Mermaid Moon

January 1, 2020
Printz Award honoree Cokal (The Kingdom of Little Wounds, 2013, etc.) switches from historical fiction to historical fantasy in this loose reinterpretation of Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." The Thirty-Seven Dark Islands, remote and Scandinavian, are prosperous and bustling. Ruled by the (uncannily) long-lived Baroness Thyrla, watched over by Our Lady of the Sea, an ostensibly Christian statue, this is a place where little changes until a mysterious girl comes ashore. Half-seavish Sanna has grown up a marreminde but longs to find her landish mother. She studied magic in order to form legs and search the land, directed by her flok's ancient witch. Literary writing stuffed with interesting if ancillary historical detail moves through several perspectives. Sanna, despite her strong magic and the narrative's centering of her quest for her mother, tends toward immense passivity; Thyrla, a wicked witch who has killed her own children to prolong her life, propels most of the plot, such as it is, and more time is spent in characters' heads than with their actions or interactions. Questions of power, vanity, and faith are raised, if not always resolved, making this a book suitable for deep reading although unlikely to have wide appeal. Other options trawl similar territory more effectively, particularly Elana K. Arnold's Damsel (2018) and Margo Lanagan's The Brides of Rollrock Island (2012). All characters are white; the mermaid society is bisexual by default. Intriguing if flawed. (historical note) (Historical fantasy. 13-18)

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January 27, 2020
This immersive retelling of “The Little Mermaid” follows Sanna, a half-landish mermaid who leaves her flok to seek her human mother. Advised by the ancient, riddle-tongued sea witch Sjældent, Sanna is bound for the castle ruled by ageless and unkind Baroness Thyrla, a witch who steals youth and power from others, even her infant children. When an accidental display of magic convinces the local priest and townsfolk that Sanna is a miracle worker, she finds herself betrothed to Thyrla’s attractive but useless son, but she’s no closer to finding her mother or securing the undefined treasure that Sjældent requires as payment. Juxtaposed against the patriarchal culture wherein Thyrla has amassed and maintained power (one in which rape and infanticide are common), Cokal (The Kingdom of Little Wounds) creates a well-developed matriarchal mermaid mythology in which women couple, bonded by love and respect, and men are largely unnecessary. Through several voices and richly detailed prose, these markedly different worlds overlap and diverge to impart a nuanced exploration of power, family, faith, and love. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management.

February 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-"This is just a children's tale; would you wreck your ship for it?" Sanna and her marreminde sisters lure passing sailors to their deaths with siren songs, as their mothers did before them. Though Sanna's voice is one of the most beautiful, Sanna's mother was landish, not seavish, a fact so unacceptable that the flok matriarch cast a spell of forgetting over everyone involved. Armed with only a name, Lisabet, Sanna magicks herself legs and walks unsteadily ashore to find the castle and, she hopes, news of her mother. Sanna's magic inspires jealousy in the powerful and unnatural Baroness, who manipulates a betrothal to her son. Meanwhile, floating on the seaskin, Sanna's sea sisters and father desperately wait for a song to indicate Sanna's progress and safety. Cokal's moody and sea-drenched tale weaves touches of Hans Christian Andersen with a dash of Pied Piper, using language that gorgeously sets each scene, including the exceedingly creepy bone vault, with its tiny baby skulls and "the yellow-white ribs known as Mother." Lyrical, complex, and occasionally dark, with rich rewards for patient readers. VERDICT Suggest this to thoughtful readers looking for strong females, unexpected twists, and a relatively happy ending. A good fit for fans of Margo Lanagan's The Brides of Rollrock Island.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

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