Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn-Childs

Series: Fins, Book One

Publisher: Templar

Format: Paperback

Published: 1^st July 2011

Number of Pages: 295

Book: Borrowed From The Library

Genre: Urban Fantasty, Magic, Romance, Paranormal, Mythical, YA

Recommended Age: 11+

Contains: Mild Violence and Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Tera Lynn Childs

Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenager, but when you’re half-human, half-mermaid, like Lily Sanderson, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.  Especially when your crush is gorgeous (and 100% human) Brody Bennett.

The problem is, mermaids aren’t the casual dating type – the instant they kiss someone, they ‘bond’ with them for life.  When Lily’s attempts to win Brody’s love leads to an ginormous case of mistaken identity, she finds herself facing a tidal wave of relationship drama.

Review:

Lily is in love with a boy who doesn’t love her back.  Complicated enough already for her, right?  Wrong.  Lily isn’t just any girl: she’s a mermaid.  And one kiss will leave her and any boy bonded for life.  But Lily has chosen human Brody to be her mate.  All she has to do is tell him the truth, and introduce him to her father.  And kiss him, of course.  Only, one night at a party, one she’s arranged to meet Brody at, takes an unexpected turn, with one wicked case of mismatched identity…

I was hooked to this book, hook line and sinker (pun intended).  From the very beginning, from Lily’s first sentence, I was just addicted.  Once I’d started reading, I just had to find out what would happen.  I just could not put it down.  I didn’t WANT to put it down.  I could read about Lily and her mismatched relationship forever!

Lily Sanderson was someone I liked straight away.  She was really nice and funny, her voice totally believable.  She used lots of “fishy phrases”, like “pain in the fins”, which I found so cute and so funny!  I mean, she was just wonderfully bonkers.  And kind of a drama queen… love it!  Love her!  Her mind was wonderful, bonkers, funny and maybe a little twisted.    She really underestimated herself sometimes, and was occasionally quite naïve… but she was very loyal and very easily distracted...   Seriously, have I mentioned I love the girl?  But what made Lily special was how much I found I could relate to her: she just felt so real, like she could be any girl. 

Quince Fletcher was a bit of a jerk… and he was also very, very funny – hilarious, even.  He was too cute, really cheeky, and so obviously liked Lily!   He was the “shock-inducing” type.  And as I got to know him more: how sweet and wonderful he was, I just loved him even more!  I want a Quince! 

He and Lily were so cute.  I just loved the way Quince joked around, totally getting on Lily’s nerves.  The way their relationship changed was just too sweet.  I could so feel the chemistry.  Wow.  They SO belonged together.  Such a dreamy couple!
The rest of the characters were equally amazing.  Peri, Lily’s mermaid best-friend, who knew Lily better than anyone.  She was the method to Lily’s madness.  Lily’s dad, who was so protective of Lily, and didn’t think anyone was good enough for her, scaring away all the merboys when she was younger.  The bond between Lily and her father was really sweet!  The two of them were so close and the bond felt 100% real.  Davina, Lily’s cousin: spiteful and jealous in my opinion, but we shall be seeing more of her.  Fingers crossed she pulls a Cordelia!  And the boy who started the chain of events: Brody Bennett.  He seemed nice, seemed sweet: he hung out with Lily even though she was a “freak”.  He had that charm – the one that meant he could fit in everywhere.  He made Lily feel special.  But, boy can you not judge by appearances…

I just loved how Childs took historical and mythical references and made them cool, modern and completely her own.  It was brilliant!  This was just such an original, new, creative book: loved it!

The mermaids in Forgive My Fins were amazing!  They were kind of cowardly, according to Lily, anyway.  But they had to be, to stay hidden.  And they had all these awesome powers: they could control water temperature, mind wash people, swim super-fast and find their way home from anywhere.  I just loved learning all the new heritage… and the funny words: Oceanista dolls, mertechnology – and did ya know, mermaids invented the bikini?  I wanna be a mermaid, please! 

God, this made me laugh!  Lily was hilarious, as was her sea-slang and bananas mind.  I really was not expecting such a funny read when I picked it up.  But I laughed out loud.  A lot.  I even got the funny stares.  Lily rocked!

Full of romance, humour, mermaids and magic, Forgive My Fins was a really brilliant, addictive read.  All the characters were 100% real to me.  The relationships jumped off of the page.  I could see Thalassinia in my mind’s eye.  A just all round amazing read, one I recommend to you all!  Plus: SO didn’t see the ending coming!

A fun, cute, all-round awesome read that had me in its power from start to finish. 

