Review of Lost Voices

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Netgalley
Genre: YA Paranormal (Mermaids or Sirens)

Description from Goodreads: When fourteen-year-old Luce is assaulted on the cliffs near an Alaskan village, she expects to die when she tumbles into the icy water below. Instead, she transforms into a mermaid. Luce is thrilled with her new life—until she discovers the catch.


My thoughts:
I had an internal debate on rating this book. I didn't find many problems with the writing, just the subject matter, so I didn't feel that I could give it a two.

Luce is fourteen and is living with an alcoholic uncle. Her father has disappeared at sea, and she is struggling to cope with her life. She is a loner and has problems at times communicating.

In a near rape incident, she is left on a cliff by the oceanic shores in Alaska. She feels herself falling but instead of the death she expects, she is transformed into a mermaid. In discovering the power of her new song voice, she brings down a ship.

It turns out that mermaids are formed from abused girls. I can understand bitterness coming from abuse, and many times it is justified. The mermaids were a little over the top for me. They thrilled in taking out ships of people, because humans are awful. Their treatment of the "larvae" or babies that turn into mermaids made me very uncomfortable (appalled may be a good word). I also didn't enjoy the backstabbing that occurred among the little mermaid colony.

This is a whole new take on mermaids. It is original from anything that I have read before. It is interesting. I just didn't like the subject matter.

Content Warning: Description of abuse of children, near rape incident, mermaids murdering humans.