Born of Water (Elemental Origins, #1)

Elemental Origins #1

by A.L. Knorr

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.


A mysterious shipwreck could unlock ancient powers… or send her to a watery grave.

Targa MacAuley feels more at home on dry land than in the watery realm of her mermaid ancestors. After 17 years on solid ground, she fears she’ll never grow into the creature her mother hoped she’d become. To keep her mom’s homesickness and true identity under wraps, Targa signs on for a mysterious salvage dive in the Baltic Sea.

Her plan to blend in with the rest of the crew is spoiled when she catches the eye of a handsome local. A freak accident and a strange connection to the ancient shipwreck below attract even more unwanted attention. With both her mom’s secret—and her life—in danger, Targa must finally find the courage to unleash the currents surging deep within.

Born of Water is the first book in The Elemental Origins, a captivating nonlinear series of YA urban fantasy novels, now updated in celebration of its 5th anniversary. If you like new twists on mermaid lore, simmering romance, and close-knit mother-daughter bonds, then you’ll love A.L. Knorr’s nautical adventure. Embark on a deeper dive into the story's lore with The Wreck of Sybellen, a companion novel included with the book.

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

330 pages, ebook

First published November 30, 2016

About the author

A.L. Knorr is a USA Today Bestselling Author and award-winning Canadian conjurer of clean fantasy for teens and the young at heart. Her stories blend elemental magic, epic adventure, fierce female leads, and just enough romance to make your heart flutter (without needing to hide the book from your grandma).

Whether you’re chasing fire demons through Venice, swimming with mermaids off the coast of Poland, or unraveling supernatural conspiracies in ancient ruins, her immersive worlds pull you in—and don’t let go.

No explicit content. No f-bombs. Just page-turning plots, vivid magic, and characters you'll wish were real.

And if you like your fantasy with a little more grit, danger, and fallen angels? Check out Shadows of the Fallen—where secrets are deadly, powers come at a price, and trust is the rarest magic of all.

Join her VIP Reader List for secret book news, and first dibs on every new release:
www(dot)alknorrbooks(dot)com
Find her on IG @alknorrbooks


Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01NBAUVKO

Facebook:
https//www.facebook.com/alknorrbooks

Reviews

[Kerry Dillenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original and engrossing

The author can mark one more success. I read until my Kindle fell from my hands and resumed the book's completion upon awakening.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review as part of the Indie June author month.

I know I wrote this review before because I loved the book, but somehow it disappeared... That's all you really need to know isn't it? It's got mermaids and it's a great read!

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

So in truth this was a very good book. Heart wrenching at times especially if you read the diary at the end. I almost gave it 4 stars but when I look back on it I really have no idea where this story is going, there really seems to be no goal in sight. There also seems to be a lot up in the air for the characters, and a lot of unanswered questions. It feels very unfinished since it seems to be the next book in the series seems to be about Fire. It also moved really slow at times.

I did love how the author reached out grabbed the mythology and made it somewhat her own. I also feel like our FMC doesn’t fit the Siren mold because she isn’t just a siren. I felt the Diary at the end really put a somewhat dark damper on the story. Depression is an awful hopeless thing and reading about it was heart wrenching even for a mythical creature.

What I’m confused about is how Targa’s mom has put off her ocean call for so long when Sybellen stemmed to be suffering for it so much so soon? Fresh water drinking? If a siren knew that why didn’t Sybellen? Was it just recently discovered? Maybe the Baltic ocean there never had enough salt in it so Sybellen’s cravings were so much stronger faster? This was never explained clearly. Also, what’s up with Mira’s relationship with the dude in Poland? And what is in store for this unfinished story now that we know Targa is different? Guess I will have to check out book 2 to see if any questions are answered.

[Valery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I have mixed emotions about this book. I wanted to like it, but there are a lot of things that annoyed me.

The idea of sirens living on land for procreation makes sense, in a way. The theory is sound and explains why there are always female mermaids and never males. However, I found the constant obsession with sex drive and breasts to be exacerbating. I get it,  mermaids go to land to mate, but still. Can we dwell on other things? I got tired of the childish remarks about boobs.

There were issues with the timeline. The protagonist is either a pathological liar, or she really has no idea when her father died. For example, one minute she is telling people he died when she was 8, the next it's 7. I think there was even a 5 earlier on. So which is it?

