Lost Voices (The Lost Voices Trilogy) [Hardcover]

Sarah Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 2011 | Series: The Lost Voices Trilogy (Book 1)

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Luce is assaulted and left for dead on the cliffs outside her Alaskan fishing village, but when she tumbles into the the icy waters, she transforms into a mermaid.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?

The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Sarah Porter on Lost Voices

Dear Amazon Readers,

The mermaids of legend sink ships and drown sailors, but no one ever seems to ask why. Is their behavior really nothing more than mindless cruelty? Or do the mermaids suffer from a deeper compulsion? If so, what provokes their dark desires?

Would it even be possible for a mermaid to make a different choice and change her destiny?

Lost Voices is a search for the secret hearts of mermaids. The mermaids of the Lost Voices trilogy are the girls who have lost their humanity through suffering--but whose humanity keeps coming back to haunt them? They can enchant seafarers and drown them, yet they can’t drown their own feelings of loss and rejection. But if revenge can’t heal their heartache, what can?

Many of us struggle to understand who we are and what our own humanity means. Once you learn all the bad things people are capable of, then how can you accept that you’re one of them? Especially when we’re young, I think a lot of us experience something similar to what the mermaids feel: we have a sense of being like everyone else but also fundamentally "other," part of the everyday world but also outside it. Sometimes we don’t know if we want to fit in, or if we’d rather just be as different as possible.

These mermaids think they’re superior to humankind. They want to believe they’ve escaped from both the vulnerability and the brutality that are part of the human condition. But some of them gradually come to understand that there are aspects of their humanity that are worth fighting to preserve--no matter what the price.

Best,
Sarah

Review

"A haunting debut. . . . Porter’s writing is expressive and graceful. . . . . a captivatingly different story."
—Booklist "A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a lost soul struggling to forgive the people she loved who wronged her, and ultimately to forgive herself."—Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far

 

"It might be shelved as a fantasy, but Lost Voices is full of gripping, harsh realism. Without resorting to stereotypes or tired high school plots, it deals with the complications of friendship and peer pressure. And at its core, it's nothing more than a really believable, understandable and relatable story about finding one's voice. Its relevance to real life and its references to the real issues that create lost girls --- abuse, neglect, rape, bad parenting and more--make it a one-of-a-kind mermaid story. For that reason, it will appeal to paranormal, fantasy and realism fans alike."--teenreads.com

 

"This is a dark and compelling take on a world usually depicted as more lighthearted. . . . Porter nonetheless carefully doles out enough possibilities to keep the overall tone hopeful, and given the already numerous perky mermaids, these gritty, wounded souls are a creative and welcome addition to the field."--Bulletin

 

"The beautifully crafted first book of the Lost Voices trilogy is told in such a rich, despairing aqua tinged tone, it leaves you desperate for more."--Fantasy Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; None edition (July 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547482507
• ISBN-13: 978-0547482507
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer, artist, and freelance teacher. I teach creative writing workshops in the New York public schools via Teachers and Writers Collaborative; I've worked with kids in grades K-10, but I've focused on junior high and high school for the last several years. I don't think I would have written a YA novel if it weren't for that experience! Reading my students' intense, passionate poetry and stories recalled my own emotions at that age. Lost Voices was my attempt to write the book I most needed as a twelve-year-old struggling with what it means to be human: a book I never really found.

As for why I became a writer, well, I grew up moving around a lot. I was shy and didn't have a lot of friends, and I read all the time. Books sustained me and gave me a sense of belonging when I was young. All the voices of all the writers I've loved throughout my life seemed to flow together into something like a speaking whirlwind. Literature for me has always been a force greater than the individuals who create it. And because that force meant (and means) so much to me, I wanted to be a part of it, to give it what I could and contribute to its power.

I live in Brooklyn with my wonderful husband Todd, an artist and fabricator of electronic art, and our cats Jub Jub and Delphine. I have an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from City College.

My website is sarahporterbooks.com. It includes my drawings of Luce and Nausicaa (who features largely in the upcoming books in the trilogy) as well as a summary of the trilogy's second volume, WAKING STORMS. There's also a selection of reviews and interviews, and occasional updates.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Dark, Emotionally Gripping Read w/ A Paranormal Twist June 28, 2011

By Mundie Moms/Mundie Kids

Format:Hardcover

I don't know what it is about summer time reading that makes want to read a mermaid book, but it does. When I was offered the chance to read and review Lost Voices I was really looking forward to it, but it was not at all what I was excepting. Lost Voices is a very dark, raw, and at times an emotionally gripping read with a unique paranormal twist. Sarah Porter takes some very sensitive topics and gives her broken, abused, unloved, unwanted female characters an out from their emotionally, painful lives by turning them into mermaids.

I don't know if I was more shocked at some of the horrible things some the girls in endured while they were human, or how malicious many of them became as mermaids. In some cases I could sympathize with that, but I was hoping that by escaping the human life it would have made many of them change. The story itself is heartbreaking, especially for the story's main character Luce who's had to grow up in a broken family and on the run. Her mother died when she was born, and her father was constantly taking her on the run with him until his brother convinces him to settle down in their home town, a fishing village in Alaska. Everything changes when she father doesn't return from a fishing trip and she's forced to stay with an uncle who despises her and ultimately does something that sends Luce into the sea, searching for away to escape what she's just dwelt with.

