by
L.T. Getty
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GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy
Adventure
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BLURB:
Daphne’s
a typical mermaid, and at least according to her, that’s a problem. She’s
courageous and has a beautiful singing voice, but lacks the power of an
elemental, the ability to command water with the sound of her voice. Jealous of
her best friend, she makes a deal with a sea-witch, only to be betrayed, in
place of her beautiful tail and flukes Daphne’s left beached with a pair of human
legs. The spell keeping Daphne looking human will become permanent, unless
Daphne can hunt down and bring the scheming Lorelei a unicorn horn before the
next full moon.
Unable to reach her
friends and family for help, Daphne doesn’t know how to walk, much less where
to find a unicorn or how to catch one. Even if she’s successful, Daphne’s still
not sure if she can trust Lorelei and her pint-sized kraken to keep their end
of the bargain and let her return to the sea.
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EXCERPT
Echor explored a small rocky cave before he chattered. I saw
a fish I'd never seen before. He was orange and white!
"You'll see lots as you travel from place to
place," Daphne told the small dolphin. "Come, your mother won't
forgive me if I let you roam from the pod."
Why hurry? Echor asked as he swam, spinning around different
plants and sponges that grew along the rocks, before focusing in on a vibrant
snail. It was not a very old reef, though it was well inhabited by many
vividly-colored, small fish. The young dolphin seemed to take pleasure in
disturbing them and watching them scurry into their small hiding crevices and
among the anemones. You're so lucky that you get to stay in your town all the
time. This part of the sea is so beautiful!
"I think it would be neat to see so much of the
ocean," Daphne said, thinking of her small town of Thranda. Unlike the
dolphins, who often travelled long distances in a single day, most merfolk
lived in towns unless they left their communities to hunt or travel to another
community. She had known members of his family since she was a little mermaid,
and only got to see them a few times a year when they passed through her home
to feed in a nearby bay. She heard a series of warnings behind her—the other
dolphins had detected something with their echolocation. Unless it was
something exceptionally large, they should have been safe within the pod, but
Echor was very young. "Echor, let's return to your family." The young
dolphin had wandered off while Daphne had turned her head, chasing a seal that
had left her bob, trying to swim away from Echor.
"Echor!" Daphne called, swimming after him. She
caught up to him, then looked over her shoulder as she heard a familiar sound.
An orca! Daphne suppressed a shudder. It was large, but far enough away for her
to find a hiding space. Still, killer whales almost always travelled in groups.
The killer whale dove when he spotted her. She knew the others would want to
help, but they were no match for an orca. He swam quickly towards her and
Echor. Daphne knew she would be hard pressed to out-swim the large creature.
Hide! the orca told her.
Daphne then saw the immense shadow and wooden keel of a ship
following the orca. The killer whale dove deep, though the water was too clear
and shallow to truly hide his massive form. A harpoon followed him, missed, and
was quickly pulled back to the surface by a rope. Another harpoon plunged into
the water, and then another. The rough waters churned green and grey in the
ship's wake, and Echor's warning chatter only told her that there was another
human vessel. It came from Daphne's left, and it dragged a net behind it.
The book is on sale for $.99 for a limited time (please check price before purchasing)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
L.T. Getty is a
rural paramedic from Manitoba. She enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy
and generally being creative.
Author Links:
**********************
GIVEAWAY
3.5 stars
“The Mermaid and the Unicorns” by L.T. Getty follows a young
mermaid named Daphne who makes a terrible bargain that leads her into
remarkable adventures with…gasp…humans. She learns that there are a lot of good
and bad things about those who stay on land, while the humans she encounters
discover that some of the things they’ve considered legends may not be made up
after all.
This imaginative children’s story is full of magic and
adventure. At first, I was a bit concerned that it was going to be a retelling
of Ariel and Ursula’s interactions, but it picked up in intensity and managed
to provide both teachable moments and entertainment with each subsequent
adventure that Daphne experienced. I got a little lost occasionally, trying to
remember all of the names of the characters, but subsequent events usually
straightened things out. There were a few elements that I’m not quite sure
about, but the story still kept my interest, and I think children will be delighted
at the range of characters to cheer for and/or boo at.
A copy of this title was provided for review