And then there was grammar and punctuation. Ugh! No, I am not talking about the difference between British, Canadian, or even American spellings. I am talking about the constant stream of poorly structured sentences and missing words. I am talking about homonym misuse and blatant punctuation mistakes. If you are a grammar nazi, this is not a book you will enjoy. Trust me. But if you don't care either way, you'll be fine.

For my clean readers:
Lots of language, but no f-bomb. Description of gore, mostly sealife, but some human. Lots of descriptions of naked mermaids in the guise of describing art. Talk about breasts and sex drive is hard to skip over as you miss some key plot points. Overly descriptive make-out sessions.

[Booksandtheirworld · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne

Wieder so ein Buch, bei dem ich dachte, achja das kann ja ganz interessant sein.
Und dann hat es mich ziemlich überrascht und von den Socken gehauen.
Die Protagonistin mochte ich sehr gerne und auch ihre Freundinnen haben mich alle von sich überzeugen können.
Die Love Story fand ich auch toll und mal nicht total abgedroschen, es geht eben auch das sie sich nach wenigen Tagen verlieben und man nicht denkt, "Mädel, jetzt sei doch nicht so dumm".

Was mir aber mit Abstand am besten gefallen hat: Es geht um Meerjungfrauen/Sirenen. Es gibt leider viel zu wenige Geschichten über Meerjungfrauen und dann auch noch welche die mir gefallen.
Dieses Buch konnte mich aber sehr überzeugen, auch das Feeling wenn sie schwimmen waren, war einfach unfassbar schön.
Im zweiten Band geht es jetzt mit einer anderen Protagonistin weiter und ich vermisse das Wasser jetzt schon, umso mehr freue ich mich wenn sie in den letzten Bänden wieder auftauchen wird, zumindest hoffe ich das.

Bisher kann ich die Reihe sehr empfehlen, sie ist auch super vertont.

[Freya_The_Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5💫 I was positively surprised by how much I enjoyed the book.
I especially enjoyed the dynamic between the friends and between the protagonist and her mother.

[Burn After Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to dg into this series after reading the synopsis and the first 3 or so chapters increased my excitement and eagerness to read on. However, somewhere down the line it became somewhat of a snooze fest with just enough intrigue for me to mindlessly continue the book.

I can't say that I hated it really but I just wasn't impressed but I have decided to read the next book in the series since I cant be bothered to find something else to read.

[Kaila143 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audiobook was easy to listen to. However, in other ways, this book isn't extraordinary. Yes, it has pretty cool siren worldbuilding and the end is really promising, but as you may know, characters are usually most important for me. Targa and the Poland cast were kinda boring tbh. I mean, no one irritated me, but I didn't like them either. Maybe only her friend, Giorjina? (or whatever her name was.)
Also, the romance just didn't click. Too fast for me, and the fact she's a minor and he's MUCH older doesn't add much to it.

[Vampire-lk · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I must say this is a good book, but my younger non spicy tween self would have loved this more than my current broader reading scope self lol!

Was a bit too sugary sweet at times! Plus the Insta love trope is okay, but obvi could be fleshed out a bit more! The detective angle was kinda cool!!
Some grammatical errors & it felt choppy at times! Other times it was great witty banter loved that! It's a minor thing, but was annoyingly enough for me to mention! It was good not great, but definitely not the worse lol! The chemistry between our main characters was okay too! The romance chemistry was zero sadly! Was a cute, clean and Quick read! Prob not going to read any more in this series though honestly have too many other potential TBR!!

[Lorrie (Clockworkbookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 Reads #283/250

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A meh story, but the mermaid angle was neat...

While this book didn't quite fall into 5 or even 4-star caliber, it still managed to keep my attention nearly the entire way through. I wasn't bored, wasn't rolling my eyes, wasn't desperately fleeing into other stories. The pacing was smooth, and the character interactions were, for the most part, realistic. My absolutely favorite feature of this story was of course its version of mermaids. This is only my second exposure to a story about mermaids, so I have little to compare it to. However, I definitely feel like the author's take on the mythical creatures was fascinating and creative, namely with their characteristics, mannerisms, and lifestyles. I particularly loved the constant focus of life on land verses life in water, and felt the author did a fine job of depicting such internal conflict from a mermaid's perspective who is living on land.

That all being said, though, I still have complaints, starting with the story itself. I do feel the thing was a bit on the flimsy side, despite it being easy to follow and understand. I would have loved to get more angst and drama beyond the route the author chose to go, something to thrill and shock me beyond words. But alas, this isn't my story to tell. Also, while the characters are likable enough, I don't feel like the teenagers in this story read or acted like teenagers. They were almost too perfect. The third act was a bit too ridiculous to be believable, but it was still cool to visualize at least. Finally (and admittedly, the pettiest of my complaints), the handful of grammatical errors as well as the author's continual shying away from semi-colons when the moments called for them was super distracting. Certainly not enough to derail my journey, but...still created some potholes along the way.

Overall, though, I still enjoyed myself. This book does a fine job of introducing me to the supernatural elements of this series and I'm still looking forward to what else is in store in the future entries.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Summer vibes all the way with this mermaid tale. The plot was a bit predictable but still very enjoyable! Targa is such a captivating main character even if childish and poor-decision-taker at times. Mira is by far my fav character. What a cool mom and I cannot wait to read more about Akiko. Can’t shake the feeling that she might be supernatural as well.
I didn’t care for the love story. It was insta-love and that was quite annoying but it didn’t take much from the main plot. The diary excerpts at the end were a nice touch tho

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader)]

Pulling the plug.

I hate to DNF a book early but I am on chapter 4 and have absolutely no care for the main character or the plot. Which I don't know what it is because so far it's about a girl who has a mother with a siren ability and dives for a living.

Maybe I will pick it back up sometime but right now I just can't finish it.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only giving this book a 3 and its a shame as its some of the best descriptive writing I've come across in a long time but saying that there is no point to the story line and for me that was a massive let down i wont be reading the rest of the books

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich fand die Geschichte so so cool! Bin sehr gespannt auf den zweiten Band. Fand es war eine gesunde Mischung zwischen young adult fantasy mit ein bisschen Romantik und mystery.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 Sterne

[Samaris Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up with my Kindle Unlimited subscription and let me just say WOW. The characters in this story are very personable. I felt like I was walking in Tagra's shoes and that is not an easy feat. Imagine wishing your whole life for something and then wen it happens not only does your life change but the choices you make now mean more than they ever did before. What would you be willing to give up and sacrifice for the one who has put you before everything else? That's a tough question for any of us to answer let alone a teen but man that is life. This book will keep you turning the pages way past your bedtime and eager to consume the rest of the books in this series!

[Brock Deskins · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was excellent, very professional. The problem is that the story never materialized. At 30% and nothing, and I mean nothing, happening, I gave up on the book. I don't want to hear teenager conversations about boys, school, and summer vacations for a third of a book. I need a hook, and this one did not have it.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story about a mermaid mother and daughter. Fast paced and fun easy read! This was a free e-book on Amazon and I really enjoyed. I can't wait to continue this series.

[Reilly AS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting for a mermaid book. I could not recommend this book more because you go on an amazing journey of self discovery with Targa.

[Misty Galbraith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy escape reading … and mermaids ARE real! Lol.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. I borrowed it on Kindle Unlimited, text only. As the story started, and it focused on the four girls, I figured out pretty quickly that this would be a series where there would be four books, one for each girl. I mean, I had glanced and knew it was a series, but I hadn't paid much attention to how it would play out (Elements, this is water, so the others, Fire/Earth/Air is pretty obvious. Not the first series to take such an approach, like the Elemental series, Storm with brothers having different elemental powers). Here, it seems like the first four books while connected, will be quite separate as each of the four girls goes their separate ways for the summer. This made it so I didn't feel compelled to continue immediately, as instead of picking up where this first book leaves off, it looks like the sequels are happening at the same time, just to the different girls. I also discovered I OWN the next two books in the series (picked up during free Kindle offerings) so that also makes me a little less likely to read them right now, as I'm on a temporary Kindle Unlimited plan and want to make sure I'm getting to books I won't have access to when it's over. There does seem to be a continuation of THIS story Salt & Stone: A Water Elemental Novel & Mermaid Fantasy, first in its own spinoff trilogy but it's also listed as 7th in the Elemental series, so I don't feel like I can read it until I hit it numerically (in case there are some things that happen in the other book that impact its storyline). I'm a "by the numbers" girl!

As for THIS story - I liked it a lot. I've read several mermaid stories and this ranks up there. Targa (weird name, all four girls had unique names) knows her mother is a mermaid, and she should be, but, she appears to be a dud. Probably not really a spoiler to say this isn't true ... I mean, it's pretty obvious by the series title and such all other indications. I found the story interesting as Targa and her mother travel to Poland to help uncover a lost ship, learning more about the mermaid/siren lore as presented here (each book has some similarities, and unique tidbits).

