Lost Voices

Lost Voices #1

by Sarah Porter

Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?

The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Genres: Fantasy, Mermaids, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2011

About the author

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Reviews

[Wendy Darling · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like it when mermaids are mean.

This book has beautiful imagery of shimmering fins and tails and mesmerizing siren songs, as well as exciting near-misses with giant orcas. The author writes lovely descriptions that you can easily picture in your mind, and the book description sounds very intriguing--but unfortunately, neither the story nor the characters live up to the pretty words or the pretty cover.

Aside from juvenile dialogue and a slight plot, many elements of this book are actually also quite disturbing. The mermaids come into being as a result of the extraordinarily cruel actions from the humans in their lives, such as attempted rape, "boiling babies," and slavery. These are serious topics that are mentioned in passing but never fully explored, and such casual treatment of such brutal topics seem both jarringly out of place and completely inappropriate in a book like this.

Luce, the 14-year-old main character, is meant to be seen as an admirable, kind heroine, but the anecdotes that demonstrate this aren't very convincing, and Luce herself seems painfully young and easily duped. The other mermaids, whose characters pretty much all blend together, spend their days playing power games and luring innocent people to their deaths just for fun--it's The Little Mermaid + Heathers with a dose of Mean Girls thrown in for good measure. And whether you're on land or in the sea, a story that primarily revolves around teenage back-stabbing and manipulation just isn't all that interesting to read about. I'd love to see another book from this author, as the writing is very beautiful in parts, but one that has a much more well-developed plot and fully fleshed-out characters.

Incidentally, I'm not really sure what the exact differences are between a siren and a mermaid (the quick research I did online seems evenly divided by those who think they are the same beings with different connotations and those who believe they are entirely different creatures), but regardless of what name they go by, the creatures in this particular book are strikingly cruel and immature. And while the sea they're swimming in is extraordinarily pretty, unfortunately it is also very lacking in depth.

This review may also be found in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.

[oliviasbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mermaids are my favorite creatures – always have been. Consequently I notice with glee all those merfolk novels that lately have started popping up left and right. And I am very, very grateful to Hartcourt and to Netagalley for accepting my request for a review copy.

Mermaids and other humanoid water-breathers can be tackled from completely opposite angles, because there is always a mystery around them: the "We-above-the-waterline-cannot-know-for-sure-factor". Thus opposed to vampires (getting sucked dry can only end badly) and other monsters they can be pictured as cutish and harmless glitter-girls living in pink mother-of-pearl cities, but there are also selkies, who are not to lose their seal skins, and legions of inhumanly beautiful and alluring, but cruel, calculating, heartless and cold-blooded hunters - out to mesmerize the male two-legger. Face it, the majority of the European legends and fairytales does not present us with with wavy redheads singing happily along with the starfish chorus, but with death-bringing voices luring Orpheus into dangerous waters (Homer), hairy Lorelai distracting seafarers by shaking her booty on her wood-splitting rock (Brentano and others), clever waternixies persuading millers' sons to accompany them underwater and sending them back completely spaced out and clueless three generations later (Grimm’s), fairy-like undines tricking men into getting them pregnant and thus gaining a soul (de la Motte) and – certainly – unhappy fishgirls who give their voices and their lives for a futile shot at gaining the heart of a rich jerk (Andersen).

Sarah Porter grabbed the siren-theme from the Odyssey, recreated the unforgiving and bleak atmosphere of the European seas by moving the setting to even colder Alaska, cooked up a plausible reason for women to use their enchanted voices deathbringingly and wove a modern retelling for a young adult audience from the strings:

Girls of all ages who die from being abused or reach the point when stomaching more abuse and violence simply isn't possible anymore, turn into magical creatures with superhuman strength, sea-serpent-like glittery tails, angelic, persuasive voices and perfect faces (picture Luce as Alice Cullen with a tail) – if they are coincidentally in the vincinity of any source of water. Being disappointed from mankind and enraged for having been mistreated during their childhoods allows their bloodthirsty enchanted voices, who have a mind of their own, a good leverage. The girls find a home within one of the matriarchic mermaid communities, but spend their days dreaming of wrecking the next ship, of enthralling helpless sailors and tourists until they kill themselves joyfully.

Luce (Lucette) is different. It becomes clear quickly, that her voice is unusually powerful, but more important is Luce's attitude toward her "killer voice". Luce's experience with abusive adults didn't last as long as that of many of her tribemates. After her father’s death – at sea - she had only spent about a year with her alcoholic uncle - who had beaten her often, but had tried to rape her just that one time when she decided to jump. Even the lack of friends didn't matter so much to her during her nomadic life with her thieving father, since she had always felt loved and treasured by him. In contrast to the other mermaids Luce does not condemn humanity as a whole. She still can distinguish between good humans, bad humans and indifferent ones. And – at the latest when manipulating newcomer Anais arrives, who did not really have a reason to become a mermaid and sets a wave of envy and back-stabbing into motion - she comes to the conclusion that her fellow mermaids' souls do not really differ from the humans’ they all hate with abandon and that without their orally transmitted code of behavior everybody would be at each others throats.

In the beginning Luce starts to "tame" her enraged, beautiful voice, gradually steering it to alternative uses, because she wants to shed her crave to kill with it. Later she notices that working with her voice also hones her singing skills as such. Her bottomless admiration for Russian Catarina, the tribe's ruling queen, secret code breaker and star singer, whose friendship she desperately seeks to win, hinders her from being open about her vocal experiments – until it is to late and the bullies' trap is asbout to snap.

Luce is – like Catarina and the orphaned sisters Violet and Dana, too – a strange and unfathomable character. Sometimes she is samarithian on the border to Sainthood, sometimes unreasonable fangirlish or naive, seeking approval and praise at all costs. When she has a real chance at acquiring a friend in depressive Miriam, she blows it without giving the possibility a thought. What puzzled me immensely was her quick acceptance of the so-called Larvaes’ fate: Larvae are abused infants who turned mermaids – and certainly do not age. If not for the code the older mermaids would ruthlessly kill the helpless, clingy babies, who end up in the orcas' jaws most of the time. Luce undertakes only one feelble attempt at saving a Larvae, before she capitulates. They could have easily fenced them in I thought angrily.

Sarah Porter's writing is beautiful, the setting well defined and easy to visualize, the story a little springy and frayed with a little too much stress on bullying and mean girl stereotypes. It also does not please me that the end was a complete hanger that even lacked a proper cliff.

Personally I like stories that do not avoid problems, but play a hopeful tune and end on a promising if not cheerful note. If you are into dark and evil modern fairytale retellings, which do not magic away the gritty and dirty parts like, for example, Sisters Red (Little Red Riding Hood) by Jackson Pearce or A Curse Dark as Gold (Rumpelstiltskin) by Elizabeth Bunce and you do not mind the complete absence of romance, "Lost Voices" might be just the thing for you. It is definitely an interesting addition the available selection of mermaid fiction.

A note to the cover designer: The cover is outstanding, but the tail is supposed to be much longer!

[Areeba · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This book made me feel. Really passionately. Except...it was all the wrong emotions.

Up till the halfway point, I was actually really liking it. The descriptions of the mermaids...the singing, the ocean--they were stunning! And then the dumbest shit starts happening and this is how I looked like for the rest of the book:



AND I'M NOT EVEN JOKING.

[Erica (storybookend) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Voices spoke to me like a dark reminiscent fairytale. It almost seemed like a very vague retelling of The Little Mermaid. Little things sometimes just reminded me of the classic tale. But Lost Voices brought a whole new world to mermaids, in a very compelling and ominously beautiful way. It was darkly fantastic, full of luscious intrigue and secret enchantments. Its foreboding melodious lull swept me into the world of these killer mermaid girls. The writing was beautiful, intricately woven with the mermaids haunting, stunning songs of death.

