One of my blogging friends, loves mermaid books. LOVES them. I like them, but I guess I haven't yet found the mermaid book that just blows me out of the water.
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Many mermaid books have a similar plot. A girl feels different but isn't sure why. She's probably missing at least one parent. She discovers ... she's a mermaid! A cute mer-guy shows her the barnacled ropes under the sea. Then she has to make a tough choice: life on land or in the water. What to do?
Nothing's wrong with that plot, you say? Okay! These are my two favorite mermaid books so far. Clicking on the titles takes you to Goodreads!
Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
I thought that Tracy Deebs did a fantastic job of describing what life under the water might actually feel like. I wasn't crazy about the love triangle in this book and the way it was resolved. But if you love mermaids, you should definitely read it! Hurry up, because book two, Tempest Unleashed, comes out on June 5!
Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan is a forever-on-my-keeper-shelf kind of book. So when I saw that this fantastically talented author wrote a mermaid book, I read it! I loved Lena, liked her family dynamic, and the love story in this one really worked for me!
Since Literally Jen reads so many mermaid books, I also asked her to give me a list of her faves and here they are:
Mermaid Summer by Mollie Hunter (LitJen says this one may be out of print)
Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon
Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
Help me out on my quest to find that perfect mermaid book. Tell me about one that you loved! If you don't read mermaid books, you can tell me that too :)
Be sure to check out the BEST YA MERMAID BOOKS LIST ON JEN RYLAND REVIEWS!
I haven't read a lot of current mermaid books. I did used to read the original version of The Little Mermaid a lot when I was a kid.
ReplyDeletemolly dot frenzel at gmail dot com
I LOVED the Little Mermaid. Maybe that's my problem -- no mermaid books quite measure up for me!
DeleteI loved Ripple by Mandy Hubbatd and Of Poseidon by Anna Banks! :D
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Ripple. I liked Of Poseidon, but I agreed with Amy @ Book Loving Mom.
DeleteAmy’s Review of Poseidon
I haven't gotten a chance to read many mermaid books other than The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. It was so depressing though.
ReplyDeleteThe original story IS really sad and pretty depressing :(
DeleteI haven't read a lot of mermaid books (have a couple on my To Read list), but I *have* read Mermaid's Mirror and Mermaid (Turgeon's). I absolutely *loved* Mermaid -- it was such a beautiful retelling of the classic fairy tale, and I really did not know how it would end. Gorgeous. (As is the cover!)
ReplyDeleteOkay, if you and LitJen love the Turgeon book.... I will read it!!!
DeleteI haven't read mer tales but I loved Disney's Little Mermaid and I've heard awesome things about Of Poseidon!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much:)
See my Of Poseidon comment above.
DeleteLOVE Little Mermaid!!
I just downloaded TANGLED TIDES by Karen Hooper. That will be the first mermaid book read for me. I did write a mermaid short story in fifth grade, which I still have, so I must have a hidden love for mer books.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear what you think of it!
DeleteI haven't read very many mermaid tales either!! I think only a couple. My favorite would be Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs. So cute!
ReplyDeleteI need to read Fins Are Forever. A lot of people like that one!!
DeleteI loved Mermaid: A twist on the classic tale. :D Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn is a good book too. :D
ReplyDeleteOkay, I promise to read both of those!!
DeleteI do enjoy mermaid books. I still haven't found one that really wowed me, but I liked Of Poseidon.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I liked Of Poseidon, but I still have yet to find the mermaid book that's pure magic for me!
DeleteI loved of Poseidon by anna banks and Daughters of the Sea books by Kathryn Lasky
ReplyDeleteI have not read the Kathryn Lasky book yet!
DeleteLol I love love love mermaid books:) I can't wait to read this book. -jen c
ReplyDeleteThat's great!!! I wish I loved them more. I'm not giving up hope!!
DeleteI really liked Mermaid's Mirror, but didn't LOVE it and haven't loved any other mermaid books since then. it's just one paranormal creature that seems to be a hit or miss with a lot of bloggers.
ReplyDeletethanks for the giveaway! The Vicious Deep sounds amazing. :)
It does seem like mermaids are more hit or miss with people. That's okay!
