Underwater Mystery

Imagining life under the surface of the ocean is an interesting activity. Personally, I would love to live in a sub-surface community. My soon-to-be husband Kevin? Won't even put his little pinky toe into water! Terrified of the ocean and everything that might be lurking right under the surface. Of course, I like to tease him about this, but in reality I imagine there are many people who would be terrified to live under the water. Rip Tide, Kat Fall's sequel to Dark Life, has all those scary elements like sharks, saltwater crocodiles, giant squid, and murderous outlaws, but there is something so nice about the communities themselves, you will find yourself dreaming of the ocean!

Although Ty and his parents took Gemma in, she can't bring herself to live underwater. Something about living sub-sea terrifies her. But life in the underwater settlements has improved since Gemma first came along. The government has recognized the settlements as territories and now allows them to sell their farmed and caught food on the open market (instead of using the food as taxes and letting the government keep the profit). Ty's parents are eager to prove to the rest of the community that the trade between the underwater settlers and the "serfs" will be safe and profitable for everyone. Settlers fear the serfs who live on floating cities called townships, and serfs hate the settlers for pushing a new law that prevents them from fishing anywhere on the continental shelf. It is hard enough for them to get enough food to survive, and with government rations cut in half, the new law means they are barely surviving. Ty's parents go on their first trade, but something goes wrong. Someone interrupts the trade and kidnaps his parents, while Ty and Gemma barely get away.

Now Gemma and Ty must find a way to get his parents back, but no one seems to be able to help them. With the incompetence of the Seaguard (police), they decide to do some investigating themselves, fearing the worst for Ty's parents. As they go deeper into the world of reconditioned oil rigs, extreme boxing matches, and the horrible people who run them, they realize just how bad life is for the serfs. When they come upon a terrifying gladiator-esque game where serfs choose to battle enormous saltwater crocodiles for a little extra food for their townships, Ty and Gemma realize something has to change for the serfs. With the weight of the world's problems on their shoulders, they refuse to stop searching for his parents. But will they make it in time?

I was wondering how this sequel was going to follow-up on the previous story, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a mature but accessible route that really let the story grow up but still work for younger students. I loved the politics of the division between the serfs and the settlers, and how the government was so easily corruptible with no regard to the people it is affecting. It will open up great discussions, but isn't to abstract or mature to miss that "middle reader" crowd. The writing and content is perfect for a wide range of students from middle readers to upper high school. It dances around the fringe of science-fiction or supernatural fiction, but it isn't too far from reality. Therefore I think these two stories would really be great for a huge array of readers. I am interested to see if Kat Falls stops here, or keeps the story going!

Funny Fins and Merry Mermaids

Lily is really Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia, an underwater mermaid kingdom where her father is the king. But Lily has chosen to give up her throne in order to stay on land with the boy she loves, her next-door neighbor and once archenemy, Quince. Now, in Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs, Lily prepares to officially give up her throne, graduate high school, take the SATs, and follow through with a life above the surface as a "terapod" (mermaid on legs).

It was only a short few weeks ago when Lily chose to be unbound from Quince in order to give him freedom from being a merman and solidify her life on land. When a strong earthquake hits her small Florida town, it raises suspicions when the epicenter isn't even on a fault line- it is close to Thalassinia. But Lily doesn't have time to worry about that with the SATs coming up and being her only hope for college and a future as an un-princess on land. When her annoying, self-centered cousin Dosinia arrives at her doorstep having been exiled from Thalassinia, Lily's father makes her responsible for teaching Doe to respect humans. Although Lily can't get out of Doe what she did to get exiled, she knows it must be bad since the king never uses exile unless totally necessary.

Doe insists on making Lily's life miserable in small ways, but really crosses the line when Lily finds her with Brody (Lily's 3 year crush until she realized he wasn't her type and she was really in love with Quince). Doe and Bordy had clearly made out which is of course in direct violation of girl-code, but more importantly for a mermaid means now Doe and Brody are bonded and Brody is slowly transforming into a merman. For a girl who hates humans so much, being bound to Brody seems like punishment for Lily rather than something Doe really wanted. Now Lily must take Brody down to Thalassinia to be unbound.

When she gets to the kingdom, Lily's father agrees to the unbinding, but tells Lily she must do it since both Doe and Brody must be present. While in the kingdom, Lily runs into a guppyhood friend, Tellin, who is a prince of a neighboring mermaid kingdom. He begs Lily to bind with him, in formality only, in order to bring their kingdoms together and allow her to keep her throne. Lily is tempted, but her love for Quince is too strong to bind with another man. When Lily returns to land, she realizes the best way for Doe to have respect for humans is to stay bound to Brody (the same "punishment" her father gave her!). Now she must find a way to help Doe (without strangling her int he process), study for the SATs, and stop feeling so sad about losing her place as the next Queen of Thalassinia. Can she keep it all together?

This was a very cute follow up to the first book. While these aren't ground-breaking stories that will win countless awards, they are certainly fun and exciting reads. It is a good book for a young middle school student or an immature high school student. The content is completely clean, as is the language. The story is engaging enough to hold onto even the most unengaged reader. This is probably more of a "girl" book, but the content might be fine for either gender. I love Tera Lynn Childs. Her books are like a good chocolate milkshake on a warm summer day- a perfect guilty pleasure that will put a smile on your face!

