The Third Wish (Fairy Realm #3) by Emily Rodda

Book Type: Novel
Author: Emily Rodda
Pages: 128

Summary(goodreads.com):
Jessie's helped the magical people of the Realm to escape danger twice now -- she's a real hero to her friends there. But now her own world is in danger. Forest fires threaten her beloved home, Blue Moon. And only the magic of the realm can help her...


My Review:
A book immediately becomes interesting when a girl has the ability to travel to another world, especially when mermaids are involved!

I was happy that although this book is part of a series, you don't need to read the first two books to understand what's going on; everything is recapped. 

I was not a fan of Jessie. She can be bratty and whiny when she doesn't get her way, even in the fairy realm! However, the book has other good points. The pictures are amazingly gorgeous and Rodda's writing is beautifully descriptive, allowing the reader to travel along with Jessie. If I could change one thing, I would include more mermaid details. This was a cute and short book with a good plot.

I give this book (***) 3 stars. 

-Sirenita The Selkie 

(12) The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell

Book Type: Children's Literature
Author: K.G. Campbell
Pages: 32

Summary(goodreads.com):
Each of King Neptune's 50 mermaid daughters boasts a special talent, except for little Minnow, who seems to be good only?at asking questions. When she finds a strange object, Minnow follows her questions to a wondrous place and finds answers, including the answer to the most important question of all: Who am I? A gorgeously illustrated story about finding one's purpose.

My Review:
When I first picked this book up from the library, I was startled by the cover. It's dark colors give off a depressing vibe, but I was wrong! This children's book is totally original and brilliantly written. I instantly fell in love with Minnow, the curious little mermaid who is teased for wanting to learn about her surroundings. Minnow seems to be the youngest mermaid, and she is trying to find her place amongst her 50 sisters! I kept saying to myself, "poor Minnow." She is so smart and curious, which causes her to be teased and even called useless for it. I can see young girls who are remarkably smart and desire to learn have a connection with this book, especially young mer-children who excel past their age and are teased for it.
In addition to the main character who captured my heart, I also loved the artwork, which reminded me of the book, The Melancholic Mermaid. The mermaids are beautifully detailed and gorgeous! There is also this little pet seahorse that hangs around Minnow, who also captured my attention because he's adorable. The way the story is written can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. It is beautifully written, and I definitely recommend checking this out. I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

The Tritone Trilogy by Judi Fennell

Book Type: Adult/ Romance
Author: Judi Fennell
Pages: Book 1) 352   Book 2) 384  Book 3) 384

Book One: In Over Her Head: Cover, Summary and Review

Summary(amazon.com):

He lives under the sea…
Reel Tritone is the rebellious royal second son of the ruler of a vast undersea kingdom, and he's always been fascinated by humans…

She's terrified of the ocean…Marina owner Erica Peck would never go swimming willingly—but she's forced into the water and is nearly eaten by a shark. Luckily Reel is nearby to save her, and he discovers she's the woman he's been searching for…Before she knows it, Erica is off with Reel on a wild underwater adventure to recover a stolen treasure, battle a jealous sea monster, and, of course, defy a death edict from the kingdom's high court. 

But even if they make it through their madcap mission alive, can they find a way to stay together when she hates the water and he can't survive on land?

My Review:
Book 1)

Typically, I am not a romance reader, mostly because I find them cheesy, and this book unfortunately proves my point. Within the first couple of pages, the lead male character, is talking to fish with human names like Ernie, Amelia and let's not forget Vincent the great white shark. Going along with the cheesy name theme, Reel's brother is named Rod (really?) and their father's name is Fisher. To add more cheese to the romance cracker, Reel calls Erica "sweetheart," and the romance scenes are a bit too dramatic for my taste. In addition to the ridiculous names and the dramatic romance, the logic didn't really flow either.

Boring and Cheesy: What I Didn't Like:

How does Reel know about human world stuff, like diamonds and yachts and guns if he never stepped foot into human society? Speaking of diamonds, the whole plot of the book was Erica and Reel chasing them and stealing them from an evil sea monstress. Chasing diamonds...? Come on!  It's been done a million times before in dozens of different movies and books. I also found Reel to be annoying, and he acts like a total bad ass, but he comes off more like a bratty teenager who didn't get their way. Even though there was some plot elements I did not enjoy, there were some things I thought were cute or did like.