I do definitely plan on continuing on with the series ...

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ersilia F. - per RFS
.
Ultimamente mi piace leggere generi fuori dalla mia comfort zone. E così mi sono tuffata nella serie fantasy YA Le figlie degli elementi di A.L. Knorr. Il primo volume della serie Figlia del mare è introduttivo alla storia delle diverse protagoniste: Taya, Saxony, Akiko e Geprjayna. Diciassettenni che devono ancora scoprire il potere dormiente dentro di loro. Una forza che darà loro la capacità di padroneggiare gli elementi.

Nella prima metà del libro ho trovato la storia lenta e poco incisiva. Succede poco o niente, a parte la descrizione della vita e dei turbamenti di Taya, la solitaria, introversa e timida protagonista con un grosso segreto da custodire: la madre è una sirena. Quest’ultima ha rinunciato al richiamo del mare per stare accanto a sua figlia che non ha subito la trasformazione che Mira tanto ha sperato.

La loro vita scorre tranquilla a Saltford, una piccola città sulla costa del Canada. Mira fa parte di una squadra di sommozzatori esperti nel recupero di oggetti perduti in mare. E ovviamente sono tutti all’oscuro della sua vera natura.

All’inizio di un’estate che cambierà per sempre le loro vite, la sua squadra sarà ingaggiata da un ricco e anziano armatore al fine di recuperare la Sybella dal Mar Baltico. La prima nave che i suoi antenati avevano costruito, affondata durante una tempesta e mai più ritrovata.

Durante il soggiorno in Polonia, scopriranno diverse cose che l’anziano ha tenuto loro nascoste. Taya saprà di più sulla storia e sulle leggende delle sirene, ma soprattutto su sé stessa. Cambierà molto durante la storia, diventerà più sicura, più intraprendente e si libererà della sua proverbiale timidezza. Assaporerà l’amore e le sue sfaccettature.

Durante un tragico incidente la sua vera natura si manifesterà, rendendola unica e portentosa. E questa è la parte che più mi è piaciuta. Il ritmo cambia, diventa più dinamico e con scene davvero ben caratterizzate.

Il romanzo è molto incentrato sul rapporto madre-figlia, la storia si dipana in modo semplice e lineare, con poco spessore in alcune parti, anche se le scene che riguardano le immersioni sono davvero ben descritte, vivide. Una storia di intrattenimento con qualche scena spicy molto soft.

Personalmente ho davvero apprezzato le tematiche legate al mare: bracconaggio, pulizia degli oceani, rispetto per la natura. Consigliato!

[ZeilenZauber · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘*‘ Meine Meinung ‘*‘
Genau das richtige Hörbuch für den Urlaub, seicht und vorhersehbar.
Wir lernen Targa, ihre Freundin, ihre Mutter, überhaupt ihr Leben kennen und schon ist klar, wohin die Story geht. Klappentext und Titel implizieren dies ja bereits. Natürlich werden auch die Klischees nicht ausgespart.
Der Schreibstil ist dem Ganzen angepasst und sehr einfach und Überraschungen gab es auch keine.
Da muss ich Constanze Buttmann echt loben. Sie hat allem Leben eingehaucht und mich immer in der Story gehalten. Ja, manchmal schweiften meine Gedanken ab, aber sie zog mich immer wieder in das Hörbuch zurück und in ihren Bann.
Ich denke, für die Zielgruppe der Teenager und jungen Erwachsenen, ist das Buch prima und ich vergebe trotz der Vorhersehbarkeit 3 Meer-Sterne. Aber die weiteren 11 Bände werde ich nicht hören oder lesen.
‘*‘ Klappentext ‘*‘
Targa kennt das Gefühl nichts Besonderes zu sein nur zu gut. Kein Wunder, denn ihre Mutter Mira ist nicht nur atemberaubend schön, sie ist magisch. Bei Kontakt mit Salzwasser verwandelt sich Mira in eine Meerjungfrau.
Doch aus irgendeinem Grund hat Targa das Meerjungfrauen-Gen nicht geerbt und deswegen ist auch ihre Mutter an ein menschliches Dasein gekettet. Targa fürchtet, dass ihre Mutter sie eines Tages verlassen und einfach im Meer verschwinden wird.
Aber als Targa in den Sommerferien ihre Mutter an die Ostsee begleitet, ist es ausgerechnet Targa, die im Meer verschwindet und dort eine einfache Wahrheit entdeckt.
Sie ist die Tochter ihrer Mutter.
Die Tochter des Meeres.

[Elizabeth Emily Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If what you said was true then I'm happy just to have met you. You are one of a kind and I can only hope that there will be a woman in my future who makes my heart feel like it does when I'm around you."


Honestly this book is so much better than I expected. I’ll be honest I came across these books as a deal on Facebook where you can buy the set of ebooks for 99p and they looked intriguing so I thought🤷🏻‍♀️ why not?

I loved the relationship between Targa and Antoni but also the relationship between her and her mum. Yes you guess the plot pretty early on but that’s only because it went the same way as most siren stories when they turn in the books however I like the twist where targa’s mum didn’t use her powers as she wanted to have a child through love not lust.

I also loved how Antoni and Targa get on from the very start. The chemistry between them was brilliant. I also love how tight-nit she was with her friends I wish I had a group like that😍.

Over all this book was really good and I’m looking forward to carrying on with the series.

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to report that Mira is alive and well in this book. It was one of my biggest fears after finishing Mira's novellas with the loss of Nathan. Targa is a great character, and I love her personality. She's got a good head on her shoulders and doesn't act like a typical 17 year old. But, I have to remind myself she's not a regular 17 year old. She's a mermaid's daughter. And boy, what happens to Targa in this? She herself is powerful! I'm so excited to see what's next for Targa and for Mira as well. This whole thing with Sybella is weird. I have a feeling Mira's mother didn't tell her everything and kept things secret. It's too weird and too much of a coincidence. Antoni is also a sweet character. Though it's weird that he fell for Targa with her being 17 and him being older, but again Poland had different rules. I can't wait to see what is next for Targa, Mira, Antoni, and the company.

[Catwithbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich war recht neugierig auf diese Geschichte. Hört man doch unterschiedliches. Als erstes fällt einen das Cover auf und der Klappentext macht neugierig.

ich fand den Einstieg in die Reihe nicht so schlecht. Targa weiss das ihre Mutter eine Meerjungfrau ist, nur sie selber ist keine. Ein Auftrag, den ihre Mutter in Polen annimmt, verändert so einiges in Targas Leben.
Ihre Mutter Mia scheint wirklich manchmal nicht von dieser Welt zu sein, aber sie ist trotzdem sympathisch und manchmal finde ich ihr verhalten doch recht witzig.
Die Geschichte lebt jetzt nicht von Action, ist aber soweit interessant um zu wissen wie es weiter geht. Vor allem interessieren mich jetzt die anderen Teile der Reihe.

Mein Fazit liege an sich so zwischen 3-3,5*.
Was Targa hoffe ich noch mehr über sie zu erfahren, den das Ende verändert nochmal so einiges in Targas Leben.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addictive

This is a fantasy book about a girl called targa and her mother mira however they have a secret a secret that may be threatened when targa's mother takes a salvage job in Poland. Targa is left to burden the Secret whilst fighting her hearts desires. She questions everything when she meets antoni
This is a truly fantastic book I really enjoyed reading this amd I look forward to reading the next installment.
I gave it this rating because I struggled to put it down.
My favourite character was targa because she still believed in herself
My least favourite character is Eric, gread doesn't get you anywhere and I hope he takes his punishment properly

[Ali Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I got it free on my kindle... a looong time ago, and finally started it on a whim, not expecting much... little did I know, that once I got about 30% in... I was hooked and it would not let go until I finished it. I loved the writing style that helped that characters feel real and sit with you. All of the dialogue felt authentic and was never too repetitive or clunky. I loved the FMC and her reactions to everything happening in her life. I also loved her dynamic with her mother and her friends. This was all around a great read! I am sorry that I put it off for so long.... and now I need to get the next one.

[Pacg__nkg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhm, 2.5
I wasn’t aware that romance is a part of this, but it is
The age gap feels so illegal to me bc she is underaged, and he is in the beginning of his 20
The writing was good
But the story was wild, and everything was very obvious not bc of foreshadowing, but bc the build was just so obvious
I'm not sure why i read it, but i really enjoyed the writing and the world building
Don't see myself continuing this series