Ice Kingdom

Mermaids of Eriana Kwai #3

by Tiana Warner

The final adventure in the Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy … Meela and Lysi have unleashed Sisiutl, legendary two-headed serpent of the Pacific Northwest. It was supposed to be an ally that would help them win the war. Instead, it has fallen under the control of King Adaro, ruler of the Pacific Ocean. If Meela and Lysi can’t stop him, Adaro will use the deadly serpent to rid the oceans of mankind.With the American military using catastrophic weapons of their own to retaliate, Meela and Lysi must make peace between humans and merpeople before one race destroys the other. The journey will risk their lives and put their relationship to the test—but the vengeance that has been consuming Meela’s thoughts, day and night, might prove even more dangerous.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Mermaids, Young Adult, Romance, Lesbian, Queer

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2017

About the author

Tiana Warner is a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author whose books have been featured on BuzzFeed, Gizmodo, Paste Magazine, Tor, Book Riot, Foreword Reviews, and more. She is the winner of the Best Indie Book Award, the Dante Rossetti Awards, and Sequential Magazine’s Favourite Writer Award. Her works have been optioned for film and TV.

Tiana is a bisexual author who writes sapphic romance novels and comics. Her books include the critically acclaimed, Amazon bestselling series, Mermaids of Eriana Kwai and its graphic novel adaptation, as well as The Valkyrie’s Daughter (Entangled Teen), How to Flirt with a Witch, and several lesbian romance novels with Ylva Publishing.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, Tiana is an outdoor enthusiast and a lifelong horseback rider. She is passionate about animal welfare and is an active volunteer with BC animal shelters and dog rescue organizations. You can often find her cuddling a foster dog, riding her horse Flynn, or exploring nature.

Find her online at tianawarner.com.

Reviews

[Alice 🔮 · Rating 3 out of 5]

imagine writing a ben epilogue and not lysi x meela wedding

[lov2laf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third and final book in the "Mermaids of Eriana Kwai" series and should be read in order. This is not a standalone.

"Ice Kingdom" picks up right after the events of book two. The dark-hearted merman, King Adaro, has the most indestructible and powerful weapon at his command and is wreaking havoc on the mermaid and human world alike. It's up to Meela and Lysi to stop him.

From the first page onwards, the book hits the ground running and doesn't let up until the final few pages. If you're looking for romantic interludes or a breezy read, this isn't it. This isn't as dark or grisly as the first book, "Ice Massacre". But, like Lysi's storyline in the 2nd book, "Ice Crypt", where one thing happens after the other, this entire book is in that vein. The author did a great job of creating nonstop action and suspense.

The majority of the book is not predictable and Warner throws in enough doubt and surprises to keep the story fresh. This is the finale, though, and the author is kind enough to leave us with happy feels so I'd say the journey is rough and unpredictable while the resolution is expected and satisfying.

For books one and two we got to know Meela and Lysi as separate characters who spent most of their time apart from each other. In this read, they're together for the majority of the read which I liked. However, there are very few "awww" moments and they certainly don't get a honeymoon period. In fact, they're often in conflict with each other. There are some nice couple moments but I guess, for me, having a few more of those interspersed here and there was the one part I wished for.

And, though Meela started off as my favorite character in the series, Lysi is the one that really won me over. She's consistently strong, clever, and wise. And Spio, Lysi's best friend, is a lot of fun and provides some much needed comic relief.

This is technically a YA book and series but it's one that could be enjoyed by adult readers, as well. The book continues to have much ethnic diversity which is refreshing. And, of course, Meela and Lysi are an f/f couple though they're represented in a very "G-rated" kind of way.

Overall, I thought it was a great ending to an epic story. Well done and recommend. 4.5 stars

[Tyler Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have words right now, but I LOVED THIS TRILOGY!

[. (not active on this account stop adding me) · Rating 3 out of 5]

representation wlw mc's, f/f romance, pacific islander mc

WHERE was my lysi and meela married with kids epilogue? i would like to see it.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the first one and the second one, but with this one I felt we were just changing places and people but not teally moving forward with the story. I stopped reading at 70%. Maybe I' ll pick it up again sometime. Who knows.

[➳ Anthony ➳ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Date Reviewed: 2 January 2018
This Review was first posted on It’s All Anthony. For more reviews, check out the blog here.

I was beyond happy when this book was finally announced. I have been waiting for a while for this book to be released. Although I took a bit longer than I wanted to begin the book, the wait was absolutely worth it. This was the best way to end a series.

When you really think how should a series end, you think what should happen and what should go the characters go through. Warner managed to check everything off on my list on what I thought should have happened. Although everything was checked off, I sort of wished there was some areas that could have been developed more. I would like to share what I mean, but that would involve spoilers unfortunately.

In the end, the series ended how everyone wanted, even along with a few shockers. However, there was no real epilogue that I would have wanted. There was a last chapter that concluded the series very well, but I hoped for one final chapter involving everyone’s favorite mermaid couple.

Overall, the finale book in the series was a very good way of ending the series that I have read rather quickly and enjoyed. My only thought is that it could have been developed more in a few areas. I am happy that I enjoyed the series so much, but saddened due to the fact that the series are now over.

[Alexa Steli · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,75/5
Disappointed. Not only the epilogue was a downfall (it was from Ben's point of view,I couldn't care less if he died or lived) but so was Meela's character. Honestly she was soo annoying most of the book.You would believe that being in the 3 book,she would stop accusing the mermaids, but even in this book she barley understood them,and her relationship with Lysi's was heartbreaking, Lysi's deserves soooooo much better, no matter how much I love them.I think Meela wasn't ready for any kind of romantic relationship.But I love the rest of the characters.

[jessica ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite from the series, but still pretty good and definitely worth the read! The middle just seemed to stretch on forever, but I was so happy to see Nilus and Meela reunited with their parents!

[Chelsies Reading Escape · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first book Ice Massacre, the supplies on the island of Eriana Kwai have been depleting for years and with the deadly mermaids keeping them from fishing and trading the inhabitants only solution is to send out a crew of trained sailors every year who can kill off enough mermaids to make the sea safe again. This year they are sending an all female crew in the hopes that without the lure of the siren call they will be more successful than their male predecessors.

Metlaas flaws were a lot more apparent in this book. Her character arc led her to be more focused on revenge than anything else which made her feel like a different character for a good portion of the book. Im happy she came back to herself by the end. I loved her relationship with Lysi and seeing her learn more about her world. I wasn't sure about Bens perspective at first but I like what it brought to the story. I also enjoyed getting some of the antagonist back story because it made his motivations clearer.

I loved the LGBT elements, friendships and familial relationships. I missed some of the side characters from the first 2 books but I loved seeing more of Spio. The author did a great job creating a captivating underwater world with beautiful creatures and a unique spin on mermaid culture. The legend of Eriana Kwai and the goddess was wonderful. The writing was easy to get into and the plot was pretty straight forward. The pace was a little slow in some places, but it didnt last long before we were introduced to some more action.

I think the prejudice between the mermaids and humans was well done. The ending was heartwarming but I wanted to see her parents reaction to a certain bit of news. I wish that reunion would have been extended a bit longer, but besides that I liked how the trilogy wrapped up. Its made me want to read more mermaid books. Id recommend this if your looking for a diverse read or if you're into mermaids. Plus this gets bonus points for being set in Canada and Im pretty sure its self published.

*received for review consideration*

[Will Dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favourite book in the trilogy, which was extra disappointing because I had been so excited to read it. While technically stuff did Happen, the pacing fell into a pattern that felt incredibly tedious, so most of the book felt very slow and boring for me:
There’s travelling through the ocean. And Meela and Lysi are captured. They escape. And travelling. And they meet some people and talk, but we don’t actually learn anything interesting. And travelling. Then captured. And they’re free again. And travelling. And they’re separated. And they find one another. And travelling more. Then captured/separated. And they’re escaped/reunited again. And travelling. Then captured/separated. And they’re escaped/reunited again. Then travelling. And again.

It was so boring! If not for wanting to know what happens with Sisiutl, I likely would not have finished it. While Ice Crypt was slower-paced than Ice Massacre, it still kept my attention with mythology and revealing new information. I didn’t feel that Ice Kingdom succeeded in that as well. There was one point where we get new information, when Medusa tells Lysi and Meela about Adaro, but I’m straining my mind to think of anything else significant and new that I learned throughout the whole book, and I literally just finished it 5 minutes ago. Besides that one thing about Adaro, there were no twists. No surprises. Everything was very predictable.

