Julia’s fate hinges on a missing magic ring. Before she can become queen, she must find the ring, lost for a hundred fifty years, since the crown is useless without it. And when she learns that the combined power of crown and ring can make her human again, she’s even more motivated to search for it.
Accompanied by one of the merclan elders, Julia embarks on a perilous quest to find the ring. Along the way she blunders into a fishing net and meets Chac, a seventeen-year-old Mayan boy enamored of merfolk who promises to help her in her search. But if and when Julia does find the ring, can she also find happiness as a mermaid queen? —Goodreads
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Art Studio
Quote: “I am drawn to beautiful things...but beauty that reaches beyond the eyes and into the soul, the poignant beauty of spirituality, loss, fragility, and hope. These are the themes that weave a common thread through my work using nature as metaphor to explore the human psyche.” —Ingraham on Website
First Line: "Mom....please! Just five more minutes!"
Great Character Line: "...Think about what you're living right now! That's all any of us have, the moment."—Chac (85)
What Others Are Saying: “I found it refreshing that it seemed to break the current YA trend of love-triangles, sappy, weak-willed heroines, and girls who turn into mush at the first sight of a handsome boy. . . Julia is intelligent and strong, and while there is a cute boy involved, they work more as a team. . . love to read more!” —Sophia Flynt
"I read this book in one sitting. I LOVED it!! The writing was clear and crisp, with short chapters and a fast pace. I was never bored or lost interest for a moment. The plotline kept me guessing until the end...) —Stacy on Goodreads
What I Thought: It's hard to choose what I liked best about this book. I loved Julia's character, she's strong and brave, yet impulsive. Crawford does an incredible job of world building and her descriptions of culture reminded me of Lewis Carrol, Frank Baum and J.M. Barrie and the way their writing whisked me off to distant lands. The pacing was perfect and the plot provided some unexpected twists. While this is young adult—Julia is fifteen— I think this would appeal to Tweens because it's full of adventure, self-discovery and a touch of magic.
Annie Crawford
Website
Interview
Who: "I’ve been an avid reader ever since I learned what those funny squiggles on the page were all about. I’m also a writer, with two completed novels under my belt, The Ring of Leilani and The Curse of the Jade Amulet (find them on Amazon or Smashwords.com), two that have been put on the shelf for the time being, and another where I’m currently finishing up the first draft. What age levels are my books for? That’s hard to say. Personally, I don’t think the dividing line’s always that clear. I love good books, whether they’re for adults or children. Great kids’ books aren’t just for kids, they’re for everyone who loves magic, fantasy and discovering new worlds. As for adult books being for kids—well, my parents didn’t police the bookshelves and I readTropic of Capricorn at eleven. But that’s another story, and I don’t necessarily recommend Henry Miller for tweens!"
—Magic And The Muse
I'm giving away my copy all you have to do is answer the question in a comment.
Who said, "beauty that reaches beyond the eyes and into the soul"?
Don't miss the other MMGM reviewers! Great books this week... you can find them in my sidebar!
I love it when you enjoy a book so much you can't pinpoint your most favorite thing about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you for such a wonderful review!!!
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