Clara and Maren are two sister’s (technically they aren’t sisters they were just orphaned and adopted by the same woman). When she turns sixteen Maren however begins to turn into a mermaid which is a problem when you live on a mountain. At first Clara wants Auntie to turn Maren back into her old self but this is Maren’s normal self and slowly but surely her change is becoming complete and she needs to get back to the ocean.
Enter Auntie’s husband and his orphaned son O’Neill (these people found orphans everywhere). O’Neill has a cart and agrees to help Clara return Maren.
Hence, adventure and Maren’s story told through Clara’s point of view.
Well, it’s not really much of one. After a slow start they run into some trouble and the main thrust of the book is about how they are going to get away from said trouble and save Maren.
Is it possible to like a story (or the idea of a story) but not really the story or the book itself? Is it weird? Because I liked this story but I had some problems with the book & I’ll try not to give away spoilers but overall the story is pretty predictable so I would bet most people can guess how it’s going to go.
1. The couple that get together at the end- eh, I wasn’t really buying it. I realize that told through one POV means you aren’t privy to what the other person is feeling or thinking but still it felt awfully convenient for me.
2. Maren isn’t much of a character which seems a cruel thing to say about a mermaid in a jar.
3. Not only is an animal that had been presented as rather smart killed it’s feed to the main characters and at that point I was like uh-uh blocking out anything concerning that from this point on.
Still one thing I really liked about this was the story-telling aspect of it. At times I really felt like I was sitting around a campfire listening to some one tell this tale. I also appreciated the fact that Clara is a strong character who does, in the end, pretty much all of the saving and the lion’s share of the thinking as a matter of fact.
Recommend: With the exception of the animal thing and some suggestive comments aimed Clara’s way it’s not a bad book for twelve or up although it may be a little too predictable in this day and age.
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