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Siren by Tricia Raybrn

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

Thin Air Blog Tour: Review of Thin Air by Lynn Seresin

Before I start this review, here are some links for if you want to see more about Thin Air:

 Goodreads | Lulu | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Facebook

And, for a grand finale of this blog tour, there will be the Grand Prize.  The winner shall receive a signed, paperback copy of Thin Air and a pair of specially made earrings! 

To win, you have to find the red letters.  Not all the blogs will have one, but they will pop up, and when they do, the letter will be in bold and will be red.  It should look like this:

"This is how the blog tour post should look like. Then there's a bunch of content here, and somewhere in the middle, the blogger will just bold and put in red their letter."

You need to write them down, as these letters should make up two words.  So just collect them all, and fill out this Form. 

Now, my review....

Series: Air, Book One

Publisher: Self

Format: Kindle

Published: 2^nd August 2011

Number of Pages: 437

Book: For Review From Author*

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mythical, Magic, Fairy Tale, Paranormal, Dark Romance, Action, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Strong Violence, Death, Sex (not adult fiction sex, but stronger than some YA), Mild Swearing, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Available On: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble

Author's Blog: No Blog, But Here's Her Twitter: @lynnsere

May Contain Mild Spoilers (Though No More Given In the Full Version of the Synopsis)

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Alice Ayre is no ordinary teenager. She took her first name from a statue in Central Park, pulled her name out of the air (literally), got her clothing from a homeless woman who had once been a gnome, and she's actually almost a thousand years old. In fact, the only "ordinary" thing about Alice is that she's hopelessly in love.

                                                                   Review:

Aeris is a sylphid, a spirit of the air.  She is considered especially beautiful, even for her fair kind, and is desired by all the sylphs, even King Paralda himself.  But none of them are of any interest to her.  Until Aeris does the forbidden: she falls in love with a human called Daniel.  All she longs for is to have the chance to be with him, but as a sylphid, that is impossible.  So Aeries makes the only choice that seems bearable for her, even though it has been banned by Paralda.  She chooses to be transmuted – transformed into a flesh-and-blood human.  Changing her name to Alice Ayre, she sets out to find her love.  The worst she was expecting was that she would have to compete with Daniel’s current girlfriend.  Instead, her past catches up with her.  And it will not let go, will not go away, until…

I expected an airy-fairy tale when I picked Thin Air up.  That was not what I got.  Sure, there were fairy beings.  But there were also humans.  There was the worst of humanity – assault, death – and the best – love, hope, friendship.  Altogether, this combination of magic and realism was outstanding – above and beyond anything I expected.  It had the beauty of faeries and a gritty realism that almost made everything one-hundred-per-cent believable.

Aeris was rather proud, although she loved her friend Tempesta, her home and her sister spirits.  And she really did love what she was – being at one with the air.  She was so full of life, of passion, so strong.  Once human, Alice Ayre became less proud and more vulnerable.  Some of her reactions to human things were really cute and funny!  Although, some of them were totally cringe worthy.  She was really naïve, yet really mature at the same time.  I can’t wait to see where her character goes.  The one thing I hope for?  That she may be more sure in herself, more confident in her strength.  She was just a little damsel-in-distress at times…  Which was unnecessary, ‘cause she was stronger than she thought she was… 

Daniel Field was a sweetie, artistic, a musician.  He was really nice to Alice, even when she made big blunders.  And he was the cutest!  I mean, he had a collection of pigs.  And he named them.  How adorable?  I love him.  He was strong, sweet, accepting, darn adorable.  The dream boyfriend.  The only thing he may lack: witty sarcasm!   Which is made up for by…

Dante Sinclair, who was wonderful.  He was warm, fun, sweet and great.  And he was in the theatre program at NYU, “studying to be a drama queen”.  Plus: such a sweetie!  He was hilarious, slightly snarky and eccentric.  And my own personal favourite!     Dante rocks!

The rest of the characters were wonderful, a wide variety of personalities.  Shane, Dante’s wonderful boyfriend, who had a snake called Lady Gag-Gag (he and Dante were the cutest!).  Wren, who was blind and got “feelings” that were never wrong.  Her boyfriend, Nicky, who was a real sweetie.  The rich Giovanni Accello, jolly, kind and an aspiring jeweller.  Delilah, Daniel’s girlfriend, who was cold, evil, possessive and plain horrible (in my opinion).  And another favourite of mine, who wasn’t in it much at all: Terra, an air spirit who helped Alice out at the beginning.  I loved him, and would really, really like to see more of him in the next book… (hint, hint).

