Book Review: Forgive My Fins

Forgive My Fins

By: Tera Lynn Childs

Published By HarperCollins

Release Date: June 2010
Genre: Young Adult 
G Rated: Suitable for ages 13 and up

Source: Kindle; Owned by Reviewer

I began reading this book on Sunday before my long flight home from the East Coast bright and early Monday morning. This was a HUGE mistake for one reason - I couldn't put the book down. Needless to say I devoured this book and by the time my plane touched down in Seattle I had finished this mermaid tale. (Ha ha - like that pun? I couldn't resist.)

Forgive My Fins provided a refreshing new paranormal book. The market seems to be flooded with tales of vampires, werewolves, and fey these days. However, sea supernatural beings have certainly been left out for the most part. I was excited to see a novel with mermaid lore as the main driving force.

The book begins with Lily living on land with her aunt. As half human, Lily has left the depths of her home in the royal palace of Thalassinia to experience life in her mother's hometown. Lily's mother was killed in a car accident when she was an infant so attending Seaview High School, her mother's alma mater, allows her to feel closer to her. Little does Lily know that life on land is even more confusing than life under the waves. She has to battle frizzy hair, mean girls, and rejection as she tries to win the heart of Brody, the swimming hunk. To make things worse no matter where she turns her annoying neighbor, Quince Fletcher, is waiting with his snide remarks and eye rolls. On top of all that Lily must find a mermate by the time her 18th birthday rolls around or she will lose her right to claim the throne when her father dies. That's a lot for one teen mermaid to handle. Will Lily get the man of her dreams? I guess you'll just have to read to find out.

The characters in Forgive My Fins also kept me hooked from start to finish. I truly related to the character of Lily. She reminded me so much of myself as a teen. Teen girls will certainly appreciate Lily's struggles with her appearance, self confidence, grades, romance, and finding her niche in a world that is not her own. Many of us feel these same struggles as we seek to navigate the current of high school. I loved that Lily's road was not an easy one just because she was a fictitious character. Her choices and feelings ring true to the teen experience.

I also have a soft spot for Quince and loved to see the depths of his character come through as I turned each page. He is a perfect example of how many things in life are not what they originally seem. I will admit there were several times when I just wanted to shake Lily for not waking up and seeing Quince for who he truly is.

My biggest complaint with the book was that the plot had some pretty predictable moments. However, in spite of that, I still found myself drawn into the story because of the characters. This is the first book in a series and I think it has potential to be a major hit with readers of YA. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment, Fins are Forever, which will hit shelves on June 28, 2011. That seems so far away!

One Gripe: I got really frustrated by all the sea animal references. For example, Lily hollers "What the carp?" and calls Quince a blowfish. One of her favorite curse words is Damselfish. It was cute at first, but after 293 pages I was pretty tired of it.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The characters - loved 'em!

First Sentence: Water calms me. 

Favorite Character: Quince

Least Favorite Character: Courtney

Summary from the Author's Website:

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

You can also read an except at Tera Lynn Childs' website.