Review: Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: June 28th, 2011

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

Tera Lynn Childs’s sequel to Forgive My Fins offers another tail-flicking romance with plenty of fun, sun, and underwater adventure.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I've loved every Tera Lynn Childs book I've read.  They are such a breath of fresh air!  I always have a feeling of levity and a sunshiny glow when I'm finished.  Although Fins Are Forever is not my absolute favorite of her books, I still adored it (my favorite so far is Sweet Venom).  It picks up where the first book, Forgive My Fins, left off and continues Lily's story.  She is happily in love with Quince and her life is pretty much just peachy, even if it is on land.  She has plans for her future with Quince and although she misses Thalassinia and her family, she feels like she has made the right choice.  Right?  Add a bratty, banished cousin and a hottie prince from another mer-kingdom to the mix and Lily's peachy life plans start to unravel...  I don't want to spoil, so I won't give any more info about the story, but I will say that I am happy that there will be a 3rd book (Just For Fins, Katherine Tegen Books, July 3rd, 2012), because although the end was fine, I would love to know more about what happens next in Lily's life.

The story was, as per Tera's MO, very cute.  Heavy on the romance, but not sickeningly so.  I think Tera tried for a love-triangle, but that fell flat because Lily and Quince are too strong a couple, which in my opinion, is a good thing.  I like to see a couple sure of each other and not so fickle as to be drawn to the first new person to show interest.  As with the first book, I loved Tera's descriptions of Thalassinia best.  I want to live there!  Then, of course, there were the characters.  Lily is a nice girl- there's nothing to dislike about her- she's the daughter every parents wants to have, the BFF every girl wants, and the perfect girlfriend; Quince is great, maybe a little too perfect, but I guess their perfect coupledom is part of the book's charm.  I loved getting to know feisty Doe since she ended up being a favorite character.  She spiced things up and kept the book from being boring.

Overall, I thought this book was great.  Not as good as the first book, but it definitely served its purpose by lightening my mood after a slew of heavier books.  Like I mentioned before, I am so glad that there is going to be a 3rd book, because I am not ready for this story to be over.
My Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  Very clean.  There's are a few make-out scenes, but I wouldn't even call those PG-13; nothing hot and heavy.  No violence, no cursing.  This book is fine for ages 10 and up (5th grade+).