Review: The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan

T h e M e r m a i d' s M i r r o r

Author: L.K. Madigan (Livejournal)

Release Date: 10/4/10 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Age Group: Young Adult (14+)

Pages: 320

Source: NetGalley & Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt (Thank you!)

Go Buy It: Amazon★Barnes&Noble 

★BookDepository

Overall Feelings: Striking, strange, and different!

Synopsis- "Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father — a former surfer himself — refuses to allow her to take lessons. After his near drowning years ago, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient, powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail.

Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon . . . what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life forever." Goodreads»»

Quick Thinking: The Mermaid's Mirror is an impressive, wonderful novel that sucks The Reader in with its charming, developed characters and its exposure to the fascinating, magical world of the merfolk. Madigan cleverly explores a whole new and creative concept that suits YA fantasy extremely well. Go along with Lena to uncover startling, hidden truths, heartbreaking pasts and circumstances, a mesmerizing (yet a tad speedy) love, and an otherworldly, wonder-inducing species that haven't been touched upon very often in the YA genre.  

My Thoughts In-Depth: *warning: it is possible that the following review will have spoiler-y content* This was my first mermaid-themed YA novel, and I have to say that I'm not disappointed in the least (a little exasperated, but that's not so bad). Lena is a character that I can find anywhere, at school, in my neighborhood, whatever. And I like that, that she's somewhat like every other teenager, because that incites a feeling of...connection, making her likable.