Just for Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Just For Fins, but may contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Forgive My Fins and the second book Fins Are Forever. A spoiler-free review of the first two books can be found here. 

For some unjustifiable reason I still haven't picked up any other books by Tera Lynn Childs after falling in love with her clever and funny mermaids in the Fins series, but when I heard there was going to be a third book I definitely had to rush to read it. Even though the last book, Fins Are Forever, wasn't quite as amazing as the first one, Forgive My Fins, I still had very high hopes for Just for Fins. And while it was a cute, enjoyable story, it didn't blow me out of the water in the same way Forgive My Fins first did.

In Just for Fins, Lily is finally Princess of Thalassinia, and her boyfriend Quince finally has the ability to breathe underwater. Things should be perfect, but of course they're not. First, there's that mer-bond (in name only) and promise Lily's made to her friend Tellin, whose kingdom is being destroyed by changing ocean temperatures. And it's not just Tellin's kingdom at risk, all over the globe mer people are suffering, and Lily knows she'll have to bring them together if she has any hope of making things right. Then, if that wasn't enough, it turns out there's actually some ancient law that might keep Lily and Quince apart after all! It will take everything Lily has, along with help from all of her friends– and maybe a few new ones– in order to make things work but Lily has no intention of going down without a fight.

I really, really loved Quince when he was first introduced. But for some reason, he just didn't really capture my heart in this novel. I think it may have been his minimal page time, because when he was there he was mostly just confessing his love for Lily or making out with her. And the whole future together forever after only dating for a few weeks seemed really rushed, especially without much of a reminder of what they love about each other in the first place. Mostly though, Quince just didn't have the snark of the first book, and that was what I loved about him so much. In Just for Fins, the romance is mostly an afterthought, and it seems like every hurdle possible was being thrown at Quince and Lily. I get that the series isn't over and it's not time for them to swim off into the sunset yet, but I wanted a conflict that was more internal and had more to do with Quince and Lily themselves and less to to do with yet another unheard of ancient law. What I did appreciate was that there was even a joke in the novel about how this keeps happening; and I can only hope that means that it won't again if there's a book four.

In addition to Quince, I just didn't feel so strongly about the supporting characters in Just for Fins either. They felt pretty flat to me, and those that did change from previous books seemed to do so too easily. There were a few instances of bad characters becoming good, which is great, but their change didn't feel realistic, it just seemed sudden. And even though they were suddenly helping Lily instead of working against her, didn't give them extra depth or layers which is what I wanted. Another minor complaint was the way Lily treated college, like of course she didn't need it because she was going to be a mer princess and they didn't teach mer politics. But obviously the marine biology she was originally interested in would still have been helpful to know about. Also, when it came to Quince she said he already had a job lined up in construction. Which is great, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have gone to trade school or gotten an apprenticeship or something. For such a big life changing decision, it really felt brushed off.

Surprising to me was the fact that the major storyline, about Lily trying to get the mer kingdoms to work together, was definitely the component I enjoyed most in Just for Fins, because going into the novel all I wanted to read about was Quince. But I liked the sweet message of harmony behind Lily's quest, and I thought it would be really wonderful for younger readers especially. It also gave Lily a chance to be a strong leader, but at the same time it showed how much she needed support in order to accomplish her mission. I loved that she couldn't have accomplished what she did on her own, because even though this is a book about mermaids, it made it feel true-to-life. It also showed how much Lily has grown up, even though this series takes place over a matter of weeks.

This Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs are definitely my favourite cute mermaid books, but I admit that some of the charm is starting to wear off and I'm afraid that additional novels will only decrease the sparkle for me. That said, I really love Lily, and I absolutely adore Childs' writing (especially the puns), so that I have a hard time claiming I wouldn't pick up another book. I probably would. I enjoyed the main storyline of Just for Fins and thought it showed a lot of growth for the character and the series, but the book just didn't awe me in the same way the first one did, and even though it ends on a good note it definitely leaves the possibility open for further novels– I'm just conflicted over if I want any more. I think I'll be picking up a different Childs' series next instead.

