"Men are fools. They see only with their eyes, and are blinded to the truest treasures that stand before them dressed in the ordinary dust and sweat of hard life... The men and women of this island should beware, for they are pitiful creatures indeed when true greatness can be hidden from them by mere dirt and rags.""The whale let out a haunting cry that reverberated through my whole being. The song was so beautiful, I ached inside with its infinite sadness. Mourning for dreams which had never come true, for courage that went unsung, and for the spark of hope that refused to die --- even in the darkness of a world that tried to smother it. The song was mine. The whale keened my pain and sorrow for the entire ocean to hear."Sheila Nielson is a beautiful writer!! I was immediately struck by the flowing, descriptive language, so well-crafted that one soars through the story effortlessly. Like an island native who accompanies you on a tour, Nielson paints a vivid, believable picture of the island life of Adrianne Keynnman, a fourteen-year-old girl who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. In an unspecified century past, Adrianne has supported her small family almost single-handedly, ever since her father died two years previously. Painfully poor, this scrappy and noble girl lives a bleak life, a skin-and-bones shadow of her former happy self. But she labors on, hoping that things will get better.One night, sweet younger sister Cecily is caught in a terrible storm. After hours of searching Adri finds her in the company of a captivating mermaid. In the struggle to free her sister from this frightening and beautiful creature, the mermaid grasps Adri's right wrist in a powerful grip, and embeds it with a magical and painful mark that serves as a conduit of communication between the two. When the local townsfolk become aware of the mermaid's mark, Adrianne is shunned by all but her best friend Denn, whom she loves, but without hope of his returning it. As the mermaid begins to call to her from the sea, it becomes increasingly difficult for Adrianne to ignore, until finally she determines that she must face the creature, even if it means death.In a surprising turn of events, the mermaid doesn't wish to harm her, but rather to offer her a different life, apart from her loved ones and all of the trials that attend her present situation. The beauty and magic of the world underseas is overwhelming and almost impossible to resist. She is certain that very few islanders would even miss her, if she disappeared. So the anxiety mounts as she contemplates the choices in front of her. A perfectly spell-binding tale, with complex, believable characters in a lush, fantastical setting. Five stars! And this is just her first book! Can't wait to see more from this author. This week I read The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Neilson. And once again, I am simply floored by how well-written a lot of these books are! I LOVED Forbidden Sea! It was delightful! So Adrianne is a fourteen-year-old girl who pretty much supports her entire, destitute family. Her father was killed several years ago in a tragic accident, and ever since then, she's been running the household. She looks after her broken soul of a mother, her sweet--if a bit spoiled at times--younger sister, and her mean-tempered Auntie who she can never seem to please.Meanwhile, she's crushing hard on the boy who's been her best friend since they were both teeny-boppers, but who sees her as a friend and sister. At the beginning, her younger sister Cecily, after learning that the family can no longer afford to feed their dog and must sell the animal, runs away to the sea to cry and gets herself caught on some dangerous rocks in a storm. Adrianne is the only one who knows her sister well enough to find her, and when she does, she is attacked by a beautiful mermaid that leaves a scar on Adrianne's wrist. The rest of the novel is her hearing the mermaid call to her from the sea and avoiding her fate with terror. Something similar happened to a young woman of legend a hundred years before, and she was never seen again. Adrianne has no plan to share that woman's fate. Meanwhile, she's picked on by the rich of the island who look down on her for her poverty, all while fighting to feed her family and keep her Auntie's constant ire from coming down on her. Denn, her crush, often stands up to her, but never in a way that spells romance.I found this story to be refreshing. It totally kept my attention. I empathized so much with Adrianne. Hers is the plight of any young woman struggling to shoulder a burden too heavy for her shoulders, all while feeling worse than invisible--like the ugly duckling that people can't help but notice. In a bad way. Meanwhile, her young girl heart still dreams of the boy she likes. And now she's got a mermaid after her! I pretty much read this in one sitting. I started reading it one day, but only got about twenty pages through it. The next day, I sat down to read...and finished it. Just totally loved this book. It was so touching and well-written that I even got misty-eyed a few times. It's especially surprising that I connected with the main character so much because generally I prefer adult characters to YA ones, but I loved this girl! Overall, I totally loved this book. I would recommend it absolutely anyone who is looking for a great read.
What do You think about The Forbidden Sea (2010)?
I was told to read this by the author's niece. I'm glad I did. It was a quick, cute read.
—Niav
Wow, I ended up really enjoying this mermaid story! This is a good one! Read it!
—Big_Drew_94
Loved this one! I could not put it down!
—momsndy
also read this one in less than 3 days
—cmcpherro80
