Review: Waking Storms by Sarah Porter

Waking Storms by Sarah Porter. Book Two of the Lost Voices Trilogy.

Harcourt Childrens Books
Publication Date: July 2012
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780547482514

Review: How would you feel if it was almost suicide to go out on the ocean in a ship or boat, and you didn't even realize it? What if humans really are so blind that they cannot see what is going on? What if there really is a creature that isn't exactly human? What if that creature makes such a large impact on life as we know it, all for revenge? And only a handful of these creatures realize it is wrong when the others still hunger for vengeance? Dorian is the only human in the world who knows that something more powerful than humans lies in the oceans. They are mermaids with beautiful tails that never age. They seem so wonderful with their ageless faces and ever enchanting voices except for one thing. Those voices are designed to lure people into the water and drown in Waking Storms by Sarah Porter. Here is a poem from the story:

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea,

By sea girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown,

Till human voices wake us,

And we drown.

Luce now lives alone in the ocean after she leaves the troubled tribe, but she is needed back again. Luce should be the mermaid queen. The cruel queen Anais has stolen the throne and now wants Luce dead, even though she realizes the power of Luce's voice that can do something only few mermaids have accomplished. Luce has other problems too. Dorian is the boy that has caused Luce to break the mermaid law to rescue him. He wants her to pay for having accidently drowned his family. But while the mermaids still think that humans don't suspect they're there, the FBI just so happens to have several mermaid actions recorded. Luce and Dorian soon fall in love which is against mermaid law. But when Luce meets Nausicaa, she begins to think there might actually be hope for mermaids and humans. Is there any way for Luce to take back the mermaid throne without putting her love with Dorian in danger and getting caged up by the FBI?

Waking Storms is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, but with a touch of fantasy added to the story. I seriously couldn't predict what was going to happen next because the whole problem in the story kept changing and becoming more and more enchanting. I thought that Sarah Porter made Luce different than any human, but added just the right touches so readers could still be able to relate to her. Each character was well thought out and different from the next. Dorian is reckless but really is kind at heart. Nausicaa is wise but understands exactly how Luce feels. Luce is just a girl, despite being a mermaid. She is still just a girl at heart. The book is super amazing and is as unforgettable and as life-changing as the mermaid's song.

Review written by Abigail (7th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for providing a copy of Waking Storms for this review.

Have you read Waking Storms? How would you rate it?