Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: May 2010

One Word Review: Original

Author Website: www.teralynnchilds.com

First Line: “Water calms me.”

GoodReads Synopsis: Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush. Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life. When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Kathy’s Review: This was a really unique story that had me hooked from the start. I wasn’t sure where the story was going and enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen next. Overall, I liked Lily, but at times she really frustrated me. She is a little self-involved, but I think she gets better as the story goes on and I think through her experiences she will be a little more open in the next book. I of course I’m on Team Quince, he was a fun character and they had good chemistry together. I liked their bickering, but they could also be really sweet together as well. I wasn’t a fan of Brody’s, but felt a little let down with his storyline. He never really did anything to make me not like him, and I was hoping there would have been a little more reason for Lily not to like him either. Anyway, it was a fun read and I look forward to seeing what happens with Lily next!

Bookworm Rating: 4

Reading Order:
Book One: Forgive My Fins
Book Two: Fins Are Forever

Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs

Genre: Greek Mythology (YA Fiction)

Author Website: www.teralynnchilds.com

One Word Review: Fun

First Line: “I am a goddess.

Kathy’s Review: I think I enjoyed the first book a little more than this one. Having said that, this was still a fun, entertaining read. If you haven’t read the first book this review may give away spoilers. The story picks up a few months after the first book. Phoebe is still getting use to the idea of being a “goddess” and learning how to control her powers. She isn’t very successful and in order to master her new talents her step-dad has enrolled her in “Goddess Boot Camp.” Not only is she having to master her powers, she also is preparing for the Pythian Games (kind of the Olympics for the Gods) with her boyfriend Griffin.

I think the reason why I enjoyed the first book so much was because of the tension/chemistry with Griffin and Phoebe. I was wondering how Child’s was going to pull that off with this installment. Overall, I think she did a good job. There were still some misunderstandings, and they still had good chemistry. Griffin did lose a little bit of his edge and was almost too “perfect”. I do have a couple problems with that storyline, I’ll add those in the comment section. Phoebe was still a lovable character and it was fun watching her grow throughout the book. I’ve read that Child’s has plans for a third book and I’m hoping her publishers will let her continue Phoebe’s story.

Reading Order:
Book One: Oh.My.Gods.
Book Two: Goddess Boot Camp

Oh.My.Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

Genre: YA-Mythology

Author Site: www.teralynnchilds.com

First Line: “When I’m running I can almost feel my dad at my side.”

One Word Review: εξαιρετικός (Great, in Greek)

My Review: I really enjoyed this one and I felt like a got a great workout at the same time! Does it count as my workout if the main character runs a lot in the story? Probably not, but it did make me want to go for a nice long job while I was reading (which is not really like me). Anyway, Phoebe is about to start her senior year of high school when her mom up and surprises her with news of her wedding (to a guy she has only known a week…scary!), and plans to move the whole family to a little island in Greece. When Phoebe arrives in Greece she soon finds out that she will be attending an ultra private school full of superhuman students, where she’s the only one without any power. Poor Phoebe! I really liked her character, I thought she was tough and stood her ground. Enter Griffin, a super hot guy who also happens to be a major jerk. Phoebe is a little too swoony for my taste, but she still pulls off some witty comebacks and does hold her own. I admit, I did enjoy their interactions and thought they had good chemistry. I thought their situation was settled a little too easily for me, but I’m happy with how everything ended up.

The story did remind me a bit of the Percy Jackson series, with the half-god angle. However, this really took on a life of its own and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the next book, and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys teen-lit, jogging, or a little Greek mythology.

(So, I’m not sure if my “one word review” is translated properly. I just entered “great” in the Google translator and out spit εξαιρετικός, I hope it’s right, but if not…o-well).

Reading Order:
Book One: Oh My Gods
Book Two: Goddess Boot Camp