What was amazing about this book was the world Seresin created.  All the different beings were intriguing.  The sylphids and sylphs of the air.  The undine of the water.  The gnomes of the earth.  The salamanders of the fire.  Flower spirits.  Forest spirits.  For them, there was no death, no pain, no hunger.  They were practically immortal. And, of course, the whole seeing-the-world-through-a-spirit’s-eyes was fascinating.  Aeris had no idea what pain was, or hunger.  She had no clue about anything.  I mean, she didn’t know what a statue was. 

This was a great read.  It was addictive and new: wonderful.  I may not have been a big fan of the violence, but – while it shocked me at times – it was needed in an odd way.  Alice had to see the bad side to get the most from the good side, if that makes any sense.  Horrible, yes.  But Alice just had to know – how horrible humans can be, I mean.

As for the writing… it was beautiful, lyrical and so Alice.  I was entranced by its style, actually stunned.  From the way this lady writes, this book should be sitting on a shelf at Waterstones, if you ask me.  She even made love-at-first-sight work!  Which is, as many of us know, an impressive, impressive success.  Still not 100% convinced by the sex scene... it didn't really seem to fit, in my opinion...  And, while some twists were rather obvious, others took me completely by surprise.  ‘Though, I gotta say, not entirely convinced by the justice in the book…

Even so, I can’t wait to see what Lynn brings out next – especially if it has Dante and Alice and Daniel in it!  (And maybe Terra?)  I loved the airy-fairy side to the story: the romance, the characters.  The humanity was shown at its best, its worst.  It was completely new and different.  I can’t wait for Friendly Fire!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Previous stop on Thin Air Blog Tour: Silver Thistles

Next stop on Thin Air Blog Tour: Words That Fly

To see all taking part in the Thin Air Blog Tour, Go to The Magic Attic

Read this book if you liked:

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Need by Carrie Jones

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

2011 eBook Challenge (Hosted by The LadyBug Reads)

Megan

* This book was received from author in exchange for an honest review

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey, Book One

Publisher: Mira Ink

Format: Paperback

Published: 22^nd June 2009

Number of Pages: 496

Book: Bought

Genre: Fantasy, Mythical, Magic, Folklore, Fairy Tale, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy,  Action, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Some Swearing, Mild Alcohol References

Author's Blog: Julie Kagawa

My name is Meghan Chase. 

In less than twenty-four hours I’ll be sixteen.  Countless stories and songs have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her...

I DON’T THINK IT WILL BE THAT WAY FOR ME.

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny – one she could never have imagined...

Something has always felt slight off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six.  She has never quite fitted in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her little brother is taken, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

She could never have guessed the truth.  Meghan is the daughter of a faery king and a pawn in a deadly war.  Now Meghan will have to choose between a normal life and her magical destiny – and between her best friend and a darkly dangerous prince.

It’s time for Meghan to enter the faery world...

Review:

Meghan Chase is an ordinary girl with her best friend Robbie, mother Melissa, her stepfather Luke and her little brother Ethan.  She doesn’t have the coolest clothes or a great social life, she’s just... Meghan.  But then her brother is taken, and a changling is left behind in his place. Robbie says a faery is behind this.  He tells her that to rescue Ethan they have to travel to the Nevernever, land of the fey.  But once there, Meghan finds out there is much more to her than she could ever have imagined...

Personally, I’ve always loved faeries.  When I was little, I was the one with the strange little imaginary friends.  Did you know, they say children can see otherworldly creatures, but the gift fades as they grow older and stop believing.  Me?  I still believe.  Julie Kagawa has made the faery land seem so real that it’s impossible for me not to have faith in the fey.  She took folklore and mythology and turned it into something new, something amazing.  Her imagination is absolutely incredible.  I want her world to be real. 

Meghan was a strong lead girl, and I liked her instantly (not just ‘cause she’s the first character I’ve come across with my name!).  She was determined, brave, loyal and loving.  She would do anything and go anywhere for the ones she loved.  I admired and loved her for it. 

As for the other characters, they were just as well thought-out and loveable.  Robbie Goodfell, Meghan’s best friend, was amazing!  He made me laugh so much with his practical jokes and brilliant tricks.  Plus, his hidden, rather notorious, fey identity was just genius!  (Can you guess it?)  Now, we have the Winter prince, Ash.  Dark, brooding, dangerous.  And I loved him!  He may have been harsh and cold on the outside, but – in my opinion – that was just his way of keeping himself from getting hurt again.  He was sweet, chivalrous and loyal: I fell in love with that intensity of his.  I never could resist mysterious princelings.  As for Grimalkin (Cait Sith or Devil’s Cat, as he’s also known) he was just my favourite.  He was rather refreshing, with his wonderfully snarky character.  As for his “I am a cat” explanations, they had me grinning. 