Mermaid Fun and Full of Fishy Puns

Tera Lynn Childs entertained me her fun Greek God stories, and now she does the same with a new mythology- Mermaid Lore! What better for a fun, quick read than a story of mermaids and oceans and teenage angst! Forgive My Fins is a fun-filled story full of some goofy puns, but at the heart of the story are great characters and an interesting new world.

Lily is a mermaid, but she lives on land with her aunt and attends high school like a normal girl. As the princess of her underwater kingdom, she has a lot riding on her time as a terapod (person with legs who lives on land). She must find the boy who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. When she kisses him, they will be bound together forever and he will transform into a mermaid. Her crush, Brody, is finally single and she is ready to tell him all her secrets... and ask her to join him at the bottom of the sea.

When Lily's annoying neighbor Quince offers to help her catch Brody, something goes terribly wrong. Instead of meeting Brody in the dark library, Quince comes and gives Lily her first and fateful kiss. No she must explain to him why he keeps coughing and craves salt water like a dried up jellyfish. She takes him back home to her kingdom with the hopes that her father will break the bond. It must be undone quickly so Lily can go back to the boy she really wants. But when she gets home, her father surprises her by insisting she remain bonded to Quince for a week (then another week) to be sure she wants to be unbound from him. Lily and Quince resurface and Lily must face the glaring truth about her feelings for both Quince and Brody. When she finally returns to sea, her father agrees to the unbinding, but it means they must go through a series of tests before it can be completed. Will Lily recognize her feelings for Quince or hide them beneath an unrequited crush for Brody and lose Quince from the ocean forever?

At first, I am not going to lie, I was completely annoyed with the cheese factor of this book. The first few chapters are completely riddled with lame fish puns and ridiculous ocean cliches. In fact, I didn't think I was going to make it through the book at first, but I am glad I stuck with it. As soon as the story really begins, the fish nonsense dies back a bit (or becomes less annoying) and the story gets really, really cute. Granted, it isn't the most unique story out there (boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy fights to get girl back), but it is a really fun, flirty story that just makes you smile. This story won't be bulldozing over any awards panels anytime soon, but it will certainly keep the reader engaged and interested.

The language is fairly simplistic, although a few made up words (like terapod) might be confusing to a younger student. The book is completely appropriate for a much younger student, but will definitely be great for an older, low-skilled student who isn't as mature as her peers (or just likes a good, cheese-tastic story). It is more of a girl book than a boy book, but I am pretty sure the cover will not appeal to most boys anyway. My favorite part about Childs is that she isn't afraid to invoke the Gods of Cheese and Romantic Comedies- in fact, she even throws them a party with each of her books. I am looking forward to the sequel for some fun, easy reading that makes me want to swim out to a kingdom in the sea!

The Deep Sea Never Looked so Good!

With science fiction exploring so many different realms, it is no wonder it has take YA so long to get into the ocean! Who doesn't want to live in an incredible underwater civilization with kelp gardens, fish farms, and other "deeply" exciting adventures!

Dark Life by Kat Falls starts off with a premise that the world has been largely flooded due to global warming, and most of the submerged East Coast has broken off the continent and slipped into a deep underwater ravine. In a world where space is now limited and families are lucky to have one tiny room in a concrete jungle, civilization has found a way to live on the ocean floor. In the Dark, as the underwater civilizations are called, a person can earn huge homesteads in exchange for a few years working the land for food for the Topsiders.

Ty's parents were two of the scientists and engineers who put together the Dark, and Ty was the first child born undersea. It is rumored that children born undersea were developing special gifts- Dark Gifts- but if they do, none will admit to it. When Gemma, a Topsider, comes barreling down undersea looking for her brother, Ty gets swept into helping her. But the Dark is being terrorized by a group of outlaws who raid shipments, but have recently started attacking homesteads as well. Now the Topside government has told the Dark that they either catch the outlaws themselves, or the undersea homesteaders will be forced to leave their land and move Topside. Ty and Gemma get caught up in the search for the outlaws, the truth of what happened to her brother, and the fight to keep the undersea settlements safe.

This is an immediately interesting book. From the very first page, Falls' world is gripping, exciting, and a very interesting possibility! The technology behind the underwater architecture, travel, and ways of life are really intriguing! The story is also full of adventure and excitement, with multiple conflicts taking place. It has also been described as post-apocalyptic or dystopian, but I think it is more on the adventure/science fiction realm.

The writing is fairly simple, and while the story is full, it isn't overly complex. Therefore, this would be an excellent book for middle readers and early high school students. My first thought as I read the book, was "Yeah! A book for boys!" It is so hard to find books that aren't inherently bent towards teen girls, so it is so exciting when you find one that works for both boys and girls! This book would keep any boy reading. The story is also mature enough for an older teen with a lower reading level. And the exciting part? While it ends with a good conclusion and doesn't leave you hanging, it is slated to be a series! I look forward to reading the next book, and I can't wait to pull my students into this fantastic Underwater Adventure!