Book Review : May (Daughters of the Sea, #2) by Kathryn Lasky

May (Daughters of the Sea, #2) by Kathryn Lasky

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published September 1st 2009 by Scholastic Inc. 

Available on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Synopsis

The second book in bestselling author Kathryn Lasky's stunning foray into paranormal romance.

May feels her life drying up. The sea calls to her, but her parents forbid her from swimming. She longs for books, but her mother finds her passion for learning strange. She yearns for independence, but a persistent suitor, Rudd, wants to tame her spirited ways.

Yet after her fifteenth birthday, the urge to break free becomes overpowering and May makes a life-changing discovery. She does not belong on land where girls are meant to be obedient. She is a mermaid--a creature of the sea.

Review

May Plum has been constricted within the confines of the Egg Rock Lighthouse ever since she was born. Her father Edgar "Gar" Plum is a nice man who loves her dearly, but her mother Hepzibah "Zeebah" Plum is the exact opposite. Zeebah suffers from an illness - not only of the body but also of the mind. She is constantly complaining about her illness and always orders May around like a servant because she used to be ordered around by her sick mother and grandmother back when they were alive. Vicious cycle, if you ask me.

May's relationship with Hugh Fitzsimmons, the Harvard student who studies astrology is rather believable, and their observing the constellations together is rather romantic - I can almost imagine the background music starting to play. On the other hand, I find Rudd, the local boy who is obsessive about controlling May and getting his slimy hands on her repulsive. Ugh.

Hannah's story, which was left dangling in the first book, is continued somewhere in the middle of May's, where the sisters finally meet each other and marvel at their resemblance to each other. The plot of this book is so much better than Hannah, and the various elements of this story seems to fit each other perfectly. Overall, it was quite a lovely, charming story. Hopefully the third book will be even better than this one!

Rating:

Note of Thanks

A huge THANK YOU to Stephanie from Scholastic Malaysia, Singapore & Indonesia for providing this review copy!

About The Author

Kathryn Lasky is the American author of many critically acclaimed books, including several Dear America books, several Royal Diaries books, 1984 Newbery Honor winning Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her latest book, Guardians of Ga'Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember, was released on November 1, 2008. Guardians of Gahoole: A guide to the Great Tree was released on September 1st, almost a month before projected selling time. She was born June 24, 1944, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is married to Christopher Knight, with whom she lives in Boston, Massachusetts.