Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (October 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599904349
ISBN-13: 978-1599904344

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren–the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn’t seen since childhood–a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Is it just me or does it seem like there is a downpour of mermaid themed books lately?  Even with the amount of mermaid books on the market right now,  I still wanted to read this book and see what sort of spin this author could bring to the mermaid tale.  While I never read the authors first book Magic Under Glass, I understood that it was a sort of spin off from that one involving certain characters.


Again, since I have never read anything by this author before, I did enjoy this book and the tale of mermaids and sirens.  I didn’t get lost and the author explained everything to the point of being able to imagine myself in the undersea world.  While I enjoyed the first few chapters involving the set up of the plot, it eventually started to flop for me.  I couldn’t connect with the characters and the interaction between everyone was not as established as it should have been.  The main plot is for Esmerine to find her older sister Dosinia, but I never really felt the sisterly bond that should have formed early on to make it a plausible outcome.  


While fans of the mermaid/siren world will more than likely enjoy this book, I am one of the few that would rather not set sail again on this voyage without some further fixes from the author.