Forbidden Sea by Sheila Nielson

Goodreads Summary: "When Adrianne comes face-to-face with the mermaid of Windwaithe Island, she is convinced that the mermaid means her harm. After all, the island is steeped in stories of mermaids' curses and the ill-luck that they bring. But Adrianne is fierce-willed and courageous and is determined to protect her family and the islanders from danger. Yet when the islanders find out about Adrianne's encounters with the mermaid, her family is scorned. They believe that once active, the mermaid cannot be quieted until an islander sacrifices herself to the sea. But is the legend true? And will their fear make them force Adrienne to test it? This is a haunting story of love, surrender and strength."

Review: This was a fun read. I was drawn into the story, especially the mystery of the mermaid and what her deal was. Random thought: Adrianne reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games, and I was also reminded of Sammy Keyes (mostly because of all the times Sheila's preached those books to me).

SPOILERS: I do have a beef with the book though, and it has to do with the ending. I felt like the two chapters she spend in the sea kingdom were really truncated. Like, really? She only spent a couple hours there? I see how that's convenient for the sake of her mother and aunt not knowing what happened, but it's a little too convenient, in my opinion.

Also, I have a problem with Denn. I did catch hints of him caring about Adrianne more than he realized, but then all of a sudden... it was the card I hate. The "I love you, and I've always loved you, but I never realized it until now!" card. (Bonus points if paired with the term "hapless fool.") Up until the very end, he as much as admitted that he had a crush on the pretty-and-rich Cora Lynn girl. But suddenly... Oh no! Adrianne is wearing a form-fitting dress! Gotta fall in love with her now. SPOILERS OVER

So other than that, I liked the book. I liked the character of Adrianne, and her devotion to her family (even though her aunt is a bitter and hateful hag and her mother is a spineless pansy). Also, I really liked the settings and how the island felt like a real place to me; the descriptions were vivid enough to draw me in, while not being too distracting.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, i-own-it, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book

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