Fantasy Friday (and Contest!): Forgive My Fins

Forgive My Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs

Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 293
Reading Level: 13 and Up
Enjoyment Level: High


I usually read an author’s book before I interview them, but I’m glad I waited on this one. I was actually more interested in reading it after I did the interview. (You can find the interview at www.yalitreview.libsyn.com)

From GoodReads:

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 – when 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.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the imaginative portrayal of the mermaids. The images the author used were amazing and it was easy to see everything (especially in Thalassinia). The mythology is great and very believable. I wanted to be a mermaid after reading this!

The characters are good, too. I’ve heard some people mention that they didn’t like Lily’s sea-inspired slang, but it didn’t bother me. I prefer it when slang and swearing coincide with a character’s background. It made Lily feel more realistic. Her reactions to conflict were also natural for someone in her position. Her co-star, Quince, is the quintessential foil for Lily. They played off each other pretty well.

Here’s a slight spoiler alert, though, so be warned. I can’t address the aspect of the book I didn’t like as much without giving a little away…

On GoodReads, I only gave this four stars because I’m really tired of the right guy/wrong guy thing. It’s been done to death and I wish that there was some way around making the guy a character despises into the guy she loves. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like the book, and I’m interested in reading the next one – I’m just done reading book with this cliché in them for a while.

All in all, this was a fun read. If you like the teen fantasy/romance, you should definitely pick this up. And here’s your opportunity… I’m giving away a signed copy of Forgive My Fins!

To enter:

1. Tweet and/or Facebook a comment and link to this contest.
2. Leave a comment here on the blog with your name, age, and a link to your Tweet/Facebook.
3. Email blogger@yaliteraturereview.com a brief paragraph about what you’d be like as a mermaid.

The contest winner will be chosen by the emailed paragraph, so have fun and be creative with it. You can include anything you’d like about being a mermaid (how it would be underwater, interacting with other people, finding a mermate, etc.). You have until July 7th to enter. The contest winner will be announced that day and a blog post with the winning paragraph will be posted on the blog.

Good luck! And until next time, go read something!

~ Vilate