Forgive My Fins Review

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release date: June 1, 2010

Source: Publisher

Other books in the series: Fins Are Forever (2011)

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.

Review:

Forgive My Fins was a sweet and enjoyable read, that definitely left me wanting to read more of Tera Lynn Child's novels. Forgive My Fins contained a lot of different parts that made this a fantastic read. The setting, the characters, and the plot were all great.

I'll start with the characters. Lily was a great main character and many teen girls will be able to relate to her. The mermaid-turned-human idea was definitely not cliched in Forgive My Fins, as Lily showed a unique and endearing spirit that at times had me laughing out loud and others cheering for her as she tried to do the right thing. While at times she was a bit immature, I think Lily handled all her problems and actions surprisingly well. Brody was the typical popular guy character, and I think Lily mooned over Brody a bit too much, when it was obvious he was not the right guy for her. Quince, on the other hand, was definitely an interesting and well developed character, and you could see the connection he and Lily had right from the start. The twist involving the mermaid bond definitely added a lot of excitement to the plot.

The plot was exciting and original, and I enjoyed wondering what was going to happen next in both the human and underwater worlds. Thalassinia was a setting that seemed so real to me, I could really picture it through Childs' vivid descriptions. The idea of Lily having to bond with someone before her 18th birthday definitely added a big twist to the plot. I loved Childs' unique look at mermaids and Lily's kingdom in general.

At times predictable, Forgive My Fins was an exciting and well done start to what I'm sure will be a successful series. There were some loose ends I'm looking forward to seeing tied up, and I really want to know more about some of the secondary characters. I really loved Lily's two best friends- Peri and Shannen- and her Aunt Rachel. In addition, the epilogue definitely surprised me and left me dying to find out what happens! Overall, I recommend picking up a copy of this today and while I'm waiting for the sequel to be released next year, I'm going to have to pick up her debut, Oh My Gods!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars