Reviews of Between The Land And The Sea

Series like Marina's Tales are exactly why more people should give Self-Published and Indie published authors a chance. When I found out about it - a series about mermaids - I knew I wanted to read it because to my recollection I've never read any mermaid stories before. Great call, Asheley! Between The Land And The Sea is the first book in the series and I loved it.

Let's talk about why you should add Between The Land And The Sea to your to-be-read list:

1. The Characters. There are a ton of characters in this book, and they are all incredible, well-developed, and three-dimensional. They are all people I would want to know. It would take up too much space to list the things I love about them all, but I'll tell you about the main characters:

**Marina. After growing up wealthy and privileged in San Francisco, she moves to Aptos while her father works abroad. There, she lives with cousin Cruz and Aunt Abby in a very small house. Marina never knew her mother but was 'mothered' by Aunt Evie, the eccentric and famous lady next door that loved to lavish her with expensive gifts. While in Aptos, Marina discovers she has a love for the ocean and comes to realize this is because she is part-mermaid. She also falls in love with Ethan.
**Ethan. Handsome, tanned, working-class boy who becomes Marina's love interest. He surfs. He works hard and has goals. He's patient and kind and protective. Loved him.
For so many of the characters to be high-schoolers, they are all so believable. They are going through what high-school age people go through, they aren't overly mature, they don't speak overly adult-like. Ethan has a good head on his shoulders and his patience and level-headedness balanced out Marina's girlish emotion and occasional bad decisions. And the adults, particular Aunt Abby and Ethan's father, were wonderfully believable as well. Only Aunt Evie was outlandish - but that was written into her character and there's a reason for it. Great, great set of characters.

2. The Setting. Aptos. I want to move there. Not only is the town described well but the description of the houses, the farmer's market, and the shore are equally great. I've spoken before of how sometimes, to me, settings can be like characters -- Aptos seems to be very fleshed out, if that is even possible. I love my own real-life proximity to the ocean, but I still found myself wanting to live in a place like Aptos.

3. The Mermaids. I'm new to this area of the paranormal. The mermaids are fascinating to me. Beautiful, with their own language, and their skin glowed in the water! Oh, and they communicated with animals! They were also very protective over Marina, which came in handy for her a few times when she was clumsy or made some bad decisions. These same mermaids seem to have some sort of strong pull over Marina that always led her toward the ocean, which was a little fascinating and mysterious and strange...I had to keep reading because I had no idea where this would end up. What a payoff, though.

4. The Romance. I love this romance. There is no triangle because Marina and Ethan have eyes only for each other the entire time! Theirs is the very definition of a slow-burn, and it was so lovely to read. I personally enjoyed the scenes between Marina and Ethan more than I did the scenes with the mermaids, but this is undoubtedly because Ethan is so doggone charming.

5. Surfing. I know pretty much nothing about surfing, despite loving the ocean so much. But there's plenty of surfing in this book and I thought it was neat.

I know I'm sounding repetitive, but this story was so much fun to read. It is definitely a romance but with the mermaid element, there is definitely some extra supernatural spunk. I didn't really know what to expect, as it was my first mermaid book, but I really loved the story and once I finished it I started book two fairly quickly.

Author Derrolyn Anderson has put together a strong series opener with Between The Land And The Sea. The characters, the setting, and the romance are all written incredibly well. If you're a fan of Indie authors, I'd love to introduce you to Marina's Tales. If you are a fan of mermaid stories, these are incredible. If you love slow-burning romance, you'll love Ethan! If you're a fan of the ocean in any way, you'll find something in this book that you'll love. Between The Land And The Sea is age-appropriate and will be enjoyed by YA readers as well as adults.

Marina is going to live with her aunt and cousin while her dad, an expert in the field of agronomy goes to a dangerous country to help. Until now it's always just been the two of them living a vagabond lifestyle, but she quickly feels at home due to the attraction to the boy who has saved her twice and an explainable pulled to the sea. Marina and her cousin Cruz both share the tragedy of losing a parent as infants. The subject of her mother isn't something she can ask her father. In the past, he has always refused to answer any question and becomes so depressed that she's given up asking. Her need for answers is putting her in danger and forces her to make a decision that will effect the rest of her life.

This was my first book involving this particular mythical aquatic creatures and I enjoyed Derrolyn Anderson's take on the myth. All the sceneries, scents and colours were beautifully described. One thing that I'm so glad this book has in common with a few others I've read and really enjoy is how strong the secondary characters are. They have they're own distinct personalities. Sometimes I find myself forgetting or mixing up secondary charachters, which shows me how unimportant their role is and makes plots where they're spotlighted something I wouldn't really enjoy because they're not important to me. That wasn't the case here.

There was a lot more action and mystery then I anticipated, plus the love story wasn't as straightforward (they see each other and immediately fall in love) as they tend to be. While Marina's story is the main focus, it isn' the only one. It's a very unique story and I look forward to reading what Derrolyn Anderson has in store for the characters next.

It seems like mermaids are the new things in YA books and I’ve only read a couple, but I have to say Between the Land and the Sea has been my favorite! The characters were great and relatable, the plot was original and entertaining and the writing flowed nicely!

Privileged teenager Marina, is forced to move from San Francisco to Aptos, California to live with her Aunt Abby and cousin Cruz, while her dad has to go overseas for work. Marina would rather go with her father, but as soon as she gets to Aptos, she immediately feels at home. Aunt Abby is welcoming and nurturing and Marina and Cruz pick up right where they last saw each other (which was when they were still children). She even meets a wonderful, swoon-worthy boy named Ethan. For the first time in Marina’s life she has friends and a crush and she is really happy with where she is. One day while Marina is on the beach she sees a Mermaid on the coast and immediately feels a connection to her. She begins to learn secrets about her mother (who died during childbirth) and Marina realizes who she really is. Marina plans on finding out the secrets that the sea is holding, no matter how dangerous it is, or how great the costs are.

Marina was such a great character! Even though she grew up with money and got everything she ever wanted from her “Aunt” Evie (her rich and famous neighbor who loves to spoil her rotten), she was grounded and down to earth. She cared about people and was willing to sacrifice her own life for those she cared about. I loved her cousin, Cruz! He was so different from other characters in books today, and I felt he brought so much to the story. He was into fashion and truly was a very talented fashion designer. I loved that he wasn’t afraid to be who he was. The love interest, Ethan was wonderful! I have to say that he is one of my favorite male characters out there! I loved that even though he was one of the most popular guys in school, he didn’t care what people thought. He was nice to Cruz, even when no one else was, and he wasn’t arrogant or thought he could get by on his gorgeous looks. Ethan was responsible and a hard-worker, and an all-around great guy!

I really have nothing bad to say about Between the Land and the Sea. It was so much more then a mermaid story. It had everything that I could want in a book, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it. I HIGHLY recommend everyone go and buy this book TODAY! It is completely worth the money (it’s only a $1, so you have no excuse for not buying this awesome book!!).

The second book, The Moon and the Tide, is already out and I can’t wait to get started with it!

I was surprised when Derrolyn asked me to review her books and I am so happy she did, I loved Between the Land and the Sea. The mermaids are depicted perfectly and I can believe that mermaids are off the coast of California.

The characters in this book are loveable.Marina is strong, loyal, and selfless. She always cares about the others around her first before even considering herself.

Ethan was not what I was expecting. I was expecting some jock who was a major jerk and Ethan was the exact opposite. He is very protective of those he cares about and will do anything for them. Ethan knows what he wants and works hard for it.

I really loved the secondary characters. Cruz, Meghan, and Evie are awesome. Cruz and Meghan are hilarious. I think everyone wishes for an Aunt Evie to spoil them.

Between the Land and the Sea is a fast paced enjoyable read. If you like mermaids - this is the book for you!

