Forgive My Fins (Forgive My Fins, 1)
Forgive My Fins (Forgive My Fins, 1) book cover

Forgive My Fins (Forgive My Fins, 1)

Hardcover – June 1, 2010

by
Price
$17.00
Format
Hardcover
Pages
304
Publisher
Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0061914652
Dimensions
1.2 x 5.9 x 8.3 inches
Weight
13.6 ounces

Description

From School Library Journal Gr 6-10–Lily, 17, is a mermaid princess living on land and attending a high school where no one knows her real identity. She needs to find a mate before she turns 18 in order to inherit the throne. Her big crush on Brody is going nowhere until her obnoxious neighbor, Quince, intervenes. A surprise kiss from the wrong boy leads to a tidal wave of unexpected consequences. In this lighthearted and mostly enjoyable novel, Childs stretches the relationship drama out perhaps a little too long for impatient readers, but the end result is sweet and satisfying. The ending hints of more mermaid tales to come. Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD © Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From Booklist Hans Christian Andersen's “The Little Mermaid” meets Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (2005) in this frothy romantic fantasy. Lily may look like a run-of-the-mill high-school student, but she is actually the mermaid heir to the throne of the ocean kingdom of Thalassinia. Half human, Lily is able to maintain her bipeds in order to snag a human beau, who will then turn into a merman to rule by her side with a single kiss. She has her fins set on champion swimmer Brody. But when Lily accidentally busses bad-boy biker Quince instead, she moves heaven and sea in an attempt to swim off into the sunset with her first crush as planned. But it isn't long before the scales fall from her eyes, and she realizes which boy truly loves her, tail and all. Full of fishy expressions (“Son of a swordfish!”), mermaid lore, and breathless, underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teen and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer. Grades 6-9. --Jennifer Hubert “Full of fishy expressions, mermaid lore, and breathless underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teens and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer.” — ALA Booklist “Tera Lynn Childs has created an enchanting world of romance, magic and endearing characters you can’t help but root for. FORGIVE MY FINS had me hooked from page one, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in its sequel! I simply adored this book!” — Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author “bubbly, inventive and well worth a plunge” — Kirkus Reviews “you can’t ask for a much more perfect beach read” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 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—the instant 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. Tera Lynn Childs is the award-winning author of several books for teens, including the first two books in the Sweet Venom series, the mermaid romances Forgive My Fins , Fins Are Forever , and Just for Fins , as well as another mythology-inspired series, including Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp . Although Tera always dreamed of discovering a secret twin (or triplet), she is sad to report she remains an only child. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but for mermaid Lily Sanderson, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.
  • Lily has a secret, and it’s not her huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. 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 she discovered three years ago that her mother was actually a human, Lily finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been going to Seaview High ever since.
  • Living on 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 case of mistaken identity, she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(89)
★★★★
25%
(74)
★★★
15%
(44)
★★
7%
(21)
★
23%
(68)

Most Helpful Reviews

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a sparkling splash of a story full of crush worthy guys, adolescent teen angst, and magical romance.

I may fantasize about falling in love with a vampire or werewolf, but I dream about being a mermaid. A mermaid princess would be even better, and Lily Sanderson gets to be both.

In the tradition of Disney's The Little Mermaid and more recently Aquamarine, FORGIVE MY FINS is about a mermaid princess torn between two worlds and the problems that accompany each, like having to find a mate before her eighteenth birthday or lose her claim to the throne, putting up with a irritating yet suddenly attractive neighbor who delights in tormenting her, and finding the courage to reveal her true identity to the guy she's secretly loved for years.

The mermaid world in FORGIVE MY FINS is a fully flushed out sea kingdom. Mermaids have their own distinct culture, rituals, magic, and even slang. Tera Lynn deftly weaves in elements from mythology and antiquity in creating the merkingdom of Thalassinian. And the underwater world contrasts nicely with the out of water world of Seaview high.

I did get a little annoyed with Lily's attitude especially as it was constantly directed at the too-good-to-be-true Quince. He gives new meaning to the word long suffering. I never understood why he fell for her. To borrow some of Lily's sea slang, she was a complete seawitch to him. He does one romantic and selfless thing after another for her and she treats him deplorably.