Nearly all the mermaids annoyed me, with their bitter and rude natures and their abrupt mood changes, but I think that’s kind of what Porter was going for. Mean, murderous mermaids molded from the horrors of their past. They did posses a lot of sadness and heartbreak, too much for girls their age when they changed, so I can understand how and why they act the way they do and why they use their voices to kill. What I did like was that Luce held true to the end. She could have given in to her cruel mermaid nature, but she fought it, striving to use her voice for good. The ending was sad, but also held a moment of promise, letting Luce know that not everything is bad and cruel and that there is hope.

Porter created a really original and intriguing dark story, and I’m excited to see what happens next. I think this may be a series that I would like to own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harcourt Books for the arc, it was amazing!

[Ceilidh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometime after Stephenie Meyer’s “Breaking Dawn” was unleashed upon the world and the media was scrambling for the next big creature in YA, mermaids was tossed around as a possible substitute for vampires and werewolves, partly influenced by Meyer herself admitting to having a mermaid story in mind for a future novel. While this hypothesised craze never really came to fruition, there is a number of mermaid-related YA stories awaiting release or already in bookshops from the past year or so.

Sarah Porter’s debut, yet another first in a series, takes the mermaid mythos that has more in common with Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” than the incredibly sanitised Disney adaptation. While the mermaid and siren tradition has a rich and fascinating mythos, it’s not one that’s been explored very often in YA and Porter’s reinterpretation of themes from The Odyssey along with fairy tales of both Andersen and the Grimm Brothers is one of the strongest elements of the book. The story is unrelentingly bleak for the most part – girls are turned into mermaids after having suffered unimaginable abuse and pain at the hands of humans to the point where they give up on humanity. The mermaids live in a matriarchal society and use their siren-like voices to crash ships and kill those on board as a form of revenge for what humanity did to them. It definitely made a refreshing change from the stock paranormal format that has oversaturated the market.

Most of my problems with the book fall at the feet – or tail – of the protagonist Luce. She has a standard neglected orphan set-up which just manages to avoid falling into maudlin soap-opera territory (only just), and she does have some interesting moments, especially in her complex relationship with head mermaid Catarina. However, she veers from naive little girl to tortured hero with a passive martyr complex. I think most of these problems are the result of Porter’s prose, which is often clunky and repetitious but reasonably serviceable for the most part, except with Luce’s internal monologue. Her characterisation has a lot of potential – her coming to terms with what happened to her, discovering her new powers, wanting to fit in and stick to the mermaid code but still having her humanity – but it felt a little black and white at times, especially since practically none of the other mermaids had these issues. By the end of it all, Luce is the super special mermaid to end all super special mermaids and it’s so overdone. I was much more intrigued by Catarina’s story but Porter tries to introduce far too many characters so nobody is really given any time to truly develop beyond being abused girls turned vengeful mermaids. Most of the time it’s hard to remember which one is which since their personalities are so similar that they end up merging together. Things aren’t helped when even more characters are introduced with even less development. If you’re going to use something like abuse as a developmental point in a character’s life, you’d better make sure you do it well for fear of coming across as lazy and exploitative. In this case it’s more the former.

The plot is so deathly slow I didn’t think there was one for the most part. I understand Porter wanting to develop the mermaid way of life, and there is a lot of often repeated detail in this book, but it plods along at such a snail’s pace that I found myself getting bored on more than one occasion. Things pick up towards the end but you can’t just rush a plot 2/3s of the way through to make up for the rest of the book. Many interesting questions are raised, especially pertaining to the mermaids’ powers and their own twisted version of judgement, but few are answered. It’s a world that never truly reaches its potential.

If mermaids are to be the new creatures that fill our paranormal YAs in the future then I hope their worlds are at least as interesting as the one in “Lost Voices”. The mythos is clearly begging for some interesting interpretations and Porter gives us one that is bleak, complex and brimming with possibilities, which I hope it fulfils with the rest of the series. However, the plotting needs some serious work as does the characterisation of the supporting cast. There is definitely potential for Porter to develop and grow as a writer which will drastically improve the series but as this book stands, it’s not without merit but I was left with too many questions and too many problems.

2.5/5.

[Krystle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gosh, this was going to be a solid two-star (C) review until I got closer to the end.

Okay, so these mermaids aren’t your nice pretty-pretty-let’s-sing-songs that most of you are familiar with. No these are mean, bitchy fish girls that have no problem killing people and are also a combination of sirens. You remember that overly used trope of having the popular girls being cruel and mean to the new girl or what have you? Yeah, that’s in here but multiplied to, I don’t know, ten kajillion.

This whole book revolves around power; who has it, who doesn’t, and who can get it. So most of the pages pass by with the other girls either being manipulated by Nais, or scheming to overthrow the leader (Katarina?) and do whatever they want. Speaking of Nais… I hate her! She’s such an evil bitch. She’s shallow, superficial, materialistic, refuses to listen to anybody except herself, conniving, manipulative, cruel, and ridiculous. I remember one scene where she basically blames the victim for getting almost raped. WTF. OMFG. I WANNA KILL SOMEBODY.

Ugh! It doesn’t help that the plot moves by sooooo slowly that you wonder if there actually is any. And there are so many people you have to keep track of they all start to blend together. I didn’t like any of them to be honest because they all are self-serving and irrational to some extent.

The writing can get pretty iffy too. There are a lot of awkward sentence constructions that make you stare at the page going “what?” It also tends to verge on the flowery in certain situations. You can probably guess by the extremely slow moving plot that this book lacks a lot of tension to keep you riveted to the pages. Her writing did shine in a few scenes which were packed with emotion and you could just feel the grief that rippled off the character.

I think the idea of people becoming mermaids due to abuse, a traumatic event, neglect, etc… caused by another human(s) is an interesting one but the resulting story failed to match up to the premise. I liked the whole singing bits. Kind of neat to see how she works and develops her voice and the affect it has on other mermaids and humans.

But the ending. MY GOD. There is absolutely NO resolution whatsoever and not even the faintest questions brought up were answered! It’s like someone stopped writing mid-sentence and then chopped off a whole paragraph before that. Ugh! This is totally the reason why I’m starting to hate reading trilogies. Geh.

Are mermaids supposed to be the new vampire or something? If this is the first of what’s up in offering I am so steering clear of the rest of them.

[~Tina~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost Voices is a dark and deep book that takes us on a journey with 14 year old Lucette who feels completely alone in the world since her mother died at child birth and her father was lost at sea over a year ago. Living with her drunken abusive Uncle and being an outcast at school just makes the nightmare feel more real and hopeless. One particularly devastating night her uncle goes a little to far and Luce is left alone, scattered on the grass by a cliff while the emotional and physical pain consumes her. No more. She can't take anymore and finds her self falling off the cliff and into the water below. What should have been her death only brings her to a new life, a life she could never dream of. A life she may not want to lead...

First off, I thought the writing was very strong, it was smoothly paced and it has a haunting elegance to it. These character are all amazingly defined and intriguing, but I had a hard time with this concept.
I usually like dark and dysfunctional in my reads, but I think this one was a little to far fetch for my taste. I didn't buy the motivations that the mermaids used for retribution and while I'm sure it's part deserved, I had a hard time with the 'eye for an eye' method used for this particular read. Also, I thought that it was rather strange of how the mermaids came to be. There stories are sad ones and there hate justified, but what kind of world would doom them to that kind of lifestyle?

While this book wasn't for me, I still think others may like this one. It has a very alluring feel to it. I just wish I could have loved it more then I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the copy.

