built to support the story is moderately unique, but her main characters, Pauline and Eddie, seem a little two dimensional. They suffer none of a normal teenagers insecurities and fears. And they seem to fall in love with very little reason behind it. The spent little to no time together, and I’m supposed to believe they would choose to give up worlds for each other? I understand that with publishers such as Clean Teen Publishing, that there wouldn’t be much in the way of lustful physical contact; but that doesn’t mean they can’t be emotionally close… Either way, as the plot isn’t particularly original it is fairly predictable.
One thing I did appreciate was that it was a stand-alone book. by which I mean that the story of Pauline and Eddie is complete and discrete from the next book in the series which is about Pauline’s sister. This is not to say they won’t pop up in later books, only that the bulk of their story is told. This is my favourite type of book series, one where it is not essential to read the books in order. I would recommend this book to YA readers of a female persuasion. Because it may not be an old hat plot to them yet, and because I haven’t met many dudes who are into mermaids. Well, into reading about them anyway…
Google play books has this book categorised under YA fairy tales legends mermaids. I don’t think I could do any better even if I tried. So I’m not going to. No point improving on a great thing. I had no discernible emotions whilst reading this book. another nice piece of ‘fluff’.
PS: ‘fluff’ in the way I use it (as opposed to the way it is used in places such as fanfiction.net) means items I read that have no weight. A fluff book sits in my head as a feather sits in a doona. or a piece of lint in a belly button. we only know it’s there when we’re looking at it; otherwise, it’s just a there: unobtrusive and unknown but adds to the whole.
Booking Awesome Reviews 