Just for Fins

Fins #3

by Tera Lynn Childs

When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land—with gorgeous human Quince by her side—Lily’s not sure she has the fins to lead a kingdom. Even her maddeningly pretentious cousin Dosinia seems to know more about ruling than she does.

But Lily has to dive in deep to keep her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name only, whose kingdom is suffering in the changing ocean climate. Lily knows this is a seven seas–sized problem: from sea animals dying to oil spills and threats to humans. They’ll need to create some serious waves to make the mer community aware and get it to join together to make things right. Even if that means facing one of the iciest queens in the mer kingdoms.

Just when Lily thinks her double life on land and sea can’t get any more complicated, an ancient mer law might separate Lily and Quince after all. It feels as if the pair is up against a solid tsunami wave!

In this third installment in the series that began with Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever, Lily will have to find a way to balance safety and justice for the mer people as well as for the humans she loves.

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

246 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2012

About the author

Tera Lynn Childs may pretend to be a goddess, but she’s really just a normal person. Well, maybe not normal. She is a writer, after all. Her works include the mythology-based Oh. My. Gods. series, the Forgive My Fins mermaid romance series, the kick-butt monster-hunting Sweet Venom trilogy, and the Darkly Fae fantasy series. Tera currently parks her laptop in the Seattle area and spends her time writing wherever she can find a comfy chair and a steady stream of caffeinated beverages. Learn more about her magical realms and find behind-the-book extras at teralynnchilds.com.

Reviews

[shady boots · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also available over at my blog.

___________________________

This is my go-to cotton candy mermaid series, for sure!

I love Lily. I love how she's just so grown now. Like, she's so over that ridiculous obsession with Brody from book one, and she's completely devoted to Quince now. I bet any other YA heroine out there would still be torn over different guys in a series, but not Lily. Only Quince is on her mind, and I'm glad about that.

What I love most about this book though is that it's not focused on the romance. It focuses more on Lily dealing with royal life and trying to help the underwater kingdoms. It all started with her wanting to help her friend Prince Tellin's kingdom, Acropora, but after a disastrous meeting with all the kings and queens, she discovers that a lot of kingdoms are facing similar problems, mainly caused by humans. In this book, we see a lot of Lily planning to make all the kingdoms work together to solve all these problems.

Dosinia, Lily's cousin, also changed a lot in this book. I saw a different side of her and was touched by how her and Lily's relationship grew near the end. And we see some of Doe's relationship with Brody as well and I guess they're pretty cute.

This book wasn't exactly climactic, but I enjoyed it a lot because of the characters, and it was nice to see more of the underwater kingdoms besides Thalassinia. I also liked seeing the Terrible Trio come to their senses. xD It was so awesome when Lily just completely told them off. I was dying.

The ending . . . kind of scared me. Because it seemed quite . . . last-book-ish, if you know what I mean. Like an ending you would see in the last book of a series. I'm a little scared, because I love this series and I don't want it to end so soon! D: But the author did tell me on Twitter that there might be more of Quince and Lily's story, but she was awfully cryptic about it. >_< I do hope a fourth book is in the works, though. Or maybe even a spin-off with a different main character? That would also be fun. :D

All in all this series is so fluffy and fun, definitely one of my favorite mermaid series out there. If you have yet to read the first book, Forgive My Fins, I strongly suggest you do!

[Jessica Buwalda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I had my hopes set really high for this novel. Sadly, I felt the first was the best in the series and the second and final book just didn’t match up to it. Now, perhaps its because the first solely focused on Quince and Lily, and the second faded more to the welfare of the mer-kingdoms, and the finale was almost solely about the future of the mer-kingdoms. I guess there just was not enough love in it for me. I thought there should be seeing as that was what started the series afterall. Not, that there wasn’t any romance. Oh, no. I have no lost my love for Quince. He definitely proves himself in this book, and even Dosinia is growing on me. I also found that in this book there wasn’t as much humour as I was use to. I guess the books began transitioning into a more serious nature throughout the series, and there is nothing wrong with it, but it felt like some key elements were missing that were in the first one. Throughout the series the author did leave me questioning how everything was going to work out and I’m glad to fine her ending fit the series, characters, and situation rather well.
Good:
Lily: Still the same klutzy, frizzy haired, worried Mer-girl that she was from the beginning.
Quince: Top-notch. I love Quince. I love the way he loves Lily. I love love love him.
Dosinia: You are growing on me.
Brody: You are growing on me too.
Bad:
The story line was not what I expected and sadly I had high hopes for this book. It was highly focused on politics and Lily defining her position in the mer-world which was a good, but at some points made the read not so interesting.
Overall (Writing style, story line, and general):
Overall the writing was done very well. I was never confused and there were some moments when I laughed out loud. I just wish there were more. There were some moments when I put the book down and I found I was not as captured with this book as I was with the first two. Although this one, I will have to say, was disappointing for the ending I still love the Tera Lynn Childs as an author and I plan on reading her other series just as soon as I can get my hands on them.

View more of my review and others at my blog: www.mynotsovacantshelf.blogspot.com

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series started off with a Big Bang. Seriously. I loved Quinn, and I loved the whole idea of "princess of Thalassinia". Unfortunately, as the series progressed, the things I seemed to like/care about most disappeared.

First of all, things got mega-lame. One thing I absolutely positively cannot abide is lame names. Well, let me give you an excerpt from this book:
"What?" I ask, my voice softer. "Just tell me, Calliope."
"It seems the ancient law requires your human to..." She shakes her head. "He must pass the Trial of Truth."
Doe gasps.
I suck in a tight breath.
The Trial of Truth? Are you fubbugintidgfd kidding me?!?!?!?! *facepalm*

Also, the author used really bad "speaking" words. All these tiny quirks throughout the book kind of got on my nerves.

The only thing that made this book a two star instead of a negative 4 was because of Quince. Quince was still the same lovable and sexy guy he was in the first book. Congrats to the author for managing that.

[Lynae · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was definitely the worst book in the series. You cannot go from teen paranormal romance to teen attempts to save the ocean in a boring political way and the love interest is barely mentioned. If I wanted to read about humans destroying the ocean I would've picked out a nonfiction book. I wanted a romantic mermaid story, and I was severely disappointed. Tera Lynn Childs totally could've stopped after the first book.

[Jesten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very pleased with the end to this series. I felt like all the characters grew a lot during it. This was one of the few series where the books got progressively better instead of progressively worse.

[Ruby Rose]

This is a wonderful conclusion to the series... or at least I think this is the conclusion? Someone please tell me there is another book! This series just got me too attached for it to end now.

PARENT NOTE: This book has nothing to worry about in it if you follow my age recommendation.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 12 and up. Note: The other books in the series are rated as follows: Book one: 10 and up (I think) Book 2: 13 and up.

ROMANCE: Clean.

VIOLENCE: Very little if any.

SWEARING: None up to 2 words.

CLEAN ROMANCE BOOK GROUP! TO FIND MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS ONE JOIN: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Courtney Robeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still pretty fun, but I must admit, with the new developments, I wanted an epilogue or something.

[Lulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now this is the story all about how
Lily's life got flipped, turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
I'll tell you about how she took on being princess of the seas.

Sorry. Feeling a bit nostalgic about the 90s today.

So this segment starts just two days after Fins Are Forever left off. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this series conclusion. The previous two hadn't left a lasting impression on me, so I was settling in for a quick, light read. And though my lowered expectations were indeed met, Just for Fins surpassed its predecessors in some unexpected ways.

After bonding to Tellin on her 18th, Lily officially claims the throne as Princess of Thalassinia. Her first act as future queen is to call a meeting with the other ten kingdoms of the Western Atlantic in order to rally an aid team for the withering citizens of Acropora. She naively anticipates everyone in attendance to automatically agree with her proposal and send relief to the floundering kingdom. When her plea is instead met with outrage, Lily finds that there are other parts of the sea that are trying to grapple with changing environmental conditions. Lily's main struggle is with a band of merpeople who think that violence is the answer to their problems - believing that if they retaliate against the humans, the waters will be left alone.



You can correctly assume that our dear mermaid doesn't quite agree with their assessment of the situation.

What I liked about this story were the details. After finishing Forgive My Fins, I was left even more confused than I started, having question upon question regarding the underwater community. Most of these were answered in Just for Fins. And though the story still had a "perfect, clean-cut solution" quality to everything that the prior two novels also suffered from, Lily's attitude toward her troubles was a bit more bearable.

That being said, I was once again disappointed in Lily and Quince's relationship. There are books that concentrate solely on the romantic aspect of the story, which is more often than not annoying to the point of no return (aka, not finishing the book), but Quince was just so.. vanilla. What with the love triangle with Brody from the first book, readers were left with the obvious impression of Quince as the "bad boy" in comparison. Because as we all know, these tortured souls usually come out as victors in the love triangle shenanigans. But now.. meh. Not really feeling it for the poor boy. I mean really, which self-respecting guy names their motorcycle Princess?

Well. There goes another conclusion of a mermaid tale. Now if only I could find one that will answer my burning, age-old question.. How in the world do merpeople use the bathroom?!

[Colleen Houck]

There was some very clever Mer political maneuvering in this book. Loved Lily's solution to the problem. My favorite thing is when the tail fins match the colors of the environment. Can totally picture that. Beautiful!

[Emily Cramer]

love this book

[Tia Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final Rating: 3 Stars

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this whole trilogy. I loved the light-hearted fun. So many fantasies are super serious. It was a nice change of pace.

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

To see full review click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/201...

When I think of this series I think cute. It's light reading. I know I'm not going to get the most complex of plots, but I still love reading these books. In fact, they're probably my favorite mermaid series that's out there in the YA world as of right now.

However, despite the fact that I love these books I did find some problems with this installment. For instance, let's talk about sea puns. Although, not as heavily used as they were earlier in the series. I couldn't help but cringe every time, every time something sea oriented was said. It reminded me of Lagoon Boy from Young Justice and I hate Lagoon Boy. And if you don't understand what I'm saying because you don't watch Young Justice, well, trust me he's annoying especially when he calls his Martian girlfriend angelfish.

Yes, angelfish. It's even worse than angel another term of endearment I can't stand thanks to Edward Cullen and that Patch guy from Hush Hush.


Aside from the sea puns, the other issues I had with this novel included a lack of development in both plot and character. While I do think Lily has grown since the previous installments, the side and supporting characters just fall flat. Even Quince wasn't as charming as he usually was. The plot was the same. I loved it, but I felt something was missing.

Okay, to be more precise I think there is a lack of balance between Lily's surface and underwater life. Take for instance, Lily's surface goals which were nothing-because mermaids don't need college because their politics aren't taught in universities. That might be true, but there are still other subject that would be beneficial for anyone ruling a country: math, science (which would really be important seeing what the plot was about), communication skills, even political science courses could have a place though it wouldn't be mermaid related. And for that matter, I have to wonder do mermaids have universities? I also didn't like how Quince's lack of higher education was thrown to the side either. So, he has a job in construction. That's great. Lots of people can be very successful with a construction job, but the security in these jobs isn't that stellar. Especially in today's economy. Realistically, Quince should at least try to take a couple of evening classes at a community college just so he could have an associates degree and have some security. I know, I'm being nick picky about this but this is something that really bothered me in the books (you can thank my social poverty class I took in college for that). Anyway, to get back to the original point I was trying to make, the surface world life and goals are thrown to the side for the sea. I just really wish there would've been a way to balance them together. And there sort of was...but it seemed like Tera didn't want to take that direction with the books and I can sort of understand that.

Now let's talk about the good stuff in the book. There were a lot of really nice things about this book. The world building was a solid as usual and I liked the fact that the environment played a part in this book in not an overly preachy Save the Whales sort of way. It was also a neat way to introduce the other mer kingdoms.

Best Feature: Relevance. I think this book talked about some pretty relevant world environmental issues which was refreshing. And Tera made it entertaining which was even more refreshing and a hard thing to do too, I would know since a big part of my internship this summer deals with environmental issues which at times can feel a bit monotonous. And she didn't get too Captain Planet-y about it either which I had to appreciate.

Worst Feature: Lack of Overarching Plot: One of my biggest issues with these books is I feel that each of them could very well be a stand alone. Everything is neatly resolved at the end of the book and while that's nice that's not how real life or series work. While I do like that there is resolution to each installment, there is nothing making me want to read the next one like there is in Tera's Sweet Venom series.

Appropriateness: This book is appropriate for all ages. It's probably one of the best things about it. If I had a preteen I would be very comfortable with them reading this. There's some kissing, but nothing except for that. And plus, I liked the fact that it talked about some real world issues. So there's that as well.

[Janus the Erudite Artist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just For Fins is the third instalment of the Fins series. Here we find our protagonist, Lily taking on her first action as crown princess of Thalassinia. But as she treks the path to fulfilling her duties to her kingdom, she realizes she lacks the knowledge of what goes on in the ocean realm. Spending so much time on land, she left herself clueless of the problems hers and other mer kingdoms are facing. Determined to do whatever it takes to help out her mer bond in name only, Tellin, she goes about her way trying to find the best solution to fix these problems. Unfortunately that’s not the only thing she’ll be worrying about. While struggling to balance both land and sea life, Lily discovers that there is an ancient mer law that Quince must prove himself worthy of the love of a mermaid royalty. He has to take tests and failing those means losing each other. *Sigh* Life couldn’t seem to give Princess Waterlily a break...

I cannot tell you how badly I missed Quince! Yes, even though he wasn’t the main highlight of this book, I’m really glad to have him back (well, figuratively... you know what I mean). Oh, how I’ve missed you Quincy! *giggles*

So Lily is now bonded to Tellin (In name only as she insists. Well you better be girl ‘coz if you hurt Quince, blood will be shed. Whoops! Sorry, I’m getting carried away), and they are trying to fix the problem in Tellin’s kingdom, you know, water pollution, starving mer folk, and a king who’s too proud to ask for help. I’m glad that these two got along in a mutual, platonic relationship that enabled them to work together as a team or partners... whatever (I’m sorry but my mind just keeps going back to Quince. LOL). I’m just really happy that I won’t be worrying about another love triangle dilemma here. Anyway, this event opened Lily to discovering a lot of other worse scenarios in her meeting with the rest of the other kingdoms’ mer royalties. And boy, do those kings and queens have quite a pack of personalities!

Speaking of personalities, I wasn’t really surprised to find Dosinia, Lily’s cousin, to have a change of heart after establishing a bond with Brody. It’s nice to see a different side of her that’s more positive and more caring, even though she pretends she doesn’t care. You’re not fooling anyone, Doe, but I’m glad you’ve changed.

Now let’s get back to my favourite topic – QUINCE! Ha ha ha! I’m giggling like a crazy love struck high school girl. Okay, I’m sorry. Let’s cut to the chase: I was a little annoyed to find that Quince had to take on a series of tests to prove his love for Lily. I mean, hasn’t he done enough of it already? I guess the stupid ancient law doesn’t think so. Hmph! Anyway, I think the tests weren’t so bad after all and I like how dedicated Quince was to succeed in them. It just made me love him even more. Teehee!

Overall this book was really enjoyable, I liked the first two books better but this was just as fun and cute. This isn’t really a heavily-built-plot kind of story so I wasn’t expecting anything cutting edge. Tera Lynn Childs’ Fins series is the sweetest kind of mermaid series I’ve read so far. If you want a light, sweet (maybe a bit cheesy to some, but I don’t mind), and cute chick flick-like story, you should give this series a shot.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enchanting undersea world sprinkled the right amount of romance and given a touch of a modern day fairy tale brought to life, Just for Fins is a fabulous summer time read!

Tera Lynn Childs's is an author who's books are ones that without fail, each time I sit down to read one of them I really enjoy it. She creates these wonderful, sweet romances that leave me wanting more, gives her stories this modern day fairy tale feel to them them, and over all knows how to write a truly good ole' fashion fun read. Not to mention she creates these vivid worlds, and in this case a lively undersea world that makes me want to go back and visit it often. Just for Fins was no exception. I have really enjoyed the Fins series, and getting to see not just Lily grow and change, but she how her and Quince work through the things that always try to tear them apart. Or I should say Quince is another reason why I read this series. I adore the relationship he and Lily have.

It was great seeing Lily fulfill some of her tougher duties as Crown Princess. She has a lot to deal with, and lucky for her a few good friends to help her through it. The whole bonding with Tellin made more sense to me in this book, and I liked seeing the two of them interact on the level they're on with each other, which is one of mutual friendship and respect. My favorite is of course Quince and Lily. They have this sweet romance that makes me smile and makes me want to keep reading just to see what else is going to evolve between them. They also do these little things or say things to each other that make me laugh. Despite their determination to make things work between them, Quince now has to prove himself worthy of being with Lily (Merman people rules), by enduring three grueling trials. They're being together determines their fate, and he won't know what the trials are until he has to do them. Who wouldn't want a guy like Quince doing whatever he could to be by your side?!

One of the other things I enjoyed about Just for Fins was getting to see more of the other kingdoms, how they interact, and how real world situations like global warming, oil spills, drilling and so forth are impacting this under sea world. It made the story more realistic and authentic. One of Lily's new roles as Crowned Princess is figuring out a way to save some of the kingdoms that are dying off from these problems. I was impressed with the way Lily grew into her role, and she does it well. Part of this story's plot line is Lily learning to embrace her new role and figuring out a way to stop what's happening and the war that's now threatening the kingdoms. There are some books who try to tie in real world issues/global warming issues into their books, and it comes across as preachy, but in Tera's case it came across as mater factly and fit in perfectly with what Lily's undersea world is dealing and how it's destroying some of her neighboring kingdoms, and the ripple effect it's now causing for the rest of them.

Just for Fins is a fabulous installment to an already awesome series. It's one I definitely recommend picking up and one I'd even recommend to older MG readers. It's a fun, clean cut read. If you're looking for a fun, refreshing under sea adventure that is sprinkled with romance, and wrapped around an engaging plot line I highly recommend picking this book up!

[Kay Mcgriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tera Lynn Childs creates a satisfying ending to the trilogy of books about Lily Sanderson, a secret mermaid princess learning about life on land as a high school student. Just for Fins (Katherine Tegen Books 2012) is my favorite in this series because Lily has grown into her own person with grace and courage.

No longer is Lily plagued with deciding what is right for herself (Brody or Quinn? Princess or not?). Instead she is ready to take on the responsibilities that are her birthright–and not a moment to soon. Trouble is brewing under the waves as multiple kingdoms are threatened by a changing climate and increasing pollution from humans. The leaders of the seven seas come at Lily’s invitation, but they do not respond favorably to her pleas for help. Many have secretly decided to take matters into their own hands, threatening the secrecy that protects the mer kingdoms. Can Princess WaterLily uncover and stop the plot. before it is too late? Meanwhile, an ancient mer-law threatens to separate Lily and Quinn, this time forever. Quinn must pass three tests of his physical, mental, and emotional endurance without any help from anyone.

I really liked how the characters grow through this series. Not only does Lily grow into a leader, but Quinn also changes through his quests. He might even make a believable merman by the end. The biggest change, though comes with Dosinia and Brody. No longer a spoiled brat rebelling against everything, Dosinia becomes Lily’s staunchest ally.

This trilogy has been very popular in my classroom, and I think my readers will enjoy this final installment. Of course, they may be begging for more!

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I read this book is because I hate leaving things unfinished, Especially food but that's beside the point. I absolutely loved the first book, I liked the second book but this third book really bugged me. I'll make a list, mainly because I love lists. (This list is in no particular order, just whatever comes to mind.)

1. Could the names in this book be any harder to pronounce?
2. Lily really needs to get her priorities straight when it comes to her hair.
3. In a personal opinion, I don't think people change. In a universal opinion, people do not change that fast. Doe and the terrible trio must have been waking up on the wrong side of the bed for a lifetime.
4. Lily, can you not make a decision for yourself? Lily prides herself on the fact that she's doing this all by herself with no help from daddy but every damn detail of her ideas she talks out with at least another person.
5. This one really bugged me, and reading some other reviews, it must have only been me. Did the plot seem way to blatant about how bad we as humans are? I mean I'm not really big on the whole global-warming-is-the-death-of-mankind idea but I don't doubt we're not o blame for a percentage of whats happening. I wanted to see more Lily and Quince, not Lily and Miss Molina.

I still love Quince though, I mean who wouldn't?

I'm just glad the series is over though, all wrapped up in a neat little bow, I wouldn't, couldn't be able to read a fourth.

[Harman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! This is the third book in the Fins series. Tera Lynn Childs has written all three books so beautifully. I have loved reading all three! I loved how Tera had made the characters feel so realistic For the Mer people instead of them saying, "i let the dust settle in my mind" she said, "i let the silt settle in my mind." Those little details made the whole book a lot more fun to read. I loved the plot in this book. There were sort of two different plots. One was the one with Quince having to pass the Trials of Truth and the other was the one with the Kingdoms having to struggle with global warming and how poorly humans were treating the oceans. The Trials of Truth were a lot of fun to read. I loved how the 16th glow was in Lily's hair. The last trial was very creative. I wonder what the excuse for their failing would be if Lily hadn't given Quince directions to the Palace. The plot of global warming and the other stuff was interesting and fit this book perfectly. I have seen books try to incorporate that and fail but this book incorporated it perfectly. That Queen just pissed me off. Like get a life. You're mean. Queens are supposed to be nice and not take risk that would put their people in any chance of harm. Exposing the Mer people would just attach mer people to gurneys in scientists labs. I look forward to reading the sequel of this book.

[Salve Duplayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the third installment of the series, "Forgive My Fins" clearly sums up the story. When Lily bonded with Prince Tellin and decided to remain the Crown Princess of Thalassinia, she knew that she couldn't forget about her duties, however, she's no longer sure that she can lead since she lived on land for the last few years. However, she sets that aside to fulfill her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name, to help his suffering kingdom due to climate change. She knows that this is a very big issue, to complicated to face alone, so she chooses to lead the way into joining the mer kingdoms to help even if it means facing the coldest queen in the kingdoms. Although just when she thought that doing her duties as a princess and Tellin's mate, and balance her life on land can't get anymore difficult, more problems arise. Now, Lily must change her plan to help ALL of the kingdoms conquer their issues with the humans and the sea, while trying to overcome the fact that Lily and her human boyfriend, Quince, might be separated by an ancient mer law after all. In the end, both Lily and Quince prove their love towards each other and continue their relationship. Lily also devised a way for all the kingdoms to fix their problems, without exposing the identity of the mer folks to the humans, and save all those she love and the rest of the world.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, the tone of it was so upbeat, odd considering the subject matter Lily is facing. I loved how Lily is now embracing her mermaid life, that Tellin felt comfortable telling her the issues his kingdom is facing, and as a team the two of them come up with a plan.

It is at this point that things seem to follow a time tested pattern, one where the young ones are excited to save the world, but faced with the old ones who are cynical because nothing has worked in the past. This could have turned Lily away and caused her to follow the adults. Instead she turns to a trusted mentor to help her. Of course she can't tell the mentor the real story, but comes up with a plausible similarity. Even then things don't go so well, but Lily never lets the bad news get her down. She just becomes more sneaky and finds a way to shame all of the mer kings and queens, which was brilliant.

Lily faces obstacles in her love life too. Quince has to go through 3 tests to prove his love as a human for Lily. The tests seem easy, but they aren't, especially the last one. When we reached this one I found myself getting mad. The ending was great, just what Lily needed to happen.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the first, thought the second was so-so, but I'm happy to see it continue! Just like I did for "Fins Are Forever", I'll be buying this the week it comes out!

My guess is that this time the mermaid on the cover is this "icy queen" mentioned.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this series back to back to back made me realize why I fell for TLC’s stories back in 2012. Also glad to know adult me still really loved this books, reading them in its entirety in 2.5 days

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE REVIEW

Why this book?

I liked the other books in the series

What I thought

I liked parts of this one better then others. Dosinia was atleast more likable but all the ocean saving stuff got boring still a cute read though.

[Regina]

Hmmm.I felt the second one was a good place to stop but I guess ill read this one anyway....it better be good coz I
m not gonna read a fourth if this one sucks.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just for Fins ended well, it kept me thinking and I never figured out what was going to happen until the very end. It was a fun book to read and kept me interested throughout.

[Pretty Little Liar · Rating 5 out of 5]

why did this have to be the ending. i hope there is another book.

[Kourtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Just for Fins" by Tera Lynn Childs is a young adult novel that combines elements of romance, adventure, and fantasy. The book follows the story of Lily Sanderson, a teenage mermaid who has always felt out of place in her underwater home. When she meets a group of human teens who are just as different as she is, Lily finds herself drawn into their world and begins to question everything she has ever known about herself and her kind.

One of the key strengths of this book is its imaginative and creative world-building. Childs has created a rich and detailed world of mermaids and sea creatures that is both believable and enchanting. The setting is beautifully described and provides the perfect backdrop for the story's romantic and adventure elements.

Another strength of the book is its well-developed characters. Lily is a relatable and likable protagonist, and the supporting cast is equally well-drawn. The relationships between the characters are complex and engaging, adding depth to the story and making it easy for readers to become emotionally invested in the story.

The romance in the book is also well-done, with a slow build-up that allows readers to see the relationship between Lily and her love interest develop over time. The love story adds a touch of heart and emotion to the story, and Childs handles it in a way that feels natural and unforced.

Overall, "Just for Fins" by Tera Lynn Childs is a charming and engaging young adult novel that will appeal to fans of the fantasy and romance genres. The imaginative world-building, well-developed characters, and heartwarming romance make this book a stand out in the crowded world of young adult fiction. If you're looking for a fun and romantic read, I highly recommend this book.

[Rosemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that 'Just for Fins' would continue the upward trend and I could give it a full 5 stars. But, unfortunately, that's not the case.

Overall this is not a bad series, especially for young readers. But I just felt that compared to other mermaid stories that I've read - and I love mermaid stories, so I've read quite a few - this was simply nothing new or special.

As in the first installment, the drama seemed forced. Out of nowhere comes an "ancient mer law" that requires any human falling in love with a mermaid to undergo a series of 3 tests. First of all, if it's so ancient, why follow it? Lily's father is the king after all, he could change the rule. Plus, I found the tests themselves very predictable.

I do agree with the point that several people have pointed out in their reviews: these characters are faced with massive decisions to make that are well beyond their years. At 17, it's not realistic to think that you know for sure who the love of your life is, much less be able to prove it in a series of grueling tests. Also, it's just not right to make Lily decide what she wants to do for the rest of her life right this minute.

Those kinds of thoughts were nagging at me throughout this whole series. Maybe younger readers wouldn't have them as much as older, more experienced readers, but still. I've enjoyed many YA novels without ever having those real-life intrusions.

I will say that the idea of tying an environmental message about the oceans into a mermaid story is not a bad idea, and there was potential there. I just wish it had been executed a bit better.

[Carlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5- This book was good enough. I have to preface this review by saying that I didn't expect much going into this book. That doesn't mean that I thought the book would be bad, I just knew from having read the previous books in this series that this one wasn't going to touch me. I like the characters well enough. Lily was a little more bearable in this book, though you could still tell that she was extremely young and naïve. Quince was Quince, which means good but a little stereotypical. The plot was okay. I just feel like the author was trying to say a little too much about the world. I get why she made that choice, but that's not the kind of thing that I wanted out of this book. I just wanted a light, fast read that gave me some swoon worthy moments. This book was light and it was fast, but I sadly didn't swoon once. The ending was okay, and the book overall was just okay. It didn't blow me away, but I don't any strong feelings of dislike for it either. There wasn't any cursing in this book, and there wasn't any violence. There also wasn't any sexual content other than a little kissing. I think that this book is considered YA, but I see no reason why a middle grade reader couldn't read and enjoy the book. It is a little romancey, but that's all up to preference really. I can't say that I really recommend this book. I think that the first one in the series is the best. So, if you are looking for a light read like this one than you should just pick up the first one. The second two are okay, but I prefer the first one way more. I am open to picking up more from Tera Lynn Childs, but I'm not jumping to do so.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the first two books (The first book the best), but this ending kind of butchered it for me.

The only one I actually liked in this book was Quince. The only person I cared about this whole entire series was Quince. Lily was already annoying from the start. In the beginning she was this basic teenager, now she all political. I mean it isn't bad to be political, but this is about a romance story! People like me don't like politics and romance heavily mixed in a YA book! I understand that water pollution is a bad thing, just don't put it in a novel like this!

Forgive My Fins built this dream world that was focused on Quince and Lily's relationship. In this book, I am confused as to why Quince even likes Lily to go through something like the Trial of Truth! Let them live in peace for goodness sakes!

Mentioning all of these random kingdoms, people (that I don't care about), gave me a severe headache. There are things that make no sense at all. Some of the wording made it cringey? The development from Lily being this average teenager to political princess was pretty rushed, or maybe it just didn't grow onto me. It felt like Lily was super dependent on others to help her while making mere tiny ideas.

Politics = boring, especially for young readers who are already dealing with parents & teachers talking about it 24/7. The first book will always be the best for me. It seems authors like going overboard with their world building. Otherwise, Quince takes for saving me and this book.