Ascension by Kara Dalkey

 

This is an older YA that I remember wanting to read as a teen but my library didn't have any of the books. I guess you can say I'm making up for lost time by reading it now. WATER is the story of a mermaid named Nia. Mermaids (mermyds) in this world are pretty unusual-- some of them have tails, some don't. Some are more fish-like, others more human. They live in Atlantis and there's some pretty confusing world-building around that and how it sunk into the sea.

WATER takes a while to get rolling and at first it feels very middle grade in tone, but then the story gets much, much darker, with surprising amounts of court intrigue and deaths. The mythology is also pretty complex, with mermyds completing trials to become "Avatars," which basically turns them into psychic magi who become bonded with alien squid familiars. Sound weird? IT IS.

I liked this book but I skimmed portions of it because the pacing was so uneven. I admire the author's creativity, but this felt like an unpolished work that wasn't sure what it's target audience is.

2.5 out of 5 stars