Synopses & Reviews
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—the instant 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.
Review
Seventeen year old Lily is not like the other girls at her high school indistinguishable from humans in her two legged form she’s secretly a half human half mermaid princess from the undersea kingdom of Thalassina. Lily has been obsessed with swimming star Brody for three years and the time has come to tell him how she feels reveal her secret and take him to live with her under the sea as her bonded mermate. Unfortunately a surprise kiss from her next door nemesis Quince bonds them together instead. There’s only one way out: take Quince to Thalassinia and beg her father to break the attachment before it becomes permanent. But Quince secretly loves Lily and has one week to convince Lily not to let him go. Childs’s (Goddess Boot Camp) effervescent storytelling conveys the delicate tension of first love and her characters are sympathetic and charming; Lily’s frequent aquatic exclamations (“Speak of the devilfish”) are indicative of the book’s brand of humor. This sweet mix of magic romance and teen drama will leave readers satisfied even as they hope Quince and Lily’s story will continue. Ages 12–up. (June) " Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
Review
"Seventeen-year-old Lily is not like the other girls at her high school--indistinguishable from humans in her two-legged form, she's secretly a half-human, half-mermaid princess from the undersea kingdom of Thalassina. Lily has been obsessed with swimming star Brody for three years, and the time has come to tell him how she feels, reveal her secret, and take him to live with her under the sea as her bonded mermate. Unfortunately, a surprise kiss from her next-door nemesis, Quince, bonds them together instead. There's only one way out: take Quince to Thalassinia and beg her father to break the attachment before it becomes permanent. But Quince secretly loves Lily and has one week to convince Lily not to let him go. Childs's (Goddess Boot Camp) effervescent storytelling conveys the delicate tension of first love, and her characters are sympathetic and charming; Lily's frequent aquatic exclamations ('Speak of the devilfish') are indicative of the book's brand of humor. This sweet mix of magic, romance, and teen drama will leave readers satisfied, even as they hope Quince and Lily's story will continue. Ages 12 up. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)
Review
“Full of fishy expressions, mermaid lore, and breathless underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teens and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer.” ALA Booklist
Review
“you cant ask for a much more perfect beach read” Bulletin of the Center for Children & #8217;s Books
Review
“Tera Lynn Childs has created an enchanting world of romance, magic and endearing characters you cant help but root for. FORGIVE MY FINS had me hooked from page one, and I cant wait to immerse myself in its sequel! I simply adored this book!” Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Review
“bubbly, inventive and well worth a plunge” Kirkus Reviews
Review
PRAISE FOR THE TWICE LOST "Sara Porter creates a world where the happy-go-lucky mermaid stories mean nothing. . . . [Her] eye-opening take on undersea folklore is enough in itself to make this trilogy the piece of art that it is. Throw in nail-biting suspense, magically-written characters and plot twists that no one sees coming, and you are left with a series that pulls you under its spell and breaks your heart. . . and youll devour every minute of it."—teenreads.com
"The Twice Lost offers a moving, action-packed and deeply satisfying ending to Sarah Porter's brilliant Lost Voices trilogy. What a beautiful, intense world of ferocious lost girls who find themselves at last. I loved it." —Carolyn Turgeon, author of Mermaid and The Fairest of Them All
PRAISE FOR LOST VOICES
"[A] haunting debut. . . . Porters writing is expressive and graceful. . . . a captivatingly different story." —Booklist
"A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a lost soul struggling to forgive the people she loved who wronged her, and ultimately to forgive herself." —Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far
PRAISE FOR WAKING STORMS
"Sarah Porters mermaid world is dazzlingly imagined and richly, hauntingly told. Waking Storms is as enchanting—and dark, and lush, and tragic, and gorgeous—as the mermaids' song." —Carolyn Turgeon, author of Mermaid and The Fairest of Them All
"Porter has crafted another winner. . . . Like any good middle novel in a trilogy, Waking Storms leaves plenty of strings untied to keep you hungry for the final installment. But unlike many weaker series, this book also stands up completely on its own two feet (fins?) and is as deep, dark and magical as Lost Voices. A reader could pick it up not having read the previous title and be fine, while fans of the first novel surely will not be disappointed." —teenreads.com
Review
"A haunting debut. . . . Porters writing is expressive and graceful. . . . . a captivatingly different story."
—Booklist
"A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a lost soul struggling to forgive the people she loved who wronged her, and ultimately to forgive herself."
—Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far
"It might be shelved as a fantasy, but Lost Voices is full of gripping, harsh realism. Without resorting to stereotypes or tired high school plots, it deals with the complications of friendship and peer pressure. And at its core, it's nothing more than a really believable, understandable and relatable story about finding one's voice. Its relevance to real life and its references to the real issues that create lost girls --- abuse, neglect, rape, bad parenting and more--make it a one-of-a-kind mermaid story. For that reason, it will appeal to paranormal, fantasy and realism fans alike."
—teenreads.com
"This is a dark and compelling take on a world usually depicted as more lighthearted. . . . Porter nonetheless carefully doles out enough possibilities to keep the overall tone hopeful, and given the already numerous perky mermaids, these gritty, wounded souls are a creative and welcome addition to the field."
—Bulletin
"The beautifully crafted first book of the Lost Voices trilogy is told in such a rich, despairing aqua tinged tone, it leaves you desperate for more."
—Fantasy Book Review
Synopsis
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—the instant 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.
Synopsis
In the exciting final installment of the Lost Voices trilogy, mermaid Luce swims to the San Francisco Bay where she finds a group of renegade mermaids who unite become an army under her leadership when war breaks out between humans and mermaids.
Synopsis
Mermaids have been sinking ships and drowning humans for centuries, and now the government is determined to put an end to the mermaid problem—by slaughtering all of them. Luce, a mermaid with exceptionally threatening abilities, becomes their number-one target, hunted as she flees down the coast toward San Francisco.
There she finds hundreds of mermaids living in exile under the docks of the bay. These are the Twice Lost: once-human girls lost first when a trauma turned them into mermaids, and lost a second time when they broke mermaid law and were rejected by their tribes. Luce is stunned when they elect her as their leader. But she wont be their queen. Shell be their general. And they will become the Twice Lost Army—because this is war.
Synopsis
In the captivating sequel to Lost Voices, a mermaid versus human war looms on the horizon, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But when she meets Dorian, her sworn enemy, and falls in love, she is forced to go back and fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids in the exciting second installment of this paranormal trilogy.
Synopsis
After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesnt last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. The tribes cruel queen wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary.
But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?
Synopsis
The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.
Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?
The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.
About the Author
Tera Lynn Childs is the award-winning author of several books for teens, including the first two books in the Sweet Venom series, the mermaid romances Forgive My Fins, Fins Are Forever, and Just for Fins, as well as another mythology-inspired series, including Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp. Although Tera always dreamed of discovering a secret twin (or triplet), she is sad to report she remains an only child.