Summary: Mermaids. Surfing. Romance. Danger. All wrapped up into one exciting YA series. Sixteen-year-old Marina has been traveling the world with her father her entire life, but when he is stationed to work in Afghanistan for a year he leaves her at her Aunt's house. He hopes she will finally be able to live a normal life and have the teenage/high school experience. She feels at home right off the bat and even meets a good-looking surfer named Ethan. Marina is just settling in when strange things begin to happen to her--she meets a mermaid who looks all too familiar and Marina cannot stay away from the sea. She discovers secrets pertaining to her past and encounters some life threatening situations.

My Thoughts: I have not read many stories about Mermaids and this one really had me hooked. It was refreshing to read a new concept on mermaids and Anderson's take on it. This is one of those fast paced books since you're so caught up between the characters, mystery, and plot.

Lets start with the characters: I loved the characters that Anderson creates, they are realistic and funny. I liked how Marina was really just a sixteen-year-old girl; she was strong, but also needed to ask for help from her friends and family and that made it genuine for me. The side characters are great, I loved the relationship she had with her cousin Cruz and Megan and I would want them as friends. Of course we have Ethan, the love interest in the story and I liked how their relationship played out. They didn't rush into it and there was some tension lingering between the them. Anderson does a great job writing the characters because I empathized with them and was rooting for them throughout.

Now onto the writing: The writing style was fantastic and it kept the story going; there was not a dull moment and there was always something there to peak my interest. The story is told in first person (by Marina) and we get a sense of her emotions and how she personally deals with the conflicts in the book. Another thing that I enjoyed was dialogue--I found myself lost in their conversations at times.

Conclusion: I would say this story is a fun summer-read-type book and I would recommend it to those who are into YA romance books (with a bit of supernatural element added in). There are not many YA mermaid books that I know of and after reading this, I want to pick up some more. Anderson's take on the mermaid mythology was unique and I definitely want to learn more about the mermaids in this book and I hope that she elaborates more as the series progresses. I enjoyed this book and I am already on the next one in the series: The Moon and The Tide.Check this book out!

Here's the review straight from my blog: http://booksaur.blogspot.com/2011/05/between-land-and-sea-marinas-tales-1.html

Between the Land and the Sea is a fun, enjoyable story that I would read again.

Marina has lived her entire life traveling the world with her father. She lives in San Francisco and lives a life of luxury thanks to her neighbor "Aunt Evie". The summer before her senior year of high school Marina's father sends her to live in Aptos, a small town along the ocean. He wants her to attend public school and be around people her own age. She immediately reconnects with her cousin Cruz and her aunt Abby. Marina quickly adapts to life at the beach and becomes instant friends with Cruz's friend Megan.

After an near drowning Marina meets Ethan. Things seem to going good for Marina until she starts to feel drawn the ocean and the mermaid that she meets. It's then that strange things start happening to her and the people that she cares about most. There is also her family secret about her mother that I found interesting.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I liked how Marina and Ethan's relationship took some time to develop. I loved Cruz and Megan, they are too funny. I did at times feel that the story got lost on the side things. There was a lot of talk about fashion, what designers Marina's clothing and accessories were. Overall though a great story. I am looking forward to finding out what is next for Marina. This e-book was provided to me by the author for review. This did not affect my review in any way.

First sentence: "The surfer sat upright on his board, blue eyes intensely focused as he scanned the action at the breakers."
P. 99: "No one joined us, and pretty soon it became apparent to me that Cruz and Megan were social outcasts."
Last sentence: "Listening to each other breathe, all we needed was simply to be together, earth and water in perfect harmony."

From Smashwords: The first installment in the "Marina's Tales" series, "Between The Land And The Sea" is a sweet romantic suspense. After she discovers a mermaid lurking in the deep waters off the California coast, Marina survives one dangerous adventure after another. Along the way she finds first love, discovering just how strong and brave she really is as she uncovers shocking secrets about her unusual past.

This book was pure fun to read, although it would have been better if I could have read it while lying on a beach, hearing the sea in the background. The story has got twists enough for wanting to keep turning the pages, and the main characters are all friendly, talented, sympathetic people. It didn't even bother me that there were mermaids involved. I just put off thinking, and enjoyed the story.
In short, a great summer read.

