Review: Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson

Title: Between the Land and the Sea Author: Derrolyn Anderson Series: Marina’s Tales #1 Publisher: Derrolyn Anderson Published: March 19, 2011 My Copy: from author Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep ocean waters off the coast of Aptos, California. In just a few weeks after moving to the small beach town, sixteen year old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can only manage to survive her increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might just be able to unlock the mystery of her past to learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her…and maybe even find true love along the way. Between The Land And The Sea is the first book in the series “Marina’s Tales”. Her story continues on in book two, The Moon And The Tide.

I always start reading an indie published novel with a bit of trepidation. An independently published book can either be very good or very bad. There’s rarely a happy middle. I’m pleased to report that Between the Land and the Sea falls into the it-kicked-ass category! The story is overflowing with intrigue, budding romance and paranormal goodies. Also, the characters are well-developed and engaging. And finally, who doesn’t love a good mermaid story!?

My favorite part of this book would have to be the story line. The pace is great. Derrolyn Anderson reveals just enough to keep the plot interesting without giving up too much and as a result, readers are left guessing until the end. There’s also a few nice side stories that run parallel to the main one and they compliment each other well. Among them are the blooming romance between the two main characters, Cruz’s growing fashion career and Marina’s cryptic origins. Needless to say, there’s never a dull moment! Having multiple plots can sometimes be dangerous because you run the risk of the story becoming too weighed down and confusing. Rest assured that that’s not the case here. Derrolyn maintains a nice balance throughout this book.

Ethan is a mega hunk! I’m ashamed to admit that I was crushing pretty hardcore on him because he’s only 18. Darn these Young Adult novels for making me feel like a perv! He has that sexy, doesn’t-try-too-hard, surfer look going on. Ethan’s hot but doesn’t really seem to know it or at least he doesn’t flaunt it. Plus he’s a hard worker and is taking planning for his future quite seriously which is a rare trait to find in someone so young. Okay, I need to stop swooning over this guy! Moving on… Marina’s story is quite fascinating as well. I enjoyed how she slowly discovers the truth of her past by bits and pieces. I couldn’t help from speculating on the possibilities. It turns out that I was right but I still appreciated the journey. The only thing about Marina’s personality that irked me a bit is that she’s fiercely independent. She keeps everything to herself thinking that no one will understand but when she finally reveals all her friends are super sympathetic. Surprise, surprise!

As the book drew to a close I started to get a little worried that Derrolyn was going to leave me stuck with a killer cliff hanger. I was immensely relieved when I got to the last page and that wasn’t the case. There’s still some questions that are left unanswered which made me crave the next installment but overall I was satisfied. Between the Land and the Sea is one of the better mermaid books on the market and if book one is anything to go by, The Moon and the Tide is looking like a sweet read!

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