The Twice Lost

Lost Voices #3

by Sarah Porter

Mermaids have been sinking ships and drowning humans for centuries, and now the government is determined to put an end to the mermaid problem—by slaughtering all of them. Luce, a mermaid with exceptionally threatening abilities, becomes their number-one target, hunted as she flees down the coast toward San Francisco.     

There she finds hundreds of mermaids living in exile under the docks of the bay. These are the Twice Lost: once-human girls lost first when a trauma turned them into mermaids, and lost a second time when they broke mermaid law and were rejected by their tribes. Luce is stunned when they elect her as their leader. But she won’t be their queen. She’ll be their general. And they will become the Twice Lost Army—because this is war.

Genres: Mermaids, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, Mythology, Supernatural

471 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

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Reviews

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

I am awarding The Twice Lost 5 glorious stars but if I had 10 to give it, I would without hesitation. It is that amazing of a book. First, I want to say that I won this book in a Goodreads give-a-way. When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was its beautiful book jacket. If you know me you know that I am a sucker for a pretty cover. But, then, I realized that it was the third and final book in a trilogy. I had my summer reading schedule all planned out and this did not fit in. So I was a little unhappy. But, I decided to start at the beginning of the trilogy so I could give this book I was awarded a fair review. I admit that in the beginning I had a bit of an attitude. And I only awarded the first book 3 stars. Then 4 stars to the second book. Then...I started the final book. Upon starting page one, she had me. This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. To sort of review, Luce was a 14 year old girl that through horrific circumstances, was changed into a mermaid. She struggled throughout the first two books but in this book, she is truly a hero. She has found herself in San Francisco and has found the Twice Lost. Mermaids that first were lost as young girls, each with their own horrible story. Then, they broke the mermaid law and were exiled from their tribes. So, they were lost again. Luce has been rushing south From Alaska to warn all mermaids to hide, not to sink any ships, that the humans are trying to kill them. When she arrives in San Francisco, the Twice Lost want her to be their Queen. Luce refuses the title of Queen but agrees to be their General. But, only if they will agree not to kill humans. She has to find a way to bridge the gap between mermaids and humans peacefully. I can't tell you how many emotions I felt throughout this book. I was so proud of Luce as if I were her mother. I grieved along with her when she experienced loss. I felt her pain with her. I felt her fear with her. I went to sleep thinking of Luce and woke up thinking of her. Luce was always thinking of the bigger picture. When she is making demands, its not just for the safety of the mermaids, but she decides she needs to get the humans to improve their care of the oceans.

Sarah Porter has such a beautiful way of painting pictures with her words. This is an excerpt of a reunion between Dorian and Luce when they kiss: "The kiss was a bright banner unfurled and beating in the wind. It was an expanse of water suddenly waking with a surge of blinding ripples. It was his heart made manifest, and it felt like a triumph that comes unexpectedly when all hope has long been lost."

So, in closing, I want to say that even though I was unhappy to add in a trilogy that I hadn't planned to read, I ended up receiving a beautiful gift of words. If you take the time to read this review, I hope you will consider reading these books. I can say that I will never forget Luce and I will never look out at the ocean in exactly the same way. So to Sarah Porter, I say thank you.

[Annie]

Update:
COVER LOVE:
OMG, IT IS SOOOOO GORGEOUS! I just want to BE one of those mermaids, it looks so cool!
The background colors are just so intense!


I NEED THIS! NOW!

the suspense is KILLING ME!

Dorian better shape up or I WILL club him to death!!!

AAAAH!!!!!!!!! the war is on...


need this. i can sense it as my dwindling sanity leaves with every passing moment as i desperately long for this book...

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was had many lovely and horrific moments that I would best describe the story as hauntingly beautiful. I just knew that Anais lived through massacre. It was kinda funny when after she tried to kill Dorian he sang back to her and how he felt bored with her feeble second attempts. Even though she had no empathy I felt some pity for her in the end when she died in the creepy Secretary Morelands arms yeesh.

[Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is somewhere between 2.5 to 3 stars, I love the concept and the author's imagination but something feels very lacking in the characters, but I'm glad in the end the heroine remains as a mermaid and ditches her less than deserving love interest.

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked up this book I did not realize that it was the final book in this trilogy. Not that I had a problem reading this book. The back summary explained the concept of the trilogy just fine. My issue was having not read the prior novels; I was not as attached to the characters. So the reading of this book was slow going for me. Not as fast paced as I would have liked or hoped for.

However the descriptions were vivid. It was like I was swimming among the mermaids and could smell the ocean breeze and feel the water. Although, I did enjoy the vivid descriptions with the lack of the character attachment, I could not stick with this book for a long time. After a while I did find myself skimming the book to just see how it ended. What I would say about this book is 1) read the prior books in chronological order and 2) if you love mermaids than you may love this series as the author does not shy away from them.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5*
This was a great final book to a great series! I think this one was the best out of the three, although unlike some series all three were good!
The ending was perfect! I loved it!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is Dorain being so dumb! Luce gave up everything for him!!!!! I can't wait for this book to come out!!!!!! :D

[Jaylia3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Twice Lost is the last book in this haunting mermaid trilogy, and I'd recommend starting with Lost Voice and Waking Storms if you haven't read them first. The mermaids in this series are lost girls, something like Peter Pan's lost boys, who transformed from humans after being badly mistreated. Because they were abused in their former lives, mermaids don't like humans and sometimes use songs to kill them, but up till now they have managed to mostly stay hidden. Unfortunately, the truth is starting to leak out, and mermaids are being slaughtered. Luce fell in love with a human boy and has been something of an outcast, but as the book opens she is exhausting herself swimming down the Pacific coast from Alaska to warn mermaid tribes of the danger. When she reaches San Francisco she discovers and joins the twice lost-- hundreds of mermaids loosely banded together who've lost or been kicked out of their tribes and are now living under the city's docks. With a human-mermaid war about to begin Luce hopes this group of unaffiliated mermaids can be part of breaking the cycle of violence.



While this isn't my favorite of the trilogy--that would have to be Waking Storms where Luce comes into her own and the story is more personal--this conclusion is not to be missed by anyone who loved the first two books. The writing continues to be beautiful and rich, and as in the earlier books the situations, characters, and choices are riveting and complex. This is especially true for Luce; the decisions she has to make are difficult and the results can only be imperfect. While there are only brief appearances by some older characters I would have liked to see more of, there are a lot of great new characters, both twice lost mermaids and humans with varying levels of mermaid sympathy or antipathy.

[Victoria Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

MUCH better than the first two books. I still hate Dorian but at least his selfishness was acknowledged by Luce. Sometimes I found it difficult to connect with Luce but that really changed in this book. By the end I felt legitimately proud of her.
The dialogue that tried too hard to sound like real teenagers in the first books was toned down in book three which I appreciated greatly. Also there was more Catarina and Nausicaa, who were always my favorite characters. I especially loved the one chapter towards the end in Anaise's perspective since somehow she became my problematic favorite.
I loved the sisterly bond between mermaids and the love that they felt for one another but frankly I think this series could use some more lesbians. I mean there are HUNDREDS of mermaids in this book and you mean to tell me there are no mermaid couples?? And whenever the human/mer couples are mentioned the human is always automatically male. Some relationships like Yuan and Gigi could be interpreted as romantic but I would have appreciated some canonical come-right-out-and-say-it lesbian mermaids.

[Mandy Mod · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Twice Lost by Sarah Porter review
(Book finished in two days!)

Firstly, it’s important to note that The Twice Lost is the third book in a wonderful trilogy. If you haven’t read its predecessors, "Lost Voices" and "Waking Storms", I encourage you to pick them up so you can enjoy the entirety of this saga. Now, on to the review, spoiler free (unless you haven’t read the first two).

