Review: The rising
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 18, 2013
Serena is a mermaid living off Vancouver Island.  Her people, known as Undine, can go on land and walk, but they are now hunted by werewolves - which used to guard them. Humans are called Ungainlies, for their lack of agility in the water.  The maiden Serena is the youngest mermaid born in the past fifteen years.THE RISING wonderfully depicts the richness of undersea life - under threat, from increasingly acidic seawater. It's told in present tense, which at times makes the line read awkwardly. Serena reads in archives how females go on land with males to conceive, and alone to give birth.  Traditionally the werewolves should protect them but Serena's mother was attacked by them for no known reason.  Serena, exploring on land, puts other Undines in danger.  She is punished by the king by being assigned the post of Werewolf Liaison.Serena, who prefers sea vegetables and kelp to a diet of fish and shellfish, also loves abovesea nature, redwoods and bumblebees alike. A garden of wolfsbane which is poisonous to wolves is her first stop, to deter attackers.  Thus she meets Liam, a werewolf who in human form works at a bowling alley. He's not all that friendly.  But why?  Is there some root cause of the wolf revolt that has been concealed?The story becomes darker and leads to pitched battle; Serena uses both knife and bow and arrow to protect her people.  Readers who enjoy a fantasy world with the additional flavour of the water element will take to this tale though the violence would make this book unsuitable for younger readers.  I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the environments and message that preservation is needed, as well as the bravery and inquisitiveness of the mermaid girl. Other characters do not come across so well and I felt too much time was being spent in the halls of the king. I would probably have taken to this book better if it was written in past tense, so other readers may give it more stars as this is a personal taste.The author Terra Harmony has served in the Marine Corps and has written other eco-fantasy tales.