Review: Good read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2013
I'm not generally a fan of mermaid books, having read only The Mermaid's Mirror and Lost Voices from this genre, but I decided to give this series a try and I'm glad I did.Marina is a sixteen year old girl who seems to have it all: a father who adores her, the experience of traveling the world, and an indulgent "aunt" who buys her everything she could ever want---and more.  She is sad to leave her hometown of San Fransisco while her father travels to Afghanistan for work, but looks forward to spending time with her aunt Abby and cousin Cruz.  But, strange things start happening shortly after Marina moves to Aptos, and she discovers she is not completely human.I really enjoyed Between the Land and the Sea.  I was surprised at how much I liked it.  There was a lot of humor in this book, more than I would expect from a mermaid story.  I liked the relationship between Cruz, Megan and Marina, and I loved the banter between the three.  They were so sweet and funny together.  I liked the progression of the relationship between Ethan and Marina.  They don't fall in love too quickly, and their relationship is more of a slow build.  I like that, because it feels more realistic to me.  I also really enjoyed the development of the supporting characters.  Everyone was well-characterized, which makes reading much more fun for me.The one thing that bothered me about Between the Land and the Sea was a sort of fixation on fashion.  I like fashion as much as the next girl, but Marina is a clotheshorse, and I got a little tired (or maybe jealous?) of reading about her fashion choices.  It made her feel spoiled to me and made me like her a little less.Overall, though, Between the Land and the Sea was a good read, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of mermaid books and fans of paranormal YA.