Life
becomes difficult for all mers when an arrogant oil rigger's son,
Tom, finds the bay and the rich aquatic life it harbors. When Tas
attempts to rescue a pod of dolphins from Tom's gill net, he is
captured and taken away as a prize to be sold to a theme park. When
Cora hears of his capture she changes into human form and travels
south to find him, risking her life to free him.
Time
away from Pouraka leaves the cavern vulnerable, and a new threat
arises when tourists discover its magic.
The
sand was cool, the shells sharp and prickly, making her toes itch.
She strolled to the wet sand where the foam still bubbled into clam
holes and the remnants of waves frothed over her feet. Seagulls
clustered, pecking at shellfish and welcoming the end of day. Farther
out the ocean throbbed, constant and carefree. Ever faithful, the sea
rocked back and forth over the earth as it harbored its creatures,
protecting them from the sun’s vicious heat, feeding them,
nourishing them and cradling them. Cora should be in its belly,
accepting its nurturing. She was the oceans’ charge and yet here
she was, walking the land as though she were human. She’d been
denying her heritage all this time.
A
surge of shame swept over her. Why did she even want to be human?
Merpeople were so much kinder to each other, and to the animals they
lived among. Why did she ever doubt that she should live as a
mermaid?
Cora
took the basket off of her back and unfastened the lid. The water
inside was so clear she could see the interior weave of kelp even in
the fading sunlight. Scooting closer to the surf so that the waves
rolled over her, she held the basket above her head.
Pouraka’s
water dripped over her hair, onto her shoulders and her face. She
lifted her chin and let it run down her neck, her chest, her belly.
Cora poured the water over her hips, her legs, and her toes as the
sea rumbled and came to her, a white roll of salt water rushing to
immerse her. Cora leaned back and let the ocean swallow her human
body. The sea wanted her home, grabbing her form and pulling her far
away from shore. She tumbled in the breakers until she was saturated
and far from land. Cora came to the surface and viewed the vanishing
shoreline one last time. Sunset shined its face on her scales as
golden fragments of evening glitter. She hadn’t felt so alive in a
long time. She felt good, and somehow she would bring this freedom to
Tas. She had to.
My Rating & Review
This was a story of new beginnings and difficult choices. The author Diane Gardner truly keeps her readers in a fantasy world of love and choices. Most people feel that mermaid books are just for children but Gardner definitely does not lead her readers into this old stereotype she proves to her readers that all can benefit from this book, even the eldest of elders. I read some of this book aloud to my oldest son and he too enjoyed it right along with me. He is a teen and almost finished with high school so you can imagine that this story reaches far beyond the typical stereotype mermaid story. On the other hand not only did the story reach past boundaries and prove stereotypes wrong, the story was intriguing with some uneasy times and heartbreak along the way.
RATED
FIVE STARS!
I rate this book 5 stars and recommend for all those that love to read about life issues and hard choices!
Dianne
is an author and illustrator of YA adventure fantasy with a dab of
historical content thrown in. Building worlds that might resemble the
forests of her home in the Pacific Northwest, or the shimmering
deserts of Arizona, add to that a pinch of magic dust and a few
million stars and you just might find the portal to another Realm.
Happily
married to a man that puts up with her celestial wanderings and
wonderings, she is the mother of seven lovely adult children and
grandmother to sixteen gorgeous boys and girls.
Dianne
loves writing, painting in oils and living in other dimensions. She
finds life much more colorful that way! Her books are middle grade to
young adult adventure fantasies with dragons and wizards and sorcery
and battles on the high seas. Her grandchildren are a big inspiration
for her stories. There’s a shared camaraderie, something akin to
what C.S. Lewis said about someday being old enough to enjoy fairy
tales again.
Dianne’s
newest series Pouraka dives into the depths to explore life as a mer.
She also has a series that is being re released by PDMI publishing
called the Ian’s Realm Saga.
Stretching
her tent stakes, she is working on an Indie Film production of her V
book Cassandra’s Castle.
which
introduces the story.
5
8 X 10 prints of Pouraka's cover
without
the text,
authographed
by the author
1
digital copy of dystopia novel Altered
1
pair of earrings open to US Shipping
Thank you so much for the review and for having Pouraka on your blog! I do appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteDianne, this was an excellent read and I enjoyed it so much! I hope to read more of your writing in the near future. Thank you so much for stopping in.
ReplyDelete