Now we get onto the other faeries.  I can’t begin to describe the wonder, magic and brilliance of Kagawa’s world, so I’ll settle for this.  Picture every fairy you’ve seen in Disney movies and discard them.  Go pick up a copy of A Midsummer’s Night Dream.  The faeries in this story are otherworldly and more than human.  There are the scary ogres, trolls and exterior beauty covering maliciousness.  And then… a completely new twist, unique to Julie Kagawa…

The idea that weaponry and machinery and science is slowing destroying the Nevernever is genius.  But, I am proud to say, I am keeping it together!  I have the belief of a five year old, as I mentioned previously.  Back onto the topic: the plotline, writing, world and characters were all just incredible.  I’m getting the next in the series ASAP!  I shall end on this note: Julie Kagawa, you are awesome!

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Need by Carrie Jones

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Tithe by Holly Black

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Published: 4^th July 2011

Number of Pages: 352

Book: For Review From Bloomsbury*

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Mythical, Magic, Romance, Action, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: A Fair Amount of Violence, Few Deaths, Some Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her Californian home and hang out with her boyfriend.  But Tempest is half mermaid and, as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide if she really does want to stay on land or if she wants to give herself to the ocean like her mother did before her.

When she meets Kona, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities also hint at an other-worldly life, the lure of the sea becomes too strong and Tempest finds herself in the midst of a battle for survival.  The entire ocean’s future hangs in the balance.

Is she brave enough, and strong enough, to help save everything?

Review:

Tempest’s mother, Cecily, left when she was ten, disappearing into the ocean without so much as a goodbye.  Cecily left behind a daughter, two sons and a husband.  She also left letters.  Tempest knew what her mother was because she’d seen that beautiful emerald tale: her mom was a mermaid.  But Tempest didn’t know why she left.  All she knew was that when she turned seventeen, she would have three months to choose between the land and the sea.  And as that birthday dawns, Tempest is feeling lost.  She doesn’t know why her mother doesn’t come to help her through the change, as she promised.  So many things are happening to her, and she hates it.  She hates what she is becoming.  So when the fate of the ocean falls under threat, will she be strong enough to make the right choice? 

I’ve never read a story about a mermaid before.  I guess I saw them as being a little too-young, mainly based on my view of Disney’s Little Mermaid.  But after reading Tempest Rising, my idea of the mermaid has completely changed.  The mythology Tracy Deebs used was just amazing.  There was a darkness ‘under the sea’, mainly in the form of a sea witch with a “god complex”.  Then there was the three-month choice, something I’d never even considered.  It was all so new, so refreshing and so different.  By the end I had made up my mind: I want to be a mermaid.  Forget vampires, werewolves and angels: I want to be a mermaid!

Tempest... my heart literally broke for her.  She had to choose the sea and her mother or the land, her father, brothers and boyfriend.  No seventeen-year-old should have to make that kind of choice (even fictional ones).   Then there was the damage left over from her mother’s leaving.  Every time she was bought up, I felt Tempest’s pain, as well as her anger.  And then Tempest finds herself turning into what she blames for taking her mother away.  She really didn’t deserve what was her terrible burden from birth.  It just wasn’t fair.  But Tempest... she was strong, caring and brave.  I connected with her, related.  She was so amazing, and I wish I had half the strength she does.  She was just an amazing lead girl, who could look after herself – which is, as you probably have guessed by now, what I like in my female protagonists – and others.

The other characters were just as vibrant.  The sweet, albeit slightly controlling, boyfriend Mark.  The loving father, whose scenes with Tempest left my eyes moist.  He was just so understanding, willing to give up his daughter if it meant she would be happier.  Her adorable little brother Moku, and the tough- teenage brother Rio, who was a sweet little boy on the inside.  And then there was Kona.  I loved his intensity, his sense of humour...  Yes, lots of brilliant characters. 

But what truly made this stick out was the underwater world.  So... intense, so real, and so well thought out.  I wanted to live down there, in that place Tracy Deebs created.  Hence the sudden wish for a tail.  There was action, magic, adventure, romance and surprise mythical creatures I’d forgotten all about.  Plus, for Dark Romance lovers, there’s a little bit of a love triangle in there. 

Once again, for the third review in a row: Let there be a sequel!  I want to know more about Tempest and this amazing world.  It’s all just... magical.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Forgive My Finsby Tera Lynn Childs

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review