Barbie: A Sea of Friends by Rita Balducci

Book Type: Children's Book
Author: Rita Balducci
Pages: 55

Summary:
Barbie joins her friend on an adventure and learns that people who are different can be friends too

My Review:
I first found this book when I was looking into buying some mermaid barbie dolls for my collection. However, I used to have this book when I was little and I still adore it to this day! I really love some of the concepts mentioned in this book, such as being adventurous, instead of just sitting and staring at the mirror, friendship despite differences, problems that ocean life must go through and helping those in need. I found this book to be very mature for a barbie book and it surprised me. I must share this quote with you, merfolk!

"Barbie sighed. "Most mermaids are afraid of people," she told Eva. "They hear of humans in boats who hunt their whale friends. They see trash dumped into the water. They hear seagulls talk about places where all the fish are dying," (Balducci 26). 
   
This quote shocked me completely, especially a topic like this in a kids book! As you can see by the cover, the images are very unique; they are photographs of an actual Barbie surrounded by her sea-friends. The photos in here were absolutely incredible. If you love mermaids AND Barbie as much as I do, go check this little treasure out. I loved it! I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Mermaids and Magic Shows: The Paintings of David Delamare by David Delamare and Nigel Suckling

Book Type: Art Book
Author(s): David Delamare and Nigel Suckling
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):

Gliding, golden, half-fish, half-woman, hair streaming behind her: from ancient folk tales to Hans Christian Andersen's beloved The Little Mermaid to films likeSplash!, these fantasy creatures entice children and adults alike. In artist David Delamare's richly imaginative paintings, they appear beautiful as never before, captured in a dreamy, wonderful sea world. Mermaid embryos lie curled inside bubble-like eggs, floating in the foamy water; another, with swirly tattoos covering her back, sits on a rock, gazing at herself pensively in the mirror; a third sits astride a dragon, her head thrown back in an expression of ecstasy. Also here: the deadly sirens, the "downside" of mermaids who lure men to their death with their irresistible song, plus Delamare's magical gallery paintings and book illustrations. 

My Review:

Although this is not a typical mermaid book, I am always entranced by David Delamare's work. The mermaids he creates are beautiful, sensual, and capture the essence of the sea. In this particular book, the authors discuss a bit about Delamare's inspiration for his art, some biographical information and facts about some of the paintings. Unfortunately, I bought this book without reading it first and I am disappointed I did. I feel a bit mislead by the cover. Although it features a mermaid and the title is "Mermaids and Magic Shows" there was only a brief section on Delamare's mermaid art. The rest was other illustrations and children's books he has done. If readers are sensitive to nude art I would advise to not even bother looking into this book. Much of Delamare's work features nude models. Here is a link if you are interested in buying or simply looking at Delamare's art: David Delamare Mermaid Gallery.

Overall, I give this book (***-****) between 3 and 4 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie

The Little Mermaid Golden Book by Disney

Book Type: Children's Book
Author: Disney
Pages: 64

Summary(amazon.com):
Ariel wants to be human and nothing—not even a nasty sea witch—is going to stop her. Girls ages 3–7 who are Disney Princess fans will love this beautiful hardcover storybook retelling of Disney The Little Mermaid, releasing on Diamond Edition DVD and Blu-ray October 2013!

My Review: 
While on vacation in Mystic Conneticut, I discovered a little book shop that had tons of children's books. I dug for hours in the shelves until I finally came across this gem! As mentioned above, this book was released for the Blue-ray edition of the movie. However, I was slightly disappointed with how much they cut out of the story line. Instead of the book opening up with the scene of Prince Eric on his ship, this book opened up instead with all the merfolk swimming into the palace for Ariel's first performance. Flotsam and Jetsam were not even mentioned until the "Kiss The Girl" scene! However, I do think this book had beautiful illustrations and they could pose as inspiration for someone who loves to draw mermaids, like me! I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

The Little Mermaid Junior Novelization by Melissa Lagonegro and Disney

Book Type: Novel
Author: Melissa Lagonegro
Pages: 128

Summary:
The little mermaid Ariel wants to be human and nothing--not even a nasty sea witch—is going to stop her. Disney The Little Mermaid: The Junior Novelization is a complete retelling of this beloved Disney film and it features eight pages of full-color scenes from the movie for girls ages 8–12 who love the Disney princesses!

My Review:
I first stumbled upon this book while shopping on amazon.com for, what else? Mermaid books! I bought this on a whim and decided to give it a shot. I was so thrilled with my purchase! This book completely mimics the movie, from every single scene, character and even the script was kept in. None of the lines were changed which I really loved. This truly felt like I was reading and watching the movie at the same time. Where there should be songs in the movie, Langonegro simply summarized what the song was about, which was fine with me. I have to say merfolk, I have read a lot of "The Little Mermaid" books, but so far this one portrays the movie the best. Check this book out if you are as crazy about The Little Mermaid as I am! I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Watersong Series by Amanda Hocking

Book Type: Novel/ Series
Author: Amanda Hocking
Pages: Book 1) 320   book 2) 368    book 3) 352  book 4) 560

Summary of first book(amazon.com):
Gemma Fisher seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door.  He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now she’s falling harder for him every day.  But Gemma doesn’t know that her ordinary life is about to change forever.

