Lena has lived her whole life near the beach—walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves—the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.
As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.
But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.
Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman—with a silvery tail.
Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.
And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …
I have to admit, when it comes to mythological creatures ... mermaids are pretty much at the low end of the totem pole for me. Why? Besides Ariel from The Little Mermaid, I've had no interest in them. Maybe it's just the lack of books about mermaids when I was younger that has me so unaffected? I think it might be. Really, when I read about mermaids back then, they were kind of fillers or just a plain out afterthought to the entire story.
Definitely not the case with this story.
Though it did take me a while to get to the action in the story -- over 100 pages into the book -- the story was well-written and had enough to keep me intrigued to get to the action. There are many aspects to love about this book. The way Madigan builds up her characters, main and minor, is beautiful ... all of them are fleshed out well. The mythology was wonderful, but then my knowledge of mermaids is lacking at the moment. I love, love, LOVED the relationships between Lena and her family, as well as the relationships between her and her friends. They're all described so warmly that it makes you feel all tingly. The best part? I think for me it had to be the author's way of putting you in the passenger's seat and taking you on a ride through Lena's journey of self-discovery as she discovers secrets about herself that have been kept from her all her life.
Now, for the bad ... which isn't as bad as you may think. I'm not a fan of the way Lena and Kai's relationship just kind of ... faded. Then again, I'm one of those people that have to have the relationships and the happily-ever-afters. If I wanted to hear bad things, I wouldn't read - I'd turn on the news or Maury. Don't let me lead you away, though, it's not bad! It's just not there as much as you want it to be. Oh, and then there's the love triangle ... which, really, when isn't there a love triangle in books these days? ;)
Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Netgalley
Title: The Mermaid's Mirror
Author: L.K. Madigan
Series: N/A
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Format: Hardcover, 308 pages
Release Date: October 4, 2010
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3 comments:
I have this one my Kindle, and I was a little unsure about it. One of my blogger friends didn't like it that much. But now I'm looking forward to reading it! Great review!
Like I said, it's definitely slow and it's pretty much just a regular teenage book for the most part. I think the best part is the last 100 pages or so.
I've been wanting to check this one out, so I'm glad I stumbled across your review. It seems like a great story, even if the relationships aren't as optimistic as I'd want them to be... Haha, I lol'd at your Maury comparison! This really sounds like a book you can immerse yourself in.
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