[Lovely Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ is generous

It was the ending that fell super FLAT for me….it didn’t really have an ending…..🤔🤷🏼‍♀️

The concept started off interesting though, even though it didn’t feel like it really went anywhere by the end.

The plot:
When young girls are abused to their breaking point, they become mermaids. There is a hierarchy within the mermaid tribe based on whose siren call is the most beautiful, and the mermaids regularly murder humans via their siren song as retribution for the abuse they endured while human.


Language: 5 D, 1 a, 2 bi, 5 abuses of God’s name

There is talk of different kinds of childhood abuse as well as some disturbing elements. Since the mermaids regularly take down human ships, there is also a lot of death

[Doskoi_panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll begin this by saying that I have had an interest in mermaids for as long as I can remember, probably stemming from Barrie's "Peter Pan" and strengthened by the references in T.S. Elliot's "Love Song for J. Alfred Prufrock." And then again, they appear in Greek mythology as the sirens, luring sailors to their watery graves with their enchanted, bewitching songs and let's not forget the fairytale of the Little Mermaid, and Disney's sanitized film version. Jack Dann produced an anthology of mermaid tales in the 1980s (Mermaids!) that had some tremendous stories. But rarely is the subject of origin addressed; mermaids seem to have simply existed. Some stories focus on their beauty, and their pain at being unable to join the human world, others demonize them in the way that does no credit to either side of the water's surface. But Sarah Porter's "Lost Voices" takes a slightly different tack - she tries to get inside their heads.[return][return]The story begins with Luce, who has been orphaned at the death of her father (he died before the novel begins, lost at sea as he worked on a fishing boat) and is now living with her uncle in a small seaside village. Luce is picked on for being different, and generally tries to minimize her presence. Her uncle, angry with his dead brother for 1) having stolen his girlfriend (Luce's mother), 2) for having "allowed" her to die due to his con artist's lifestyle and 3) for dying and saddling him with Luce, gets drunk and takes out his anger on Luce, molesting and nearly killing her. Luce decides that it's only a matter of time before it happens again, and that it would be likely to get worse as she grew older, decides to die, and plummets into the icy waters. Except she doesn't die, instead, she surrenders her humanity and becomes a mermaid.[return][return]Sarah Porter's mermaids have more in common with the sirens of Greek mythology, or the strangely cruel mermaids in Barrie's Peter Pan than Disney's Little Mermaid, Ariel. There is no kingdom under the sea, no comforting sea king to call papa. But there are other mermaids, other girls whose lives were so miserable from abuse, neglect or abandonment that they, too, rejected humanity. There are rules - mermaid laws and traditions made to protect the tribe- and there is work, of sorts, to use their voices to sing ships to the rocks and kill all the humans aboard by compelling them to jump into the icy depths. Luce is horrified by this aspect of what she has become and struggles against the compulsion to join in when her new friends attack ships. Luce's struggle to maintain something of her humanity/something of her own will and morality intensifies as more newly reborn mermaids join the tribe, and the tribe splinters into factions.[return][return]I really, really liked the book - it has a few problems, but most early novels have a few rough patches. The language is in that difficult middle ground that pops up in books for young adults, sometimes seeming too simple, and other times complex. The old lady in me has reservations about some of the subject matter being possibly too mature for younger readers, but at the same time the violence is considerably less than in the Harry Potter books. Another reviewer elsewhere seemed shocked or worried that the mermaids are not wearing bikini tops or shells or whatnot to hide their breasts, which I found to be an odd thing to point out as it's barely mentioned. There are passages that describe the mermaids as beautiful, but they don't focus on body parts particularly (except the faces), so I can't quite see that as an issue - If mermaids existed I am pretty sure they wouldn't bother with wearing shells. Honestly.[return][return]All in all, this was an excellent read, and I look forward to reading the rest of Luce's adventures in asserting her individuality. Despite the difficulties she is faced with; the cruelties of the fractured tribe, the knowledge that her gift of singing has murderous possibilities; Luce is a heroine learning to govern herself and discover her own strengths. [return][return]Copy supplied by NetGalley.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a cover like this, who wouldn't have big expectations (I MEAN, LOOK AT IT!)? The cover for Lost Voices promises a sort of fairy tale, magic, and girlish innocent youth.

It doesn't deliver.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter is the story of Luce, formerly a human who transforms into a mermaid with a beautiful, deadly singing voice. On the night of her transformation, she's found by the mermaid tribe Queen, Catarina, who brings her back to the other girls, where they teach her the whys and the ways of becoming a mermaid. Seemingly, most of the mermaids have lost their humanity - fitting since they are no longer human. The way to become a mermaid is rather simple: have something really awful done to you and accept that there is nothing left for you in your human world. Your body liquifies, and reforms as a mermaid. If you aren't near a coast, travel through sewage pipes and drain pipes until you reach a body of salt water.
Because the way to become a mermaid is through negative experiences, the mermaids hate humans, regardless of having been human once themselves. They use their beautiful, deadly voices to lure and sink ships, for no other reason than entertainment and vengeance.
The premise of Lost Voices is great. It is the stuff out of sadistic fairy tales. But the execution of Lost Voices fails miserably. The story meanders often, with no real thought to plot lines and story arcs, leaving the reader wondering exactly where it's going or when it will start getting interesting. None of the characters are all that vibrant - save the most hated character, Anais, who is so profoundly vapid and cruel, she becomes interesting by virtue of that alone. The story feels very two-dimensional and flat, exactly the opposite of the world it is trying to describe. And though Lost Voices is the first in a mermaid trilogy, the ending is both abrupt and trailing off, of a sort. It just...ends. When it ended, I found myself wondering where the author was trying to take me, and if she really wanted me to read the next book.
I can confidently say I won't be.

[Dr. Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I'm really glad there's a sequel because if there wasn't I would have to rage!!

Get ready to dive into mystery, magic and mermaids!!


I really enjoyed this tale of forgotten girls who become mermaids. I liked Luce's character and even though she was 14 it didn't even seem like it most of the time. It was heartbreaking what happened to Luce, but I'm glad she found a home (however temporary) with the other mermaids.

Part of this book really made me aggravated like the fucking bitch Anniese. I wanted to strangle her so badly. I hope Luce takes her down in the future books. The other thing I was curious about was Catarina and what was happening to her. She honestly seemed like she was losing her sanity at one point.

[Kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me say right away, I did not finish this book. I have no idea how it ends nor do I really care to. But, I feel that I listened to enough of it to form an opinion and therefore give a partial review. I have read a lot of reviews on this book and most people seemed to like it. I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

What I liked: The writing style and the concept. I thought the author's writing style was great and beautifully descriptive. It just wasn't enough to sustain the story for me. I also liked the concept of lost souls turning into mermaids. I just didn't like the kind of mermaids they turn into. I have always thought of them as "Ariel" types who help lost sailors find their way home. In Lost Voices, mermaids are more like sirens luring sailors to their death using their voices.

Why I stopped reading: Luce is a 14YO who has no parents, no friends, and is abused by her uncle. After he almost rapes her, she falls off a cliff and decides death is better. She is then turned into a mermaid. It turns out that this is how mermaids come into being. Abused girls who die turn into mermaids. OK, I can stretch my imagination to believe that works. What I found disturbing is the the mermaids range in age from 5-17. I could not make myself believe that 5 year old abused child would become a vicious, revenge-seeking mermaid who lures people, even children, to their deaths. That just seemed wrong to me and was something I couldn't get past.

There were also too many contradictions in the story. For example, the mermaids live by a code that says they cannot physically harm another mermaid and that they must help one in distress. However, this apparently does not extend to what they call "larvae". Larvae are apparently toddlers who have turned into mermaids, but aren't fully developed. Instead of helping them and taking care of them, they allow them to flounder and die in the ocean. (There is one gross scene where they are eaten by an orca.) Also, they have no sympathy to any children who may drown on one of the downed ships because they will only turn into adults who abuse. I finally had to turn it off after the other mermaids keep being mean to Luce when she makes a mistake, yet they don't take the time to explain everything being a mermaid entails. She says she has found a home, but they are all so mean to her that I can't see why she would want to live with them at all. It seems she has traded one lonely abusive life for another.

I could go on with other things that didn't appeal to me, but I think I have presented enough to show you why I couldn't finish it. This is supposed to be a YA novel and I would recommend that parents limit it to older YAs. Personally, I thought the content was a bit mature and violent for under 16. But, I always say, ' To each his own!" Read it and judge for yourself.

[Cassi Haggard · Rating 2 out of 5]

A review I've been avoiding writing

About a month ago I received Lost Voices from Netgalleys. It's a book about mermaids and I've always really liked mermaids in all of their forms--from Harry Potter creepy mermaids to Disney Princess versions. (In high school I tried to write a mermaid story--so goes my deep love of the creature)

But this version, vindictive and shallow, just didn't work for me. And I know the mermaids in Harry Potter were pretty evil but that was different. The Mermaids in Lost Voices started out as humans. Maybe that's why the characters were so unbelievable. They lacked all humanity and kindness.

Lost Voices starts out excellent. The first chapter is very cinematic, slowly building tension (and my curiosity). Then horrible horrible things happen to Luce. And rather than just die she becomes a mermaid. Apparently this happens to a lot of girls who are mistreated and abused.

Rather than deal with human issues related to recovering from abuse and discovering self worth this is where the story stops. There is no real plot. They play around being mermaids for while and sinking ships for kicks and giggles. (Yes really, that's what they do for fun. Killing innocent people).

Any attempt at a plot is shallow. To me it reads like Sarah Porter had an excellent idea for a world, a new concept of mermaids but no real story. The characters are undeveloped and any attempt at development is a sad caricature. None of the characters are very likable or believable and it's hard to follow any story without a relatable character.

The saddest part about this book is that I fully believe Sarah Porter can write. Her opening was excellent. But either she didn't take the time to develop the story or didn't have anywhere to go.

And I really hate giving books bad reviews and I feel like I've done a lot of that lately. Please believe there are books that I really like. I'll try to find something excellent to review next.

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about Luce. She is a 14 year old girl whose father died on a fishing boat so she is forced to live with her uncle. During a night of heavy drinking he attempts to do the unthinkable to Luce. She escapes from him but dies on the cliffs and is transformed into a magical mermaid. All the mermaids are girls that were once mistreated or abused. So, they all have a hatred for humans. Mermaids have magical singing voices that can make humans drive their boats into the cliffs and drown. Luce is especially gifted with a strong and beautiful singing voice. But, she struggles with self confidence from her past as a human girl. She never accepts the mermaids fondness for killing the humans. But she so wants to belong to the group of girls since she never had a real family as a human. As the book progresses, though, she gets stronger and stronger. Her perception of the other girls is very mature for her age. She goes off on her own and works and works on her singing. Another new mermaid comes into their family and wreaks havoc amongst them, turns them against one another. Luce is losing the only family she has ever really had.

I liked that the story is something new, not anything I have ever read before. But, I felt like there just wasn't any real content. Not much ever really happened. I did like watching Luce develop, though. I have never taken a cruise or been out on the ocean in a boat. I can truly say, though, that if I was, I would have a whole new concern about what might be down there!!!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone that thinks of mermaids as gentle sweet creatures will have an awakening experience after reading this book. Dark is an adjective that doesn't even begin to touch on describing it. "Foreboding" and "deliciously creepy" comes very close for us that are dyed in the wool horror fans. The whole idea is that Mermaids are young women who are being given a second chance after being hurt and tortured by human beings. Every girl mermaid Luce meets has her own horror story of how she got there...and they are indeed horrible. The things that I thought really mattered to help in understanding this story wasn't explained in this book...but may be explained in the later books... was exactly what are the "Mermaid Rules"...Who make these rules...how are they enforced...and who enforces them. The reader may not want to really learn the answers. This story is an intriguing and unusual play on the mermaid myth and it will leave you wanting to be much nicer to everyone you come in contact with.

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of mermaids, but I'm surprised to find myself enjoying Lost Voices pretty well so I am willing to give it 3.5 stars. The book isn't without flaws but I mean, it really is better plotted and refreshing comparing with the other supernatural YA novels I've read recently.

I think how much you will enjoy this book depends on:

(1) How much you are okay with the main character being one of the murderous mermaids who had actually killed people.

(2) How much you can stand reading about mermaids who don't quite follow the rules of the traditional mermaid myths.

(3) How much you like the MC.

(4) Whether you can tolerate the author seemingly blend mermaids and sirens together.

Like I had already mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of mermaids so that can partly explain why I don't mind reading about mermaids who had an origin and rules which are quite different from traditional tales like Little Mermaids, etc. But I like how the author weaved some of the key elements of the mermaid myths into her story.

Although I must admit most of the characters don't seem to have much depth beyond them, still it's refreshing to read a YA novel which is focused on the complicated love/hate relationship and affection among girls instead of pulling out silly teenage romance. Plus the author's description of different voices, the scenery of the northern seaside, the mermaids' singing, it really is quite addictive. I kept turning page till 2:00 in the morning just to get to the ending.

I will look forward for the sequel.

[Ashy Khaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how the forgotten girls or rather abused girls became mermaids.at least they had some sort of camaraderie between them and a support system.everything was going fine despite samantha being a bitch but it got broken apart because of anais.now because of her it seems like the mermaids might end up getting killed since all she thinks of is herself,her wants,her needs and has turned the whole tribe against luce and Catarina.but loved how the book was written despite wanting to murder some characters

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is AMAZING, highly original, and it will haunt you.

Fourteen year old Luce loses her father and is sent to live with an uncle she hardly knows - an abusive alcoholic. 40 pages in and Luce has given up on life in her sleepy little Alaskan fishing community. Tumbling into the sea, prepared to die, Luce becomes a mermaid instead and so begins her journey. There's friendship, loss, hope. But most of all, this is the story of who we are and what we're made of.


The characters were all extremely well drawn. Key characters like Anais and Catarina were boldly depicted, but even the smaller characters like Dana, stick in your mind. You feel like you know them. The description of people and places was subtle, sometimes detailed, sometimes broadly depicted - it was just right. I cannot praise Ms Porter's talent as a writer and a creator, enough.

I particularly enjoyed Luce's 'narration' (third person) - which was so realistic. You felt like you were listening to the real deal, a fourteen year old Luce. If this novel didn't have the ability to scar you, to shock you, to drag you into the depths as far as emotion is concerned, I would recommend it to younger readers. Sarah Porter has done an amazing job shaping Luce.

This is the part in my reviews when I usually drone on about the 'romance'; because I usually only read books which have at least some romance in them. There are rare exceptions: Harry Potter, and... well, Harry Potter. This book didn't feature romance as such, although there's clear scope for it in the trilogy. I have to say though that this book didn't need it. It managed to wrap me around its pages without that.

The pacing of the novel was good. It's possibly one of the most addictive books I've ever read though (and I've read a lot). My biggest complaint about this book: why isn't its goodreads rating higher? I would have read it so much sooner... :)

I cried, I laughed, I read way too late into the night. I'm 23 now, and I really enjoyed this book - age doesn't limit its appeal. I read this book yesterday and I'm still thinking about it today. I think it'll be that way for a while.

Even though this is a book about mermaids, I think Sarah Porter summed up her novel best when she said:
"Lost Voices was my attempt to write the book I most needed as a twelve-year-old struggling with what it means to be human: a book I never really found. "

I think she succeeded. I can't wait to see what Sarah does with book 2. I highly recommend that you read this book.

[Andrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extraordinarily written book. The writing was beautiful and lyrical sometimes and the mermaids' voices' descriptions were some of my favorite parts.

I like this kind of mermaids too, girls who suffered enough to put their humanity aside. It would also explain why they hate people enough to drown them.

Luce was a nice character, though she sounded a little too mature for her age, I guess that's because of what she went through and thus she had to grow up very quickly. Her almost permanent sadness in the beginning of the book is also probably because of that. That girl's had a rough life! I admired her though, because she never let that stop her from doing what she needed to too. But she sucked it up and did the best she could. I think that was very needed for her mermaid life then.

Once she became a mermaid, we get to know the other girls at the tribe, and in my opinion, the tribe was realistic- or as realistic as a mermaid tribe can be; I liked that there were good and bad people, and that none of them was just good or just bad, and that the tribe was not perfect. Catarina was a good leader despite her volatile temper, even though she kind of started to lose her mind in the middle/end of the book (I was really disappointed). I loved how someone's place in the tribe was decided by how well one could sing, and not by age/experience/etc..

Though in the beginning it takes a while to get into the action because basically we're just reading about how miserable her life is, the rest of the story is quite interesting and the plot's twists were good. The ending I hated, though. It was an absolutely cruel cliffhanger that begs for a sequel.

[Jasmine Hawamdeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I thought I wouldn't like at all (because it's a bit on the fantasy side) but turns out to be one of the best books I have ever read. It is about a girl named Luce, who lost her mother when she was a toddler so does not have tons of feeling there but then it was just her and her father She loved him dearly but one day he went on a fishing trip and was gone just like that. Forced to live with uncle, who is a alcoholic and he abuses and he tortures her. What a life and with no friends she is pretty much alone in life. But one day she gives up. She ends up committing suicide but instead of being dead she ends up to be a mermaid. And why is she a mermaid because she has a lost voice. Nobody will care that shes dead, maybe it will be in the news but they don't love her, they won't miss her. So to her, "what's the point at life". And as a mermaid she finds out shes not the only one there.
An amazing book that captures the lives of many girl who gave up at life. A touching story. Very suspenseful and intriguing.
recommend it.

[Majanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read the full review here.

I must admit that I already read a lot of positive reviews about this novel before I actually started reading it. Now I’m not usually one to agree with the majority – I like being a rebel – but for this novel, I can’t help but agree. Atleast up till some point. I really liked this novel, and it pulled me in with an uncomperable force. However, there are some minor flaws I would like to discuss too.

Luce – short for Lucette – is living with her uncle ever since her father dissapeared while working on a ship at sea. Neither the ship, nor her father ever returned. Convinced her father is still alive, Luce tries desperately to hang on until his return, but that isn’t exactly easy. Her uncle is a brutal man who spends more time drunk than sober, and cannot live with the fact Luce’s mother fell for his own brother rather than for him. When his behavior escalates one night, Luce finds herself utterly and completely abandoned. Before she realises it, she is changing – changing into a mermaid. She jumps off a cliff, right into the ocean, and starts singing to a ship. Unaware of the fact her voice is the reason the ship is going straight to Davy Jones’ locker, Luce barely makes it out alive. She gets rescued by another mermaid, who happens to be the queen of the tribe that came to Luce’s aid. Now she must start a new alive, with her new mermaid friends. Although she feels at home for the first time in many, many years; her remarkable singing talent and the arrival of other new mermaids, might ruin her chances of ever truely finding a home.

I cannot help but praise the descrpitive, detailed writing style of Sarah Porter. Her descriptions are vivid, and pull you right into the story. It was easy for me as a reader to imagine the underwater surroundings, the mermaids’ cave, and everything else mentioned in the book. I was also very fond of the first two or three chapters – the one Luce spent while still being human. Then, the annoyance began.

First of all, I was annoyed by Luce. She seemed perfectly fine, an understandable and likable character while she was still human; but as soon as she went into mermaid-phase, I couldn’t grasp her anymore. She had these crazy mood shifts I couldn’t relate to, and I started liking her less and less. This became better once Anais came into the picture though, from that point on, I started liking Luce again. Maybe this had to do with Anais’ anything-but-likable personality and the way Luce was portrayed directly opposite of the wicked mermaid; I wouldn’t really know. I like to know what’s going through the protagonist’s mind, and I like to understand why they think a certain way. With Luce, I had trouble understanding her way of thinking. She was weak-willed and silent at first, like I expected from an often abused girl, but I had high hopes she would turn into an independent, strong-willed protagonist with actual leadership-qualities. No such luck.

So, what else annoyed me endlessly? All of the useless events. So why exactly did Luce meet Tessa? Why are we introduced to Gum, when he doesn’t appear in the rest of the story? What about the Larvae, ever thought about doing something about those? At the start I had the feeling that Luce would be the change this mermaid tribe needed so much – that she would somehow be able to make them more humane in their actions, and maybe protecting the larvae would be her first step towards that. However, Luce only tries to save the Larvae once, then decides she did enough for the little baby-mermaids who I couldn’t help but feel sorry for, and focuses more on life within the tribe. I can’t grasp how girls who have been put through so much injustice throughout their human life, could simply disregard other, smaller children with the same kind of injustice. It didn’t make sense to me, and in fact, it enangered me.

While I was constantly cheering for Luce to get up and finally do something, she stayed a passive player throughout the whole story, focused more on her own acception without her new family than on the faith of others. She is so focused on having Catarine as her friends, whereas she does not see other, more plausible and accepting friendsihps, for example with Miriam. Don’t get me wrong, I think Catarine was probably my favorite character throughout the story – I was dying to know more about her past- and I wanted her and Luce to be friends, but it became clear quite soon that all Catarine does is take, without giving anything back. A friendship with this kind of people isn’t healthy, and I was hoping for Luce to realise that along the way. Or atleast to stop relating her own self-worth with Catarine’s acceptance of her. I wanted Luce to grow as a character, but she did little of that kind.

Practically all the mermaids’ personalities annoyed me. Except for Catarine – which may sound strange, and I’ve read reviewers thinking she was the most annoying character of them all – but I could actually relate to her in a way I couldn’t relate to the others. I hated Samantha, and somewhere along the way I wanted her to get killed by a bunch of orcas. At first, I thought I could like Dana and Rachel, but then they ended up being the same shallow, spineless creatures as the rest of them. Anais was probably the worst, but to be honest, that tribe didn’t need a lot to change from a bunch of somewhat tolerable people into the most annoying, terrible and greedy creatures that ever walked this earth.

What also annoyed me beyond belief, was the way the mermaids’ personalities all seemed to blend together. None of them really had an outspoken, different personality. Except maybe Miriam. But she hardly gets enough recognition throughout the novel. I also had high hopes of one of the orphan girls to have leadership potential, especially considering the way Jenna and Dana acted while they were still human. Again, dissapointment. As soon as they turned into mermaids, they lost every single personality trait that made them unique and outstanding.

There were many useless events in Lost Voices. Personally I thought that the arrival of the 14 new orphan girls could have easily been let out too – what did those girls really bring to the story? Just more annoying mermaids, more of the same, flat, dull personalities. Perhaps it would have been better had the author focused on the original tribe, and developed the personalities of those mermaids some more, rather than keep introducing new but pointless and generic characters. These useless events also confused me quite a lot. For instance, when the perspective changed from Luce to the orphan girls, I was terribly confused and had to reread the first pages of the chapter several time to actually understand what was going on. Sometimes it felt like the story had no real way to go, as if it was just a bunch of chapters drawn together without any real purpose.

I know I sound a bit tough for this book, but I do have to admit that despite all of that, I did enjoy reading Lost Voices. The cliffhanger at the end, made me curious and I’m definately going to read the next novel. Considering it’s a debut novel, I think Sarah Porter did a pretty good job, however I’m hoping for more character-development, more different personalities and an actual solid plot in the second novel in the series. Plus, I would love the reappareance of old characters like Gum, Luce’s dad, and maybe Tessa. And no matter how many things I point out that may be wrong with the plot and characters; truth is that I did read this one in two reading sessions, unable to step away from my computer until I finished reading it. So there must be something about Lost Voices that kept me fascinated.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost Voices is a book about a 14 year old girl named Luce who's living with her uncle after the death of her father. However, her uncle is a terrible man and she finds herself tumbling into the ocean after he attempts to violate her. Soon afterwards, she discovers that she's become a mermaid.

Initial Ending Thoughts:
Ummmm....what?

Quick Review:
This book was interesting. I enjoyed parts of it and parts of it made me want to throw it at a wall. Though that might be a good thing since that means I was feeling something towards the book, even if it was anger.

Full review:
Ok so Luce is miserable with her life and her life does kind of suck I'll give her that. Then there was a very vague scene after something very bad almost happened and suddenly she's a mermaid! Awesome! Mermaids are awesome right? (Personally I absolutely adore mermaids and books about mermaids). Well turns out that in this book mermaids are also sirens (you know, the mermaids who sing sailors to their deaths). Well Luce isn't like the other mermaids. She doesn't want to kill people. She just wants to live a happy life playing in the water all day and hanging out with all her new friends. And she really appreciates the friends because she's never really had friends before. However this leads to a simple problem. Her new friends are all bitches. Yup, all of them. That's ultimately what annoyed me about this book. Really? They're all insecure greedy little bitches? Does becoming a mermaid automatically make you lose all your redeeming qualities? Do you immediately become uncaring and selfish? Well apparently not always because our girl Luce is a good person who doesn't want to kill anyone and saves a bunch of lives! But that doesn't seem to stop any other mermaids from being a good person. Or even being nice. I would have taken nice. Then, of course, Luce is so enchanted by them (the queen, Catarina, especially) that she has no problems with them. At least at first. After a while she starts to see how they really are thank god, but she doesn't really act on it, she just spends a lot of time avoiding them all. Sorry for the rant there, but they just really rubbed me the wrong way.
Granted maybe the point was to make Luce completely isolated, but I feel like it could have been done in a way that didn't annoy me so much. If I was feeling really bad for Luce, and really hated the other characters because of that, then the author would have done a good job making me hate them because that means I'm really feeling something for the characters and I was really invested in the book. However, if that's the case then this entire book was just a set up for the next book, and an entire book just as set up seems like an awful lot. I mean this book is about 300 pages so I think that's a bit much. The other option is that I just generally didn't like any of the characters and they should have been developed more. Maybe some other mermaids could have felt the same conflicting emotions as Luce did about killing humans but chose to ignore it or something a bit better developed than all the characters just being insecure jerks. Especially after they were all portrayed initially as these strong, happy, self-confident girls.
There were also a few plot holes. In the beginning when the mermaids are first explaining things Catarina says, "So many of us die because of things no one can help! They get tangled in fishing nets and drown, or the orcas...I'm fighting all the time to try and keep everyone safe". Really? That's interesting, because this is then never mentioned again. None of them every just randomly die because of a fishing net or orcas. This is never an issue ever again. Heck, the orcas only ever even show up once, and all the mermaids act like they aren't even something to worry about. The author says, "orcas,' Kayley said. Luce couldn't understand why the other mermaids didn't seem more worried. 'They're pretty far off still. And we can outswim them, easy."
Oh really? Then why exactly do you lose so many mermaids to orcas? No fishing nets are ever mentioned again either, just saying.
Then there's Catarina. She's the queen of the tribe of mermaids and she loves all of the mermaids so much! But she's also a bitch. For about half the book she switches between being kind and caring and being nasty and uncaring. Is she suddenly bipolar? What happened? There was nothing truly significant enough that happened before that to have that effect for that long. And of course Luce is all confused but still cares about her! Because how could she possibly be mad at Catarina? I mean, she's Catarina for goodness sakes!
And I feel bad for Luce, really I do, but I didn't really connect with her. I felt sad about what had happened to her in her life, but I didn't really feel that ache for her. I got kind of annoyed with her actually. She always got mad at the other mermaids when they were being little bitches (well, most of the time) but she almost never acted on it! Yes your mad, and you have the right to be mad. Now go and bitch that bitch out! Don't just go sit in a cave alone singing, get some payback! Be a bad ass mermaid! Show some fighting spirit! At least she made decent choices a couple of times. She really only stood up for herself when she was being mocked about her human life, and this is after all the other mermaids assured that there was nothing to be ashamed of and that nothing was her fault yada yada yada, so that's not even that much of an accomplishment. Not the strongest character. Not the weakest either but not anywhere near the strongest.
I was really excited to get this book too because it'a about mermaids (who just might be my favorite mythical creatures) and the idea just seemed so different and awesome. But the book really just annoyed me more than anything else. If I had read this book last year, or even a few months ago, I probably would have given it four stars, maybe three if I was feeling picky, but I've been trying to really read books lately. Not just enough to find out what happens and then move on to the next book, but I'm trying to really judge them better. If you look at all my books on goodreads, (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/28...) you'd probably notice that they're almost all marked at four stars, with some at five, and a rare few at two or three. Now I'm trying to be more critical because there's no way all those books I read were four star books. It's just not statistically possible. Writing these reviews really helps me to do just that. I was going to give this book three stars, but after ranting about it for a while, I've decided to give it just two. Normally a two from me would mean, "Oh my god this was the single worst book I've ever wasted time on in my life!" but I'm trying to change my idea on what a two star book is, and what a three star book is, and so on. For me now, two stars means that I didn't really connect with any of the characters and the plot had holes in it and the book just generally annoyed me quite a bit, but it was still decently fun to read.
This book really made me want to read a book now with a kick ass main character. Like The Knife of Never Letting Go. Maybe I'll go reread that next.
2 Stars!

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so.... This was one of those books that I had a difficult time reviewing, because there were things I both liked and disliked about it. Lost Voices was definitely a creative and captivating story with beautiful underwater worlds, but at the same time I became so incredibly annoyed and frustrated with the characters that it was slightly painful at times to get through.

I did like Luce, the main character. She was really sweet and someone who you could immediately sympathize with from the very beginning. I was so happy when she became a mermaid and was finally able to escape from her hellish life that consisted of being friendless and humiliated at school, and then abused and terrified at home with her alcoholic uncle. I really felt for this shy, scared, vulnerable girl, and felt almost triumphant when she transformed into a strong, new, beautiful being...

But then there were the other mermaids. I didn't like them at all. First there was Catarina, the queen of the mermaid tribe. At first I liked her because there was an air of mystery surrounding her-- she was complex, contradicting and definitely creepy all at the same time. But as the story progressed, I just started to get annoyed with her. First, she was the biggest hypocrite, and second, she was a complete failure as a leader-- all because of her blinding pride and vanity. I can understand that that was all part of her character and how her past life as a human had damaged her so badly, but how was she queen for so long when she was so easy to manipulate? Why did she just let the other mermaids go and do whatever they wanted, endangering their very existence? Just because of her petty jealousy of Luce?

And then there were the 14 mermaids that Luce saved. When they were still human, I liked them and felt sorry for them. But after they turned into mermaids, they became so incredibly dumb, vindictive and selfish that it was a wonder the tribe lasted for as long as it did. Everyone was just so gullible, blinded, stubborn and back-stabbing that at times it was hard to keep reading without wanting to knock some sense into them! I seriously couldn't even believe how dense everyone was-- yes, it forwarded the plot and created conflict, but it also made me want to bang my head against the wall in total frustration. At times I even got annoyed with Luce for not having more backbone to stand up for herself and tell everyone off before things got completely out of control. During the scene where Luce saves all of them, I just wanted her to shout at Jenna and Dana, "Stop being so slow! You're mermaids!! Now get your arses back to safety before you become tasty whale snacks!" Jenna managed to become even more exasperatingly dumb, and then turned extremely mean and condescending to Luce after Luce had saved her life. Could not stand Jenna.

And speaking of characters I couldn't stand, let's talk about Anais for a moment. Seriously, I just wanted to fin-slap this girl into next week, she was that horrible and annoying. She wouldn't stop bragging about her designer jeans or her birthday parties or her Manolo freaking Blahniks-- which she humorously wore on her head because she didn't have feet anymore once she turned into a mermaid! Then she pretty much single-handedly turned every TSTL (To Stupid To Live) mermaid against Luce with lies and empty arguments and got away with murder-- literally. Seriously, if it was this easy for one bratty mermaid to poison the whole tribe, why hadn't it happened long before? And why did Luce think she was the one who had ruined everything when it was obviously not her fault?? Argh!! Somebody help me out here!

I get that these mermaids were the products of human cruelty-- that they became mermaids at the very darkest moment of their lives, after being abandoned, abused or otherwise forgotten. Therefore, the way they think and behave is a reflection of all the painful memories and emotions stored inside them. I guess I just wish that their characters were portrayed with a little more optimism, instead of coming across as so dismal and hopeless. Honestly, I wanted to like Catarina, and I wanted to find something redeeming in Anias-- but in the end, they were both disappointingly one-sided.

The ending was also extremely abrupt-- it was one of those endings where you're on the second to last page and wondering how on earth the whole thing is going to wrap up in a couple paragraphs. I had thought that this was a stand-alone book-- but lo-and-behold-- Lost Voices is the first in a trilogy! The next book is Waking Storms, and it is set to be released in July 2012. The third book will be called The Twice Lost, and is still in the process of being written. I will be looking out for both of these, in the hopes that the characters will mature somewhat-- which I know is asking a lot considering that Luce is only 14, but I do hope she learns to become more confident, assertive, and strong-minded.

*** One last thing: I do think that the cover for this book is beautiful, but I wish, wish, wish that the mermaid shown wasn't so stereotypical with her long, wavy, blond hair and pale skin-- this is not Luce! In the book, Luce has a dark, short pixie-cut and olive-toned skin-- even as a mermaid. I thought that this was so refreshingly original, to have her be different! Why didn't the cover portray this individuality?? I really wish it did!

All in all, I would recommend this book because the story was original and the characters were memorable, even if they did get on my nerves. There was, in the end, a reason behind their actions and the plot made sense. Also, Sarah Porter is truly an amazing storyteller, able to put you right in the middle of the action and paint watery worlds with lyrical descriptions. Even though there was no cheerful, optimistic ending with strings neatly tied, this book does set you up for the rest of Luce's story, and leaves you wondering what will happen next!

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the world-building, but I didn't like how the author tried to take the mermaid's fierce and deadly nature and made it more like a Disney film. Don't get me wrong, I like Disney, but it felt like the mermaids were being de-fanged, and it killed my mood. YMMV. Still not sure if I want to read the second one yet.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

First impressions: I found the beginning of the book to be interesting, but felt it took too long to get Luce in the water. We know it's a mermaid story, and I felt some of the opening scenes could have been cut. Luce runs around town showing us how sad and miserable her life is, introducing us to characters who have no real impact on the rest of the story. I got impatient waiting for her to turn into a mermaid.

Lasting impressions: The descriptions of life in the sea were really cool, and I think I could get behind mermaids. They're strong, fast, beautiful, and deadly - all things which make up the best heroines in my opinion.

Conflicting impressions: Unfortunately, there were too many dull moments to make me gaga for this book. For every swift-moving exciting scene there were three more where the mermaids just hang out on the rocks and talk. I felt the tension was missing in a majority of the scenes.

Overall impressions: Though I struggled with the pacing and tension in this story, Luce's growth as a person was satisfying to read. She starts off as a young, sheltered teen stuck in a life she doesn't want, and winds up a strong mermaid who can stand up for herself and others. It's a powerful message, especially considering the dark circumstances of this mermaid world.

In this book, mermaids turn after horrific circumstances alter the lives of young girls. In Luce's case, she is attacked and nearly raped by her uncle. Other girls fell victim to human trafficking, car accidents, or abuse. To mete out punishment on the humans who tried to destroy their lives, the girls-turned-mermaids wreck boats and drown the humans they despise.

Luce, however, isn't so sure she hates humans. She had a happy life with her father before he was lost at sea and she was sent to live with her uncle. The mermaid queen, Caterina, goes after humans with a vengeance, and Luce struggles with how to fit in with her new mermaid clan while disagreeing with her queen.

The relationship with Caterina is a complicated one, and I could never quite tell if we were supposed to trust Caterina or not. She befriends Luce, but also can blow her off without a thought, and young Luce is obviously pained by the hot-and-cold nature of Caterina's emotions. When a new mermaid (and probable sociopath) comes on the scene and tries to further that friction between the two sometime-friends, the whole mess gets even messier.

Luce is believably naive and insecure as a youngish fourteen, but the more time she spends with erratic Caterina and the devilish newcomer, the more she realizes that she must rely on her own inner strength and leadership capabilities if she hopes to save herself and her friends. This transformation is a beautiful thing to watch happen, even if I took issue with some of Luce's choices along the way.

Luce's story is not necessarily a happy one. She didn't ask to become a mermaid and is often surrounded by sycophantic and insecure girls caught up in bloodlust against the people they feel have wronged them. It's a dark tale about the damage done by hardship in one's life, and how the choices we make in trying to overcome our pasts can have a huge impact on our enjoyment of our futures. I recommend this one for die-hard mermaid fans, but I think the average reader will find the overall story a bit boring.

[Ashlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first mer story I've read, and although I have nothing to compare it to, it is incredibly original & moving. The reader becomes immediately upset for Lucette (Luce), a girl troubled everywhere she goes. Forced to live with her uncle after her mothers death and her father's becoming lost at sea, her uncle is so unbelievably disgusting and her young life is so tortured. She finds solace no where, not even with a kind teacher at school. On her 14h birthday, she becomes a mermaid. That is a lot for anyone to handle, let alone at 14 years old.

As a mermaid Luce finds that her singing voice is nearly unmatched. It calms shipwrecked seamen and enchants them in a way she is still learning to understand. As a human, Luce never understood why the kids around her at school were in such a hurry to grow up into the people who have hurt & disappointed her throughout her life. Luce finds excitement in the promise that she will never have to grow up into an adult, that she will be frozen at 14 forever. More importantly, Luce finds hope in her new, underwater home.

The tribe's queen, Catarina becomes her friend and takes her under her wing. I loved Catarina's character almost as much as I loved Luce's because she is so volatile. She is even hypocritical at times, and I'm not sure I completely trust her. For being the queen of the tribe, she certainly is easily influenced, but the reader will learn that everything about Catarina's personality has been shaped by her past & relationships. What struck the loudest chord with me about Catarina is how she hasn't learned forgiveness yet, then Luce comes along. These are perfect story lines to play off one another. Clever plotting and development by Ms. Porter.

Luce's internal struggle against what is common place among mermaid tribes makes you yearn for a happier ending for her. It is admirable and the contrast of words and colors, melodies and imagery is incredible. The human world is sad and mean, cold, lonely and hopeless. The ocean holds hope and freedom, but also a darker side of revenge that is hard to face and even harder to accept.

There is an irony to the story that is too big of a point to get away. I leaned toward it the entire story, but I didn't fully grasp it until near the end. The book is just too moving to be looked over. The irony in itself is such a layered and dramatic concept. I can't praise this book enough. I can't wait to read the next installment (which obviously won't be for a while because this book doesn't even come out until July 2011!)

Ms. Porter's writing is phenomenal. The story is so tragic & haunting, yet so beautiful and mellifluous. Each sentence is written as though set to music and each woven into a thin lace of disappointments, pain, loss, grief, the beauty of transformation, friendship, hope and forgiveness. I can not believe the scenery Ms. Porter creates. It is absolutely majestic & entrancing; it is amazing what this author has willing the English language to paint for us.

Lost Voices is a beautiful story of how the daughters of misfortune and abuse can truly escape the horrors of their lives and live in their own realm with a freedom they never knew. If Luce can teach them anything, they might learn forgiveness.

[Isamlq · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s exceptionally well written. The first portion is haunting and so sad. All that said, I honestly had a difficult time getting into the whole mermaid mythology being offered. I was quite skeptical about this vengeful version of mermaids. Surprising given my penchant for anything paranormal. I can take any werewolf, vampire, faerie book out there... I guess, I’m just not into fish girls.

Like I said, the writing itself was solid. That the author prefaced the whole book with a song from Radiohead also guaranteed I’d see it through.

Luce. God, how pitiful can one character get? Her father is dead; she doesn’t fit in. And her Uncle is a douche (of epic proportions.) After a very brutal attack, Luce has nowhere to go. She falls from a cliff but doesn’t die. Instead, finds herself turned into a mermaid. Only her type of mermaid isn’t the disneyfied likes of Ariel (Sorry, I just had to put her in.) Here, the mermaids are vindictive; creatures that use their voices to lure people to their death. This is where she finds herself. Should she lose what little bit of humanity she has left by doing as the others do? Or should she stay as she is and be forsaken by them?

The abrupt shift from her depressing human reality to another one peopled with creatures of unimaginable beauty tells me (a) that maybe, she might have fallen hard and been concussed, or (b) that the author is trying her darndest to fit the pieces together. Its just too much a stretch; one that I find a little INcredible. OK, maybe the abruptness can be explained away by the suddenness of her death as well. But still…

There is no way of reconciling my childhood’s notion of sweet Ariel and scary Catarina. On one hand, mermaids hold a dear and special place in my heart because that movie is one of my earliest memories. On the other, there are these creatures that exist solely because of human cruelty. The very cruelty that drives them to lure humans (good, bad, young and old) to their death. Scary? Yes. So, perhaps it’s just early childhood training that’s keeping me from swallowing this story hook, line and sinker (corny! pun intended.) Or maybe it’s the concept of an eye for an eye (and then some) that’s just pushing this book away from a solid 5 star rating.

But once you get used to this type of mermaid, things really start get interesting especially as the focus becomes one of friendship and of betrayal. It’s almost as if this book could be split in two, both parts of which would be pretty decent reads on their own: Luce’s relationships with Catarina, Miriam as well as her non-relationship with Anais; the tribe dynamic; Anais' manipulation; the mermaids' shame and Luce unwillingness to bend to any of it, made LOST VOICES much more than just a (vengeful) mermaid story.

Solid writing (+1.)
Haunting start (+1).
Luce and her friends (+1.)
but just a tad unbelievable (-1)
___________

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love mermaids. I’ve been a mermaid fanatic since the age of four, and it hasn’t let up since. My fascination with mermaids is why it is so frustrating that every mermaid YA book I’ve read, with the exception of Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz, has been incredibly underwhelming.

Unfortunately, Lost Voices is not an exceptional case. It was beautifully written and I loved the premise, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I never felt any kind of connection to Luce, in fact I found her to be quite the Mary Sue and a bit of a wet blanket. She didn’t really do anything except whine. She stood up to Anais a few times late in the book, though with nothing more powerful than the occasional biting comment. All of the other mermaids were severely underdeveloped, especially considering the potential they all had! The room for character development with all of these girls is so spectacular, yet none of them have actual personalities. They were all abused, yet that major aspect of their human lives is rarely made mention of, nor do there seem to be any lasting emotional repercussions. The only mermaid I even kind of liked was Miriam.

The introduction of the main villain, Anais, cemented my dislike of Lost Voices. Anais is my least favourite kind of villain. She’s spineless and manipulative and materialistic (what do you need high heels for, Anais?? YOU DON’T HAVE FEET!). The scenes between Anais and the larvae (mermaids under the age of 3 or 4 who don’t have the motor control or verbal abilities of the older mermaids) were particularly cringe-inducing. The larvae in general made me very uncomfortable. I just wanted to scoop them up and give them all some much-needed cuddles. I really didn’t understand why the mermaids were so disdainful of them.

Another complaint I had was with the pacing. Nothing really happens between 25% and 70%. It’s literally just Luce swimming and singing for almost half of the book. Then, when a plot does show up it is incredibly asinine. I really just didn’t care about the outcome of the plot, and ended up skimming the last 20% just to finish it. It just didn’t work for me. I wanted to like Lost Voices, but there were so many missing pieces and loose ends and the characters were despicable. I won’t be continuing the series, as I have no desire to find out what happens.

[Terra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is intriguing, based on an existing myth with plenty of creativity to make it unique. The writing is excellent although the descriptions of the sea, waves, and the other-worldly voices of the mermaids were exhausting after a while (there is only so much you can say about water). I really wanted to like it, but this book has a huge flaw. Nothing good happens during the entire novel.
The only happy moments the main character Luce has are in her memory (and even those don't seem that happy to me) or when she's alone, hiding from the other mermaids. The characters move from the depressing lives of abused humans to the equally depressing lives of mermaids. Once abused babies and toddlers become mermaid larvae (never to grow older) who float in the ocean, destined to be consumed by ocean life; the mermaids do nothing except swim, eat mussels and sing to drown humans. There is no magic in the world created by Sarah Porter, there are no moments of joy, no kindness, and no real love. Sisterly love between Luce and the mermaids is spoken of, but it never rings true.
This is a dark fantasy that is difficult to relate to because no matter how bad life is, there are always moments of light. Maybe Ms. Porter is building up to levity and salvation in the second book, but after being pulled into the dark depths, much like the victims of the mermaids, in the almost 300 pages of this first book, I doubt it.
Some will love this book, but it wasn't the sort that I like to read.

[Susan Shafer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I first started reading this novel, I fell in love with the premise of the plot. The author uses her skills to create a fascinating new myth on the creation of mermaids that I enjoyed. The main character,Luce,is strong in her convictions and her choices whether or not they go against the ancient laws. I felt close to both her and the mermaid queen at first. Sadly the plot falls short. I understand the author wants to immerse the reader in the aquatic beauty and terror that it takes to be a mermaid, but I feel it drags on. The book as a whole reads like a dying pulse. There is so much detail and (I feel) repetition between the action that with each important plot event I felt less and less moved by it. So by the time one of the mermaids die, not only was it predictable but I felt no emotion towards her death(although her burial scene was more moving). Not one tear fell. The last few chapters brought me back to the story as Luce became more rebellious and the tribe reached its breaking point, but the end result was sadly missing something that I can't put my finger on. Unfortunately this tale of tails gets 2 1/2 apples.