The Mermaid Summer by Mollie Hunter

Book Type: Novel
Author: Mollie Hunter
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):
About a hundred years ago, they say, a mermaid ruled the cold sea that washed around northern lands. She was beautiful and dangerous, and the fishermen of those parts were careful to speak well of her. All but Eric Anderson, who scorned her very existence - until the day the mermaid smashed his fishing boat against the rocks, nearly killing him and his crew.
Eric bid his family good-bye, for after that, no one would sail with him. His grandchildren, Jon and Anna, never stopped missing him; so from the moment they saw the mermaid for themselves, they knew it was up to them to tame her and bring their grandfather home again...

My Review:
I honestly have to say, I was quite disappointed with this book, especially since the cover was very enticing and the overall description of the book seemed like it was going to be a beautiful story. However, although the mermaids magic haunts the family, she isn't really involved until towards the end of the book. The beginning through the middle dragged on and bored me a bit. I feel like half the book was about Anna and John obsessing over their grandfather's presents , and the mermaid really was not the center focal point of this book, but rather themes such as family, friendship and love. I feel the best part of the book was the ending only because that is when it started to pick up. Overall I give this book (**-***) between 2-3 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

A Stranger Came Ashore by Mollie Hunter

Book Type: Novel
Author: Mollie Hunter
Pages: 176

Summary(amazon.com):

A wild, stormy night . . .
A shipwreck . . .
The sudden appearance of a stranger . . .
That is how it all begins. The stranger is Finn Learson, a young and handsome man who seems to be the only survivor of the wreck. Finn Learson is charming and generous, and the Henderson family gladly give him shelter. Only young Robbie Henderson does not trust Finn Learson and his oddly unsettling secret smile. Robbie is sure that he is hiding something--but what?

My Review:
A strange, handsome stranger enchants a lovely young woman... what is he? That is what I wondered throughout the book... until Old Da starts to tell Robbie about selkies. As readers of my blog may know, I am a huge fan of selkie books, especially alluring mysteries like what Hunter has created. Every time I opened this book, I really felt like I was huddling around the fire with this family telling selkie tales. Everything was very richly detailed, and I could picture everything clearly. The only thing that slightly bothered me about this book was that even though there was quite alot of detail for a small book, I really didn't get alot of selkie-ness. The only time the reader would really pick up on it is towards the end. I would have also liked to see more of Finn Learson's side of life; I wanted him to narrate a few times when he was being sneaky, or maybe to see more selkies as small roles in the book. The ending had a really cool twist though, so I would reccomend reading this! Overall, it was a nice selkie tale with clean detail. I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

PS: here is another cover of the book.
There are alot of different cover versions,
but the tale is all the same!