Review: Amazingly Original
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 4, 2014
This is categorized as YA, probably because the story features teenagers, and there is no sex.  However, the depth of this story, the well developed characters, and the maturity of the relationships is a marked contrast with the usual YA fare.  The lead character, Brandi, is serious and brilliant (and this is demonstrated in many ways, not just by the reader being informed that she is, in fact, pretty darn smart).  In most YA books, the female lead is generally silly, immature, acts in ridiculous ways, and makes the reader cringe throughout the book.  Brandi does not fit this stereotype.The peripheral characters, some of whom ARE silly and immature are, nevertheless, fully fleshed, and you really do feel like you are watching teenagers in action.  Spider, the smitten boy, Brandi's girlfriends, and her younger brother are all finely drawn, and believable.  Her parents are memorable, although the father is rather reminiscent of the father in the Twilight novels.The narrative is surprisingly rich, despite the genre.  I found myself drawn into this world from the first paragraph, and was glued to it to the end.  The concept of the "merman", as fantastical as that sounds, is, by the end of the book, so familiar that you'll be looking closely at the ocean next time you go.  There were very few moments when I questioned the action, and those moments were delivered in a way that made you feel like you weren't suspending belief.  The story felt real.The end was completely unexpected.  I rarely read anything that I don't predict the ending to, at some point.  The answer to the central mystery, the death of Brandi's older sister, caught me by surprise.  I didn't see it coming until it was there.  And the climax, while I hoped it would happen the way it did, wasn't completely expected.  The author did a fine job of NOT catering to everyone's expectations throughout the book, so much so that I truly didn't know how it was going to end.I recommend this book to everyone.  It is a great crossover.  I wouldn't put this squarely in the YA camp.  I think it measures up to just about any fiction out there at the moment.  Other reviewers have called it a "light" read.  While it didn't deal with heavy existential issues, or long drawn out angst, it's a fine story and very well told.  There isn't too much gore, and what does happen takes place out of sight of the reader.  There is romance, but no consummated sex.  There are teenagers behaving badly, but no real cruelty or bullying.  It's a very honest book and well written.