If I had seen this book on a shelf, I would have passed it by. For one thing the cover looks like it should be for younger kids, and second, Mermaids are not the type of book that would interest me. At first glance I thought that the idea of mermaids for a book was corny and unbelievable, but are they anymore farfetched than werewolves or Vampires?

But since I found it through my new book club and it was offered by the author for free (thank you by the way), I tried it. Being an indie author myself, I wanted to give it a chance and I'm really glad I did. It changed my opinion on mermaids.

The story was good and kept me interested, the characters had contrasting and original personalities. I loved that Cruz and Megan chose not to conform in order or make school bearable. Marina was loyal and protective and not afraid to stand up for herself. Ethan was dreamy and the perfect love interest.

Overall a good read.

“You don’t see yourself at all, do you? It seems to me that you’re good at everything you try,” said Ethan sincerely.
“I had a dream I could breathe underwater,” I said flippantly, “Maybe I’ll go swim with the mermaids.”
Ethan turned to look at me with shock in his eyes.
“Just kidding,” I said, alarmed at his reaction.



Marina :
Take me with you to Paris.
I admire your sense of character.
Romantic and strong willed ; I like it :D

Cruz :
If only you were my cousin
You talented little thing :')
Other than that, I wouldn't mind having you as a best friend.

Ethan :
Everything a girl wants in a guy :)

People I would shove in the trunk of my car :
Shayla, Heather and her posse, and the boys in art class.

Other :
Just read it.
I didn't like the ending,
But the romance was spot on

Even as I try to decide what I wish to say in my review, my head is full of the thoughts and emotions this story generated. I love the backdrop, the characters, and the plot.

This is a YA fantasy novel about a girl who is sent to live with her father's sister when his work takes him to Afghanistan for a year. Reluctantly, she leaves the city life of San Francisco for the quiet coastal town of life with her aunt and cousin. Almost on arrival, inexplicable things begin to happen to Marina. She has an affinity for the sea and meets a mermaid who bares a striking resemblance to her. The meeting with Lorelai the mermaid is the catalyst of change even more than her move. Marina has to begin living two lives. There is her public life of settling in with her misfit relations and her new school and her secret life where the call of the mermaids grows stronger with each day.

I loved the characters in Marina's story from her fabulous neighbor and friend cum fairy godmother who she calls Aunt Evie, her quirky high on life Aunt Abby, her cousin Cruz who dreams of designing fabulous clothes for the runway, Cruz's talented musician friend Megan, mysterious and wise Lue Khang, Ethan who has more to him than his looks and surfing talent, and the intriguing mermaid Lorelai. These are not cardboard, cookie cutter characters. Even the mean girl has a depth to her that was interesting to read.

The plot kept my attention as it wove around Marina's adventures with new relationships and her first time living as a typical teen to her more clandestine adventures learning the secret of her other life as abilities and yearnings start to surface. I thought it wonderful that the author wove daily life experiences in with fantasy so that the story was balanced.

I found the voice of the story fascinating with that underlying haunting bittersweet tone to it. Fun and laughter happen, but below the surface there is always that other feeling leading up to that inevitable climax of the story and the choice Marina must make.

There was only one aspect of the story that bothered me, but not enough to ruin it. This was told from Marina's Point of View so as the reader I really got to know her. There were two aspects of her character that put me off: I found her annoying on a few occasions in the middle of the story. It's possible I was expecting too much based on what she was going through, but her repeated 'I gotta go it alone and keep my secrets' mentality in the face of empirical evidence that she was not doing so hot at that and always needed rescuing by Ethan and her friends irritated me. It also particularly irritated me because I didn't like that it was her willful thoughtless behavior including lying and breaking promises to everyone that caused trouble, but yet she was the one angry and hurt in feelings after they called her on this behavior. I know I'm being vague by not providing examples, but I didn't want to give spoilers. As I said, it wasn't bothersome enough to truly destroy my enjoyment of the story just a peeve of mine.

I think this is a great book that I'll recommend to all who love a good YA fantasy and want a change of pace from the vamps, shifters, and angels.