Lily's behavior aside, there are several scenes that will make the hearts of teenage girls everywhere race, and while not a teenager myself anymore, I got swept up the the romance between Lily and Quince too.

What's a better summer read than a mermaid story about first love? FORGIVE MY FINS is a sparkling splash of a story full of crush worthy guys, adolescent teen angst, and magical romance. Lily tends to transform her attitude almost as often as she does her scales, but I really enjoyed this story. The epilogue hints that we'll be seeing more from Lily and Quince in the near future. I'll post the details when they are available.

Sexual Content: kissing.
29 people found this helpful
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Such a cute book

This book was beyond cute. I haven't read a good mermaid book in over a year, so I was past due for one. And this was the perfect series for me to pick up. I have already started the second book because I didn't want the story to be over when I finished the first one. I have been reading so many new adult contemporaries lately (which I still love) that it was nice to switch it up to a cute paranormal young adult book.

Lily is a mermaid that is living on land for a while. Her dad is king of her mer kingdom, but he seems like the most loving, most understanding dad out there. Seriously, he was great. Lily seems just like a normal girl, except she has powers, like she can affect the temperature of water and she can craft minor items of clothing and stuff like that, and she loves salty baths. Lily goes to high school where she has a crush Brody, a guy on the swim team. She also has a best friend and an annoying next door neighbor Quince. It becomes apparent pretty quickly who the real love interest was going to be but that didn't bug me. I loved Quince and even though Lily "couldn't stand him" they were still beyond adorable together.

Lily accidentally bonds with Quince and she has to take him to her kingdom to sever the bond so she can bond with Brody. The whole book is about their adventures back and forth between land and her mer kingdom. I loved Quince. He kind of butts heads with Lily but he makes her passionate and fiery about life. I think he makes her a more lively and interesting person, or mermaid. I was so annoyed with Lily a few times when she kept making choices for the two of them. She kind of made up for it at the end but I just wanted to shake her and get her to see how great Quince was. I really liked Lily. She is responsible, and loyal and a great person. But man oh man is she stubborn. Quince gets her though, and he likes her despite all of her quirks. Lily made a decision at the end of the book that broke my heart. She kind of made up for it but I really just wanted her to go about things differently.

What I really liked about Forgive my Fins is that it was a journey for Lily more than anyone else. I know that sounds backwards, it should be a journey for Quince since he was being introduced to a completely new world, but it was much more growth for Lily than for Quince. He seemed to take everything in stride, but Lily needed a bit of a wake up call. I loved watching her progress, and sometimes her setbacks, and I loved watching her mature and grow. Another great thing about this book is that the ending is not a cliffhanger. It can be seen as a standalone almost because the second book picks up a different plotline. Something completely new happens, but it follows the same characters. I can't wait to see where Lily and Quince will end up next!
7 people found this helpful
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Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs Review

I just have to say that without a doubt that I'm a very big fan of Tera Lynn Childs' writing. I believe it's possible to be a one-hit wonder in the writing world just like it is everywhere else, but Childs is in no danger of falling into this category. After reading her Oh.My.Gods. series, I was hoping for the same fun, light reads that I had come to expect from Childs, and I was not disappointed with Forgive My Fins. I think I've found a new series that I'll be following in the future with a lot of anticipation.

We are introduced to Lily, our half human, half mermaid main character and I think a lot of readers will be joining her fan club after getting to know her. She's very easy to sympathize with and relate to. Although I can't claim to be a mermaid (even though Ariel and The Little Mermaid had me daydreaming as a little kid) I think most girls have had their share of crushes growing up. And Lily shows this in spades. As Lily pines for Brody Bennett (the swim god at her high school) I think every reader will be walking on egg shells right along with Lily as she tries to get up the courage to confess her love to the boy in question. And if that wasn't enough to stress her out, Childs decided to throw another wrench into her plans.

This wrench I was talking about happens to go by the name Quince and lives right next door to Lily. He's tall, well built, knows his way around a motorcycle (major cool points there), has blonde hair and blue eyes the color of the Caribbean. Can you tell I'm drooling over here? While Lily might find his teasing and constant meddling in her personal life irritating, I'm saying I'll take him off her hands if she doesn't want him! But I digress, because the fun didn't stop there, it was only just the beginning.