My Review:
Wow! I honestly cant even begin to describe how deep I dived into the pages of this book. It was a total physcological thriller that kept me reading and reading! I think I finished the first book in two days! Amanda Hocking managed to create likable characters that many readers can identify with. Readers can identify with Harper, who hides her emotions and is a logical thinker, or Gemma, who is a free spirit and defiant of the curse that keeps her locked. I also believe that young women who read this book will definitely have a crush on Alex, Gemma's boyfriend, Or Daniel, Harper's crush. Alex is a sweetheart, the boy-next-door, and Daniel is the badboy with a soft heart. 
This book also promotes positive female traits, such as standing up for what you believe in, courage, faith, and never giving up. I also thought the idea of having evil sirens(or mermaids) was such an interesting story concept! The girls who enter into the small town of Capri are named Penn, Lexi and Thea. Everyone knows they're strange, but nobody can pinpoint what is going on. Until one night, they turn Gemma into one of them. These girls were just plain mean! The second and third book added even more suspense to the last and final book. If you decide to read this series the last and final book, titled Elegy, it will make you go OMG... what?? It was so shocking, beautiful and just plain awesome! Read this series guys! You wont be disappointed! I give this series (*****) 5 stars!
-Sirenita The Selkie

PS: This trailer of the book "Wake" really sums it up! check it out here!

The Mermaid And The Whale by Georgess McHargue

Sorry for the fuzzy image. This book is
a bit old, and it was hard to find
a good image!

Book Type: Children's book
Author: Georgess McHargue
Pages: 40

Summary(goodreads.com):
Recounts a mermaid's determined efforts to win the love of a whale.

My Review:
This old sea story was a very charming book. Although readers can find the tale of "The Mermaid And The Whale" in other collections of mermaid stories, I believe this one really has some salt in it, meaning one can sense the age of this classic sea shanty. McHargue has captured the magic of this old sea tale, and I felt like I was listening to an old sailor talk about a tale he heard on his travels. However, I was not crazy about the illustrations at all, especially for a story involving the sea, and a beautiful mermaid! The images look more like concept art than beautiful illustrations, and they just seemed to lack life and most of all, color. Overall, this book was okay, but it is a bit antiquated and I am unsure if children or adults would find it interesting. I give this book (***) 3 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

The Syrena Legacy Series by Anna Banks

Book Type: Novel
Author: Anna Banks
Pages:  Book 1) 324  Book 2) 246   Book 3) 330

Summary of "Of Poseidon"(first book, goodreads.com):
Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance

My Review:

Book One:
When I had first began reading this series, I felt like the storyline was disjointed, there was a confusing plot, and too much going on. However, as the story progressed, the book began to grow on me! The storyline took a bit longer to develop then I expected, mainly because I was unaware that this is actually a series, with "Of Poseidon" being the first book. 
What I Liked:
I really think Anna Banks created an interesting culture that surrounds the Syrena's (the merfolk of the book) ways of life, especially the mating ceremonies and rituals. What I also found to be interesting was that there are little bits of science fiction and the Atlantis theory mixed in with the story. Emma and Rayna (Galen's sister) do play positive roles for teenage girls and women alike. They speak their mind, they're determined and strong, and aren't easily swayed by the men they adore. There is also a lot of romance in this book, and quite a bit of sexual tension between Galen and Emma, so readers who love romance will definitely love this first book.

Dislike! What Annoyed Me:
I found a couple of things to annoy me, such as the main character. I cant figure out her personality! She is clumsy and awkward one moment, then fiery and feisty the next. She also blushes way too much around Galen, and her phrase "ohmysweetgoodness" gets a bit old when its mentioned in the story so many times.  

I have to say, the ending of Poseidon was a great entry point into the second book! 
The first book gets (****) 4 stars.

Book Two: Of Triton
 I was very surprised when I finished the second book in the series. It was an excellent continuation of the series! 
In this book, the characters have matured so much, and this even includes Rayna. Instead of simple romantic scenes, the book has blossomed into more dramatic scenes that deal with the Syrena race and the Royals. Emma has also changed from being a clumsy "ohmysweetgoodness" teenager to a young woman, and her personality is more defined into a strong, independent girl who is no longer shy and passive around Galen. 
There was a deeper plot compared to the first book, and each chapter was left on an edge, leaving the reader wanting to continue.  
 I give this book (*****) 5 stars.



Book Three: Of Neptune
I was really dissapointed with the way this third book turned out, and frankly, I feel that it ruined the series for me. 

So This Is Love...? Not Really:
Although Emma and Galen supposedely love eachother, they still get embarrased to ask certain questions and are tentative to fully open up to one another. On one occasion, Emma wants to know if merpeople need laxatives  (why is she thinking of this?) and wants to ask Galen, but feels so embarrased that she might pass out. Love is about comfort and acceptance, and if she's embarrased about something so petty, how is this love?
Emma and Galen remind me of the fresh-out-of-high school couples that believe they are going to be together forever and think they're in love. However, there were a couple of times when Emma "tests the waters" with another man. In addition, I couldnt find any personality traits that they love about eachother. Everything is physical. Sure, I understand being enamored with someone physically when they first meet, but shouldnt the love have deepened by now?

Characters are Annoying:
Emma continued to annoy me in this third book. After Galen and Emma get into a fight, she starts to take interest in another character, named Reed. Although she turns him down when he wants to take it to the next level, she is a total lead on and flirt! That's not love! Get it together woman!
So let's talk about Reed. This kid is a half breed like Emma so naturally he has an interest in her. However, he is completely head over fins for her within a few days and even pledges life devotion to her! The relationships in this book are just shallow and unrealistic! 

Concluding Thoughts:
I would say the only thing that I liked about this book was that it reminded me of a dystopian book. Emma and Galen enter this village that is seemingly flawless on the outside, but has a lot of dark secrets and motives which readers will later discover.
I would rate this book (***) 3 stars. However, I would give this series (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie