My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's the cover art that got me. It was mysterious, playful, and simplistically beautiful. Just like the story within that cover. So entranced by the cover was I that I didn't realize the genre I was reading - namely that of young or new adult. Not a bad surprise, I assure you.
Step into the wilds of a deep country mountainside where an elder woman cleans dishes in the cement sink of her little cottage tucked away between chicken coops and gardens. Healing concoctions boil in a kettle over the fire in the hearth, the laughter of two young girls waft in on the breeze, and with it, the jingle of homemade wind chimes and clanging pots. A stork, an apple, a conch shell, and a witch bring this little family together (and keep it apart) in a life born from fairytales. There's love, there's mermaids, and there's jealousy. Gypsies, dragons, potions, and abduction! This quaint little story will have you mesmerized until the end.
Carrie Anne Noble's debut novel is really quite perfect as it blends some predictability with many surprises, folklore with old England's fae world. Her writing style captures the imagination almost immediately and whisks the mind away in rapid form. She's a talent worth watching in the future. Although it didn't keep me so entirely raptured that I was remiss to put it down, the book maintained my attention entirely and acted as a wonderful escape from my daily routine.
I recommend The Mermaid's Sister to any who enjoy a little magic in their lives, but most definitely to young women who struggle with boys, sisters, responsibility, and courage. So kick up your feet and cozy up to a warm fire with this pleasant tale and let your imagination soar!
