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Alabaster Island: A Mermaid Curse Urban Fantasy Novel (The Mermaid Curse) by [M.S. Kaminsky]

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M.S. Kaminsky

Alabaster Island: A Mermaid Curse Urban Fantasy Novel (The Mermaid Curse) Kindle Edition

by M.S. Kaminsky (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

191 ratings

Part of: The Mermaid Curse

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Winner of the 2021 New York Author Project contest in the YA Fiction Category.

Seventeen-year-old Marei lives on Alabaster Island, a remote tropical isle inhabited by twenty-one families. Nobody under the age of eighteen has ever left to visit the mainland. The island and its strange customs are all that Marei and her friends know.

For years, Marei dreaded the Binding. On that day, each teen must write his or her choice of life mate. But with her childhood sweetheart drowned long ago, Marei has no boy in mind. And so she leaves her paper blank. This sets off a chain of events that ruptures the bedrock of her life and leads her to question the only home she’s ever had.

She encounters a mermaid, beings thought to have gone extinct. The mermaid tells Marei to leave the island and offers to help. When a handsome teen from the mainland becomes stranded after a supply drop, Marei falls in love. Her secret plan to flee becomes an obsession.

But the mermaid has a hidden agenda of her own. Now Marei must confront the shocking reality that lies beneath island life. The choices she makes threaten to upend her fate and that of her island community forever… but only if she can escape alive.

If you like Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Cassandra Clare, Dylan Farrow, Melissa Albert, Michelle Madow, Maggie Stiefvater, Shannon Hale, Kiera Cass, Kami Garcia, Carrie Anne Noble or Adrienne Young, you won't be able to put down the wildly addictive Mermaid Curse Series.

What Amazon readers are saying:

★★★★★ ‘Yes yes yes! This story was wonderful...I was sucked in and hooked until it ended. Then left desperate for more.’

★★★★★ ‘This is just the start of a fantastic new series by a wonderful author!’

★★★★★ ‘This book is so unlike my usual genre but I'm so grateful I deviated from my norm.’

★★★★★ ‘a rich world filled with mystery and intrigue.’

★★★★★ ‘Neither cover nor blurb are clues to the shadows within the pages.’

★★★★★ ‘This author has a fascinating mind! You will want to read it all in one sitting.’

★★★★★ ‘Oh I love a good Mermaid story! This was so much better than I even thought! I was hooked after only a couple of chapters.’

★★★★★ ‘WOW! Excellent story that you will truly enjoy!’

★★★★★ ‘A great read! A story that keep me glued to the pages from beginning to end.’

★★★★★ ‘I expected to simply glance it over. Instead, the story grabbed me, and I was hooked. It is well written and a real page turner.’

★★★★★ ‘Loved this story, The plot was so different and the characters were great.’

Print length

167 pages
Language

English
Publication date

August 12, 2017
Reading age

13 - 18 years
Grade level

8 - 12
File size

2849 KB
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Enabled
Word Wise

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S.G. Murry
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M.C. Frank
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M.E. Rhines
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Stacy Claflin
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C.K. Brooke
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J.R. Pearse Nelson
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Excerpt
A girl I'd never seen before lay in the rocks near the water. She had her head angled so I couldn't make out her face. Her hair lay dark, matted and tangled. Look up. I commanded.

Often while watching the goings on I'd make mental requests of my fellow islanders: Walk faster or scratch your nose. As far as I could tell, they went unheard. But today the girl obeyed my command and looked up. Her eyes were dark, piercing and filled with anger.

There was something odd about her. I rubbed my eyes. Maybe it was a trick of the light? I adjusted the focus and zoomed in closer. Half of her body was female, she wore a torn t-shirt with unreadable lettering. But the lower half of her body caused my breath to catch. Fins. Scales. Fish. Mermaid. A mermaid? But weren't those creatures gone centuries ago?

The Mermaid Curse.

I wracked my brain trying to remember what we'd learned in Assembly, wishing I'd paid more attention. Meanwhile, she continued to stare. Somehow, even from that great distance, she could see me. I drew back from the telescope, heart pounding.

About the Author

M.S. Kaminsky (Michael Sean-that's me-but almost everyone calls me Sean) writes YA and new adult suspense thrillers with twists of fantasy,mystery and fabulism. I aim to give readers the suspense and surprises I got reading Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl', the strong characters and action of 'The Hunger Games' and the mystery and paranormal thrills of Neil Gaiman's 'The Ocean at the End of The Lane'. (why not aim high?)

My most recent release, 'The Mermaid Curse Series' is a gripping paranormal suspense thriller that spans generations of women. 'Alabaster Island' is the prequel to the series followed by Book One, 'The Atlantis Twins' which is forthcoming. Please read the books in any order you fancy. I live and work in Brooklyn, NY with my husband.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0746PGVW6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Pollinated Productions LLC (August 12, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 12, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2849 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 167 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #13,921 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
191 ratings

About the author

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M.S. Kaminsky

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M.S. Kaminsky writes young adult urban fantasy and sci-fi with dashes of suspense, mystery and romance. His most recent release, The Mermaid Curse Series, reveals the enigmatic origin of mermaids in a gripping fantasy that spans generations of women.

When MSK is not writing he can be found with his husband attempting to tame the white water rapids of upstate New York or weeding in their garden. So far the rapids (and the weeds) are winning!

M.S. has been a lifelong writer. At four, he dictated his first short story to his dad before his hands were coordinated enough to hold a pencil. Today, his coordination is still questionable. However, his determination to write a good story remains just as strong as that spunky, four-year-old.

