The characters seemed one-dimensional... or maybe that is a bit harsh, they were two-dimensional (one dimension being teenage love/lust/romance & the other being the sea-creatures). Unfortunately, the emotions come across as shallow and unconvincing, leading up to a predictable result. And I hated the ending, which was not a conclusion at all but a traditional TV series cliffhanger, "come back next season to find out what happens" ending.

Emma, just turned 18, goes on a trip with her best friend Chloe to Florida. While there, she meets Galen, very attractive 'boy' who has the same unusual eye color as Emma (violet), and his sister. Before anything can happen between them, Emma's friend Chloe is killed by a shark. You would expect that this would then be a major part of the novel- how Emma copes with this loss. But no, despite a few paragraphs about how upset she is, Emma is unaffected. Nor is she the least bit curious or suspicious when Galen suddenly shows up as a student at her high school. Emma's self-deprecating humor is too self-deprecating and not funny enough - Banks doesn't have the light touch of Meg Cabot or Helen Fielding.

The fantasy/paranormal part of the story showed some promise but was never fully developed. I felt as if all I was getting was the "coming attractions" for the rest of the series - hints and clues with a bit of background. Too bad... a little better and I might have gone on with the series. ( )

It was a new and different spin on merpeople but they don't call themselves that...they call themselves Syrena and about a girl coming of age at 18 and finding out she's half Syrena and half human and connecting with her soulmate and it was a refreshing, awesome take on this type of story...I loved it and read it in one day. I can't wait for the next book.

Great characters, humorous dialogue, and an interesting puzzle kept me listening to this story. Despite the sad beginning and a few logistic problems (how can she talk underwater while holding her breath?), I found this book an enjoyable read and couldn't stop listening until I discovered the secret to Emma's parentage.

Looking forward to reading book 2. ( )

Emma barátnőjével, Cloe-val nyaral a tengerparton, amikor egy aprócska baleset során megismerkedik a jóképű Galénnal. Ez a találkozás valóban a véletlen műve? Emmának nincs lehetősége ezt kideríteni, mert egy tragédia beárnyékolja ottlétüket. A lány, miután hazatér, nem képes egykönnyen túltenni magát a traumán. Ekkor váratlanul ismét fölbukkan az ibolyakék szemű idegen. Galén, a szirén herceg a szárazföldön kutat egy lány után, akiről azt hallotta, hogy talán ő az utolsó élő szirén, aki egyesítheti a tenger mélyén élő két uralkodóházat. Bár erőteljes kötődésük azonnal érezhető, Galén még sincs teljesen meggyőződve róla, hogy Emma az, akit keres. Végül a sok bizonyíték meggyőzi, hogy csakis Emma és különleges képessége mentheti meg a herceg országát. Galénnak szüksége van a lány segítségére bármilyen kockázattal jár is. Vajon képes lesz Emma beváltani a hozzá fűzött reményeket? És vajon összefonódhat két ennyire különböző világ? (libri)

Too sweet in the first half. Simpering. *gags*
It gets better, thankfully.
And what a dramatic ending! What a spectacular cliff! ( )