Title:  The Mermaid’s Mirror
Author:  L.K. Madigan
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date:  October 2010
Hardcover: 336 pages

*I received this book as an eGalley free from the Publisher.

When I read the synopsis before requesting this book, I was really excited to read it. Contemporary Fantasy is always something that tugs at me.  And mermaids? Oh my!

From Goodreads: “…Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman—with a silvery tail.

Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …”

So, yes, I was hooked and I had to read the book.  However…and unfortunately…the reading was slow going.  Not much happens in the first hundred or so pages, though the pace picks up near the middle of the book.  It’s established early on that our protagonist, Lena, very much loves her family and is especially close to little brother Cole.  It isn’t until nearly the final third of the book, though, that I began to feel the emotional tug that Lena must have been experiencing while making such huge life choices.

The Mermaid’s Mirror was definitely an engaging read once it go moving, but it was not a novel of any depth.  Would I recommend it to my nieces and nephews?  Probably so.   It’s a fresh, fun read with a premise not often seen.

Oh, and I absolutely love the cover art. 🙂

6 of 10