Visit www.mskaminsky.com to learn more and grab your free book!

Customer reviews

5 star		53%
4 star		25%
3 star		15%
2 star		6%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Enjoyable story, didn't quite like the ending

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2018

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This is an unusual story, one that sucked me in. Marei is a teenager who lives in isolation in an island community with her parents and about twenty other families. They are attempting to revive an ancient language and the traditions that go along with it. One of these traditions is "the binding," where the community pairs off teenage boys and girls. Marei's generation is the first to go through the revival of this tradition, yet there is no boy that she wants to be bound to. In the midst of all this, there is a shifty mermaid and the arrival of an enticing "outland" boy.

The early part of this story was strong and engaging. But as the end was approaching, I don't know if the author had a clear idea of how to wrap of Marei's story (it appears the next book is about her daughters). So it felt rushed and forced and the conclusion left me unsatisfied.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Gypsy M

Even with bits of fantasy and odd locale, still very rooted in reality

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2017

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Alabaster Island is a wonderfully rich coming-of-age story. Being a prequel I was expecting it to be novella short, but this actually clocked in at nearly 200 pages. Which meant it was able to fully explore the small exotic island world with all of its odd traditions and interesting neighbors. From her vivid memories of Daniel, to the magical items like the rainbow story shell, to all of the day to day things in her life. I loved how round of a character Merai was from her over-obsession with luck, to her soft heart who loved the tame sea gull and loved her friends, her rocky relationship with Ben, her rebelliousness, her insecurities, and her self-centered determination. And I loved the mermaid with her mysteriousness and obvious danger, and how she was fleshed out with bits of a ruined tee-shirt and a devilish glint in her eyes rather than the typical Disney shells and happy singing. She seemed far more real and closer to a creature of nature rather than having the typical princess personality. I loved that even with the bits of fantasy and it’s odd locale, it felt very rooted in reality. The story itself took its time unfolding with tantalizing bits of mystery and suspense and teenage plight, but it was certainly never boring. The only time I felt like it took a mis-step was a certain explanation (unless Lemurian physiology is quite a bit different from Human, you can’t birth something by swallowing it) and that final page felt rushed and written as a sloppy bridge between the prequel and book 1. My copy included a preview of Atlantis Twins and sadly it didn’t hook me. I originally found this book because I voted for Atlantis Twins on Kindle Scout, but while I loved the plot idea, the preview was slow moving, gross in at least a couple of scenes, and it didn’t ring as set in Hawaii (it felt like it could have been set in California, and btw, Mahalo means thank you, not hello).

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

C Mc

Fascinating premise; disappointing execution

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2020

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I loved the premise of this book: the mystery, the fantasy/dystopia blend, the colorful descriptions, the song. It was fun to watch Marei go on a journey of self-discovery, as well as uncovering the island's dark secrets, although it got annoying as she was indecisive and moody. But so much was either unfulfilled or just seemed implausible. Marei has lived with a broken heart, not able to consider any other man after her beloved Daniel died. But when she catches a glimpse of an Outland boy, she instantly falls for him. During their secret meetings, it is almost painful to watch their interactions: she is completely naive and sheltered, while he introduces her to weed, talks constant slang, and admits that he is "troubled." Yet *SPOILER ALERT* this doesn't make either them or HER PARENTS pause, and there is nothing but surprised joy from all when she finds out she is pregnant. Seventeen-year-old Dylan miraculously matures from his old ways to take care of them and they're apparently happy, even though Marei hides her true identity from him. Honestly, this story makes me so sad for Marei, who just seems to go from one bad situation to another. The ending is sudden and depressing.

The most intriguing parts were the scroll and the mermaid, and both were underutilized. Most of the characters came across as flat and somewhat childish (although that's sort of understandable for a generation that grew up on an isolated island). There was SO much potential that just didn't get fleshed out. And parts that seemed to foreshadow and then didn't, like the hint that there might be more to Daniel's death...is he really even dead?...but then it was just the mermaid finding his shirt (I still wonder what really happened). And the bizarre biology: Marei's "mom" claims to be her biological mother because she found her in an unhatched egg, swallowed it, and then birthed her like a human. Maybe on Alabaster Island the reproductive and digestive systems are connected? These wouldn't be enough to deter me if the story and/or characters were done well, but unfortunately it just wasn't quite there for me. Three stars for an amazing idea, just needed to be fleshed out better.

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Cathy

Life on a small island

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2019

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This story is about a young woman, Marai, who was born and lived on Alabaster Island. She was very happy with her 3 best friends, one she loved and 2 she loved like her brother and sister. They lived and played on land and water. Of course, Marai was happiest in the water. One day, the boy she loved died and she was crushed. She turned 18 and on that day she was supposed to write the named of the one she wanted to be "Bound" with. She left her slip blank. Now the gist of the story begins.
Marai ends up with twin girls and lives in Hawaii. She tells her girls her story on her "story teller". In book two we learn how Allie finds the tale. I think in book 3 we will find out more about Marai.
The author, M. S. Kaminski, weaves a tale that tells of Marai's childhood and is bringing the prequel into his other books.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

B. N. Busby

great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful story about a group of teenage friends living in a community on an island and their coming of age pairing off. The storyline and characters are well written and the actions of some of the parents and leaders of the island and the way their lives are portrayed is brilliant.
I have absolutely no problem recommending this series prequel.

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