Brilliant! Exciting! Fishy!: What I Loved:

The way Fennell describes everything is perfect; I felt like I was underwater, and she also named a lot of different fish species that I had never even heard of! With the merfolk in this society, there was a perfect balance of funny human-like behaviors, such as wearing human clothes that were scavenged from wrecks, and keeping a mer-identity. I also look for switching point-of-views in romance books; I want to know what the man and the woman are thinking, and Fennell also includes this in her book. To sum it up, I just found the plot, characters and logic mediocre, and I hope that when I continue to read the next book that it will get better. I give the first book (***) 3 stars.

Book 2: 
Summary(goodreads.com):
The underwater kingdom is his as soon as he claims his queen Rod Tritone has the looks and charm to snag any queen he wants for his Mer kingdom, but unfortunately, it's not up to him. As fate would have it, the one woman destined to rule with him is terrified of water.She lives in land-locked Kansas and has no idea she's a princess.Valerie Dumere thinks Rod is gorgeous and irresistible but why does he keep insisting she has another side to herself that only he can show her? Somehow, Rod has to prove to her who she really is. But when she finds out the truth, will she ever forgive him?

My Review:
When I first began reading this, I didn't expect much, especially since I wasn't crazy about the first book. However, the main plot seemed interesting; Rod is going to capture a hybrid mermaid! Cool! Sadly, this book was cheesy, boring and just plain odd.

The Characters are Annoying!:
What really bothered me most about Valerie and Rod is how fleeting their passion is for one another. One minute Rod says he's on land just to get Valerie back to Atlantis with no intentions of dating her, but then all of a sudden he is burning for her, with no real transition of his thoughts. The dialect is also annoying. Every other line between Rod and Valerie's conversation is some mental sexual comment to themselves. It gets very old to hear how good looking one another is. We get the point! 
Valerie is a very annoying character as well. Not only does she seem promiscuous, but what an airhead flake! Who runs off with strange man you don't even know, and a talking bird?
I also found it weird and frustrating that Reel and Erica are mentioned so many times, but they never enter the plot at all! Where are they? Valerie and Rod go to their house to stay hidden but they're never there!

Unrealistic Romance:
This romance bothered me even more than the first book! At least it was cute that Reel has a crush on Erica ever since he was a child. This romance starts from sexual to apparent love in a matter of a couple of days! For about three quarters of the book, Rod and Valerie talk about each other sexually, but all of a sudden they claim that they want to be together forever. It's cheesy and unrealistic. 

Birds, Birds and... More Birds?:
The plot of the book is very strange.  I will try not to spoil too much, but another part of the plot is animals, including millions of birds take orders from a merman hellbent on taking over Atlantis and tries to defeat Rod. While on a "road trip" dozens of birds drop rubbish and attack them for miles. 
I felt that half of the book is about birds chasing Rod and Valerie. I think a better idea would've been traitorous merfolk living on land and trying to defeat Rod and overthrow him. Talking animals... it's such an old idea. I give this book (**) 2 stars.


Book 3:


Summary(amazon.com):

Mermaid Angel Tritone escapes a shark by jumping into single dad Logan Hardington's fishing boat. All his young son Michael wants for his birthday is a mermaid, and if his dad will only play his cards right, now he'll have one…

Angel wants to give Michael his most beloved birthday gift (a real live mermaid) while also getting to know his father and getting him to help her in her mission to stop humans from destroying the oceans. Logan has never met a woman who cared as much about the same things he does, and she's never met a man who understood her deepest commitment to humanity and nature. When an enemy of conservation shows up and tries to kill Angel, Logan has to choose between continuing the life he's known, or following the woman he loves to the bottom of the ocean…

My Review:
After reading the last two books in this series, I was skeptical, and I didn't expect much. However, this was my favorite book in the series. 

What I Liked:
Angel is my favorite character in this entire series. She is very cute when she is around Logan, and I like how smart and curious she is. She is also an amateur mer-scientist/sociologist! She reminds me of Madison from Splash, especially when she goes shopping for clothes the first time!  She is also smart and caring, but has such realistic qualities for a fictional character. She wants to be somebody important and not live in her family's shadow. 
I also liked Logan and Angel's relationship. I felt it was more genuine. The reader understands why Logan and Angel have feelings for each other, instead of just having sexual attraction like the last two books. 

