Fathomless

August 20, 2012
Continuing to recast classic stories in a dark, contemporary setting, Pearce offers a haunting version of The Little Mermaid, set in the same world as Sisters Red. Lo used to be human, but she barely remembers that life, growing more accustomed to living undersea with her "sisters" as an "ocean girl." Lo has been told that the only way to regain her soul is to make a human boy fall in love with herâand then drown him. When a teenage guitarist named Jude falls into the ocean, Lo saves him and meets Celia Reynolds, who has the psychic ability to read a person's past. Celia sees Lo's former life as Naida (a girl with connections to a character from Pearce's Sweetly), and as both girls fall for Jude, "Naida" is no longer content to remain an ocean creature. As with Pearce's previous books, the sibling relationships in this story are just as dominant as the supernatural elements. Lo's struggles with her inhumanity, her two selves, and the expectations of Celia, Jude, and her sisters are especially poignant. Ages 15âup. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

August 1, 2012
Even when surrounded by sisters, Celia and Lo feel alone, until a seaside encounter brings them together in this brooding paranormal romance. Lo is a relatively young "ocean girl"--she lives underwater and sings, but is never labeled a mermaid or siren--still anchored to her former human life and drawn to the surface world. Unlike her older "sisters," who drift on the current and ascend to meet their allegedly angelic maker, Lo aims to be cured of her condition by drowning a mortal lover. On land, unlike her seemingly shallow, identical and manipulative triplet sisters, Anne and Jane, Celia Reynolds prefers to ignore her psychic powers and mope along the boardwalk. After Lo and Celia save the hapless, handsome guitarist Jude Wallace from drowning, Celia helps Lo remember her life as Naida Kelly--to everyone's peril. Parents are conveniently dead or absent, but real-life concerns of rent, school and transportation lend the story an Alice Hoffman-like air of magical realism rather than typical teen paranormal lightness. Ruminations on individuality, identity and memory as well as constant narrative shifts among Celia, Lo and Naida hamper plot progress but impart a dreamy quality. Not a retelling of, but distantly related to Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." A tale dark, deep and strong, like the sea. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

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December 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-Anne, Jane, and Celia are no ordinary triplets. Anne can read a person's future; Jane, their present; and Celia, their past. The girls spend their days wandering the boardwalk of their coastal town and testing their powers on the tourists. Although Celia's sisters insist that they are "stronger together," she has always felt like the weakest link. However, when she meets Lo, a mysterious girl who lives in the ocean and has no recollection of her human life, she finally understands the value of her unique gift. They work together to unravel Lo's past; but the more Lo remembers, the more she'd like to forget. Chapters alternate between Lo's and Celia's perspectives as Lo struggles to understand who she is and Celia strives to form an identity separate from her sisters. This modern-day retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" plays up the dark side of the fairy tale; teens will find themselves both entranced and terrified by Pearce's world beneath the waves and the tension between the two protagonists once they begin fighting for the love of the same boy. Those who have read the author's other books will delight in the tie-ins, but familiarity with them is not necessary to follow the story. Fans of Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars (Dial, 2006) and Marissa Meyer's Cinder (Feiwel & Friends, 2012) are likely to enjoy this quick-paced revamp.-Jennifer Furuyama, Pendleton Public Library, OR

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
Grades 8-11 Shy Celia has always felt overshadowed by her beautiful and talented sisters, Anne and Jane. While Anne can see the future and Jane can see the present, Celia, the youngest triplet, is embarrassed by her own useless ability to see the past. That is, until Celia encounters Lo, a mysterious girl from the sea, and Jude, a handsome musician whom Celia and Lo save from drowning. Lo cannot remember who she was or how she became an ocean girl; she knows only that her one chance in regaining her humanity lies in seducing and sacrificing Jude. Or can she forge another path with Celia's help? Seasoned fairy-tale adapter Pearce balances a myriad of voices, narrators, and histories in this fresh, modern, and creepy take on Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. While the basis for this story will be familiar to most, Pearce's innovative twists and brisk pacing make for a quick and deliciously suspenseful read that will appeal to those who enjoy their paranormal romance with a side of murder.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)