With just one kiss Lily's world is thrown upside down and in order to fix and figure things out she just might have to spend a little time with Quince and *gasp* get to know him a little better. Can you imagine the horror? Will she survive the torture? Will she finally find the courage to confess her feelings to Brody, or will she discover that just because you get what you want doesn't always mean that it's what you need or could it be that you might not have realized what you really wanted when it was staring you right in the face. Enter Childs' world and enjoy the ride!
3 people found this helpful
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Beautifully Written Mermaid Tale!

Forgive My Fins was a beautifully written mermaid tale. The characters and magical essence of the story was absorbing. Also, the mermaid lingo was a plus. The usage of ocean terms were entertaining and very original. Lily, was a unique protagonist. Her insecure, complex personality and frizzy hair didn't fit the stereotype of a "glamorous" mermaid. I appreciated how Tera twisted the way I perceived mermaids. However, it didn't take away from Lily's hidden raw beauty and great energy. Since she was a princess, it was her duty to find a lover to bond with, before her eighteenth birthday. I loved the whole idea of bonding a mermaid and a human together. Very romantic. Reminded me of my favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid.

Now, instead of her bonding with her hunky crush Brody, she was stuck with Quince, her annoying neighbor. Quince's personality was awesome. To Lily he was annoying, but I found him charming and endearing. Their cat and mouse relationship was amusing. I liked when he made fun of Lily. It showed how attentive and willing he was to deal with her situation. I routed for him and hoped she would warm up to the idea of Quince as her mate. The novel was a bit predictable at times, but it didn't take away from the story. I was still interested and look forward to continuing this series. After all, Tera left us with a cliffhanger that left me wanting more. Overall, if you're a fan of mermaids, you'll want to pick this one up!
3 people found this helpful
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Just a guppy

I wanted a whale of a tale, but got a plot that was so thin a guppy could have figured out witch way the tides would flow.

Lily is one of those characters you want to throw their own book at. Lily has spent the past three years infatuated with Brody, believing that he is her perfect mate. The only real quality she ever really gives repeatedly for this belief is that he is an amazing swimmer, yeah that's relationship depth. None of this matters as she doesn't have the gills to tell him any of this.

Quince, (Lily's next door neighbor and boy she hates) has decided to help Lily by setting up a meeting between Lily and Brody. When Quince shows up instead, and kisses Lily, a bond is formed that only the king can break. Honestly I thought Quince was the big redeeming factor of the book. Quince is charming, supportive, and likeable. I still have no idea what he loved in Lily. She was mean to him throughout the entire book, while he stood by and waited on her to realize her true feelings.

Forgive My Fins did not make big waves in this little pond, but I did like Quince character enough to give the next book in the series a try.
2 people found this helpful
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Forgive My Fins

This book was so fun to read! I loved the Little Mermaid feel to it and it was super funny and upbeat! After finding out that her mother is human, Lily's father decides that she should spend sometime on the shore since she is half-human. After being above water for only a short while, she comes across Brody who she sees swimming effortlessly in the ocean. She decides right then and there that she is in love with him and wants to bond herself to him for the rest of her life. But the only problem is, he has a girlfriend and has never really mustered up enough courage to tell him how she feels. Her neighbor Quince irritates the hell out of her by always showing up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Even though I loved the aspects of Lily and Quince's relationship, I thought it was very typical of a YA novel. They hate each other, at least she hates him, but they spend so much time together that they decide that maybe there's something there they didn't see; maybe there's chemistry and a spark. Then Brody turns out to be the typical popular jock and doesn't accept Lily in the way she wants him to. I felt a lot of the themes in the book were just typical and ordinary instead of being extraordinary.

The main character Lily is very likable and I was rooting for her the whole time even during the times I was hoping she would finally find common sense and realize you can't be in love with someone you barley know. Again with the ordinary because Quince was the typical bad boy who drives the motorcycle and kisses unsuspecting girls without their permission.

