May 2018, Createspace158 pages, Paperback, Review copy,
Book summary
The Beatrice sank in the Mediterranean Sea two hundred years ago. Lost
to the world – until now. Divers are preparing to plunder her treasure
unaware that any interference of the unusual contents will trigger a
catastrophic event. The terrifying consequences of the divers succeeding
are unimaginable. Twelve-year-old Marco and a mermaid, Lois, are the
only ones who can prevent the curse from happening. Have they
overestimated their abilities? They have 48 hours to journey the
treacherous underwater route from Malta to Sardinia to find help and
then return. Time is tight, but that’s the least of their problems…
Nayu's thoughts
I love stories involving mermaids because mermaids can be great fun: I like exploring their world, seeing the slightly different way of life under the sea with sea themed items that get used in daily life. I'm used to mermaid stories having a female protagonist, not a male, which made Marco's story appealing to me. I mean how many boys are able to help out a mermaid trying to save the world? Not many, that I know of!
Marco isn't a mermaid, but he does become able to be underwater for long periods of time, thanks to Lois's help. That doesn't mean he is welcomed by the other mermaids. Some actively do their best to dismiss him and get rid of him, thankfully they don't succeed but it's touch and go at one point. Being underwater isn't the biggest problem facing Marco: I truly didn't think they could fulfil in their mission in 48 hours. On their own, there's no way they had the abilities or the tools do it. But there's a lot of creatures in the sea, some who wish to help, and others who wish to hinder them.
This was my favourite part of the book. You can't do anything about evil people, but as Marco and Lois find out being kind to everyone, no matter what their personality is or how they look, is always the right path to take and can lead to some inopportune moments. I'm not saying more than that, but the connection between kindness and consideration for others and being helped out was wonderful to see. It made me crazy happy at the darkest times when help came from unexpected quarters for Marco, who couldn't always be helped by Lois who is a sweetheart.
I had my suspicions about the evil ones in the story, which were partially confirmed by the end. Good conquers evil always makes for a great read! Yet it's far from easy for Marco and Lois, and honestly it looks downright bleak at quite a few points in the book. The story touches on environmental issues with the sea that are a concern in our modern world, which I hope readers think about and take action in their own way. I certainly hope there will be future adventures for Marco and Lois who make a brilliant team!
Suggested read
While not a mermaid, the heroine in this book is literally a magical girl which makes her time in the human world more than a little interesting: Eden's Escape by M. Tara Crowl (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)
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