Release Date: July 3rd 2012  Pages: 272  Publisher: HarperCollins  Buy It: Book Depository
Also By This Author:  Forgive My Fins (Fins #1);  Fins Are Forever (Fins #2) 

Fins Series by Tera Lynn Childs

I decided to do one joint review for this two book series, keeping my comments vague enough to avoid spoilers for either novel so it's possible to read the entire two book review without spoiling either book.

I admit, it probably didn't matter what anyone else said about these books, I was going to be reading Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs at the very least because they had absolutely gorgeous covers. Yes, I admit I can be lured in that way. Still, as soon as I got a taste of Childs' humour and charisma, I was sucked into her magical world- hook, line and sinker.

Forgive My Fins is the story of seventeen year old Lily Sanderson, a mermaid princess who has been living on land for the past couple years since she found out her mother was actually human, not mer. She was only planning to stay a year but ends up sticking around waiting for the right moment to break her secret to her crush, and intended future mer-mate, Brody. Unfortunately, Brody seems to have other plans but after getting out of a two year relationship Lily knows now is the moment to make her move. However, things don't exactly go according to plan and because mer "bond" for life, Lily is in for a tidal adventure.

I cannot say enough good things about Forgive My Fins, a book that often had me chuckling out loud while reading it and turning the page with eager enjoyment of the same kind I experienced when reading Stork by Wendy Delsol. The Fins and Stork series have a few things in common, both are inspired by myth and feature teenage girls, both are fairly clean reads, and both authors have an awesome sense of humour that is engaging but they also know when to take issues more seriously.

The characters definitely make this book, the sarcastic banter between Lily and her best friend Shannon, and especially her next door neighbour Quince, is hilarious and keeps Forgive My Fins flowing easily.  In some ways, Forgive My Fins reminded me a bit of the film Aquamarine, because it was charming and light-hearted in comparison to many of the darker siren tales being published like The Lost Voices and Ripple. Even the followup, Fins Are Forever, although it does take on some more serious issues, still manages to maintain a light-hearted, if slightly angsty at times, voice.

Having fallen so deeply in love with Forgive My Fins (and QUINCE of course), a novel that ended with a definite hook (although it didn't have the kind of Massive Cliffhanger Ending (MCE) that I hate), I was incredibly excited to pick up the followup immediately afterward. Unfortunately, although it was a book I enjoyed, Fins Are Forever just didn't have quite the same, sparkle, as the previous book. Perhaps, having enjoyed the banter between Lily and Quince so much I was disappointed that it was basically absent from this book. In fact, Quince himself hardly makes an appearance and is instead replaced my several less complex and interesting characters such as a Royal Prince and Brody. Plus, a lot of the storyline is a repeat from the first book, albeit with slightly different results.

The ending of Fins Are Forever also let me down, things just wrapped up a little too perfectly. I'm definitely a fan of the happy ending, and I thought Lily deserved one, but maybe because both books take place over a short period of time- only about a month and a half-  things just seemed to develop too perfectly to feel believable. Overall, I realize these are books about mermaids but a lot of the things Lily faces- trying to fit in, having a crush on somebody who doesn't notice you, living up to your parent's expectations- are those that other teens could easily relate to. I felt that even if the storyline of Fins Are Forever wasn't quite up to par, Childs definitely has a unique approach to taking on the struggle of teen life, in a way that is both hilarious and absolutely adorable.

Ultimately, Fins Are Forever didn't live up to my expectations set by Forgive My Fins but Tera Lynn Childs has definitely gained a new fan and I look forward to reading more by her in the future; she's fin-tastic*. 

*Sorry, I just couldn't help it.

Forgive My Fins:  
Release Date: June 1st, 2010                  Pages: 293
Source: E-book                                       Buy the Book
Fins Are Forever:
Release Date: July 1st, 2011                   Pages: 272
Source: ARC From Publisher                 Buy the Book