The Mermaid’s Tale by L. E. Richmond is a Young Adult Fantasy retelling. As I began reading, I enjoyed getting to know Locklyn Adair; her story proved interesting. Without a tail, she lives on the fringes of the Merpeople world.

Unable to fit in herself, she refuses to let her newborn niece, also born without a tail, suffer the same fate. With rulers with secrets of their own and a best friend who would do anything to save their niece, they find themselves setting out to find a lost treasure. The author did an excellent job of setting the pace throughout the story. I loved getting to know the characters.

But my one absolute complaint about this book is the ending. It just abruptly stops with no rhyme or reason. I can only assume that the author plans to continue the story in the next book. But even the first book in a series should have some semblance of a proper ending. If I was reading a physical book rather than an ebook, I may have been tempted to throw the book across the room.

So, if you do not mind introductory books to a series that draw you into the story, but leave you floundering with the ending, check out The Mermaid’s Tale by L. E. Richmond for yourself. I definitely recommend the book, but not the ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Let’s first address the cover of this book. Wow. It is spectacular and one of the best I have seen. It definitely is an eye catcher and perfect for the story. I couldn’t wait to see what adventure awaited me. Now I have been fascinated with mermaids all my life. The funny thing is I don’t know how to swim and don’t like getting in the water. But oh my what an adventure to be under the sea and looking at what God has designed.

There is quite a bit of action in the story with scenes that are vivid in description. The author does a great job of keeping readers engaged. With danger, people trying to protect others and an epic adventure this would be a great book for fantasy lovers.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )

It's an imaginative and fascinating fairy tale that is like a spin-off of The Little Mermaid. Locklyn's first person voice was easy to love despite being an outcast and so brutally despised by many. Her selfless heart was endearing and I was cheering for her the whole entire story. I didn't unfortunately love the angst of unspoken and unrealized romantic love nor the brewing of a love triangle. Darin's perspective was in third person but it almost had an omniscient, dreamlike quality of someone else telling us what he was doing - this confused me at first and I had a bit of difficult time following his chapters. However, the cliff-hanger ending finally made me realize why his chapters needed to be written in this manner. I loved Darin's loyal, compassionate, and brave heart and I can't wait to see what happens next.
There is plenty of adventure and adrenaline, fantastical sea monsters and enemies, folklore and magic, and some spiritual thread in this incredible underwater world the author has created in full color and detail. You will literally be swept away as Locklyn and Darin dare to risk all for their loved ones.
I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Enclave Publishing via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own. ( )