There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

3.5 stars

If you are looking for a squeaky clean fairy tale/fantasy type of story, this is for you! I truly appreciated the modesty and chasteness of Clara. Clara was delivered to Auntie by stork and her sister Maren was dropped off in a conch shell. To no surprise, Maren is turning into a mermaid and Clara is scared she will be turning into a stork. This is a story of family and how you will go to the ends of the earth to save someone you love. Intrigue, dragons, gypsies, and more! Will Clara be able to get her sister to the ocean to return her to her father before she dwindles away into nothing? Will Clara turn into a stork?

I believe this book is suitable for most ages 11 and up. For those teens and/or parents looking for a YA novel that is clean, this is your book. Great moral/ethical background in the story with a few twists and turns that you might not see coming your way.

Your adoptive sister is a mermaid. Changing rapidly into a mermaid form, and longing for the sea. And your heart is torn between love and wanting to help. And then there is O' Neill. She loves him and you love him. And your heart is torn again.

Beautiful, magical book, with lovely world created for the characters to live in. Visually very appealing setting is just the right food for the imagination to "see" the forms, colours, clothes and characters, and I love it. This is not by a far shot any Tolkien-level of quality and imagination kind of book (and the authoress doesn't aspire for that), but certain tolkienisms come to mind, especially about the cosy things and feelings, and the certain longing for the sea :)
The story is also very fairytale-y - the journey for the good and the conflicts between good and evil and between the characters, too. Just what I looked for, being tired from my adult job and other problems and wanting an appealing story to drift me away and to refresh me. And the book did that and more.
It is a tale for young adults (and definitely for adults like me), so the certain logic can't be applied here. Yes, there are some points which may be not the strictly logical, but I truly haven't read this book as a mystery novel looking for clues, but as an imaginative ride, feeding my senses and even the childlike parts of my soul. And I can say that this is the best YA novel I have read this year.
I immensely enjoyed Clara and O'Neill (Maren, not so much, to be honest) and their journey marked with both obscure and fantastical and "normal" and human circumstances and creatures.

This is also a clean read (another personal preference, as some YA these days are pure erotica).

I never had a chance to review this before it expired. I'm sorry!