DeleteYou are so true about the fact that it's about what mermaid books are usually about. But I enjoyed Between the Sea and the Sky. This book has a mermaid, who already knows that she is a mermaid, and a Messenger, which is a person who is born with wings. It's such a sweet story.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that one either, but I have heard good things about Magic Under Glass by the same author. I'll have to try that one.
DeleteI haven't read very many. I am really excited to read Of Poseidon though! :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm feeling better about my mermaid ambivalence!!
DeleteOf Poseidon. It was pretty great, especially for a non-mermaid reader like me. Ooh! I'll add those mermaid books to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
I liked Of Poseidon, but still didn't LOVE it. Agreed with Amy:
DeleteAmy’s Review of Poseidon
The only mermaid book that i read that stood out to me was Of Poseidon! LOVE that book to pieces! It's the perfect summer read and it's HIGH larious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
It was funny, that is true!
DeleteLies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown! It's a great mermaid book!
ReplyDeleteYou know, that is one that I'm going to try, because it's about a mer-dude!!
DeleteLies Beneath is one of the next up on my TBR, so maybe it will end up on my top list. :-) If anyone was interested in "The Mermaid Summer" that Jen mentioned on this post, there are used copies on Amazon.com for a penny plus shipping, or you can snag a copy on Paperback Swap. I've ordered two copies of it from PBS now for blogger friends.
ReplyDeleteHi Literally Jen!
DeleteOkay, I will try Mermaid Summer.... for you!!
I haven't read many mermaid books either. Here are the few I have:
ReplyDeleteForgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Child
This one does not exactly follow the plot you mentioned above. In fact, the main character actually KNOWS she's a mermaid...the book starts out with her in a bathtub in her mermaid form! LOL
It's a really fun read, I really liked it :)
Marina's Tales series by Derrolyn Anderson
This series is by an Indie author, and I recieved her books to review, but I ended up really liking the series. In the beginning of this one, the main character doesn't know she's a mermaid...but there's no mer-guy...he's human ;) Anyway, this series was an interesting take on the mermaids...very different, since they posses an interesting power.
So there you have it, I have only read TWO different mermaid series! LOL
I won Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale which was held by Tera Lynn Childs, so I have that one to read. I also have to finish reading Tera's Fin series, and I also have Lies Beneath for review. they all sound very cool :)
I hope you can find your perfect mermaid book.
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I am not going to give up on mermaid books. Trust me, Literally Jen will not let me!
DeleteI have read some mermaid books but I can't remember their names. That's bad! I would like to read Of Poseidon and this book as well. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've never read a mermaid book before, and I don't think i've even seen any movies with mermaids in them since The Little Mermaid. I'll definitely have to start reading them.
ReplyDeleteTry one!! Maybe you'll agree with Literally Jen!
DeleteI keep meaning to read Mermaid Books. Mermaid's mirror has actually been on my shelf for a long time. Maybe I'll prioritize it.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Flash Burnout????? Read that first!!!!!!!
DeleteI haven't read too many myself. I've heard Forgive My Fins is really good. I've been meaning to read that one forever. I liked the Fred the Mermaid series by MaryJanice Davidson but it's adult but still really funny and lighthearted. Plus she knows shes a mermaid all along so it's a bit different that the plot you mentioned that does happen often. I also have Tangled Tides, Of Poseidon, Lies Beneath, and Ripple on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteI feel better now that a lot of other blogger have said that they haven't really warmed up to mermaids. I'm working on it!
DeleteSo obviously I'm repeating here, but the book that comes most to mind is Forgive My Fins (Fins series) by Tera Lynn Childs. I haven't read The Little Mermaid, so I will have to do that. I'm dying to read Of Poseidon and will just as soon as the library gets it to me! I also want to read the book your giving away, so that would be fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I've read ANY Mermaid books. It will be interesting to see which books folks suggest.
ReplyDeleteI have read some mermaid books. Most recently I read Surfacing by Shana Norris and really liked it. Im still waiting for the perfect one! Im kinda in the same boat as you. :)
ReplyDeleteYay! Thanks for this list! I LOVED The Little Mermaid but I have yet to read a mermaid book! I already had The Vicious Deep and Tempest Rising on my TBR list, but I've added the others!
ReplyDelete