A splashy sequel worth two fins up...

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place to get your bookish fix any day of the week.  Today we're splashing back into a series via its second installment.  Book one rocked...but book two blows it out of the water, so to speak.  They are mermaids after all...well some of them anyway, but before this review swims ahead of itself, allow me to introduce it properly. Get your wetsuit and surfboard, it's time to check out the choice waves with today's featured title...

MARINA'S TALES, BOOK 2:
THE MOON AND THE TIDE
By
Derrolyn Anderson

*WARNING - if you have not read book one, I suggest you do before diving into this book two. Though it could be read as a stand alone title, the character connections are just that much richer with the first "adventure" under your belt.*

We meet our friends just a short time after the last turn of the page. The excitement is high, the fashion jaw droppingly gorgeous, and the danger as real as ever.  Marina's decision to have a life on land as well as at sea (temporarily at least) is about to have some serious consequences.   Her love of surfing has grown...so much so that while she promises Ethan (her match made in heaven) that she will stay away from the water...especially her mermaid relatives....she just can't seem to help herself. The call of the wet and wild is too great and her desire to keep her promise leads to some dangerous nighttime activities. Ever dreamed of night surfing? Yeah...didn't think so...but that was Evie's solution to quenching her thirst so to speak and gaining that tranquility that a day on the water provided. Things were going well and Ethan was none the wiser...notice I said Ethan. 

Although she may have thought her activities went unnoticed, they definitely were not.  Someone was watching....waiting for just the right moment to set plans in motion so devious, so life threatening in every sense of the word..that I can't spill the beans on it here.  Suffice it to say that Evie will have to call on all the powers her heritage has bestowed on her in order to escape the fate designed for her by someone else. 

Sound complicated?  Not really....but it adds another element of surprise and drama to the story that while unexpected, works well to keep readers on their toes.  Just when you've settled in to a routine of sorts...BAM!  You're sideswiped by the change of events.  Good stuff indeed....now a few things to note beyond the greatness of the story....

I was right!  (Oh come on...you know it's fun just to say that sometimes...) There IS something different about Evie, so be sure to pay attention for the big reveal.  The revelation that there is an evil organization out to get Marina and her kind that doesn't involve the government is surprising....but just who makes up that group, even more so; again something to watch for because the details can get murky. Although Marina's personality is not manipulative or overtly flirty, it was nice to see her embracing her "talents"; she knew they'd provide the edge she needed to try and defeat the intentions of those around her...even if the results were a bit intense.

In short, a great follow up to the success that was book one (BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA) and a series that Young Adult fans will want to make sure is on their radar.  Marina's past may no longer be a complete mystery, but her future is still heavily veiled.  She is unique in many ways and her relationship with land (Aptos sounds lovely), man (yoo-hoo...Ethan!), and sea is a rocky road at best;  how it all fits into the big picture of things is gonna be interesting.  Book three is definitely on my "to read" list...can't wait to continue the adventure and see what Marina's fate will be.

Recommended read for middle grade readers through adults.  The PG13 nature of the writing keeps things even keel so it can be enjoyed by one and all.  Ebook copy for review courtesy of author Derrolyn Anderson.  (Thanks!)  For more information on this series as well as her complete works, visit her online at http://www.derrolyn.com/

Until next time...happy reading!