Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Published: May 19, 2010
Received: bought from Amazon (for 1 cent!!)

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 – when 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. {taken from goodreads.com}

I like a little supernatural (paranormal? mythical?) in my YA lit from time to time.  Just make sure there's a romance thrown in there and I am game to read it.  I've fallen in love with vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels... but mermaids?  I'll admit, I was a little hesitant on reading this book because of that simple fact. There are mermaids. Swimming around. Talking. What the what?!  As much as this girl loves a story centered around the beach, I was a bit concerned.  Tera Lynn Childs has the ability to bring the laughs, along with the tension, and make you forget half the book is spent under water with a tail fin.

Forgive My Fins is not meant to be a deep, meaningful book.  It's purpose is to tell a story that is light-hearted, comical in parts, and just over all enjoyable.  That is exactly what I got from this mermaid tale.  Lily's character as a mermaid was interesting to me.  She has the capability to be human on land, while her gills and scales surface when submerged in salty waters.  Her life as human is what every teenage girl experiences; the every day tribulations of surviving high school.  However, her existence has a bit of a twist to it.  She must find her soul mate and create a bond with him before her 18th birthday.  Lily is not just any half human/half mermaid girl - she is the heir to the throne of her father's underwater kingdom.  The pressure is on and Lily must make her move, on who she thinks she wants as her suitor. Sounds simple, but when neighbor boy Quince is thrown in to the mix, he shakes things up.  His actions jeopardize Lily's future and leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew, and wanted.

Love swells on the high seas with the tension in this book.  I enjoyed the relationship between Lily and Quince.  The constant bickering and love/hate bond between the two of these characters kept this story afloat for me.  I had a hard time visualizing the scenes underwater.  This may be because I'm still a little iffy on the whole concept of mermaids.  They sound interesting, they seem intriguing, but when a story is actually centered around this mythical legend... it clouded some of my reading judgments from time to time.  If you're a fan of cute, fun, easy-going young adult fiction with a bit of whimsy thrown in; then I suggest reading Forgive My Fins.  It's the perfect book to soak up on a hot summer day!