Sarah Porter’s, "The Twice Lost", is a perfect and beautiful ending to one of my favorite book series. In this world, mistreated, outcast girls give up their humanity and become mermaids with magical voices capable of enchanting human beings to their deaths. The story follows Luce, a mermaid with a particularly powerful voice, as she journeys to find the strength within herself to change the world for the better.

I’ve been enchanted with Porter’s mermaids from the beginning, when I first plucked Lost Voices off the New Reads shelf at the bookstore two years ago. I was immediately rewarded by what I found. Instead of lovesick teenagers bent around Ariel’s I-want-to-be-human-because-I’m-in-love complex, I found broken, maliciously beautiful girls adjusting to a world that rejected them. I found a heroin whose main conflict was discovering her own voice while simultaneously learning how to forgive the unforgivable.

And then Waking Storms came along and I found myself severely disappointed. Luce, a fictional character that had wormed her way into my heart within ONE book, was torn apart at the seams. The strength she had developed in the first installment withered into the background with the addition of a human boy, Dorian, who not only made Luce seem cliché, detached, and weak, but was also a downright TERRIBLE person who I frequently wanted to drown myself.

Waking Storms made me apprehensive about The Twice Lost, fearing that the first book might be the only one I’d enjoy. I can’t express how overjoyed I am to see my fears unfounded.

Luce’s character strives forward with the intensity of a maelstrom in her final book. Her character is strong and pure, even as she faces unfathomable odds, reminding me of why I fell in love with her in the first place. And she’s backed up with Porter’s beautiful and haunting writing style.

I was severely surprised that I accepted EVERY side character. Dorian proved to be, somehow, redeemable, though that might be because he received far less “screen time” in this book and I still don’t completely approve of him. Unbelievably, I found myself forgiving Anais, which may only be because she was placed next to a far worse villain. Luce’s father, Andrew, filled his role surprisingly well, when I was never really okay with Porter’s decision to revive him. And Nausicaa, who I feared might turn into a worship-worthy god figure, turned out to be the character that provided the book with much needed stability.

Another aspect that surprised and wowed me was the sheer SCALE that Porter managed to achieve in this book. Normally, when an author tries to mix magic into the real, modern world, I find myself feeling detached and unbelieving. The Twice Lost mixes mermaids into the real world in a way that I couldn’t even question. Luce’s solution to the mermaid/human problem actually felt feasible, and left me wishing that I’d wake up tomorrow to see this exact reality on the news.

I also found that though Porter was covering a vast expanse of the world at once, she never detracted from the characters. I never felt alienated from them, even as I jumped from San Francisco to Baltimore to Alaska.

Overall, the Lost Voices trilogy is a shining example of how mermaid books should be treated, focusing on powerful characters rising above impossible situations. The Twice Lost is the perfect ending to this utterly enchanting series, a story that has immediately become one of my favorites. This isn’t a series just for mermaid lovers, but for anyone who loves gripping, coming-of-age stories with strong main characters.

So what are you waiting for? Get reading!

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit that I was disappointed with The Twice Lost, but part of the problem is that I didn't read the first two books (Lost Voices, and Waking Storms) in the trilogy.

The United States government is trying to exterminate all of the mermaids. The general population doesn't know that mermaids exist, let alone that they are responsible for sinking ships and causing countless human deaths. Luce is trying to swim along the coast and warn all the tribes of mermaids that the humans are murdering them.

Eventually Luce becomes a leader and forms the Twice Lost Army to try to fight the government, but there is resistance from places that neither Luce nor the government are aware of.

I had difficulty caring about the characters, and this is probably because I don't know their back stories. Luce apparently once had a relationship with a human boy, but it took most of the book to put together the pieces of what happened, and I still don't have all the details. There's also a lot of back story about Luce -- how she became a mermaid, how she was supposed to be queen but refused, and a lot about her relationship with other mermaids, one of which she is looking for through much of the book -- but I didn't know why. I think this missing information is essential to connecting with The Twice Lost.

Certain humans who have had encounters with mermaids hear the mermaid songs in their head. Why? What happened to them -- they weren't killed but somehow they are permanently affected. Don't get it.

There were other problems I had with the book that were unrelated to the back story, though. It's very long, and the pacing to get to the "good part" was very slow. I would have appreciated another edit of the first 200 pages.

I found some logical problems and plot holes too. Mermaids have to sleep with their tail in the water, but they have to be able to breath air. How do they deal with the tide going in or out while they sleep? This is really a minor thing, but it bugged me!

Mermaids used to be humans. I know they led horrible lives and that's why they become mermaids (another thing I don't really understand, but...) Why do they hate humans so much that they want to kill ALL of them? I couldn't buy that.

All of a sudden, they talk about mermaid larvae. Where do those come from? Why are they important? What are they for?

This is just a small sample of the confusion I felt at times. The writing style is readable, and other than being long, I wanted to find out what happened. I didn't CARE what happened, but I still wanted to find out.

If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, I'm sure you will enjoy finding out what happens in The Twice Lost. If you enjoy mermaid stories, I would definitely start with the FIRST book, Lost Voices. Then you can decide if you want to continue with the trilogy.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 4 out of 5]

And this series is finally over.

I started reading The Lost Voices because of the wonderful cover of the first volume. And, yeah, mermaids are one of my guilty pleasures.

Unfortunately I read the first two installments in November 2013 and January 2014. It was so long ago that I almost forgot everything about the plot. I know, that's my fault since I'm perfectly aware that my memory - when it comes to books, TV series and manga - is more than terrible. For this reason it was king of difficult to re-enter Luce's world.

Luce's tribe has been slaughtered by Moreland's men. Dorian broke up with her. Her whole world has collapsed and Luca is swimming South trying to warn every mermaid she meets. She also would like to spread her belief in not killing humans but not all of them agree.

She ends up in San Francisco Bay where she meets the Twice Lost mermaids: those who broke the timakh and were forced to leave their tribes. She quickly becomes their general and they start a war against the US government.

This book kind of reminds me of Passing Strange: both of them deal with the problem of recognizing civil rights to supernatural creatures. I was very involved in Waters' story, where zombies could be killed without it being considered a crime. Here they can kill mermaids because they don't have any civil rights. And it was so absurd for me. I mean, in Italy you can co to prison if you ran over a dog and you don't stop and call the pet ambulance... And dogs can't even talk...

What bothered me the most about this book was Moreland. One deranged man has enough power to wipe off an entire species from the earth. His motives and his action were completely crazy but still there were tons of people ready to do what he wants. That was crazy! He was really my least favorite character even if Anais came really close to him. Both of them were frightening together.

I really loved the next mermaids: Imani and Yuan and Opal. I wish the author would have give some sort of closure to Eileen, if she really was Kathleen's sister. Poor Kath, I was so sad because of what happened to her.

I was a bit baffled by Dorian's behavior in this book and, in the end, I really love the ending of the trilogy.

As usual, Sarah Porter did a wonderful job in describing the sea life and the way the mermaids sing. This is one of the reason these books are so good. And this is something for me because I'm usually not a fan of description.

I was really glad to have read the whole trilogy.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's really hard for me to sum up this series. It's probably the first series I've truly enjoyed reading in a very long time. I can readily admit to liking mermaids A LOT more than I did previously. . .The book was awesome. I am SO HAPPY that Luce DID NOT end up with Dorian! HE WAS SO SELFISH AND A JERK FACE I CANT STAND HIM AND UGH -wheezes- I'm so glad she made the choice she did. If she hadn't then I would have probably thrown the book across the room. . . xD So, yes, READ THIS BOOK AND SERIES.

[Shelly]

WHAT THE CRAP???Is there really going to be another trilogy to lost voices??WOW!!!!I cant wait till july 2013!!!

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but first still stands to be the best.

