5 STARS
This is not a Disney book about the Little Mermaid! Between The Land and the Sea is so much more than a sweet little fairy tale! This is an enchanting story of mermaids with a unique perspective of their lives.
Between the Land and the Sea is about an eccentric young girl who gets sent to live with her Aunt Abby and her cousin Cruz while her dad is away on business for the year. Her dad wants her to experience a "normal" teenage high school experience but being is Aptos turns out to be anything but a normal experience. Marina is new to the idea of going to school and struggles to fit in. She is so drawn to the sea and actually almost drowns twice, most all the people around her start calling her a freak. She meets local hunky surfer Ethan right when she moves and he is the best thing in her new life is Aptos.
I have read only one other story about mermaids, called Forgive My Fins and while I loved that story, I also loved this one even though they were nothing alike! This is a unique plot that I've never heard of about mermaids. You think of mermaids as being all sweet and enchanted but not all mermaids in this story are sweet, some are very dangerous! This story flows beautifully throughout, with Marina learning how to fit in to school and her sudden eagerness to learn more about the sea and its creatures.
One thing I loved about this book was the characters! They were all really well developed and my favorite would have to be the main characters Ethan and Marina although the secondary characters were all amazing also. I connected right away to the life of Marina and you can't help but to root for her to succeed right from the beginning, she is such a sweet selfless young girl and I loved her! I also loved the eccentric Cruz, and all that he brought to the story with his fashion! And Marina's Aunt Evie was a hilarious typical rich designer!
The dialogue is great and the relationships that develop are all sweet and genuine! The romance that blooms is realistic and so sweet. There is some kissing involved but it is all sweet and done tastefully! I loved that Derrolyn keeps it clean yet passionate! There was a few touchy language moments but nothing bad and it didn't take away from the story at all.
My only complaint is that I felt like things got off to a bit of slow start and I wanted to speed things up a bit. The slow start is worth the wait though because this story is so intriguing, unique, suspenseful, humorous and sweet that I think most YA fantasy lovers would love this story! I finished the first book and instantly started on the second book because I was so drawn in to Marina's life!!
I received a copy of this book to read and review from the author. My review is not biased by the fact that I was given this book. I HONESTLY read and review any book whether bought or given to me. If I did not like the book I would definitely not give a rave review or recommend it.
Book Blurb:
Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep ocean waters off the coast of Aptos, California. In just a few weeks after moving to the small beach town, sixteen year old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can only manage to survive her increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might just be able to unlock the mystery of her past to learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her...and maybe even find true love along the way.
Between The Land And The Sea is the first book in the series "Marina's Tales". Her story continues on in book two, The Moon And The Tide.
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