Review: Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Mooooo. I went on holiday and observed cows. I seem to have picked up some of their habits.

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 neighbour 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. (From Goodreads, add witty comment about theft here.)

One not-so-closely guarded secret about me is that I really enjoy books about mermaids. It doesn’t sound particularly scandalous when one phrases it like that. Some people enjoy books about vampires; I enjoy books about mermaids. And demons, but that’s hardly relevant. It’s just when I start revealing the small details that people start to edge away from me at a pace generally dubbed ‘away from the mad person before you catch something’. You see, over time, I’ve compiled a stock of mermaid books large enough to build a towering house out of. That house and I, we would be the best of friends. Every time I hear of a new book regarding mermaids, I will rush out to the book shop and demand the truth about the publications. It’s quite amazing that I haven’t been arrested yet. Anyhow, when I heard of this book, I was rather excited, to put it lightly. I was even more excited when it dropped through my mail box. But did it live up to my expectations?

Yes, actually. Oh, why are you giving your monitor that look – and contain that ‘oh why are you so predictable’ sigh, while you’re at it. I might be easy to please, but on a critical level, if one is able to get past all of the painful fishy puns, it’s a good book. I certainly enjoyed it. But I will never be able to ignore how terrible some of that fish-terminology is. (Seriously, if I hear another one of those sea-food related insults I will start to bleed. There is a reason why I cannot stomach sea-food, and those awful sea-creature insults that Lily throws around like fish food is why.)

The first thing that stands out about this book is the narration. Lily’s narrative is quirky and unique as much as it is gripping. Had it not for the paper in my hands, I would have been fully convinced that it was a real teenager speaking to me. I could feel the emotion in the narrative as if it was buzzing in my hand, although I really wish it wouldn’t buzz because I’m terrified that it will grow wings and try and eat me. Of course, the narrative wouldn’t be any good if the characters behind it were so dull, flat and unpleasant it was almost as if they were made of those odd little paper perfume testers glued together with mustard. But thankfully, they weren’t.

Indeed, the cast was a likeable bunch. Most had distinct personalities (and by ‘most’, I obviously mean those relevant to the plot. If you’re wandering about the other ones, then no. They were actually made of perfume testers and mustard) and enough development to back a small truck into a large corner. Clichés ran riot among them, but they were good clichés done well. Lily was a relatable and fun heroine, a step away from the regular rock for brains and jelly for spine specimen one expects to find in these things. Although she wasn’t what one would call the brightest crayon in the box, she wasn’t dumb enough for me to want to smash her head in, which, considering the fact that I will readily smash many irritating characters heads in is quite an honour. She wasn’t without her struggles or her flaws; she could be rather bratty and idiotic in her judgements. She developed well throughout the story. I rather liked her, if one hasn’t yet gathered. And now comes to the part where I start to sigh and smile off into the distance while twirling my hair. This strange, seemingly spontaneous reaction is caused by the fact that I now feel inclined to talk about the leading male in this novel. His name was Quince, and he was awesome. As the irritating boy-next-door antagonist/person/THING, he was mischievous and cocky, yet still sweet and devoted towards Lily. While he remained pretty well-developed throughout the story, I did feel that his characterisation could be a little bit uneven at times. Brody, the boy whom Lily idolised as being her true love, was more of a symbol than a character. He represents Lily’s growth as a character, to some extent anyway. And how she was in love with a fantasy. That’s all there really is to say about him. In fact, other than that, he was about as interesting as wallpaper. One really has to question Lily’s taste in men.
The characters and the narration may have been some of this books joy, its true joy lies in its romance. At its core, Forgive My Fin’s is a sweet, silly teenage romance. Cute, but not too soppy or over dramatic; it draws you in and won’t let you out until you fully support Lily and Quince getting together as if the world depended on it. Now that I think about it, it sounds reminiscent of competitive sport. Goldfish racing, perhaps. Anyhow. I have trouble finding words to describe the romance, but I can honestly say that it will have you squealing like a girl. I mean, I certainly did. I suppose that means something, as my heart is as cold as the top of Mount Everest on a bad day. It’s just that sweet.

And now we commence upon the part of the review where I feel inclined to nitpick. Well, that’s what the mighty notes say I should do. However, there is a problem, and that problem is the fact that I have no major bones to pick with this book. I suppose it was a predictable plot-wise, and a few convenient plot-shortcuts were taken to keep the story from coming to a stuttering halt, but they’re kind of shy about revealing themselves to the reader and therefore not much to worry about. The mermaid lore wasn’t elaborated upon, leaving quite a few of the details rather confusing. Can all mermaids grow a pair of legs and go and start a farm upon land? Is there a law confining them to the sea? Do they just not like those meddlesome landlubbers? It confused me a little. But really, I have very few bones to pick with this book.

Well. I guess this brings us to our conclusion. It feels rather melancholy, ending this intervention like this, don’t you think? Oh. Just me. Right, yes, just me. Overall, Forgive my Fins is a book I can highly recommend for one to pick up after a stressful day; it will sooth you. It’s sweet, and romantic, and you can read it with your brain turned off! That’s always a bonus, not having to work out any complicated mystery scenario or visualise any vivid fight-scene. Simply put, Forgive my Fins is not underwhelming, nor is it overwhelming. it’s not perfect, but it certainly is charming. On a vaguely related note, the UK cover is really shiny; and that’s always a good thing. If you don’t actually like the book, strange person, you can still use it as some kind of mirror. It’s very pretty.

Thanks to Templar Publishing for sending me a copy to review.

★★★★