One of the things I liked about what Sarah does with her story is how she incorporates music with the mermaids, and the way it helped Luce find her voice, and in a way helps her heal. Luce is a character who annoyed me at times, and other times I felt bad for. I wanted to help her escape the hand she was dwelt in life, and upon becoming a mermaid, Luce becomes a stronger character in my eyes since she's constantly battling the need to give into her siren side, and the urge to do whats right. With the tougher topics Sarah tackles in her story, I was surprised at how well the story flows, and how real some of the events felt. To say I was a little shocked to read about the horrible, unthinkable things that happen to many of the girls in the story would be an understatement. It's heartbreaking to read about this and normally I would have stopped reading it, but Sarah helped me to understand the girls and why they turned into the vengeful mermaids they became. I couldn't blame them for feeling the way they did, and really, I couldn't except them to act any differently.

Despite having a hard time with the subject matter of the story, I got to a point where I wanted to know how some of the characters would turn out. I didn't get the closure I wanted with all of them with the story's abrupt ending, but I can only assume that Sarah will provide more closure as the series progresses. Lastly, I liked how the story's setting plays a big part in the story. It not only helps with the feel of the story, but Sarah's vivid details helped make it come alive, and it wasn't hard to envision each place. This is a dark story with a lot of very sensitive topics and things that happen through out it. There is hope with Luce, as she learns she's the only one who can determine her outcome in letting go, moving on and finding strength from within. This is a story that won't be for everyone, and it's one I'd recommend to older teen readers.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mermaid version of Lord of the Flies July 2, 2011

By The Flashlight Reader

Format:Hardcover

Lost Voices is the first novel in a new series that is hauntingly reminiscent of Lord of the Flies and The Chocolate War. In this book, young girls find themselves transforming into mermaids during the most devastating and desolate times of their young lives. When overwhelmed with the horrors of humanity, these young girls from every walk of life release themselves to the power of the sea. Guided by the timahk--laws that govern mermaids--every mermaid joins a tribe and finds the love and family that they might have missed during their human days.

For Luce, one of the newest members of Catarina's tribe, joining the mermaids was the greatest thing that had happened to her in a long time. Luce was thrilled with her new life and the feelings of acceptance that she found in the other girls. But then Luce learns what it means to really be a mermaid. Sure, her voice is worthy of an angelic choir and her beauty surpasses anything on earth, but are these things really worth living with the guilt associated with being a siren? Luce is haunted by her eagerness to help the other mermaids sink ships and drown innocent humans. Then, Luce discovers a new power in her voice. She quickly learns that she can control the magic in her song, and change her death song into something more positive. Luce is overjoyed by her new knowledge, and wants to share her discovery with the other mermaids. This seems like a great idea, until Anais joins the tribe.

Anais is pure evil in the form of the most radiant mermaid Luce has ever seen. The other mermaids are quickly drawn to her and desire to please her malevolent whims. Despite her power over the other mermaids, Anais doesn't fool Luce. Luce can see the wickedness at the heart of the captivating mermaid and she wants to stop it. The timahk has always governed the behaviors of the mermaids, but not everyone is willing to follow the rules. Luce quickly learns that some rules have to be broken, and that she might have to stand alone. By the end of the novel, Luce is faced with a decision that will change the way mermaids conduct themselves forever. She is the key to restoring humanity to a race of beings that have been consumed with revenge for a long time.

Lost Voices is captivating from the first page! Sarah Porter's beautiful, descriptive language paints vivid pictures of beauty and pain. The sensuous descriptions of each character's emotion force the reader to bond with the girls in the book. As you read, you can feel Luce's pain in her memories, and the lust and greed of Anaise. The plot is fast paced, but perfectly developed; the tension that is building among the characters is felt on every page. As you read, you can't help but notice the struggles of humanity that are felt in some of the modern classics of our times (i.e. Lord of the Flies, The Chocolate War). This series will certainly be worthy of shelf space next to Mr. Cormier and Mr. Golding.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Graceful and Strong June 14, 2011

By StarReviewer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

For the first chapter or two, I couldn't get into `Lost Voices'. I prefer YA aimed at older teens (and therefore, usually adults as well) and was disappointed to see that the heroine was only fourteen. But soon I was sucked into an engrossing story, both painful and beautiful, that will appeal to people of all ages. The book is about girls and young women who were hurt in some horrible way (raped, almost murdered, abandoned, etc.) who turn into mermaids. After the transformation, the feel an irresistible urge to sing deadly songs that lure all who hear them to their deaths. Though all of the mermaids were victimized in some way, this is not an `issue' book. It's more of a serious, thoughtful fantasy. This isn't a romance, which is unusual for a YA, and in my opinion a nice change. The story's about friendship and how far people will go to preserve it; it's about respect for life; it's about the human cruelties and kindnesses; and it's about a young woman torn between loyalty to her friends and what she knows is right. This isn't a story about forgiving bad people; it's about the difference between a victim becoming a survivor, or a victimizer. It's a beautiful, sad story about human relationships, with a strong touch of fantasy via the mermaids and their amazing songs. The writing itself is gorgeous, the dialog is excellent, and the description of the mermaids, their magical singing, and the setting of Alaska are great. I'd have liked to read more about Alaska, but that's literally my only complaint. I can't wait for the sequel!