Also, the fucking epilogue. I can’t believe it’s about REEVES, the bland white guy with little significance or characterization beyond “the military man who struggles to obey his higher-ups due to his morals” stereotype, instead of Lysi and Meela or Meela’s family. Reeves’ character and POV chapters could have been entirely cut out without changing the outcome of anything. He was so unnecessary! I feel like his POV was only included because Warner needed something to break up the constant scenes of Lysi and/or Meela travelling through the ocean. Honestly, I would have much rather had POV chapters from Sisiutl and Eriana under Adaro’s power. That could have actually been interesting.

Anyways, that epilogue created such a weak ending. It had no emotional resonance for me. I don’t care about Reeves. I would be genuinely surprised if anyone did. So why is the entire trilogy ending with his feelings and thoughts? Why couldn’t we have characters whom readers have actually grown close to, like Annith’s or Tannu‘s families, going through the museum instead?

On that note, I think part of what made this book feel so hollow was the fact that those characters we’ve grown to like in the previous books are nowhere to be found. Annith, Tannu, and Blacktail never really appear beyond a mention of “they were there” at the very end, and they never actually interact or talk with Meela again! I never got that sense of closure re. friendships/relationships one would expect from the final book in a trilogy.

As much as I like Meela and Lysi and want to love a diverse book about lesbian mermaids, the pacing and predictability really killed this book for me. I’m so sad, because I really loved the first and second books. I kind of want to pretend this one doesn’t exist.

[Hollow Well · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, you’ve read the first two of this series. C’mon. You’re going to read this one too. So, stop looking this review and just do it.

Meela is now a mermaid. She and Lysi must do whatever they can to kill Merman King Adaro and reclaim control of Sisiutl, the two headed leviathan that houses the soul of Eriana. Meanwhile, King Adaro is exploiting the underclass to help lay waste to every coastal area within the Pacific rim.

There was something that was so brutal-yet-lovable about the first novel that made me an ardent fan of this series. So, yes, I enjoyed this effort, though, it does not achieve the level of passion as the first. As with the second novel, there is a certain degree of campiness that, I feel, clashes strongly with the more brutal aspects of the tale.

I think that there were some really good settings and predicaments that were introduced, many of which could have been milked to create a high level of tension, but it seemed that most all were left largely untapped. (E.g. a mermaid labor camp, a suffocating sense of being trapped and alone in shifting glaciers, being targeted for death by most every human and merperson...). Also, the action sequences occasionally were interrupted by emotional drama which felt misplaced and sucked the tension from the surrounding calamities. Meela’s character was a little annoying at times. She comes across as frantic (and she should be!), but it’s done in a way that did little to inspire sympathy for her. Finally, Lysi and Meela’s path through the novel was presented in a haphazard fashion.

Despite all these personal complaints, I really love the feel and the message of the story where love builds a bridge across race, species, gender norms, and sacrifice. I’m going to miss reading about Meela and Lysi.

[Karen (thefictioncorner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 I’m crYING 😭 I got so attached to this series in such a short amount of time. This book moved a lot slower than the first two, but it did pick up the pace around halfway through. The ending didn’t really satisfy me how I wanted it to. I wanted to see Lysi and Meela’s 10 years later but instead we got to see someone else’s.
“Now I understand that sometimes you cannot protect your loved ones, no matter how hard you try. Life and death happen, and it is out of our control.”

Meela, up until near the end, was irrational and unwilling to listen to Lysi. She snapped at her and would get angry at the smallest reasons. I didn’t like this but I can understand when I think about how much pressure she’s under like learning how to be a mermaid, King Adaro, etc. Other than that, her relationship with Lysi seems so unconditional and genuine 💕
“I took Lysi’s hand, deciding that as long as we had each other, we would be all right.”

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brb crying. I’m going to miss my girls

[Lauren (Northern Plunder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone interested my book club are reading this together on release date

join us here https://discord.gg/KwKDD2e

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy has an incredible ability to provide an ending so emotional and beautiful that it makes me forget every single flaw that I previously encountered in the book. This has happened with all three books in the series and it was most noticeable in this one because this is the one where I found most flaws. So obviously, I really loved this book as well as the previous two, but I'm bumping it down to 4 stars instead of 5 because while I was super emotional and teary eyed at the end, I had enough of small issues throughout the book that I can't justify a 5.

