Helpful Score: 1
FORGIVE MY FINS is a cute and entertaining mythical twist on the typical high school romantic comedy. While the plot is predictable, bumbling Lily's voice is easy to slip into, and the nautical surprises will delight even the most jaded reader.
Lily is a fun protagonist, a little ditzy and immature at times, but nevertheless endearing. Tera Lynn Childs' writing reminds me of Meg Cabots, with that effortlessly angsty yet relatable heroine. Secondary characters often run the risk of being "filler" characters, but Lily and Quince's fiery relationship is still quite entertaining. Readers will chuckle as they follow these two main characters' antics and discoveries about one another.
The basic plotline is one that we've seen many times before, but the mermaid twist allays the plot's tiredness and puts new energy into this old story. FORGIVE MY FINS gives us an almost Disney-esque mermaid kingdom feel, with fascinating sights, customs, and details. So while Lily goes through the sort of romantic drama that countless similar heroines have gone through before in previous YA books, the constant switching between land and underwater scenes is undeniably fascinating.
Overall, FORGIVE MY FINS is a predictable tale, but it still ends up being a success. Younger readers will find Lily and Quince's interactions adorable (this book would've easily been one of my favorites had it existed back when I was in middle school), while readers with more experience will get a kick out of a foray into this as-yet-uncovered treasure trove of a new, magical world.
Lily is a fun protagonist, a little ditzy and immature at times, but nevertheless endearing. Tera Lynn Childs' writing reminds me of Meg Cabots, with that effortlessly angsty yet relatable heroine. Secondary characters often run the risk of being "filler" characters, but Lily and Quince's fiery relationship is still quite entertaining. Readers will chuckle as they follow these two main characters' antics and discoveries about one another.
The basic plotline is one that we've seen many times before, but the mermaid twist allays the plot's tiredness and puts new energy into this old story. FORGIVE MY FINS gives us an almost Disney-esque mermaid kingdom feel, with fascinating sights, customs, and details. So while Lily goes through the sort of romantic drama that countless similar heroines have gone through before in previous YA books, the constant switching between land and underwater scenes is undeniably fascinating.
Overall, FORGIVE MY FINS is a predictable tale, but it still ends up being a success. Younger readers will find Lily and Quince's interactions adorable (this book would've easily been one of my favorites had it existed back when I was in middle school), while readers with more experience will get a kick out of a foray into this as-yet-uncovered treasure trove of a new, magical world.
Helpful Score: 1
This wasn't a bad mermaid book. The story line does mirror Disney's Little Mermaid a little bit and even tosses out a few references to the movie in the book. I was a bit disappointed in the ending but I'm sure it'll get ironed out in the sequel. At first the story line moved a little slowly, girl wants boy, boy ignores girl, bad boy moves in and annoys girl. Then finally it picked up more on the mermaid plot and that got the story to moving. Still a good read, though the ending left me scratching my head as very little was told about Lily's cousin, so I guess I'll have to wait until the sequel to figure all that out.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Lily has a secret; she's a mermaid living on land due to the fact that her mother was human. Her father is king of the seas, which makes her a Thalassinian Princess. Since finding out about her mother's lineage, Lily began to understand why she doesn't feel at home in the sea. She moved in with her aunt and started attending Seaview High School in order to find the perfect mate.
She's convinced she's found him. All she has to do is persuade him that she's the only girl for him.
She better do it fast, because mermaids mate for life at a very early age. When she comes up with a plan to share her secret and the rest of her life with him, her uber-annoying neighbor foils everything.
Now, she's forced to return home to Daddy and straighten out this huge mess, all because she kissed the wrong boy. Can she still convince her true love of her affections and hope that he returns them before her birthday?
This mermaid story is amazing with its romantic tension, clever, snarky dialogue, secrets, and an underwater world. All of this adds up to a magical tale written by one of my favorite authors.
Lily has a secret; she's a mermaid living on land due to the fact that her mother was human. Her father is king of the seas, which makes her a Thalassinian Princess. Since finding out about her mother's lineage, Lily began to understand why she doesn't feel at home in the sea. She moved in with her aunt and started attending Seaview High School in order to find the perfect mate.
She's convinced she's found him. All she has to do is persuade him that she's the only girl for him.
She better do it fast, because mermaids mate for life at a very early age. When she comes up with a plan to share her secret and the rest of her life with him, her uber-annoying neighbor foils everything.
Now, she's forced to return home to Daddy and straighten out this huge mess, all because she kissed the wrong boy. Can she still convince her true love of her affections and hope that he returns them before her birthday?
This mermaid story is amazing with its romantic tension, clever, snarky dialogue, secrets, and an underwater world. All of this adds up to a magical tale written by one of my favorite authors.
Fun YA book. You will hear the songs from Little Mermaid while you are reading this. Light easy story. Very pleasent. Quick read. Characters are likeable although you may want to shake a few of them. Very much like the Little Mermaid story but very cute.
Forgive My Fins is the first book of the Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs.
Three years ago, Lily Sanderson lived all of her life in Thalassinia as a mermaid princess. But this changed, when she found out her mother, who is dead, was human. She decides to live with her Aunt Rachel and go to Seaview High, the same high school that her mother went. Aunt Rachel is the only human that she talks to that knows she is a mermaid. Lily has fallen in love with Brody Bennett. Shes convinced they are meant to be together because she believes they have so much in common such as the love of water. Brody Bennett is currently a part of the swim team, and ever since she saw him, shes been drawn to him. This is the main reason she decided to live on the human world.
Shannen, Lilys best friend, convinced her to ask Brody to the Spring Fling, but when she finally gets the courage, her attempt his thwarted by her next-door neighbor, Quince Fletcher. Quince always finds a way to push Lilys button. Quince tells Lily that he could help her pursue Brody. Why on earth would Quince want to help her? Can she muster enough courage to ask Brody to the dance, and if so, what will he say?
I loved this book. Ive always loved The Little Mermaid. Most young adult books out there now are darker, but this is a magical, upbeat book that fans of mermaids would delight in reading. I know I did. I definitely found myself laughing at the moments when Quince was pushing Lilys button. There is a second book out now, Fins are Forever.
5/5 roses
Three years ago, Lily Sanderson lived all of her life in Thalassinia as a mermaid princess. But this changed, when she found out her mother, who is dead, was human. She decides to live with her Aunt Rachel and go to Seaview High, the same high school that her mother went. Aunt Rachel is the only human that she talks to that knows she is a mermaid. Lily has fallen in love with Brody Bennett. Shes convinced they are meant to be together because she believes they have so much in common such as the love of water. Brody Bennett is currently a part of the swim team, and ever since she saw him, shes been drawn to him. This is the main reason she decided to live on the human world.
Shannen, Lilys best friend, convinced her to ask Brody to the Spring Fling, but when she finally gets the courage, her attempt his thwarted by her next-door neighbor, Quince Fletcher. Quince always finds a way to push Lilys button. Quince tells Lily that he could help her pursue Brody. Why on earth would Quince want to help her? Can she muster enough courage to ask Brody to the dance, and if so, what will he say?
I loved this book. Ive always loved The Little Mermaid. Most young adult books out there now are darker, but this is a magical, upbeat book that fans of mermaids would delight in reading. I know I did. I definitely found myself laughing at the moments when Quince was pushing Lilys button. There is a second book out now, Fins are Forever.
5/5 roses