What Annoyed Me:
The talking animals, along with the ridiculous human names annoyed me constantly. One of the names, Hammerhead Harry, just seems so silly. 
The whole plot seemed a bit ridiculous when I first began this book. From Logan's perspective, a naked woman is found lying on his boat, with no identification and seems confused about everything! Although he doesn't even know her, he trusts her to babysit his kid and live with him, even though he knew her for about 15 minutes? 
WHAT?
 How could someone be so trusting, especially with a woman who is clearly tangled up in her own story?! I wasn't sure about the romance at first, but it gradually grew on me. I give this book (****) 4 stars.

Overall, I would give the series 3 stars. It was okay, but it needed some tweaking with plot and character development. 

-Sirenita The Selkie

Mermaids: Sirens Of The Sea by Kerry Colburn

Book Type: Collection Of Classics
Author: Kerry Colburn
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):
Icons of the sea, pop culture seductresses, and mythical sirens: mermaids have been swimming in and out of our collective consciousness since the beginning of recorded time, and their images have graced folk-art pieces for centuries. Here's a gorgeous gift book about these legendary sea nymphs that gracefully combines full-color art -- including paintings, sculptures, and illustrations by Paul Gaugin and Gustav Klimt -- with literary quotations and lore that span more than 2,000 years. Text includes selections from Ovid, Shakespeare, Goethe, Melville, and Poe, plus "The Little Mermaid" and "The Legend of Undine."

                                                             My Review:

One of my favorites!

I first saw this book on Amazon.com when shopping for, what else? Mermaid books! This book is a huge collection of pretty much everything listed above in the summary. What I love mostly about this book is that there are a lot of mermaid poems, which is a personal favorite of mine. What I also love about this book is that under each picture or piece of art, the title is right there and you don't have to search for it. This collection is similar to another book that I have reviewed titled "Mermaids: An Anthology", which you can see here.  As mentioned above in the summary, classic stories such as, "The Little Mermaid" and "Undine" are also featured in this book, which are also two of my favorites! Mer-readers who love art, history and classical literature will love to add this book to their collection. Go check it out! I give this book (*****) 5 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie

The Little Mermaid: Translated by Naomi Lewis

Book Type: Children's Literature
Author/ Translator: Naomi Lewis
Pages: 68

Summary(goodreads.com):
This magical story tells of a mermaid's thwarted love for a land-born prince, and her quest for an immortal soul that brings her face to face with an evil seawitch. Full of love, sacrifice and magic, The Little Mermaid is a charming classic.

My Review:
Amazingly-gorgeous art, a classic story in all its glory... This is a truly beautiful version of "The Little Mermaid". When I first saw this book on Amazon.com, I knew I was going to fall in love with the artwork the most: 

I mean WOW! Chris Birmingham did an amazing job with the artwork in this book. I also like how Naomi Lewis kept the original beauty of Hans Christian Anderson's original story, and really didn't change much. However, since the original story is a bit wordy, I do believe smaller children may have a hard time focusing on the story. This book really is a beautiful treasure, and anyone who loves "The Little Mermaid" as much as I do, will appreciate having this book in their collection. I give this book (*****) 5 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie

The Little Mermaid by Walt Disney Pictures (20)

Book Type: Children's book
Author: Walt Disney Pictures
Pages: 96

Summary:
A picture book of The Little Mermaid Movie.

My Review:
I have been waiting such a long time to find this book! I knew that there had to be some type of book form for The Little Mermaid movie! I really loved this version that stemmed from the movie. The best part about this book is the beautiful and vibrant pictures. They are absolutely stunning, colorful and look like they just came out of the movie! This book stays pretty true to the storyline, but the only thing that bothered me was that there were a few quotes said by the characters that weren't said in the movie. Overall though, this is a beautiful book and I think anyone will enjoy this. I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Something About A Mermaid by Carolyn Polese (14)

Book Type: Children's Book
Author: Carolyn Polese
Pages: 27

Summary(amazon.com):
A mermaid discovered by Janie and her family at the seashore goes home with them to their city apartment.

