Synopsis:

My mother is a creature of the deep; a siren, a mermaid, and because her daughter is human, she can never go home.

A mysterious shipwreck could unlock ancient powers… or send her to a watery grave.

Targa MacAuley feels more at home on dry land than in the watery realm of her mermaid ancestors. After 17 years on solid ground, she fears she’ll never grow into the creature her mother hoped she’d become. To keep her mom’s homesickness and true identity under wraps, Targa signs on for a mysterious salvage dive in the Baltic Sea.

Her plan to blend in with the rest of the crew is spoiled when she catches the eye of a handsome local. A freak accident and a strange connection to the ancient shipwreck below attract even more unwanted attention. With both her mom’s secret—and her life—in danger, Targa must finally find the courage to unleash the currents surging deep within.

Born of Water is a Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner and the first book in The Elemental Origins, a captivating nonlinear series of YA urban fantasy novels, now updated in celebration of its 5th anniversary. If you like new twists on mermaid lore, simmering romance, and close-knit mother-daughter bonds, then you’ll love A.L. Knorr’s nautical adventure. Embark on a deeper dive into the story’s lore with The Wreck of Sybellen, a companion novel included with the book.

Review:
Firstly, uncertain of the kindle version contains The Wreck of Sybellen, but if it does then it makes total sense that the ending of the book seemed completely at a standstill and apart from the rest of the novel. I quite enjoyed this novel and thought the characters had great depth, and the story itself was well done. The magic system used is well explained by not coming up until it matters; one cannot teach everything about a new subject immediately just because someone else is interested, and there are so many little nuances that you wouldn’t even think of unless they became relevant. I quite loved how many of the things that set Mira apart are traits that are considered mermaid, and since Targa doesn’t seem to share that trait, she understands how different her mother is, but also remains human in her mentality/self.

The book itself is good, though at the end, especially with the particular ending, one is left wondering what really was the goal? A lot happens, but it leaves you wondering about so much still to go on, and it had a very abrupt ending. Given the ending, I feel more inclined to continue with Targa’s story as opposed to continuing the series the book is a first of with her friends because they were not introduced in a way that made me particularly attached to any of them. I am not sure I will continue in either regard at this time, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good YA novel for someone interested in mermaids/magic/romance.

While there is romance, I did like that it kept to what I would consider the right amount of depth/spice for YA. As an author I do understand that YA is really just a delineate of where to place the books on the shelf/the age of the characters, but I personally do not feel that YA and Romance should be the same books/genre.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