[Francesca Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending to the trilogy.

[Maciej · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I was allowed to read someone's ARC, so I feel obliged to provide honest review to "pay" for this possibility)

Actual assessment is ca 3.5-4 stars -That is: I consider the book superior to its predecessors but still with room for improvement....

Nevertheless, the book is also different from the previous two, and because of that it requires slightly different approach in reviewing...

SPOILERS AHEAD

Luce , after all mistakes made in the previous books, swims south to warn as many tribes as she can about impending doom. She is tracked and even filmed along the way, but she makes it to San Francisco, where she meets exiled mermaids mentioned in the description of the book, including old friend. Being elected their leader, she decides to stop humans from killing mermaids albeit in a peaceful way. Having Shared her power over the water with others, she decides to block the Golden Gate by creating magical standing wave, to force humans to negotiations....Eventually this succeds, but with some hurdles along the way. Dorian, Andrew Korchak and FBI guy also appear in the course of events....Fortunately Dorian is not to determine Luce's fate in any important way :D.......

The third book makes Luce to face the conflict pictured in previous parts of the trilogy. Mermaids are endangered so they have to settle with humans, but begging for mercy seems to be a poor strategy as US soldiers have little qualms, killing mermaids on spot. Hence attempt to force humans to agreement in a non-lethal way....

And this is where magic as well as problems arise. Real World (as we see it -looking on terrorism, war, etc) works differently then it is presumed in book. Here reconcilllation occurs only long after the war at best. It is dubious that Americans would march for mermaids blackmailing them with standing Tsunami (which is equivalent of putting loaded gun to someone's head) and organized "Twice Lost Humans" support organization. Rather they would predominantly buy the Moreland's version about vicious supernatural creatures.

Of course it may be because of the beauty or mermaids (one of them in the book explicitly says that they are going to use their beauty as a advantage)it may be because they are similar to lost children- but still there is enough data from real world that it would not suffice, and mermaids charm is definitely typical plot device.....

So it seems, in the end, that tackling with the novel's problem, Mrs. Porter is ultimately unable to escape Deus ex Machina solutions. Not that anyone could do better. AS Seb Grassley ( Vietnam vet)brightly observes: if it is just about prestige- people may be become compliant, but if this is about money -no agreement is possible. Yet ,unreliably Luce is able to bring peace to people and the mermaids.....

There is also the question of ending -this kind of deification of Luce...One can muse as to whether this is diffrent from death...


Despite these the book should be lauded as vivid portrayal of people ( or mermaids) in time of strong moral conflicts with no easy solution on the horizon.One can appreciate that even if one does not believe in book's consolation.So it is definitely valuable read.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'm a little shell-shocked...

Once again, Sarah Porter has outdone herself with the imagery. Fantastic! These books were so fun to read, just for the imagery alone. Everything was dreamy and vivid in my mind the whole time I was reading. I would get lost in the story and the lives of the characters.

Speaking of characters... I was completely annoyed by the mermaids of the first book, but this book was absolutely perfect. I loved all the characters (and somehow found a way to tolerate Catarina). Even Anais was perfectly evil and tortured at the same time. I couldn't hate her, but could still dislike her very much. The new characters, however, were so brave and perfectly loyal and each one of them had their own distinct personality which was a perfect change from the whiny backstabbers of the first book.

The action in this book was nonstop which was a nice change from the first two. I was constantly biting my nails and panicking and praying that everything would work out okay for Luce and The Twice Lost Army. Their struggle was long and hard and exhilarating and very well written.

For the ending... Let me first say, that many books do not end the way I would like. Some are just like "BOOM! The End," without offering proper closure. I like for a story to tie up all the loose ends and in my opinion, this book nailed it. The ending wasn't necessarily happy for everyone, but it was bittersweet. Let's face it, no really important decision is easy and that rings true in Luce's case as well. The ending makes me smile and saddens me at the same time which makes it perfect.