My Review:
I would just like to start by saying that this book is over 20 years old, and it might be out of print, so finding it could be a challenge. Try checking your local library if you found my review interesting! I really thought the mermaid written in this book was very new and original! She is tiny and small with an otter-like face and she is just so cute! When reading about her I wanted to pull her out of the story and read mermaid books to her! For a children's book, I found something a bit odd. There is one scene where the girl Janie is taking a shower with the mermaid (I guess to replicate the ocean) and shows her partially nude. In another instance, one of the characters says "damn!" I've never seen such things in children's books, but I guess the guidelines were different back then. Overall, I think this book had a really sweet storyline, and the mermaid was precious! If you can find it, give it a read! I give this book (***-****) between 3 and 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (12)

Book Type: Novel
Author: Aimee Friedman
Pages: 320

Summary(amazon.com):\
Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate. There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship. . .and reality.



My Review:
Summer romance, hidden secrets and new friendships are found is what fills the pages of this beautifully-written book. What I enjoyed most about reading "Sea Change" is that the setting was described beautifully, and takes part mostly around the beaches of Selkie Island, which reminds me of my own childhood adventures on Fire Island, Long Island. It was actually very comforting to read before bed! I also enjoyed seeing the transformations of the characters in the book. Miranda has a lot of qualities that I saw in myself when I was her age, especially her geeky-nerd side! She is such a humble person, and it's quite cute that she doesn't even see how beautiful she is. Leo is a character I can see many female readers falling for, especially between the ages of 15-18. He has long blond hair, a well sculpted body, an adorable personality and he's a sweetheart, which makes him a perfect match for Miranda. This cover bothers me though. I don't feel as if I am seeing Leo when I look at the boy on this cover... In fact, I feel like I'm looking at Robert Pattinson!  
I do have to admit though, the many romances that play out in this book were slightly cheesy, but that is to be expected in summer romance. After all, the heat makes people do crazy things! I found the ending to be slightly confusing, and the reader is left wondering, "What's going to happen now?" However, I do think this was a beautifully written book, but I would only recommend it to readers are around the ages of 15-17. I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

PS: here is the full cover!

The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson (7)

Book Type: Novel
Author: Sheila A. Nielson
Pages: 296

Summary(amazon.com):
A mermaid haunts Adrianne's dreams . . . is she coming to warn her, save her, or drag her down into the depths of the briny sea forever?

When Adrianne comes face-to-face with the mermaid of Windwaithe Island, of whom she has heard terrible stories all her life, she is convinced the mermaid means to take her younger sister. Adrianne, fierce-willed and courageous, is determined to protect her sister from the mermaid, and her family from starvation. However, the mermaid continues to haunt Adrianne in her dreams and with her song.

My Review:
I have found that this book is listed on many "have-to-read" book lists, but I was disappointed when reading this. When I first began reading this, I was curious to see how the interaction between Adrianne and the mermaid would continue. However, the mermaid does not seem to appear again until the end of the novel. The majority of the novel was learning how horrible Adrianne's life is, how she is verbally abused by her aunt, how her sister gets her way, and how the boy she loves doesn't respond to her feelings. Throughout the book I was left searching for the mermaid, but she seemed to be a side character to me. What I also did not enjoy about this book was the way the mermaids were described. They almost reminded me of elf-like woodland creatures, which is not how I pictured mermaids to be. All of this being said, I think the storyline was lovely, and the ending is a bit shocking! I give this book (***-****) between 3 and 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

The Mermaid's Three Wisdoms by Jane Yolen

Book Type: Novel
Author: Jane Yolen
Pages: 112

Summary(amazon.com):
A mermaid who cannot speak is banished from her undersea home and sent to live on land as a human where she is found by a 12-year-old girl with a hearing impairment.

My Review:
When I had first picked up this book and began reading it, I thought it was terrible and I actually stopped and returned it to the library. When I came upon the chance to read it and try it again, I gave in. I thought this book was a bit slow at first, and I found the main character Jess, to be quite annoying and a bit of a brat, and it has nothing to do with the fact that she has a hearing impairment. For me, her personality bothered me because everything had to be her way, and she got jealous quite a bit for a young girl. However, I thought the story picked up towards the middle and ended beautifully. I love stories that end with mysteries at the end of them, and that is what happened at the end of the book. Another comment I must add is that for a book written marvelously, the addition of illustrations was unnecessary  and actually took away from the story. I actually found them to be plain as well. Overall I give this book (***) 3 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie