Review: Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

Last word first: A little formulaic, but I enjoyed it. 3.5/5

Would Joe like this book? No.

Description:

' “Selkie merfolk are usually recognizable by a few key features, such as: a lush, sensitive beauty; a predilection for the colors red and gold; kindness towards visitors and explorers; and homes close to the shore.” ' (Sea Change, p. 36 HC)

Studious Miranda isn’t expecting much when she goes to join her mother in their recently inherited summer home. They’re just going to pack the place up and get it ready for sale. Yet Miranda cannot help but be intrigued when she hears the legends told about Selkie Island. She’s even more interested when she realizes that those legends are reminding her a lot of Leo, a boy she meets on the island.

My thoughts: I think it has to be said that I am have just about had it with all the Twilight read-alikes out there. After normal-girl-falls-for-vampire became so wildly successful, we’ve got that normal girl falling for werewolves, fairies, ghosts, and pretty much every other mythical being known to man. Now mermen are covered, too, but I think ogres and gnomes might still be up for grabs. Good luck making THAT sexy.

But clearly there was room in my heart for at least one more Twilight spawn, because I actually quite enjoyed Sea Change. I bounced between loving and being annoyed with Miranda, who, while she seems like the kind of girl I would like to hang out with, also kept having huge reactions to nothing. I did appreciate that she came with a backstory that explained some of it, though. Our leading man, Leo, had a great blend of mysterious and charming working for him. His rival, TJ, provided some great contrast with suave jerkitude at its best. (Yes, I think I just invented a word.) The other background characters helped to set the stage as the story took me on a tour of the upper class lifestyle in the Old South. Which sounds awesome, by the way. The parties, the debutantes, the courteous gentlemen... the food. Too bad I don’t have any Old Southern relatives to get me entrance to aforementioned lifestyle.

Other than Miranda’s slightly spastic behaviour, my only real complaint about this book is that nothing really gets resolved. I would have liked to see the merpeople mythology fleshed out and explained a little more. What it does ensure, though, is that I will be reading the sequel. I hear there is one in the works.

About Aimee Friedman: Aimee Friedman was born and raised in Queens, New York, in an apartment filled with books and different languages. She wrote her first story at the age of five, and was off and running from there. Aimee wrote all through her years as a student at the Bronx High School of Science and then Vassar College. -from the bio on her website.

My question to you: Can you think about mermaids without picturing Ariel? Because I can’t.

Second opinions:
Juju @ Tales of Whimsy fell in love!