Mermaids

Hey, guys!

Because I don't really have much else to review as of right now, I thought I would post a review for a book, even though I did not particularly enjoy it. I will be neutral in my summary, but in the end, I will give my opinion on the book.

So, I know that they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the cover of Lost Voices by Sarah Porter is what grabbed by attention to begin with. The art was pretty remarkable and very gothic. Plus, as a girl whose favorite movie growing up was The Little Mermaid the mermaid on the cover did intrigue me.

But don't worry, I did read the summary on the back, and I have to say that I was still intrigued. Even after reading the book and disliking it, I absolutely love the concept.

The main character is Luce, and after being orphaned, she is sent to live with her uncle. Her mother died when she was a toddler and her father was lost at sea while she was still in high school.

Luce's uncle was in love with Luce's mother and had her stolen from him by his own brother. I don't know whose idea it was to leave the kid with her bitter uncle who drank and took his anger out on his niece, but that's what happened.

So as you can imagine, Luce has had a tough life, the happy times seemingly gone with her parents. And after being abused and left on the cliffs over the sea, she just lets go.

From there, she falls into the sea and becomes a mermaid.

Shortly after her transformation, Luce finds a group of mermaids just like her: girls who have been neglected and abused beyond repair, to the point where they need to escape.

Becoming sirens who lure ships to the rocks and sing passengers to their deaths is their escape.

Luce actually is a remarkable singer. She sinks a ship without even realizing what she's doing. And that means that she's a threat to the oldest mermaid, who is their leader.

After finally finding her place in the world, could Luce lose it all just like that?

Well, you'll have to find out for yourself. (Because I honestly don't remember how it ends.)

Now, you guys know that the overall plot is not at all the problem I have with the book. In fact, I love the concept. My problem is with the character development and the writing style.

First of all, Luce is a whiny heroine. You guys know how much I hate whiny heroines. I know that Luce has had a hard life, but I prefer the heroines who persevere past the obstacles in their lives and face their problems head on.

Luce does nothing but avoid it, swimming in circles in an underwater cave all by herself. You have no idea how insane that makes me.

Okay, I got that out of the way. My other problem with the book is the extremely sloppy writing style. My biggest issue is that the author would describe Luce's agitated state beautifully. And then Luce would tell us how agitated she is.

For all of you writers out there, this is a no-no. NO. Never do this! Think of writing as show-OR-tell. Writers should do a majority of showing with some telling but never tell your readers what you are already showing them.

Imagine a preschooler bringing their pet to show-and-tell. They point at the chihuahua and say, "This is my dog."

Well, thanks. I completely forgot what a dog looks like. You see what I mean? Don't tell the reader what they already know. Your readers are smart enough to know a dog when they see one.

Okay, my rant is over. If this book is something you think you'd like to read, I would recommend it for high school audiences, because of some mature content. I also recommend it for blossoming writers who want to learn more about developing craft (this novel definitely showed me what not to do).

Hope you enjoyed and that you'll check back for more reviews and writing exercises.

Happy reading!!