'Cause that's the thing: it's all minor issues. There's nothing hugely wrong with this book that made the reading experience bad, or that annoyed me so much that I didn't want to keep reading. I enjoyed every page of it, except maybe the chapters told from the POV of the new character whose name I keep forgetting because, well, that's how little I cared about his part of the story. I get that he played an important part in the finale but honestly I think that could've been handled without having to dedicate a bunch of chapters to him throughout the book. His character felt unnecessary, forced and honestly a lot like an underwhelming retelling of Meela's arc in the previous books. His whole thing is that he doesn't believe mermaids are just monsters, instead he believes they are intelligent creatures like humans and deserve the same kind of respect. Revolutionary, right? Except that's exactly what we learned from Meela and her friends & family's journeys in previous books. I suppose it's meant to show that other humans feel the same way as them but ugh, it was just way too much space dedicated to an issue that didn't need fleshing out more, while other more interesting issues were left largely unexplored.

One such issue is the correlation between human and mermaid culture. We get some glimpses into the differences between both cultures through Meela's eyes as she transitions from human to mermaid, but I still have so many questions that the book didn't answer. Did human and mermaid culture develop in contact with each other or totally separate? If they weren't influenced by each other, how are we to read the mermaids using phrases like "blitzing" (which is surely a WW2 reference?) and "drifting idly by" which is clearly a play on "standing idly by". There's a lot of these little phrases that are clearly plays on human language and culture, and it'd be so interesting to learn how these parallells came to be since we've only seen this world when humans and mermaids are at war. Again, not a huge issue that ruined the book for me, but I definitely would have appreciated some more insights there.

A bigger issue is definitely the political scene and how relatively underdeveloped it was. Maybe a second reading would clarify things but I kept getting confused as to how the political system in mermaid culture worked, who the big players were and how they related to each other. I also felt like concepts and ideas were introduced only to then be put aside without much development (like the idea that mermaids have underwater borders and border control, the labour camps and persecution of political opponents, the fact that this huge all-powerful and indestructible serpent is let loose and it's supposed to be extreeeemely dangerous and yet our heroes always escape in one piece - I mean, of course they have to escape but I just always find it so difficult to take a story seriously when something is soooooooo powerful and yet someone defeats or tricks it with relative ease? Anyway, that's off topic...) and then we were on to the next thing. They arrived at one place, was there for a scene or two, left, went to a new place, was there for a scene or two, left, and it kind of kept going like that in a weird way where it felt like nothing was happening at the same time as everything happened too fast.

I do appreciate how the book deals with tyranny, indigenous culture and the importance of history and oral stories, how fucked up the US is and the lengths they're willing to go to in order to protect themselves and their interests, etc. I also love the theme of Meela learning to let go of her destructive desire for revenge and instead embrace her love and empathy as the source for her strength. I love that the act was the same - killing Adaro - but that the whole difference lay in her approach, and how she realized that the desire for revenge would eat her alive and that being driven by compassion and love was more powerful and meant she didn't have to sacrifice herself in the process. And then she still killed Adaro and later the serpent, because it needed to be done, and it was very badass and VERY emotional, especially the scene with the serpent. I like that Meela went from fantasizing about controlling Eriana's Host to realizing no one should be able to hold that much power and that true peace could only come when she was destroyed.

And as with any book, the true heart of the story is the characters. While Meela is definitely annoying at times, I appreciated her character growth and her passion for not only her family and loved ones, but for justice and decency in general. I love Lysi and how capable and resourceful she is. And I absolutely adore Spio, who reminds me a lot of Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's just such a dedicated, loyal person who stands up for what he believes in, protects his loved ones whatever it takes, and is a ridiculous mess of a person who loves pranks and doing stupid shit just for the sake of doing it. But he also often uses his experiences of doing dumb shit to save the day, which is endearing and only makes me love him more. One of my favourite scenes with him is when they're battling king Adaro.

Adaro was trying to push his way out of the chaos. Spio threw dead fish at him so they bounced off his face.

I just adore the idea of scrappy darling Spio literally throwing dead fish in the face of the king who is so much more powerful than him and could end his life in a heartbeat.

But of course, the true heart of this whole trilogy is the love story between Meela and Lysi. Although I wish they'd had more time together so we could see their relationship evolving after them being kept apart for so long, I still appreciate the parts we did get to see and it was so lovely watching them fall in love and fight for each other. It's the reason I picked up the first book in this series and it's the main reason I wanted to keep reading, although the world-building and supporting characters of course played a large role in it as well.

Remember when I said the end erased all the little issues I'd found throughout the book? Well, by that I don't actually mean the very end, because there is a little epilogue that I didn't really like. Okay, it's definitely cute, but it's just a very weird choice to end this whole series through the eyes of this random ass character we've only known for a couple of chapters and who (at least for me) we don't really have an emotional connection with. Lysi and Meela have both been here from day one, and yet we get to see them ten years later just hanging out in the ocean for a fraction of a second and then they're gone and the book is over? It was kind of underwhelming, but since chapter 31 is an epilogue I'm counting the "real" end as the end of chapter 30, and THAT ending I really did love.

[BadassCmd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing an ending for a book is one thing. But ending a series seems to be an immense task.
I've always loved series and to have the opportunity to follow characters I loved through more of their lives than one book can offer. And I've read a lot of series, but to be honest, I can't come up with even a handful longer series where I really liked the ending.
I get how hard it is to finish big projects like that both satisfyingly and at the same time realistically for whatever situation they deal with. But I'm always a bit afraid when starting a series, that I will just come out of the experience disappointed and that it will ruin the series a bit as a whole for me.

But I think Tiana Warner did a good job.

I wondered how everything that had built up in the last two books should ever be resolved in only 360 pages.
I mean, Meela and Lysi were FINALLY together, but Meela was still a 'new' mermaid and there was war on several frontlines ahead of them.
And I was kind of right in thinking there would just be A LOT going on at all times in this one. Especially when time is running out, but Meela and Lysi have to cross ocean after ocean to try to figure out what to do - and get the whole way back again for the next attempts. But in the end, it worked out without having double the pages the last book had.

I didn't like the path Meela was on for most of the book, although I guess I wasn't supposed to like her mindset for that period anyways.

And there were a few moments where I got reminded of something I realised about book 2 after some reflecting too: That sometimes actions and decisions of characters seemed like they're not chosen because they were really logical for them, but for the sake of the progress of the plot.

I also would have liked to know what was going on at the island and with the people we spent so much time with in book 1 and 2 after the shocking events of book 2 and for all that time Meela and Lysi were continuing to fight for them.

But the book has a few nice reunions, no mean last-minute deaths for shock value and I really liked the bits about Meela learning how to be a mermaid.

The ending gives a sense of 'justice being served' and has an overall positive note to it.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent enough end to this series, but I still can't help but think the entire thing could have been much more involved and in-depth. The relationship between the main characters was cute, but the rest of the plot felt kind of sketchy and also like it maybe should have been a single book and was very stretched out. There was also some background revealed about Adaro in this book that I think should have probably been revealed sooner and focused on more. I mean obviously nothing about his past excuses what he is doing in the present, but I think it would have been interesting to know more about him earlier in the series rather than 'he's just evil because'. It's a cute series and I'm always here for lesbian mermaids, but it's definitely not mind-blowing with the overall story arc.

[Marie -The Reading Otter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review:
http://pagestoexplore.blogspot.com/20...

[Linh Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
A great ending to a great series, one of my favorites of all time! I am amazed at how Warner describes the emotional turmoil of her characters, especially Mila. Everything wraps up nicely in the end. I will forever keep Mila and Lysi and their magical world beyond the sea in my heart...

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice ending to a great series. I would have wished to see a bit of our two protagonists after the adventure was over - but still liked this one very much.

[ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!! Definitely a quicker read compared to Ice Crypt and packs way more punches! Tiana Warner does an excellent job as world-building. Like, I swear I can close my eyes and picture this world perfectly. I got into this series 2 years ago and just finished it. This trilogy was very good!! Although I really would’ve loved if the epilogue was more expanded upon to see how Future Lysi and Meela are doing rather than just seeing Merpeople and Humans co-existing.

I want to see the rest of Gaela family meeting Nilus’ kids!!! I want to see future Meela and how her human relationships fared!!!

The book ultimately ended appropriately I guess but I would’ve loved a longer epilogue. I would recommend this series for sure!

[marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

i feel like if i wasn't so attached to the characters i would've dnf-ed it but i decided to keep going just for lysi and meela. it was worth it in the end because the last 20% were so interesting and fast paced, although i still can't give this book more than 3 stars. i'm glad that everyone got their happy ending. also i'm happy that blacktail and tanuu ended up together (i presume, because of The Picnic). i just wish we got a meela and annith reunion.

[Dakota★Magic in Every Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is amazing and I cried and I would pay all the money for a short story about Meela and Lysi getting married or adopting a merbaby

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished a trilogy in a really long time, and this just made me come back to reading more fantasy. This trilogy. Wow. Please guys, read it.

[Julia B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo cute but the fact there isn't more Tumblr fan art is- say it with me- homophobic!!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a FANTASTIC end to this amazing trilogy!! I absolutely loved every second of it. It's such a fast paced novel, with so much action, yet it still manages to have sweet and calm moments. I loved everything about this, and I'm so sad that Meena and Lysi's story is over.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

ohhh, i don't know how to properly explain my love for this trilogy. i think the best compliment that i can offer, is that i've never been more grateful that 10 year old me will get to grow up to read this one day. (i mean, i'm an adult now and i already read it... etc. but it's a metaphor or whatever, you get what i'm saying).

10 year old me loved mermaids. so does 28 year old me. but neither of us ever thought we'd get to read a story about two mermaids falling in love and having an adventure. one that makes no big deal about that queerness. it's just another part of the girls who are having an adventure and saving the world. it's important, because it's a part of them, but it's not the only thing the story revolves around. and it's doesn't end in tragedy. 10 year old me never could have imagined that, because she didn't see any other girls like her in anything she was reading, she had no idea for years that it was even a possibility. but now, after slogging through hundreds of stories revolving around that queerness (which, we're important and formative for different reasons) it's just... so lovely to be able to get to read an epic story of sea adventure, mermaids, warriors, power struggles, coming of age, all wrapped up in a beautiful love story between two girls.

10 year old me got a mermaid love story, and for that, she is innately grateful.

[M L Brooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

A really disappointing ending

So Meela spent the first two books hating Dani and then spent 70% of this one acting like her. A complete 180 of personality for no reason. And then to top it off Meela and Lysi barley got a send off and it focused on a wholly unimportant character who we only introduced in this book. So we have no idea how thing's turned out for the main pair but Ben has a kid with one of the girls from the massacre so cool we know that for some reason.

[Lamia Hajdarevic · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINALLY found time to finish this. Actually enjoyed it surprisingly😋 the whole mermaid thing was weird tho.

[Janine Rawnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more of an action series with the occasional light brush of romance (the main characters are LGBT - w|w), so anyone looking for a slow burn that culminates into romantic action will not get their fix here. However, the non-romantic action (and there's a lot of it) is very well written. There are many interesting characters, usually well fleshed out.

It can be a dark world, violent, aggressive. I enjoyed the fact that the story was at times quite graphic (in terms of violence), though this could be a deterrent to some.

I did yearn for there to be more romance by book 3, not necessarily explicit but more than an occasional peck on the cheek since these two have had such a slow burn - and at times it just felt like their chemistry had dissipated (which can happen, but usually years into a relationship). Anyhow, that's no reason to deduct a star, since it's my own personal preference.

It would have been good if there were occasional breaks in the action/drama, as it can be tiring (as a reader) to have your characters constantly battling with no reprise. Spio did give some much-needed comedic relief, but it was always in the midst of action.

I was confused by the fact that Meela could speak to all mermaids as soon as she turned - I'm a bit of a skim reader sometimes, so did she learn how to speak mer-language from Lysi at some point (maybe while Lysi was learning?)

I would like to see a continuation - a story of mer-people life together day to day, which could have gone into more of the romance side between Meela and Lysi. What sort of rituals do mermaids have, do they get married? Is being LGBT okay in their society? All that kind of stuff. I know that these books were never about that, but if the author ever decides to explore that side of this world a bit more, there's a lot that could be written. And I'd buy it!

I did almost deduct a star for the ending, but I realised that'd be a bit mean. I will rant a bit instead.

I was a little disappointed that the final chapter / time skip focused on a heterosexual relationship and a nuclear family, when the target audience is mainly LGBT folks whom are reading for their LGBT representation (indeed I picked up the series due to a thread on tumblr claiming this story was super LGBT). Now, the two parents and kid ending was cute, but I didn't care much for those characters at all, especially Fern, because I had no idea who she was. And Ben was always just mildly interesting. Here's the kicker though, the bit that irked me - there was literally no interaction between Meela and her best friend Annith in the last couple of chapters, which was really weird. I had to page backward to check Annith was even mentioned.

A better finale may have been to see Meela talking to Annith about their new lives 10 years later - which may or may not have included their families (did they have kids?), and could have included the news about the tourist attraction. Eventually they'd be interrupted by Lysi popping out of the sea to tell her mer-wife to haul her ass back in the ocean before she dries up... much cuter, and goes full circle back to Meela's original friendship and her ongoing relationship with humans.

Loved the whole series - a wonderful, engrossing read with just a couple of minor plot holes.