Between The Land And The Sea (Marina's Tales, #1)

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Between The Land And The Sea (Marina's Tales #1)

by Derrolyn Anderson (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 351 ratings · 158 reviews

Marina is a privileged girl who’s had an unusual upbringing. Traveling the world with her scientist father, doted on by her wealthy and glamorous neighbor Evie, Marina’s life seems perfect.
Everything changes in the summer of her sixteenth year when she is sent to live with her Aunt Abby and Cousin Cruz in the lovely seaside town of Aptos, California.
Only a few weeks after...more

Kindle Edition, 248 pages

Published March 30th 2011 by Derrolyn Anderson (first published March 19th 2011)

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The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Sea Creatures

37th out of 307 books — 481 voters

YA Mermaid Novels

36th out of 87 books — 306 voters

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Jun 13, 2012 oliviasbooks rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: readers who love it when a girl has it all ... including fins

Shelves: e-version, mermaids-selkies, urban-fantasy-paranormal, young-adult-fiction, self-published, high-expectations, unfinished-2012, love-story-romance

If this book was a muffin I would say that it contained too much topping and that it dripped with artificial aroma. If this book was a muffin I would be nauseated after swallowing 30% percent of it and I would be craving a simple scone after letting the rest drop into the bin. I do love muffins, but there has to be some dough besides all the fudge and the fruit and the icing. Do you know what I mean? If not, you are invited to read the rest of my review:

Between The Land And The Sea is a mermaid...more

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 Bookish♥Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-read, favorites, read-in-2011

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

- - -

Ah, what a pleasant surprise! I'll admit, when I read books that aren't somewhat "widely known" - I have a preconceived assumption that it won't be great. Well, I feel like a jerk now, because this book blew me away. Don't go into this expecting something like The Little Mermaid, because you'll be sorely disappointed. This story is much more than a silly fairy tale.

Between the Land and the Sea is about Marina. Her father (a single pare...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jan 29, 2013 ♥ Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Rachmi, Elaine, Sarah (saz101), Sara, Jan Bethel, Indira

Shelves: ya-na, pnr, 5-stars, fluffy

**free on amazon!!
http://www.amazon.com/Between-Land-Ma...

WARNING: This book is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE! Make sure you don't have plans before reading this, or you’ll end up like me – SOL. I skipped class today, missed a quiz, & my friends officially think I’m nuts.
**

CONFESSION: my experience with ‘mermaid lore’ is limited to my countless viewings (ages ago) of:The Little Mermaid; an 80s film I once watched on cable starring Tom Hanks, in Splash; and my most recent read: Of Poseidon. So, although I...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Ana rated it 5 of 5 stars

got this for review from the author. So i am being completely honest this is what i thought of the book.

The book is mainly about Marina who gets sent by her father to live with her aunt Abby, and her cousin Cruz in California. When she gets there strange things start happening and she starts to uncover the truth about her mother's past. Only to find out the reason why her dad shuts down whenever she asks about her mom. While doing so Marina has to make some tough decisions along the way one of...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Wei Cho rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural, romance, young-adult, request-review

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Marina is a very lucky girl. She has a renowned scientist as a father, she travels a lot, she has a rich "aunt" who pampers her with high couture clothing, accessories, shoes, etc., she lives with an aunt and cousin who care a lot for her, she meets a handsome surfer who is going to fall in love with her. Besides that, she is part of a mystery, an adventure that envelopes her. This is the story of Marina, a girl who has everything she wants and so easily conferred upon her.

It was far too easy f...more Marina is a very lucky girl. She has a renowned scientist as a father, she travels a lot, she has a rich "aunt" who pampers her with high couture clothing, accessories, shoes, etc., she lives with an aunt and cousin who care a lot for her, she meets a handsome surfer who is going to fall in love with her. Besides that, she is part of a mystery, an adventure that envelopes her. This is the story of Marina, a girl who has everything she wants and so easily conferred upon her.

It was far too easy for Marina: meeting Ethan, looking good with all her high-end clothing and shoes, being strong as she is and fending off the "mean beach girls" who bully Cruz and Megan. Marina is the archetype of every teenager's dream: rich, talented, beautiful, mysterious, and the hottest surfer after her. It was sickening...slightly.

I found myself rolling my eyes whenever Marina spoke with such eloquence about what she was wearing and the accessories that came with it. Honestly, I didn't care. The author made Marina seemed like she didn't care about fashion too, but her actions and descriptive words pointed to a different direction. Marina did care and that score a point against her in my eyes.

Ethan, the stereotypical handsome surfer who falls in love with the new girl in town. He is unlike the rest of the surfers he hangs out with and he is deeply concerned about Marina. I just wished there was more dynamics to the romance stories nowadays. This "love" story between Marina and Ethan has been told and regurgitated so many times that is getting old. I just wished the author had come up with something entirely different for both of them. Or have Ethan be something else than a hot surfer. In a sense, I felt the author was also stereotyping California as being the land of hot surfers and beautiful, but bitchy, beach girls with short bikinis. It was all so annoying. I live in California and that is not true.

As I mentioned before, everything came so easy for Marina. It is almost unrealistic.

As for the plot, the mystery was alluring, but I was hoping for more mystery as to Marina keeping the secret for herself instead of telling everybody she knew about it. It just killed the suspense. I got bored when Marina was drowned so many times and rescued as well. I believe that was what I read most of the time. In the last part, when she was pulled into the ocean by the group of mermaids, she got turned into one. But Naida relinquished on Marina giving her a period of 50 moons to decide if she wanted to give up immortality. I think the mermaids let her go way too easily despite the fact that the mermaids wanted to get her into the ocean so vehemently. I just think there are serious inconsistencies in the plot.

I also thought it was all very predictable. I wasn't surprised at the twists (if there were any that is). And wasn't surprised at the characters' attitudes and personalities among each other. I knew those type of characters because they're all stereotypes repeated over and over again in supernatural, young adult fiction!

As for the way the book is structured and where the writing style is concerned... I think the author used way too many words that could've been expressed in less. Translated, that means that this book was unnecessarily long. There were a lot of needless descriptions that only showed me Marina's shallowness. To be honest, I skimmed over some paragraphs of the book and in the end, I felt I understood the essence of the story without reading those paragraphs. The dialogues were what I aimed to read the most because I discovered so much through them. I honestly didn't need to know every single detail of their action. Sometimes you have to let the reader wander off with details.

The mermaids are nice creatures in the book. But mythology says that they lure and drown sailors (like Peter Pan). This wasn't the case. They were nice creatures. I was a bit thrown off by this part because the author twisted the mermaids to make it conform to a typical young adult novel. It was like having a vampire who doesn't die in the sun, but sparkles in it. Utter nonsense. It would have been more thrilling to have the mermaids wanted to threatened Marina's life than being all innocent about it.

Last but not least. The romance. Ugh. I've read this type of romance all over again. Sacrifices? Love beyond everything? To sacrifice eternal life for someone you love? This is a noble act of love, but I've read about it in almost every supernatural, young adult novel. It just doesn't change, does it? And to topple it off, a surfer had to be included in the picture. Not just any kind of surfer, but the "good" type of surfer guy. I found myself hating Ethan rather than loving him for his gentleman-like personality and warm attitudes. Every girl's dream? I don't think so.

I hope all the best for Marina in the second installment.

On a final note, I would not cataloged this as fantasy. (less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Alexandria Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, indie-author, kindle, paranormal, smashwords, mer

This was a great read! I really enjoy mermaid books because there always so much talk about beach life, surfing, and their lives are always completely different than mine.

I enjoyed getting to know Marina and Ethan. The two seemed like a good pair even though I couldn't understand what kept Ethan around in the beginning. She wasn't that nice to him and was really awkward whenever he was around. It bothered me that for over half the book we didn't get one little inkling of how she felt about him....more

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Apr 09, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. This fantasy mixes the real highschool life with the life of a mermaid to be. Have you ever thought you wanted immortality? Well, what if you would have to live without your family, friend ,and everyone you loved, just to live forever underwater as a mermaid. If you had the choice what would you do, well image if you have to decidethat when you were only sixteen. Marina is a half mermaid, her mother died and now the mermaid want her instead. She has to decide wether her new fo...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Lynxie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: legendary-leading-ladies, hot-men, 4-star-review, indie-review-copies, smashwords-review

So, Between the land and the sea... what do I need to tell you to get you to read this?

Marina is a truly astonishing character, I felt like I was reading about one of my friends. Her thoughts and reactions were fairly realistic, which made this whole story more believable. There's nothing worse than reading about someone who finds out something incredible, and instantly believes it without any sort of mental anguish and struggle to understand. Marina did this brilliantly. I felt like I was exper...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Liliebook rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

It's an awesome book, I totally loved it!

Here is my review: http://liliesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/...

Ma chronique en français : http://liliebook.blogspot.com/2011/07...

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2012 Alana ~ The Book Pimp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, series-urban-fantasy, owned-books, ebooks

Delightful, engaging YA Mermaid Story.

Marina has traveled the world with her father, but when he is headed to Afghanistan he refuses to allow her to join him like usual. Instead, she must spend her senior year with her aunt and cousin and attend public school for the first time in her life. She leaves behind San Fransisco, and heads to Atpos, and much smaller town by the sea. Is drawn to the water, and quickly sees hauntingly familiar eyes in the water, almost as familiar with her own reflection...more Delightful, engaging YA Mermaid Story.

Marina has traveled the world with her father, but when he is headed to Afghanistan he refuses to allow her to join him like usual. Instead, she must spend her senior year with her aunt and cousin and attend public school for the first time in her life. She leaves behind San Fransisco, and heads to Atpos, and much smaller town by the sea. Is drawn to the water, and quickly sees hauntingly familiar eyes in the water, almost as familiar with her own reflection. Could it have been a scuba diver or a surfer playing tricks? High School is hard enough without having already humiliated herself in front of the hottest surfer at school, let alone worry about mythological creatures....

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I even stayed up late the final night I was reading just to find out what happened. The ending seemingly buttoned up a little more quickly than I would have liked. Foreshadowing to the sequel was good, almost too good- I was expecting a few "revelations" during the first book that did not come to pass. Sweet and innocent, but does not suffer, in my opinion, from the "love at first sight" syndrome; the story allowed time for the romance to begin and grow at a normal pace. As it is a YA story, don't go into this expecting hot and heavy romantic action; but there is still romance aplenty. This is a book you can give to a teen without worry of inappropriate or too adult themes.

I liked the variety of characters. Just because it had surfers and on a beach, they were not all blonde, ripped magazine cover teenagers. The main character was brunette, there was even a 'plumper' redhead friend... there was not an over-use of stereotypical, cookie-cutter characters. I really appreciated the diversity.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys YA, likes a mermaid story, or even just paranormal/urban fantasy in general. It was a charming book definitely worth reading, and I will most definitely look at getting the sequel see how it continues... (less)

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Feb 15, 2012 Jacqui rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book I am actually reading the third one right now. I haven't been able to put them down. The story line is very different for me. The whole mermaid theme is awesome, it is so different from the whole vampires and fairies themes. It is a fresh idea and so well written, I love the descriptions, I felt like I could see the waves as she described them. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book.

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Stacey Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about a young girl who is part mermaid. Throughout the story she grapples with the mystery of her mother's origins and how she left her people to be with her father. I thought this book was very good. I really loved the way that the author developed the characters. I recently started reading YA because I am majoring in Middle Grades Education and plan on teaching Reading. I think this would be a great addition to any young child's library shelf. The way that the author strings the c...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Asheley rated it 5 of 5 stars

(a similar version of this review can be found here at Into the Hall of Books: http://www.intothehallofbooks.com/201...)

Series like Marina's Tales are exactly why more people should give Self-Published and Indie published authors a chance. When I found out about it - a series about mermaids - I knew I wanted to read it because to my recollection I've never read any mermaid stories before. Great call, Asheley! Between The Land And The Sea is the first book in the series and I loved it.

Let's talk...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Katrina (Kindred Dreamheart) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, blog-review, epic

I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

I am at a loss for words. The Little Mermaid of Disney is not the end all of imagination concerning this mythological creature. The fiction world has been mighty quiet for so long, one would assume mermaids were just for little girls and babies to marvel over. When I initially got this request, my mind was whispering a constant mantra of “♪ ♫ImpressMe- ImpressMe- ImpressMe ….LordPleaseDon’tLetThisBookSuck.♪ ♫” Well people, I am...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Book Whales rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted @ Book Whales

“Water always comes back to Earth”

Where can you find a book that has a mermaid genre? The only thing that enters my mind is Little Mermaid, which, many of us are very familiar with. That’s why when I was given a chance to read this story; I was up for it because it’s a change of the norm since I've never read too many mermaid stories.

After finishing everything, I must say that I have a love hate relationship with the story. I’m not so sure but I find some scenes go...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Sophia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-uf, ya-na

Even as I try to decide what I wish to say in my review, my head is full of the thoughts and emotions this story generated. I love the backdrop, the characters, and the plot.

This is a YA fantasy novel about a girl who is sent to live with her father's sister when his work takes him to Afghanistan for a year. Reluctantly, she leaves the city life of San Francisco for the quiet coastal town of life with her aunt and cousin. Almost on arrival, inexplicable things begin to happen to Marina. She has...more Even as I try to decide what I wish to say in my review, my head is full of the thoughts and emotions this story generated. I love the backdrop, the characters, and the plot.

This is a YA fantasy novel about a girl who is sent to live with her father's sister when his work takes him to Afghanistan for a year. Reluctantly, she leaves the city life of San Francisco for the quiet coastal town of life with her aunt and cousin. Almost on arrival, inexplicable things begin to happen to Marina. She has an affinity for the sea and meets a mermaid who bares a striking resemblance to her. The meeting with Lorelai the mermaid is the catalyst of change even more than her move. Marina has to begin living two lives. There is her public life of settling in with her misfit relations and her new school and her secret life where the call of the mermaids grows stronger with each day.

I loved the characters in Marina's story from her fabulous neighbor and friend cum fairy godmother who she calls Aunt Evie, her quirky high on life Aunt Abby, her cousin Cruz who dreams of designing fabulous clothes for the runway, Cruz's talented musician friend Megan, mysterious and wise Lue Khang, Ethan who has more to him than his looks and surfing talent, and the intriguing mermaid Lorelai. These are not cardboard, cookie cutter characters. Even the mean girl has a depth to her that was interesting to read.

The plot kept my attention as it wove around Marina's adventures with new relationships and her first time living as a typical teen to her more clandestine adventures learning the secret of her other life as abilities and yearnings start to surface. I thought it wonderful that the author wove daily life experiences in with fantasy so that the story was balanced.

I found the voice of the story fascinating with that underlying haunting bittersweet tone to it. Fun and laughter happen, but below the surface there is always that other feeling leading up to that inevitable climax of the story and the choice Marina must make.

There was only one aspect of the story that bothered me, but not enough to ruin it. This was told from Marina's Point of View so as the reader I really got to know her. There were two aspects of her character that put me off: I found her annoying on a few occasions in the middle of the story. It's possible I was expecting too much based on what she was going through, but her repeated 'I gotta go it alone and keep my secrets' mentality in the face of empirical evidence that she was not doing so hot at that and always needed rescuing by Ethan and her friends irritated me. It also particularly irritated me because I didn't like that it was her willful thoughtless behavior including lying and breaking promises to everyone that caused trouble, but yet she was the one angry and hurt in feelings after they called her on this behavior. I know I'm being vague by not providing examples, but I didn't want to give spoilers. As I said, it wasn't bothersome enough to truly destroy my enjoyment of the story just a peeve of mine.

I think this is a great book that I'll recommend to all who love a good YA fantasy and want a change of pace from the vamps, shifters, and angels.(less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya-children, fiction

4.5. Mermaids are awesome! Seriously, seriously awesome. Anderson does a great job of taking the myth of the mermaids and turning it in to a totally new story that's easy to fall in love with. This book is the first in a planned series and I know that I personally am very much looking forward to the next time that I get to meet up with these wonderful characters. I think one of the signs of a good book is when you are excited to see that character again the next time. So many of the characters i...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Dea Sauva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, romance, paranormal, read-in-2011, for-review

Between the Land and the Sea is about a girl named Marina, a talented 16-year old artist who moved in her aunt’s home in Aptos, California to spend a year in high school. She has spent all her life being homeschooled while traveling the world with her father. When the duty called for Afghanistan, her father decided that Marina should not go with him this time and live with her aunt and cousin in Aptos to have a normal teenage life. Little did she know that Aptos will uncover the mysteries of her...more Between the Land and the Sea is about a girl named Marina, a talented 16-year old artist who moved in her aunt’s home in Aptos, California to spend a year in high school. She has spent all her life being homeschooled while traveling the world with her father. When the duty called for Afghanistan, her father decided that Marina should not go with him this time and live with her aunt and cousin in Aptos to have a normal teenage life. Little did she know that Aptos will uncover the mysteries of her mother’s life, her whole identity, and unexpectedly find the love she has never felt before.

I always thought there should be more mermaid books to be written and published. I’ve always been a huge fan of fantasy books although Contemps and Dystopias own my heart. Between the Land and the Sea would be one of the best mermaid books I’ve read.

I really liked Marina and her way of dealing with the mean girls who are bullying her. I think it’s the coolest way possible to fight back without breaking a sweat. I also loved the minor characters especially Evie, Cruz, and Megan. And of course there’s also Ethan. I know guys like him in YA are cliché, but who cares. He’s amazing and wonderful and still my favorite character. I wish I get to know more about her father, though I guess I will on the second book.

I have so many good things to gush about this book. I loved the plot and the characters and the way the author masterfully described things. It is very descriptive but not in a way that the readers will tend to be bored, but instead thoroughly absorb every word. The romance was absolutely fun to read. I didn’t expect the suspense and it didn’t help that I was all alone in the middle of the night.

Aside from the romance, the mystery was what kept me reading until one in the morning. The plot was quite predictable, but there came a point when I had to stop for a full minute to grasp what I just read. I imagine this is what using crack’s like. I could hardly stop going through its pages and even chose it over memorizing my speech. Not that I regret or blame it.

Overall, I loved this and I can’t wait to start the second book. Thanks so much to the author for providing an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Sep 02, 2011 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-egalley-for-review

It seems like mermaids are the new things in YA books and I’ve only read a couple, but I have to say Between the Land and the Sea has been my favorite! The characters were great and relatable, the plot was original and entertaining and the writing flowed nicely!

Privileged teenager Marina, is forced to move from San Francisco to Aptos, California to live with her Aunt Abby and cousin Cruz, while her dad has to go overseas for work. Marina would rather go with her father, but as soon as she gets...more It seems like mermaids are the new things in YA books and I’ve only read a couple, but I have to say Between the Land and the Sea has been my favorite! The characters were great and relatable, the plot was original and entertaining and the writing flowed nicely!

Privileged teenager Marina, is forced to move from San Francisco to Aptos, California to live with her Aunt Abby and cousin Cruz, while her dad has to go overseas for work. Marina would rather go with her father, but as soon as she gets to Aptos, she immediately feels at home. Aunt Abby is welcoming and nurturing and Marina and Cruz pick up right where they last saw each other (which was when they were still children). She even meets a wonderful, swoon-worthy boy named Ethan. For the first time in Marina’s life she has friends and a crush and she is really happy with where she is. One day while Marina is on the beach she sees a Mermaid on the coast and immediately feels a connection to her. She begins to learn secrets about her mother (who died during childbirth) and Marina realizes who she really is. Marina plans on finding out the secrets that the sea is holding, no matter how dangerous it is, or how great the costs are.

Marina was such a great character! Even though she grew up with money and got everything she ever wanted from her “Aunt” Evie (her rich and famous neighbor who loves to spoil her rotten), she was grounded and down to earth. She cared about people and was willing to sacrifice her own life for those she cared about. I loved her cousin, Cruz! He was so different from other characters in books today, and I felt he brought so much to the story. He was into fashion and truly was a very talented fashion designer. I loved that he wasn’t afraid to be who he was. The love interest, Ethan was wonderful! I have to say that he is one of my favorite male characters out there! I loved that even though he was one of the most popular guys in school, he didn’t care what people thought. He was nice to Cruz, even when no one else was, and he wasn’t arrogant or thought he could get by on his gorgeous looks. Ethan was responsible and a hard-worker, and an all-around great guy!

I really have nothing bad to say about Between the Land and the Sea. It was so much more then a mermaid story. It had everything that I could want in a book, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it. I HIGHLY recommend everyone go and buy this book TODAY! It is completely worth the money (it’s only a $1, so you have no excuse for not buying this awesome book!!).

The second book, The Moon and the Tide, is already out and I can’t wait to get started with it!

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Dec 20, 2011 Liliana ♥s Mythology rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-kindle, read-for-review, mermaids, supernatural-abilities, from-author-or-publisher

Review also found here: http://lili-lost-in-a-book.blogspot.c...

Marina is sent to live from San Francisco to Aptos with her aunt after her father leaves to work on a project in Afghanistan. Marina, however, does not expect for her life to be turned upside down. Upon arriving she starts her senior year at the local high school, where she meets Ethan. And before she knows it, Marina is falling for Ethan…hard. Also, while on the beach, she discovers the existence of mermaids, mermaids who may be th...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Rachel's Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy

Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson
Marina has lead an interesting life up until this point. She’s traveled all over the world with her father and learned a lot along the way. But, her dad finally forced her to stop, he made her move with her aunt in Aptos, California. Now she has to go to a regular school, just about the last thing she wanted to do. It didn’t take long for trouble to find her. Within weeks of moving there, she’s nearly drowned twice, attracted the most popular gu...more

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Aug 14, 2011 The Romance Bookie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to The Romance Bookie by: Derrolyn Anderson

Shelves: read-in-2011, request-from-author, series, the-romance-bookie, young-adult, summer, paranormal-fantasy, own-ebook, ebook, contemporary, mermaids, love, friendship

This book had a really great story that I truly enjoyed! It took me a while to read only because it was a PDF file, I don't have an e-reader yet, so I had to read the entire book on my computer with a back-lit screen that hurt my eyes after a while. The only complaint I had about was that a few scenes had just a tad too many details for me, a lot of details of clothes, fashion, etc. but other than that I really liked it!

It's a fantasy, romance, novel. I would recommend for readers between the ag...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

A great free book with a good story line with a careing guy and a sweet romance i cant wait to see if it last through the next books

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Dec 03, 2012 Kelly Vial rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a great read! Fantasy full of mermaids, adventure and even some ya romance!

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Sep 14, 2012 Aliaa El-Nashar rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have no idea why it took me this long to read this book! I mean sure, I had a summer job, a lot of book tours and family traveling in and out of the country. But still! Look at the cover? Isn't it fantastic? I absolutely fell in love with it! The rest of the covers in the series are equally as amazing.

description

I just want to stare at them all day. That and well, read them as well.

Anyhow, the book talks about Marina, a girl who's so used to traveling the world with her father until one day he heads of t...more I have no idea why it took me this long to read this book! I mean sure, I had a summer job, a lot of book tours and family traveling in and out of the country. But still! Look at the cover? Isn't it fantastic? I absolutely fell in love with it! The rest of the covers in the series are equally as amazing.

description

I just want to stare at them all day. That and well, read them as well.

Anyhow, the book talks about Marina, a girl who's so used to traveling the world with her father until one day he heads of to Afghanistan and thinks this time it would be dangerous to take her along. Marina isn't happy about it, but her dad had put his foot down, so she's forced to spend that year with her aunt and cousin. As she starts her life there she realizes two things; one, all the surfer kids - except Ethan- are jerks; two, there was some strange creature in the sea. Even though she nearly drowns more than once, Marina is still drawn to the creature in the sea. Her cousin Cruz and his best friend Megan, try to discourage her, but she's determined to know more about this creature in the sea, especially when the creature implies Marina might be one of them. Problem is, that's not all they'd want, and Marina is scared that they'd hurt someone she loves to get to her. How can she stop that? And the terrifying nightmares that have been making her sleepwalk every night? Can Ethan help her? Or would that just put him in danger too?

I love mermaids. And Ariel of all things is my absolute favourite. Seriously. I loved that cartoon as a kid and have been into the idea of them even with how they're described in Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. I know some legends show them in any other form but the complimentary one, but I choose to go with the one involving Ariel. So, the more I read this book the more I was drawn into it. It is such a great summer read! I love the idea of the ocean and sea creatures - even mystical ones. I lived right infront of the sea in Kuwait so I had a lovely view every morning. However, I was terrified of sharks -still am- so it's the main reason I stopped swimming for a while. Therefore I can't understand how Marina would still go into the water after nearly drowning more than once.

The characters were really great, though I'd personally love an aunt 'Evie' too! One who'd pamper me with expensive clothes and cars and such. Although I don't care for them that much, but who hates being pampered? I like the idea of Ethan. A hardworking boy who wants to be independent, he is responsible , nice and very friendly. I love how he worries about Marina when she nearly drowns even though he barely knew her at the time. He was a nice contrast to Cruz, who I also loved. His relationship with Marina was amazing, too bad I don't have similar relationships with my cousins!

The writing was good, the style was flowing and easy, and the events were intriguing. The story did remind me a bit of 'Telesa - The Covenant Keeper' which I had reviewed recently. But the protagonists seemed to have opposite powers to the ones in this book, plus it was a slightly different setting. But I think this one was a bit more my style, I really enjoyed it!

Now, I'll have to get my hands on the other three books! I just hope they're just as good.

Rating: 3.5/5(less)

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May 10, 2012 Rhonda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Between The Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson
5 STARS
I was really into the story and cared about what was happening in the
characters lives. The characters where believeable.
This is the first of four books in the series. I look forward to see what
happens in the rest of the books.
Marina has traveled around the world with her father. She has never
gone to school just had lots of tutors. Now her father is going to
Afganastan and thinks it is to dangerous to take her with him. He is
sending her to l...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Between the and Sea has made me a lover of mermaids again! A few months back, I read this book that was so strange and creepy, it put me off mermaids for awhile (I thought forever, but Ms.Anderson has saved me from never touching a mermaid novel ever again.Thank you!) and I had a very wary feeling starting the book. Fortunately, I am now able to begin a mermaid based novel without having any biased feelings, anymore.hat is written in first person. I'm not a big fan of first person, but this nove...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Candace (Lovey Dovey Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Between the Land and the Sea is a tale of Marina's struggle to find the truth about her mother. Her father sends her away to her birthplace, Aptos, where she reconnects with family and makes new friends.

Marina's change in attitude throughout the story came as a surprise. In the beginning she acted like the whiny, spoiled brat she claims she doesn't want to be. Once she settles down and gets comfortable in Aptos her fierce, protective, and selfless side comes out. Despite her fears, Marina naviga...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Nawnee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: freebie-books, books-i-couldn-t-put-down, indie-authors-i-fell-in-love-with

I really enjoyed this book, even though it's a YA book I really got sucked into the story and the characters. The author paints an enchanting picture of Marina, who has a total life change when she has to stay for a year with her aunt and cousin. First she's never been to a real school before since her dad is always traveling and she usually goes with him. This causes her to go through the normal ups and downs of teenage angst. Emotionally she is just confused and a little scared. Being so close...more

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Feb 05, 2012 ⚝ Ŧáẅņá ⚝ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maybe more like 3.5 stars.

things I liked
that she wasn't the awkward outcast who didn't think much of herself, she liked who she was even if she didn't necessarily have a large group of friends.

Ethan was a good strong character (view spoiler)

Cruz was great and so was Megan as side characters. I liked that sh...more

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About Derrolyn Anderson

Derrolyn Anderson is a visual artist and writer of the four part "Marina's Tales" series,the YA/NA romantic suspense, "The Athena Effect" and its sequel, "The Mackenzie Legacy".

Art & Books here : www.derrolyn.com

On Pinterest? http://pinterest.com/derrolyn/

What do you believe? Take the MERMAID POLL: http://www.squidoo.com/mermaid-poll

More about Derrolyn Anderson...

Books by Derrolyn Anderson

The Athena Effect (The Athena Effect, #1)

The Moon And The Tide (Marina's Tales, #2)

The Fate of the Muse (Marina's Tales, #3)

The Mackenzie Legacy (The Athena Effect, #2)

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Quotes from Between The Land And T...

“It was time to let my freak flag fly.” — 10 people liked it

“You’re just lucky you got your bag back,” said Cruz gravely.
Megan snorted,“ Cruz is more impressed with Gucci than he is with a supernatural being! ”
“Honey,” Cruz snapped, “Gucci is supernatural!” — 3 people liked it

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Between The Land And The Sea (Marina's Tales #1)

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