Forgive My Fins [Hardcover]

Tera Lynn Childs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010 | Series: Fins

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-10–Lily, 17, is a mermaid princess living on land and attending a high school where no one knows her real identity. She needs to find a mate before she turns 18 in order to inherit the throne. Her big crush on Brody is going nowhere until her obnoxious neighbor, Quince, intervenes. A surprise kiss from the wrong boy leads to a tidal wave of unexpected consequences. In this lighthearted and mostly enjoyable novel, Childs stretches the relationship drama out perhaps a little too long for impatient readers, but the end result is sweet and satisfying. The ending hints of more mermaid tales to come.Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Hans Christian Andersen's “The Little Mermaid” meets Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (2005) in this frothy romantic fantasy. Lily may look like a run-of-the-mill high-school student, but she is actually the mermaid heir to the throne of the ocean kingdom of Thalassinia. Half human, Lily is able to maintain her bipeds in order to snag a human beau, who will then turn into a merman to rule by her side with a single kiss. She has her fins set on champion swimmer Brody. But when Lily accidentally busses bad-boy biker Quince instead, she moves heaven and sea in an attempt to swim off into the sunset with her first crush as planned. But it isn't long before the scales fall from her eyes, and she realizes which boy truly loves her, tail and all. Full of fishy expressions (“Son of a swordfish!”), mermaid lore, and breathless, underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teen and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer. Grades 6-9. --Jennifer Hubert

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1 edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061914657
• ISBN-13: 978-0061914652
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tera Lynn Childs is the award-winning author of the mythology-based Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp, the mermaid tales Forgive My Fins, Fins Are Forever and Just For Fins (July 3, 2012), and a new trilogy about monster-hunting descendants of Medusa, starting with Sweet Venom and Sweet Shadows (September 4, 2012). She has also epublished two fun chick lit romances, Eye Candy and Straight Stalk. Tera lives nowhere in particular and spends her time writing wherever she can find a comfy chair and a steady stream of caffeinated beverages.

To learn more about TLC, visit teralynnchilds.com or follower her on Twitter @teralynnchilds, like her on Facebook (facebook.com/authortlc), or read her blog (teralynnchilds.blogspot.com). Ask her anything at Formspring (formspring.me/teralynnchilds).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a sparkling splash of a story full of crush worthy guys, adolescent teen angst, and magical romance., June 7, 2010

By 

All Things Urban Fantasy (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Forgive My Fins (Hardcover)

Review courtesy of [...]

I may fantasize about falling in love with a vampire or werewolf, but I dream about being a mermaid. A mermaid princess would be even better, and Lily Sanderson gets to be both.

In the tradition of Disney's The Little Mermaid and more recently Aquamarine, FORGIVE MY FINS is about a mermaid princess torn between two worlds and the problems that accompany each, like having to find a mate before her eighteenth birthday or lose her claim to the throne, putting up with a irritating yet suddenly attractive neighbor who delights in tormenting her, and finding the courage to reveal her true identity to the guy she's secretly loved for years.

The mermaid world in FORGIVE MY FINS is a fully flushed out sea kingdom. Mermaids have their own distinct culture, rituals, magic, and even slang. Tera Lynn deftly weaves in elements from mythology and antiquity in creating the merkingdom of Thalassinian. And the underwater world contrasts nicely with the out of water world of Seaview high.

I did get a little annoyed with Lily's attitude especially as it was constantly directed at the too-good-to-be-true Quince. He gives new meaning to the word long suffering. I never understood why he fell for her. To borrow some of Lily's sea slang, she was a complete seawitch to him. He does one romantic and selfless thing after another for her and she treats him deplorably.

Lily's behavior aside, there are several scenes that will make the hearts of teenage girls everywhere race, and while not a teenager myself anymore, I got swept up the the romance between Lily and Quince too.

What's a better summer read than a mermaid story about first love? FORGIVE MY FINS is a sparkling splash of a story full of crush worthy guys, adolescent teen angst, and magical romance. Lily tends to transform her attitude almost as often as she does her scales, but I really enjoyed this story. The epilogue hints that we'll be seeing more from Lily and Quince in the near future. I'll post the details when they are available.

Sexual Content: kissing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my Favorite Books of the Year!, June 15, 2010

By 

Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgive My Fins (Hardcover)

From reading Forgive My Fins I have gathered that

Mermaids + some of the best literary kisses I've ever read + one charming bad boy + a bond gone wrong = one unforgettable, spectacular story that leaves Tera Lynn Childs as a front runner in being one of the best authors of the year, in my opinion!

It's easy to say that this is one of my favorite books year if not one of my favorites of all time. Since I loved so many different aspects of it.

Such as the setting of Thalassinian, a kingdom under the sea for all the mermaids and mermen, that brought together with Tera's great descriptions made you feel like you were right there with Lilly the whole time! It was interesting to read more about it as well as get a picture perfect view of it in your head.

Plus, the characters were ones that I adored from the start. Lilly is one that I'm sure many that many girls can relate to. Since while she's at times shy and hesitant to be herself, she's also dead loyal to her friends and a nice person to all. Quince is basically the opposite of Lilly since he doesn't really care what people think, even though on the inside he cares too much, and he's fine being the charming, bad boy. Paired together these too make quite the couple! Since while they mix as well as fire and ice at times (wait until you see their arguments they are so funny, yet so heated!) at others they balance each other in a way that's perfect!

The plot of this was one that constantly had you guessing of what was going to happen next. Were Quince and Lilly ever going to be together? What about Brody;was he as cute as he looked or just dead on the inside? Was Lily's cousin more evil then she lead on? Only time would tell!

And the writing in this flowed so well and reminded me of Meg Cabot's. Since in one review I read a while ago compared Cabot's books to candy in the way that once you had one you were dying to have another, and Forgive My Fins proved to be the same. Since as soon as I was done with this, I was dying to read more! So hopefully there will be a sequel and if not, Tera still has a ton of other interesting books coming out that I can't wait to read!

Overall, do yourself of favor this summer, June 1st preferably. That favor? Go out and buy this because I promise you that you won't regret it one bit. And if you do, you have my permission to send me a scathing email. Though, I doubt that will happen. ;)

Grade: A+

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Written Mermaid Tale!, June 9, 2010

By 

LaFemmeReaders "Eleni" (NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Forgive My Fins (Hardcover)

Forgive My Fins was a beautifully written mermaid tale. The characters and magical essence of the story was absorbing. Also, the mermaid lingo was a plus. The usage of ocean terms were entertaining and very original. Lily, was a unique protagonist. Her insecure, complex personality and frizzy hair didn't fit the stereotype of a "glamorous" mermaid. I appreciated how Tera twisted the way I perceived mermaids. However, it didn't take away from Lily's hidden raw beauty and great energy. Since she was a princess, it was her duty to find a lover to bond with, before her eighteenth birthday. I loved the whole idea of bonding a mermaid and a human together. Very romantic. Reminded me of my favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid.

Now, instead of her bonding with her hunky crush Brody, she was stuck with Quince, her annoying neighbor. Quince's personality was awesome. To Lily he was annoying, but I found him charming and endearing. Their cat and mouse relationship was amusing. I liked when he made fun of Lily. It showed how attentive and willing he was to deal with her situation. I routed for him and hoped she would warm up to the idea of Quince as her mate. The novel was a bit predictable at times, but it didn't take away from the story. I was still interested and look forward to continuing this series. After all, Tera left us with a cliffhanger that left me wanting more. Overall, if you're a fan of mermaids, you'll want to pick this one up!