The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan
© 4 October 2010 by Houghton Mifflin
Goodreads Description:
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 his near drowning years ago, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport. Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient, powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail. Now nothing can stop 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 forever.My Thoughts...
Maybe it's just because I've been in a "mermaid book" kind of mood as of late, but I really enjoyed this novel. It was compelling enough to keep me turning the pages until I finished the whole thing (such that I was reading between tasks at work...scanning and such).
Lena, at the beginning of the novel, was a bit of a difficult character to really love. I found her a tad self-absorbed. There were so many times I wanted to give her a little slap and say "Hey, your friends and family love and are concerned about you. Notice them! Get out of your bubble!" However, I didn't NOT like her...just not the kind of strong connection I can sometimes feel with a character. Her sleepwalking "problem" pulled me in from the beginning and I have to admit that I was totally curious where the author was going with that.
As Lena discovers her heritage and more about her mom (who she believes to have died when she was little), the story really picks up. There was a definite division between the first and second parts of the book and I really would have liked more of the second! The ending was a bit unsatisfying for me and left me feeling a bit sad...but I don't want to give anything away so I'll leave it at that.
If you enjoy mermaid stories like Tera Lynn Childs' "Forgive My Fins," then you'll probably enjoy this one.
8 comments:
I've really been wanting to get to this one!!!! So many books, so little time! LOL
I totally understand that! I feel like I'll never be able to catch up on reading "older" books because there are so many new ones coming out that I want to read!
thanks so much for an honest review. Ive heard both good and bad things about Mermaid's mirror, but yours is the first that actually makes me want to read it :)
Diana @The Lovely Getaway
Thanks Diana!
If you're in the "mermaid mood" you must not be able to wait for RIPPLE. I know I can't. Anyways, I haven't heard great things about this one. But your review made me forget about all of that. I want to read this now! Don't be a stranger; stop by my blog and say hi! I'm not sure if we're fellow followers, but I follow you!
Looking forward to hearing back from you,
Cory @ Anti-Drug Reads
L.K.Madigan died in January of cancer. She was considering a sequel to The Mermaid's Mirror. When I read it through Net Galley, it was the first mermaid book I'd ever read and I fell in love with the story. I think it's beautifully written and the portrayal of two different worlds are done equally well. I highly recommend this one.
Heather
L.K.Madigan died in January of cancer. She was considering a sequel to The Mermaid's Mirror. When I read it through Net Galley, it was the first mermaid book I'd ever read and I fell in love with the story. I think it's beautifully written and the portrayal of two different worlds are done equally well. I highly recommend this one.
Heather
If you're in the "mermaid mood" you must not be able to wait for RIPPLE. I know I can't. Anyways, I haven't heard great things about this one. But your review made me forget about all of that. I want to read this now! Don't be a stranger; stop by my blog and say hi! I'm not sure if we're fellow followers, but I follow you!
Looking forward to hearing back from you,
Cory @ Anti-Drug Reads
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