The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan

Title: The Mermaid's Mirror
Author: L.K. Madigan
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2010 (Hardcover)
Length: 308 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Fantasy


"Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.


As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father — a former surfer himself — refuses to allow her to take lessons. After his near drowning years ago, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient, powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail.

Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon . . . what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life forever."

I picked up this book on a whim. The cover looked intriguing and the story was about something I've always been drawn to - mermaids. When I was a very little girl, my family would go to Stanley Park in Vancouver, and I always strained my neck to catch a glimpse of the "mermaid" on the rock (aka "the girl in the wet-suit). My imagination took flight; everywhere I went, I looked for mermaids, and later selkies.  I played "mermaid" in our pool and in the ocean. I adored the movie "The Little Mermaid" and watched it obsessively.


From the first page, I was caught up in Lena's world. She's a fifteen-year-old girl, living with her father, his second wife whom she calls mom, and their six-year-old son, Cole. She has a best friend, Pem, and a boyfriend, Kai. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena finds herself sleepwalking to the ocean. Strange things begin happening to her, things she cannot understand.


She begins to question her past - more specifically the death of her mother, Lucy. How did her mother die? What is the secret there that no one is willing to tell her?


She wants more than anything to be allowed to surf with her friends, but her father is adamant - there will be no surfing for Lena. She cannot understand; her father was once a surfer who took on "Magic's," the most daring and dangerous area to surf. Only professionals and "nut-jobs" would dare to surf there. Lena decides she's going to surf - whether her father approves or not and she enlists the help of her boyfriend's sister, Ani, to teach her.


This decision will change her life forever.


Although the story of the mermaids is slow to reveal itself, it is worth the wait. The strange, mystical blend of mermaid and selkie lore are fused together to create an irresistible and enchanting world; one which harbors many secrets of its own.


I can't say too much more without giving it all away, but the premise of the story is wonderful, although somewhat predictable. I absolutely loved it.


There was supposed to be a sequel, which I was really looking forward to, unfortunately, the author passed away from cancer in February of 2011. The rest of Lena's story will remain in the reader's imagination.