Entwined

Entwined

by Heather Dixon

     Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.
     The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
     Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
     But there is a cost.
     The Keeper like to keep things.
     Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.*

     I love fairy tales! A couple of years ago I when on a fairy tale rage and discovered this treasure. Re-reading a couple of years later, I find I like it even more then when I originally read it. Aprilynne Pike says, "Entwined is a riveting read—a deletable fairy tale with everything a good story should have: breathtaking romance; powerful and even frightening magic; a rich, beautiful setting; and, of course, dancing!"
 
     This story had one of those endings that had everything you wanted and I was very satisfied when I finished this novel.

* From the dust jacket

The Forbidden Sea

The Forbidden Sea

by Sheila A. Nielson

     When, one stormy night, a mermaid comes to take Adrianne Keynnman's sister, Cecily down into the depths of the sea, Adrianne knows she must fight with every ounce of her strength to protect her little sister. On land, Adrianne toils away, trying to eke out a living for her mother, sister, and aunt, after a tragic accident stole her father. Now, life takes a storage and frightening turn as Adrianne's dreams are filled with the mermaid's singing.

     When it becomes clear that it isn't Cecily the mermaid wants, Adrianne wonders how she can protect her family from their superstitious island community as the mermaid attempts to lure her into the sea, night and day.

     In this powerful tale of heartache and redemption, a girl born on land must choose between the promise of an underwater paradise and her loyalty to those she loves.*

     The Forbidden Sea is a very emotional book.  I don't mean the character is emotional and always crying, just that you feel her emotions.  Her sadness, her confusion, her fear. I really liked this book because, I love mermaids and sirens and underwater magical creatures.  They really interest me, and so when I read books about them I can relate to other books and see how they are portrayed differently. 

*From the dust jacket