All in all the story was just so fun and that's what I keep coming back to. I didn't not like it but it wasn't absolutely amazing. It was enough to keep me going, made me glad that I bought it and excited to read the next one!
1 people found this helpful
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A Fluffy "Tail"

Mermaid princess Lily Sanderson is turning 16 in a few weeks. Because she's next in line for the throne of the merkingdom Thalassinia, she must find her mate, and she has her sights set on Brody Bennett. If it's anyone who can adapt to a life under the sea, it's Brody. He moves through the water just as well as any other mermaid or merman, but he doesn't seem to know that Lily exists. Desperate to make her move, she can't resist the help of her arch enemy, Quince Fletcher. Just one kiss with Brody, and their fates will be forever sealed. But when Lily kisses the wrong guy, it's total chaos and mayhem for the Thalassinian princess.

Quince isn't all that bad, but he's still not Brody. The bond is reversible, but Lily has to convince her father, King Whelk, that she and Quince are not suited for one another. The longer the bond exists between them, the harder it becomes to resist the feelings she's developed for him.

This is a really cute, fun book, but there were a few things about it that annoyed me. It's a YA read, and I was a bit disappointed at some of the terminology. For example, "cha-chas". Really? Cha-chas? That's something I would accept in a MG read, but not in a teen read. My other gripe is with the ending. I thought it wrapped up nicely, and then I read the epilogue. I really don't see any need for a sequel, but I guess the publisher thought they could cash in on more. There were no dangling threads really, nothing left to discuss between Quince/Lily/Brody, but apparently there's more to say about Lily's troublemaking cousin. If that's the case, it should have been addressed with a bit more force throughout the rest of the book. We learn the most important, driving force about her in the last few pages. Not a fan of how this was resolved.

Overall, this is a nice addition to my mermaid literature collection, and I like Tera's sense of humor, so I'll be glad to look into her other books. I'll still read the sequel to this one, but it's not one I'll be rushing out to buy.
1 people found this helpful
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Cute like a Disney movie

This is such a feel good book! Light and frothy, Forgive My Fins has likable characters and one of the hottest PG romances around. Billed as a "bad boy" because of his motorcycle, leather, and aloof nature, we really only ever see him as a complete sweetie. I don't usually go for the nice guy next door, but I can't but help making an exception for Quince. He is so sweet. He treats Lily like she's the only person he sees, even when she's chasing after Brody and calling Quince a jerk.

Sometimes nice guys can be boring, but Quince is not boring. There are a few simple scenes that never go beyond PG and sometimes don't even include kissing, but they are nonetheless hot. I positively melted. I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into Lily. How could she not see how amazing Quince is?! And spending her time mooning over Brody? Brody? The girl is blind.

While Lily's constant Brody-chasing got tiresome and a little unbelievable after a while, I did still like her. She was so genuine and sweet. I remembered when I was young and crushing on a cute boy in school. Her nervousness and the way she got all excited when he looked at her or said something completely innocuous made me remember my own teenage years.

There wasn't a whole lot to the plot. This is pretty much 100% a character-driven story with very few actual events. Did I care? Not a bit. The characters were strong enough and likable enough that I was content to read about their conversations and growing feelings. This book is total fluff, but it is fluff at its finest. I definitely recommend this one if you're looking to be swept up in a light Disney-style romance.

There is a sequel, Fins are Forever (set for release in July 2011), but this book can easily be read as a standalone. The epilogue is the only indication that there is something unresolved, and hints that there may be a lot more conflict and action in the second book. I'm looking forward to the sequel but will luckily have Childs' other offerings to keep me busy until its release.
1 people found this helpful
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It captures your interest from page one

My absolute most favorite book. Cute, and coming of age book that any teen would enjoy. I have read this one three times, and now I have ordered the other two books!
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Get your fins back in the water!

This wasn't a bad mermaid book. The story line does mirror Disney's Little Mermaid a little bit and even tosses out a few references to the movie in the book. I was a bit disappointed in the ending but I'm sure it'll get ironed out in the sequel. At first the story line moved a little slowly, girl wants boy, boy ignores girl, bad boy moves in and annoys girl. Then finally it picked up more on the mermaid plot and that got the story to moving. Still a good read, though the ending left me scratching my head as very little was told about Lily's cousin, so I guess I'll have to wait until the sequel to figure all that out.

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