Review: Hannah (Daughter's of the Sea, 1) by Kathryn Lasky

Hannah: Daughters of the Sea by Kathryn Lasky

Young Adult Fantasy

Scholastic Inc. (September 1, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0439783101

176 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah relizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice - to be a creature of the land or the sea.

I don't read enough about mermaids clearly. This story was enchanting and touching and put a new spin on the lives of an often overlooked creature in the world of fantasy novels.

Hannah has just the right blend of youthful naïveté and intelligence to make you love her. The turn-of-the-century world that she inhabits is full realized and the characters that populate it are as well. The background characters were all were all quite interesting - none more so than Hannah's love-interest Stannish and the daughter of her employer, and her nemesis, Lila (who's crazy is quite profound).

My one gripe with the book falls with the ending. Since this was the first of a series, I didn't expect the story to wrap of neatly at the end, however, the cliffhanger seemed a little as if it was tacked on. This is a minor issue though and it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyable reading experience. The foundation that Lasky has established with this first novel in the Daughters of the Sea series is solid and promises a really great future for the continuation of this tale.

Grade: B