The Mermaid Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon

Title: The Mermaid Handbook
Author: Carolyn Turgeon
Genre: Fiction
Series: N/A 
Hardcover, 240 Pages
Publication: May 15, 2018 by Harper Design

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. 

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Beautiful, seductive, mysterious, and potentially dangerous, the mermaid is a global literary and pop culture icon whose roots date back to ancient sea goddesses and Greek mythology. From Homer’s Odyssey and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Little Mermaid to T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, this sea vixen has long seduced popular imagination. Cosmetic companies have drawn inspiration for their makeup lines from mermaids, as have designers throughout fashion history, from Jean Patou to Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. The fishtail dress is a perennial long red-carpet staple, favored by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Sofia Vergara, and Blake Lively.

Divided into four sections—Fashion and Beauty; Arts and Culture; Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them; and Food, Entertaining and Stories of the Sea—The Mermaid Handbook is a unique and sumptuous compilation filled with creative ideas for decorating and living inspired by these beauties from the deep. Learn to make a sailor’s valentine; a mermaid comb and crown; and a pearl and sequin paillette necklace. There are recipes for mermaid-themed poke bowls, aquatic-themed honey gingerbread cookies, and the official cocktail of the 1960s-era mermaid attraction Aquarama.

HarperDesign, Turgeon and the designers hit it out of the park once again with The Mermaid Handbook, a stunning compendium of all things Mermaid. Following up with last’s years gorgeous novel, The Faerie Handbook, The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.

The Mermaid Handbook is presented in a sturdy turquoise hardcover compendium with a high quality image of a mermaid resting atop a jagged rock. To tie everything together the cover and spine is embossed with rose-gold foiling, the pages is gilded in rose-gold and is finished off with a baby blue satin ribbon. I loved the color scheme chosen, it definitely conjures up images of mermaids and the sea.

This compendium is a wealth of mermaid knowledge. The book is divided into four sections: Fashion & Beauty, Arts & Culture, Real Mermaids &Where to Find Them and Food, Entertaining & Stories of the Sea. Readers will learn how the mermaid mythology has inspired all aspect of our lives from clothing, to makeup, the vast stories from all around the world to yearly camp and parade dedicated for our love of mermaids; where you can learn to become one yourself and embrace your inner siren…because let’s face it, every one of us has dreamed or wished we were a mermaid at one point in our lives; I sure did!

The Mermaid Handbook is a must have for all mermaid lovers, the believers, the water babies, and anyone who dreamed of swimming in the underwater kingdom and living in the deep depth of the ocean. This is the perfect companion novel to Turgeon’s The Faerie Handbook and the perfect book to get you ready for the summer which is sure to filled with days full of sun, sand and the ocean! 

The Memory of Forgotten Things by Kat Zhang

Title: The Memory of Forgotten Things
Author: Kat Zhang
Genre: Fiction, Middle Grade
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 288 Pages
Publication: May 15, 2018 by Aladdin

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. 

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One of the happiest memories twelve-year-old Sophia Wallace has is of her tenth birthday. Her mother made her a cake that year—and not a cake from a boxed-mix, but from scratch. She remembers the way the frosting tasted, the way the pink sugar roses dissolved on her tongue.

This memory, and a scant few others like it, is all Sophia has of her mother, so she keeps them close. She keeps them secret, too. Because as paltry as these memories are, she shouldn’t have them at all.

The truth is, Sophia Wallace’s mother died when she was six years old. But that isn’t how she remembers it. Not always.

Sophia has never told anyone about her unusual memories—snapshots of a past that never happened. But everything changes when Sophia’s seventh grade English class gets an assignment to research solar eclipses. She becomes convinced that the upcoming solar eclipse will grant her the opportunity to make her alternate life come true, to enter a world where her mother never died.

With the help of two misfit boys, she must figure out a way to bring her mother back to her—before the opportunity is lost forever.

The Memory of Forgotten Things was such a sweet and touching Middle Grade novel. The book is centered around Sophia, a twelve-year-old girl who is having memories of her mom; memories when she was 9, 10, 11…except her mom passed away when Sophia was only six-years-old. So the question is, how is this possible? With the help of two of Sophia’s classmates they find a correlation between the Memories and the solar eclipse…and the possibility of bringing back their loved ones.

The Memory of Forgotten Things dealt with some heavy issues such as death, grief and if given the chance to change the past/future, would you? Or should you? I thought Zhang tackled the topics and packaged it in such a way that was easy to understand and was very well written; especially for the targeted audience. While Sophia is the main character, her fellow classmates; Luke and DJ both had to deal with a family member’s death as well. It was interesting to see how children dealt with death and seeing the aftermath of it of how it affected the family life/those that were left behind. I liked the trio of characters and found them mature for their age. In some scenes it felt as if the children were more mature and understanding than their own parents. For example in Sophia’s case, after the death of her mom, her dad spent his days working or in a daze and asleep. And he depended more on Sophia than the other way around as if the roles were reversed.

I really enjoyed The Memory of Forgotten Things, its a story about learning to move on, acceptance, family and friendship. However, it should be noted that this book is an iota part magic/science-fiction. I initially thought this would fall under magic realism (similar to Bridge to Terabithia) but Zhang surprised me and took it to the next level incorporating fringe science, the theory of parallel universes…do they exist? Is there multiple worlds out there with different variation of ourselves? So just a heads up to those interested in reading The Memory of Forgotten Things. Some reviewers were surprised by this and felt mislead. But I am all for magic/sci-fi and actually liked the unexpectedness of it all. I highly recommend this standalone novel to everyone. It definitely poses a lot to think about!

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Title: Silver Borne
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Mercy Thompson # 5

Hardcover, 342 Pages
Publication: March 30, 2010 by Ace Books

Source: Personal Library

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Mercy is smart enough to realize that when it comes to the magical fae, the less you know, the better. But you can't always get what you want. When she attempts to return a powerful fae she previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secrets - and the fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side - leaving Mercy to cover for him lest his own father declare Samuel's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she may not have many more... 

I can’t believe it’s been eight years since I read the last Mercy book. With that said, going in and starting Silver Borne was effortless. To my own surprise I remembered exactly where things left off and what occurred in the previous books. That’s a true testament to Briggs for creating such an amazing world and characters. You honestly cannot define the Urban Fantasy Genre without the Mercy Thompson series. It’s truly a UF staple, must have and reading requirement for everyone that loves the genre.

After a traumatic attack on Mercy’s person in Bone Crossed, both Mercy and Adam are trying to work out their relationship; trying to get back to how things were before the attack. But the momentary reprieve from trouble is short-lived when Mercy’s friends get kidnaps and a dangerous fae searches for a book…a book that Mercy is in possession of.

There were multiple subplots happening simultaneously but Briggs weaved the plots seamlessly that every single contained situation fit perfectly all together. In addition to deal with the fae kidnapping, Mercy had to attend to the the usual business of her business, pack business and help her friend, Samuel and his wolf through a crisis. Mercy definitely had her plate full, but then again when doesn’t she?

I really enjoyed Silver Borne and learning more about the supes in Mercy’s world. I am amazed at how much Briggs was able to pack in one single book without it feeling like too much or info-dumped. Silver Borne was a great addition to the series and a solid read. If you haven’t read this series yet; I highly recommend it! 

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Shifts
Author: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Daniels # 8

Mass Market Paperback, 375 pages
Publication: February 23, 2016 by Ace

Source: I received a review copy in exchange for a honest review.

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After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Kate and Curran know that separating from the Pack completely is a process that will take time.

But when they learn that their friend Eduardo has gone missing, Kate and Curran shift their focus to investigate his disappearance. As they dig further into the merc’s business, they discover that the Mercenary Guild has gone to hell and that Eduardo’s recent assignments are connected in the most sinister way…

An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece. 

Magic Shifts is the eighth installment in the Kate Daniel series and certainly a big improvement since the last book. Which I previously stated was the weakest book of the series. Kate and Curran have left the pack and are adjusting to living on the outskirt of town; trying to figure out what their next steps are. But there’s no rest in sight when Eduardo, a pack member goes missing and all signs points to the sudden emergence of ghouls and a deadly ancient creature.

Andrews are always tackling new mythos in their books and in this latest book Andrews put their own unique spin on ghouls and Djinns. I have always been fascinated with Djinns and this is probably the second book I’ve ever read that featured them. These Djinn aren’t like your friendly genie from Aladdin, they’re tricky, volatile, and dangerous.I liked how the authors Incorporated the Djinns into the already complex world and plot…it was done seamlessly. Speaking of world, the world of Kate Daniel is a multifaceted one, especially as we’re already two books from the series wrap-up. The characters have developed tremulously over the course of the series as well; every new detail, information, history and character adds to the richness of the story and world and I can’t get enough of it.

This book had a healthy and perfect balance of drama and humor. I loved seeing the usual gang and more of Roland, Cassandra, George etc. And although the last three are new additions to the series, I felt like they were a major integral part of the series now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There were a lot of things going on in this book and I am curious to see where Team Andrews takes them next.

If you love Urban Fantasy as much as I do, then this series is a must; you literally can’t mention Urban Fantasy without mentioning Andrews and the Kate Daniel series.