[Lindsay Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I AM FULL OF LONGING AND SORROW. THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
-spoilers ahead-
For some reason it felt like it took me a long time to finish this book. There was a lot of heavy things going on all the time and it took me awhile to get through. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. The emotions that Sarah Porter portrayed were so real and raw, and I got emotional and teary-eyed at the end. Not to mention the gorgeously described scenery.
While I didn't like Dorian, I was happy that he was able to realize how childish and horrible he was and that Luce was able to forgive him. I mean, after all, she did murder his whole family. And I am SUPER happy that she didn't end up with him after all.
I wish that Luce saw Gum (her friend when she was a human) again, or at least mentioned him. I also wish that Luce saw Dana and Violet again. I didn't like how their story ended and the lack of closure there.
I didn't expect "The Forever World" to come into play. I am so happy that Luce didn't become a human again, and like she said, she belonged in the sea because she was the sea. But it wasn't how I had imagined it happening, because The Forever World wasn't exactly the sea. And also, I kind of wished that she just remained wild in the ocean. I am not sure how the forever world works, but I imagine that Luce won't see her father again, or Catarina, Yuan, Imani. None of them. And I actually feel like I miss them. And miss them terribly.
SO I AM LEFT WITH THIS SICK KIND OF LONGING AND RAW, EMPTY HAPPINESS, because the war was won and Luce remained a mermaid but she also lost so much.
It is still a lovely read and I am really happy I read the series

[Viv · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a brave and sweet mermaid, Luce, who wants to change the ways of her fellow mermaids from death to peace.
First of all, I love the cover is absolutely gorgeous. This is the last book on the Lost Voices trilogy. Even though I didn't read the first two books, I really liked this book, as a solitary is great, but with the other books , I'm sure it's going to be wonderful. I need to read the whole trilogy, I just need it (started saving to buy the first two books). Twice Lost is Peter Pan Lost Boys meets the mermaids for The Pirates of the Caribbean meets Ariel. I love the simplicity and sweetness of the story that makes the reader want to be one of those mermaids and want to be there with Luce to help her out.
Sarah Porter intake on the mermaid mythology is surreal and perfect. Girls who have suffered to much turned into mermaids as a way of escape for the horrible humanity can be. The Twice Lost submerged you in a world of forgiveness and what it means to be human (even if you're a mermaid like Luce who is more human then most humans on the story). Porter writing makes it easy to understand and get involved in the story. I love her writing style, how she describes the mermaids in detail, their singing and their surroundings. What I love more was the ending; I thought that it was going to be the typical happy ending in fairy tales but, I turned out to be something completely different and beautiful. I really enjoy reading this book full of emotions and beauty. 4.5 Stars.

Received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Shelby Mc. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book delivered to my kindle at midnight July 2nd and just finished at 10pm July 3rd... not too shabby I'd say. Overall, I found this book to be a really great conclusion to the series, it kept with the bittersweet feeling of the story, which I was grateful for, since I was a little worried the end would be too happy and book-perfect.

That being said, I'm gunna put a SPOILER ALERT right here since there are some things I must discuss that I don't want to ruin for those who haven't read it yet. Okay here are my spoiler-ridden thoughts about this conclusion to the lost voices trilogy:
-Surprisingly, my favorite part of the book was the short little slang-filled conversation between Yuan and Luce when Yuan started calling her "general-girl" and the two exchanged such youthful banter. I don't know why, but that part just really stood out to me and stuck with me.
-At the end, I was a little sad that Luce and Dana never had any closure. I'm glad that there was a section in the middle/endish section where J'aime, Dana, and Violet were back together and Violet insisted who her queen was, but Dana had still turned her back on Luce and I was a little sad that they never had a chance to talk it out.
-Dorian, Dorian, Dorian... I really don't know how to feel about him, I pretty much loved him in Waking Storms, but I'm still not sure how I feel about him. I do think Luce made the right choice in the end though.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, so this book redeemed that awful second book. Here Luce is on a mission to warn the mermaids of the destruction of her former tribe. She is trying to find any mermaids who will listen that they are in grave danger. Her journey finds her at San Francisco where she finds bands of rogue mermaids with no leader. She strives to come up with a way to make peace with humans and quickly becomes General Luce of the Twice Lost Mermaids. They find the power to move the waves as a one and create a blockade of one of the busiest shipping ports of the United States. Despite death and increasing speculation. They find themselves winning this war against the government.

Good side notes were definitely the return of Nausicca and Catarina. Also we see that Anais was captured and held captive by the Secretary of Defense who has gone mad from mermaid song and has waged this alleged war on the mermaids. Using her as his secret weapon to try to kill anyone trying to help the mermaids.

One thing that I was disappointed by was that Dana and Violet didn't make a reappearance. They had one lonely paragraph to a chapter (can't remember) and then they never reappeared at Luce's side. I wasn't sure why the author would give these two characters a brief scene and not bring them back near the end and reunite them with Luce.

I was also very pleased with Luce's final decision. It left me cheering. Overall a great novel.

[Shanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The language is so beautiful, it makes you understand the music and the water and the people so well. Sometimes it is like the author is holding too many characters and the spill out, like Jo and Ilene who kept turning up when you'd forgotten about them. Luce's choice in the end was right, even though it was sad. I also liked the way that the author dealt with Anais. Secretary Moreland was also very creepy. Nausicaa was brilliant and mysterious, as always. The ending was right, heartbreaking, but right. Luce's pain after everything was strong. The book took a while to wind up, but that was okay- it felt right. I liked Yuan especially as a secondary characters, and all the ends were tied up amazingly in this novel.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Genre* YA Paranormal
*Rating* 3-3.5

*My Thoughts Coming soon!

I had high hopes for this book and was left a bit discombobulated by sociopolitical BS that interrupted my flow of liking the book even more. Yes, I hold stories responsible for denying me luxury away from the real world when I attempt to read FANTASY!

Published July 2nd 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story had enough differences from run of the mill mermaid stories to make it engaging. I picked up this last of a trilogy first and now will have to go back and read the first two.

[Nia Ariel]

As long as Dorian isn't in it, I think I'll enjoy this one.

[CraftyChara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Caterina Ivanova Smekov Sexual Assault survivor shouldn't be engaged to her therapist.
Raif should know better. This not a happy ending it's still abuse.

[Marci Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t give this trilogy enough stars. I’m so sad to see it end. Categorized for young adults but this middle aged lady loved it!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when they say "a thrilling conclusion" to whatever the YA trilogy of the month is? This conclusion is pretty thrilling. After the events of the first two books, Luce is swimming down the west coast as fast as she can, warning every mermaid tribe she can find of the US government's aim of wiping out the mermaids. In San Francisco, she finds a huge population of mermaids, cast out from tribes who follow their honor code, and begins to teach them the water magic she discovered in the first book as self-defense. Soon, the secret of the mermaids' existence is out, the mermaids have blockaded San Francisco, and the eyes of the world are on Luce, the general of the Twice Lost Army.

The third book is the best of the bunch. The first book shocked me with the darkness of its themes, and the second one irritated me with its romance, but this one had a slightly different tone and a much grander scope. A much-expanded cast of interesting (though somewhat undeveloped) characters fills the void left behind by offing most of the cast of the previous two books. Catarina returns, though a twist toward the end removes her from the plot and rearranges her character to finish off her arc. The character I suspected was still out there turns out to be alive (big shock there) and still causing havoc. Dorian appears again (and is less boring this time around, at least).

I do like how Luce's character was handled in this book. The responsibilities she takes on and the experiences she's had would age anyone, and she's no longer the fourteen-year-old girl who first became a mermaid. The way Proteus and the Twins were handled was...weird, but fitting for the story, and I REALLY liked the ending.

Also, Yuan and Gigi are definitely lesbians, and I wholeheartedly approve.