The Summer Of Moonlight Secrets by Danette Haworth

Book Type: Novel
Author: Danette Haworth
Pages: 256

Summary(goodreads.com):
At The Meriwether, Florida's famous antebellum hotel off of Hope Springs, nothing is quite as it seems. Secret staircases give way to servants' quarters and Prohibition-era speakeasies make for the perfect hide-and-seek spot. Allie Jo Jackson knows every nook and cranny of The Meriwether—she's lived there her whole life—and nothing surprises her, until the first time she spots the enigmatic and beautiful Tara emerging from the springs. Tara's shimmery skin, long flowing hair, and strange penchant for late moonlight swims disguise a mysterious secret—and once Allie Jo and her friend Chase discover Tara's secret, nothing will ever be the same. 
From the celebrated author of Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning comes another magical summer tale full of memorable characters and a one-of-a-kind setting

My Review:
A swirly moonlit night. A secret dip in the springs; the cover of this book screams must read! When I first picked this up from the library, I thought this book was going to be about mermaids, but can you imagine my shock to learn it was about my favorite mermaid, the selkie! Haworth really captures the imagination and dialect of eleven-year old Allie Jo, and thirteen-year old Chase, who become fast friends after discovering the mysterious new guest named Tara. This book was full of magic throughout every page, and I mean that. The way the author wrote each of Allie Jo, Chase and Tara's dialect was perfect and distinct from one another. However, I had a small problem with this book. I think there should have been more selkie folklore incorporated into this story. Although Tara is recognized by the reader as a mystical character, there was not a ton of "selkie-ness" to her. This story had a really sweet ending and an incredible middle that made the reader want to continue reading until the end! I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Mermaid Tales From Around The World by Mary Pope Osborne

Book Type: Children's Literature/ Mermaid Stories
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Pages: 96

Summary(amazon.com):
The book presents legends and tales that have stirred the imaginations of people. From Andersen's Little Mermaid to Nigerian Fish Husband, these sea spirits all determine their own fate.

My Review:
I have read countless books on different collections of mermaid stories, legends and tales from around the world, but I think Osborne wrote one of the best books on this particular mer-subject. This book takes you through time and into many different cultures, some of which include Native American, Asian, Russian and many more! A common theme throughout the stories Osborne chose for her fabulous book is that, like the summary concludes, all of these mermaids and/or sea spirits chose their own fate, which if you think about it, is seen in many other mermaid books. Each of the mermaids presented in this collection are strong, devious, sometimes even evil and defiant, however, some are soft, gentle and kind. There is a wide variety of different personalities in this book, so everyone can connect with many of the stories. In addition, I really love how Osborne simplified these classic tales that were often written in a language that might pose as strange or confusing, and worded them in a way that was easy to understand and follow, but didn't write them in a juvenile fashion. Readers will also love the fabulous artwork that begins each story, which helps visualize the plot even further. This really is a great read, and I hope to buy this soon! I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Mermaids In South Carolina: Part One, Ripley's Aquarium!!

My latest destination for mermaid exploring was South Carolina. I was with my boyfriend, visiting his family. Look who we discovered!

Mermaid performing at the show!

Meeting the mermaids after the show!

More pictures from my journey coming soon!

Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures : invoke the magick of the waters by D.J. Conway.

Book Type: Mermaid Info/ Magic and Spells
Author: D.J. Conway
Pages: 192

Summary(amazon.com):
Stories of the Mer-Folk, especially Mermaids, exist in nearly every culture around the world that sailed the oceans or large rivers. Human-like, except for their iridescent, scaly tails, Mermaids and Mermen have fascinated humans for thousands of years. Because the largest of these beings exist in the oceans, most people are not aware that smaller versions of the Mer-Folk live in inland rivers, streams, marshes, and large or small waterfalls. Like many other magickal beings, the Mermaids travel easily between this world and the astral planes, appearing only to those who truly seek to know them and learn their ancient powers. Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures brings these fabled creatures out of the storybooks and into real life through the studies of D. J. Conway. Within the pages you will learn about: * The secret powers of Mermaids and Mermen. * Different water creatures and where you can find them. * How to entice water folk for friendship and health. * How to avoid dangerous water 
folk.

My Review:
Although I really enjoyed this book and thought it was interesting, I was disappointed because I didn't expect this book to be on Wicca-type of magic. Upon reading this book, the beginning was excellent, and opened up a world full of undersea creatures I didn't know existed, as well as tidbits about a mermaids life as well as the types of mermaids that live throughout the world. However, as I continued reading, I realized that this book was slowly loosing its mermaid quality, and went into how to practice water magic, which is not something I'm interested in, as well as spells, chants etc. Since I have never read a book on real magic, I found this to be interesting. However, I expected this book to be completely on mermaids. If you are interested in real magic, the author has written a bunch of books similar to this one on the subject. This book had a lot of substance to it, and was rich in information on magic, mermaids and underwater creatures. I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie