Just for Fins

Apr 02, 2013 Jetches (My Not So Vacant Shelf) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well I had my hopes set really high for this novel. Sadly, I felt the first was the best in the series and the second and final book just didn’t match up to it. Now, perhaps its because the first solely focused on Quince and Lily, and the second faded more to the welfare of the mer-kingdoms, and the finale was almost solely about the future of the mer-kingdoms. I guess there just was not enough love in it for me. I thought there should be seeing as that was what started the series afterall. Not,...more Well I had my hopes set really high for this novel. Sadly, I felt the first was the best in the series and the second and final book just didn’t match up to it. Now, perhaps its because the first solely focused on Quince and Lily, and the second faded more to the welfare of the mer-kingdoms, and the finale was almost solely about the future of the mer-kingdoms. I guess there just was not enough love in it for me. I thought there should be seeing as that was what started the series afterall. Not, that there wasn’t any romance. Oh, no. I have no lost my love for Quince. He definitely proves himself in this book, and even Dosinia is growing on me. I also found that in this book there wasn’t as much humour as I was use to. I guess the books began transitioning into a more serious nature throughout the series, and there is nothing wrong with it, but it felt like some key elements were missing that were in the first one. Throughout the series the author did leave me questioning how everything was going to work out and I’m glad to fine her ending fit the series, characters, and situation rather well.
Good:
Lily: Still the same klutzy, frizzy haired, worried Mer-girl that she was from the beginning.
Quince: Top-notch. I love Quince. I love the way he loves Lily. I love love love him.
Dosinia: You are growing on me.
Brody: You are growing on me too.
Bad:
The story line was not what I expected and sadly I had high hopes for this book. It was highly focused on politics and Lily defining her position in the mer-world which was a good, but at some points made the read not so interesting.
Overall (Writing style, story line, and general):
Overall the writing was done very well. I was never confused and there were some moments when I laughed out loud. I just wish there were more. There were some moments when I put the book down and I found I was not as captured with this book as I was with the first two. Although this one, I will have to say, was disappointing for the ending I still love the Tera Lynn Childs as an author and I plan on reading her other series just as soon as I can get my hands on them.

View more of my review and others at my blog: www.mynotsovacantshelf.blogspot.com (less)

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Apr 21, 2013 Oksana *Bookaholic* rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-cover, lame, mermaid-siren-etc, princess, slap-the-mc

This series started off with a Big Bang. Seriously. I loved Quinn, and I loved the whole idea of "princess of Thalassinia". Unfortunately, as the series progressed, the things I seemed to like/care about most disappeared.

First of all, things got mega-lame. One thing I absolutely positively cannot abide is lame names. Well, let me give you an excerpt from this book:
"What?" I ask, my voice softer. "Just tell me, Calliope."
"It seems the ancient law requires your human to..." She shakes her head....more

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Jul 19, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: covergasm, mermaids-and-sirens, owned-ebooks, 2012-faves, all-time-faves, amazing-authors, books-i-want-to-marry, believable-romance, faves, its-so-fluffy-im-gonna-die, made-me-smile, heroines-i-adore, heroes-i-adore, deserves-the-hype

This review is also available over at my blog.

___________________________

This is my go-to cotton candy mermaid series, for sure!

I love Lily. I love how she's just so grown now. Like, she's so over that ridiculous obsession with Brody from book one, and she's completely devoted to Quince now. I bet any other YA heroine out there would still be torn over different guys in a series, but not Lily. Only Quince is on her mind, and I'm glad about that.

What I love most about this book though is that it'...more This review is also available over at my blog.

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This is my go-to cotton candy mermaid series, for sure!

I love Lily. I love how she's just so grown now. Like, she's so over that ridiculous obsession with Brody from book one, and she's completely devoted to Quince now. I bet any other YA heroine out there would still be torn over different guys in a series, but not Lily. Only Quince is on her mind, and I'm glad about that.

What I love most about this book though is that it's not focused on the romance. It focuses more on Lily dealing with royal life and trying to help the underwater kingdoms. It all started with her wanting to help her friend Prince Tellin's kingdom, Acropora, but after a disastrous meeting with all the kings and queens, she discovers that a lot of kingdoms are facing similar problems, mainly caused by humans. In this book, we see a lot of Lily planning to make all the kingdoms work together to solve all these problems.

Dosinia, Lily's cousin, also changed a lot in this book. I saw a different side of her and was touched by how her and Lily's relationship grew near the end. And we see some of Doe's relationship with Brody as well and I guess they're pretty cute.

This book wasn't exactly climactic, but I enjoyed it a lot because of the characters, and it was nice to see more of the underwater kingdoms besides Thalassinia. I also liked seeing the Terrible Trio come to their senses. xD It was so awesome when Lily just completely told them off. I was dying.

The ending . . . kind of scared me. Because it seemed quite . . . last-book-ish, if you know what I mean. Like an ending you would see in the last book of a series. I'm a little scared, because I love this series and I don't want it to end so soon! D: But the author did tell me on Twitter that there might be more of Quince and Lily's story, but she was awfully cryptic about it. >_< I do hope a fourth book is in the works, though. Or maybe even a spin-off with a different main character? That would also be fun. :D

All in all this series is so fluffy and fun, definitely one of my favorite mermaid series out there. If you have yet to read the first book, Forgive My Fins, I strongly suggest you do!(less)

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Nov 13, 2011 Garrett marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: mermaids-sirens-selkies

So excited for this one! "One of the iciest queens in the mer-kingdoms..." Maybe we'll get to see the (Ant)Arctic kingdoms in this one?

11/13/11 Oh! A cover already! It's almost identical to the first book's, but I like it. :)

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Feb 06, 2013 Emma added it · review of another edition

Over the summer I read abundant amount of books. One of those books was Just for Fins by Childs. Just for fins is a fantastic fantasy book. Three reasons I would recommend this book is that it shows the problems humans have made in the oceans, it has romance, and that it was enjoyable to read.
One way it showed the problems humans have made in the oceans is that in one of the mer kingdoms in the book is so polluted from humans dumping trash into the ocean, that the coral is dying, and is causing...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Singlerose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is to be adored. Lily is now the Crown Princess and also still with her bf but bonded with a Prince from another castle to save his palace and people. More trouble comes to her realization when she calls the meeting for all of the 7 sea kingdoms rulers to come and discuss how to help Prince Tellin's kingdom, the world trouble that causes the help to Tellin's kingdom; All the other countries also has problems. And her little stunt to make her a princess and still keep her bf? Makes them...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Once Upon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Its official, Lily Sanderson is now Crown Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia. Lily is living on land and is happy to do so. She is also trying to keep up with her duties as princess which she finds her cousin Doe has a better handle on than she does. When an underwater quake shakes up more than her home on land Lily sets out to do all that she can to make the world a safe place for humans and mer folk alike. Lily thinks she may be able to do more good on land where she can study the happenings ab...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, ya, mermaid

I liked this book, the tone of it was so upbeat, odd considering the subject matter Lily is facing. I loved how Lily is now embracing her mermaid life, that Tellin felt comfortable telling her the issues his kingdom is facing, and as a team the two of them come up with a plan.

It is at this point that things seem to follow a time tested pattern, one where the young ones are excited to save the world, but faced with the old ones who are cynical because nothing has worked in the past. This could h...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Jessica Day rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I usually think the last book in a series is disappointing, Just for Fins ended up being my favorite Fins book. Poor Lily has so many problems she must face. It makes for an interesting plotline. Now that Lily’s Crown Princess, she has to act as such. Plus she and Crown Prince Tellin have to try and save his kingdom, and the ocean, from human pollution and wreckage, all while uniting the Mer kingdoms. Meanwhile, back on land, Quince learns he must face the Trial of Truth so he can be with...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Luna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now this is the story all about how
Lily's life got flipped, turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
I'll tell you about how she took on being princess of the seas.

Sorry. Feeling a bit nostalgic about the 90s today.

So this segment starts just two days after Fins Are Forever left off. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this series conclusion. The previous two hadn't left a lasting impression on me, so I was settling in for a quick, light read. And though my lo...more
Now this is the story all about how
Lily's life got flipped, turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
I'll tell you about how she took on being princess of the seas.

Sorry. Feeling a bit nostalgic about the 90s today.

So this segment starts just two days after Fins Are Forever left off. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this series conclusion. The previous two hadn't left a lasting impression on me, so I was settling in for a quick, light read. And though my lowered expectations were indeed met, Just for Fins surpassed its predecessors in some unexpected ways.

After bonding to Tellin on her 18th, Lily officially claims the throne as Princess of Thalassinia. Her first act as future queen is to call a meeting with the other ten kingdoms of the Western Atlantic in order to rally an aid team for the withering citizens of Acropora. She naively anticipates everyone in attendance to automatically agree with her proposal and send relief to the floundering kingdom. When her plea is instead met with outrage, Lily finds that there are other parts of the sea that are trying to grapple with changing environmental conditions. Lily's main struggle is with a band of merpeople who think that violence is the answer to their problems - believing that if they retaliate against the humans, the waters will be left alone.

description

You can correctly assume that our dear mermaid doesn't quite agree with their assessment of the situation.

What I liked about this story were the details. After finishing Forgive My Fins, I was left even more confused than I started, having question upon question regarding the underwater community. Most of these were answered in Just for Fins. And though the story still had a "perfect, clean-cut solution" quality to everything that the prior two novels also suffered from, Lily's attitude toward her troubles was a bit more bearable.

That being said, I was once again disappointed in Lily and Quince's relationship. There are books that concentrate solely on the romantic aspect of the story, which is more often than not annoying to the point of no return (aka, not finishing the book), but Quince was just so.. vanilla. What with the love triangle with Brody from the first book, readers were left with the obvious impression of Quince as the "bad boy" in comparison. Because as we all know, these tortured souls usually come out as victors in the love triangle shenanigans. But now.. meh. Not really feeling it for the poor boy. I mean really, which self-respecting guy names their motorcycle Princess?

Well. There goes another conclusion of a mermaid tale. Now if only I could find one that will answer my burning, age-old question.. (view spoiler)(less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Phia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm guilty of skipping some parts I thought were boring, but that's probably my problem and not the book's.

I was disappointed with this book but at the same time it exceeded my expectations regarding the plot(although I didn't really expect that much, to be honest). I wanted to see more Quince/Lily romance going on, and there was some but it didn't give me the warm, fuzzy feelings I got from the first book, or even the literal heart ache I got form both the first and second books. It actually f...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Kay Mcgriff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tera Lynn Childs creates a satisfying ending to the trilogy of books about Lily Sanderson, a secret mermaid princess learning about life on land as a high school student. Just for Fins (Katherine Tegen Books 2012) is my favorite in this series because Lily has grown into her own person with grace and courage.

No longer is Lily plagued with deciding what is right for herself (Brody or Quinn? Princess or not?). Instead she is ready to take on the responsibilities that are her birthright–and not a...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Elevetha Houre rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mermaid fans

Shelves: fantasy-adventure, fairytales, fun-summer-fluff, magic-and-other-magical-substances, meh-worthy, middle-grade, once-is-enough, the-series-of-awesome-quest, 2012

It was okay. I read it just to finish the series. I wasn't expecting anything great and so I wasn't surprised.

Lily and Quine are still cute together.

Too much eco\save the oceans stuff. I'm all for keeping the oceans clean but this was a bit of an overload.

Quite frankly, I was bored most of the time.

Doe actually is quite a sweetheart. I have passed judgement: I like her. She can stay.

Lily and Quince find their relationship at the mercy of yet another (overused plot device much? Not much. Much to...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Harman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book! This is the third book in the Fins series. Tera Lynn Childs has written all three books so beautifully. I have loved reading all three! I loved how Tera had made the characters feel so realistic For the Mer people instead of them saying, "i let the dust settle in my mind" she said, "i let the silt settle in my mind." Those little details made the whole book a lot more fun to read. I loved the plot in this book. There were sort of two different plots. One was the one with Quinc...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Kat B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a coming of age story about a teenage girl. She tries to hold her first council meeting which ends up blowing up in her face. We've all been there. As the saying goes—if you at first don’t succeed try and try again. Lily does that but just a little differently. She tries a different route then just calling another council meeting and she also seeks help from outside her circle of friends. When a master plan is finally made for tackling the decline of underwater ecosystems, the real drama...more

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Jul 12, 2012 YAL Book Briefs rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mermaids, cotton-candy

To see full review click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/201...

When I think of this series I think cute. It's light reading. I know I'm not going to get the most complex of plots, but I still love reading these books. In fact, they're probably my favorite mermaid series that's out there in the YA world as of right now.

However, despite the fact that I love these books I did find some problems with this installment. For instance, let's talk about sea puns. Although, not as heavily used as...more To see full review click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/201...

When I think of this series I think cute. It's light reading. I know I'm not going to get the most complex of plots, but I still love reading these books. In fact, they're probably my favorite mermaid series that's out there in the YA world as of right now.

However, despite the fact that I love these books I did find some problems with this installment. For instance, let's talk about sea puns. Although, not as heavily used as they were earlier in the series. I couldn't help but cringe every time, every time something sea oriented was said. It reminded me of Lagoon Boy from Young Justice and I hate Lagoon Boy. And if you don't understand what I'm saying because you don't watch Young Justice, well, trust me he's annoying especially when he calls his Martian girlfriend angelfish.

Yes, angelfish. It's even worse than angel another term of endearment I can't stand thanks to Edward Cullen and that Patch guy from Hush Hush.

Aside from the sea puns, the other issues I had with this novel included a lack of development in both plot and character. While I do think Lily has grown since the previous installments, the side and supporting characters just fall flat. Even Quince wasn't as charming as he usually was. The plot was the same. I loved it, but I felt something was missing.

Okay, to be more precise I think there is a lack of balance between Lily's surface and underwater life. Take for instance, Lily's surface goals which were nothing-because mermaids don't need college because their politics aren't taught in universities. That might be true, but there are still other subject that would be beneficial for anyone ruling a country: math, science (which would really be important seeing what the plot was about), communication skills, even political science courses could have a place though it wouldn't be mermaid related. And for that matter, I have to wonder do mermaids have universities? I also didn't like how Quince's lack of higher education was thrown to the side either. So, he has a job in construction. That's great. Lots of people can be very successful with a construction job, but the security in these jobs isn't that stellar. Especially in today's economy. Realistically, Quince should at least try to take a couple of evening classes at a community college just so he could have an associates degree and have some security. I know, I'm being nick picky about this but this is something that really bothered me in the books (you can thank my social poverty class I took in college for that). Anyway, to get back to the original point I was trying to make, the surface world life and goals are thrown to the side for the sea. I just really wish there would've been a way to balance them together. And there sort of was...but it seemed like Tera didn't want to take that direction with the books and I can sort of understand that.

Now let's talk about the good stuff in the book. There were a lot of really nice things about this book. The world building was a solid as usual and I liked the fact that the environment played a part in this book in not an overly preachy Save the Whales sort of way. It was also a neat way to introduce the other mer kingdoms.

Best Feature: Relevance. I think this book talked about some pretty relevant world environmental issues which was refreshing. And Tera made it entertaining which was even more refreshing and a hard thing to do too, I would know since a big part of my internship this summer deals with environmental issues which at times can feel a bit monotonous. And she didn't get too Captain Planet-y about it either which I had to appreciate.

Worst Feature: Lack of Overarching Plot: One of my biggest issues with these books is I feel that each of them could very well be a stand alone. Everything is neatly resolved at the end of the book and while that's nice that's not how real life or series work. While I do like that there is resolution to each installment, there is nothing making me want to read the next one like there is in Tera's Sweet Venom series.

Appropriateness: This book is appropriate for all ages. It's probably one of the best things about it. If I had a preteen I would be very comfortable with them reading this. There's some kissing, but nothing except for that. And plus, I liked the fact that it talked about some real world issues. So there's that as well.
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Oct 06, 2012 Janie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I chose this book because I like to read about mermaids. This book is about a merprincess trying to help all the merkingdoms with their needs. Also at the same time she has to worry about her boyfriend passing the entire three tests that will keep them together. My favorite quote is "Are you doing anything to help? Or are you wasting your energy picking on mergirls you think won't fight back?" because I like how the reader can feel the energy in what she is saying. I think the author's writing s...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Monet St. Louis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, mermaids-sirens-etc, general-fantasy, own

well that got me out of my reading slump! read it in one day -while working (imagine me polishing my fingernails) lol i love this series! heck - i love Tera Lynn Childs - HECK - you can all boil it down to i love Quince. Maybe if he was real i would re-think my plans to be a spinster ... lol :D This was no exception for the cute-ness overload that is apparent in the other 'fins' books. i didn't even know that was coming out until i was on amazon.ca and saw it in my 'recommended for you' section...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Bridget R. Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, ya-fiction, ya-fantasy

Life is looking up for Lily Sanderson (AKA Waterlily, Crown Princess of Thalassinia). She bonded in name only with Tellin so she can still be with Quince, her human boyfriend. Lily and Tellin bonded to save his kingdom. A meeting of the monarchs of all the mer kingdoms leaves Lily distraught. The environmental problems that plague Tellin's kingdom are also harming other kingdoms. Lily and her friends (both human and mer) work diligently to provide aid to the endangered kingdoms. In the meantime,...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Brittani (Hope, Faith & Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You can find more reviews, along with this one on my blog Hope, Faith & Books

I seriously think this is my fave book out of the series! Just like both others it was a fast, great read! I wanna address what I loved the most about this book though. Lily, Doe and even some minor characters you haven't seen much of all matured in this book. They decided that helping fix the environmental issues within their kingdoms was more important than their attitudes and causing drama. It was really refreshi...more You can find more reviews, along with this one on my blog Hope, Faith & Books

I seriously think this is my fave book out of the series! Just like both others it was a fast, great read! I wanna address what I loved the most about this book though. Lily, Doe and even some minor characters you haven't seen much of all matured in this book. They decided that helping fix the environmental issues within their kingdoms was more important than their attitudes and causing drama. It was really refreshing to see after all the drama and chaos certain characters had caused in the past. I was most surprised with Doe though! After bonding with Brody in the previous book she started taking things seriously. She started trying to help her cousin instead of find ways to make her life miserable. She even got praise from her Uncle (The king of Thalassinia, Lily's dad) for what she was doing. That was a HUGE! It really showed her maturity. I mean it was only a little while back that she was banned from the water for trying to hurt humans. Then in this book she not only helps Lily, in whatever way she needs help, but she's also helping Lily save the humans from what some of the merfolk were trying to do to them! I was seriously so proud of Doe and her maturity! I went from being annoyed to death by her in the previous books to actually really liking her by the end of this book.

I must say I was shocked by just how many problems each mer kingdom had, though not exactly surprising. I just didn't think each kingdom would have so many. What was shocking was that they were so unwilling to work with each other and help each other out at first. What was even more shocking was this plan that was set in motion to sabotage humans! Yes, they are doing things to hurt your waters and your kingdoms, but do they even know your down there? No. They just think the ocean is full of little fish, not full of mermaids. It was definitely the wrong idea to try and hurt the humans instead of working with the other mer kingdoms to solve the problem. I was very glad that they sorted it all out and decided to start working together at the end of the book. I was shocked though about the one Queen's plan to let the humans find them and reveal their secret. That probably would have ended up really badly, so I'm glad Lily was able to stop that as well!

Quince and Lily! I don't think I've gushed enough about these two yet in my past reviews! I love love love these two, like no joke. They are such a cute couple! I love them together! I felt for Quince during this book. Having to be put through the Trials just to be able to be with Lily without and Ancient Merlaws getting in the way. That boy truly loves Lily because he did whatever possible to complete and pass those tests just so he could be with her. And those two, they were willing to give up whatever they had to just to be able to be together. I was so glad to see a happy ending for them! They deserve it! And I was seriously laughing at the very end at how overly excited Quince was to get his merpowers and a tail fin! It was too dang cute!!! :)(less)

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Oct 29, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, mermaids, library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 05, 2013 Lisa Ciaccio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

Its official, Lily Sanderson is now Crown Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia. Lily is living on land and is happy to do so. She is also trying to keep up with her duties as princess which she finds her cousin Doe has a better handle on than she does. When an underwater quake shakes up more than her home on land Lily sets out to do all that she can to make the world a safe place for humans and mer folk alike. Lily thinks she may be able to do more good on land where she can study the happenings ab...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 10th-grade

I had thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books of the series, but I just can't say I enjoyed this one as much as the others.

The plot wasn't focused on one main plot. You have the part of the story which is focused on the environmental crisis in the ocean/Lily upholding her duties as princess of Thalassinia while the other part of the story is focused on these three tests that Quince must undergo to prove his love to Lily. The latter part of the plot was often put to the side and was overshadow...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Vyki (On The Shelf) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Find this review and more at On The Shelf!

I love, love, love this series! The world the author builds is amazing and bright and vibrant. The fins series is just so much fun to read; I can't get enough of Lily and her gang. The characters have grown a lot sicne the first book and I really like the way they have developed.

I love Lily and she gains a lot of confidence over the course of this book. She is dealing with a very serious situation with the mer world, so she kind of has to. Her and Quince...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Arti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: parallel-universe

Ok, so this one was a good ending to the series but I definitely liked the second and first one better. I didn't really like how it was so serious most of the time and focused mostly on saving the exposure of mermaids. I mean I get that, that was the main point of the book, as it ended with Tellin and his kingdom in trouble, but I wished it revolved more around Lily and Quince. Like the first two books did.

The Truth Test that Quince had to take. I felt that it was put in just so Quince would be...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being a mermaid crown princess should be easy. Unfortunately sitting Kings and Queens don't take land loving teenage princesses seriously. Throw in graduation and an impossible test of devotion on Quince's part, and it's a miracle Lily Sanderson isn't pulling her scales out.

In the process of trying to help her newly bonded mermate, Tellen, save his kingdom and people Lily is thrown a huge reality check.Turns out all of her time on land has left Lily out of touch with the concerns of other merfol...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Macy (It's a Book Thing) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

More of my reviews at http://itisabookthing.blogspot.com/

OVERALL:
Plot-17/20
Characters-17/20
Creativity-18/20
Writing-18/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-9/10
=88/100 B
★★★★/5

REViEW:
One thing before I begin my rant on this book, it has been months since I read this book, but I have some notes from when I read it so I will try to make this review as accurate as possible. This week I'm going to try to catch up on all my reviews. So this is the third and last book of this series. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the f...more More of my reviews at http://itisabookthing.blogspot.com/

OVERALL:
Plot-17/20
Characters-17/20
Creativity-18/20
Writing-18/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-9/10
=88/100 B
★★★★/5

REViEW:
One thing before I begin my rant on this book, it has been months since I read this book, but I have some notes from when I read it so I will try to make this review as accurate as possible. This week I'm going to try to catch up on all my reviews. So this is the third and last book of this series. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the first book, like I am still obsessing about it! The second book was also very good, but it didn't have the same free, romantic, happy, easy feel to it that the first book had. This book was the same as the second in that sense. One thing I loved about the first book was that there was so much ocean cheesy humor that was so adorable, this book took a completely serious "Save the Ocean" tone that made this book lose it's free, easy feel. I wish it could have been a lighter read. I still enjoyed the plot nonetheless. It was unique from the others and still was intriguing. It was an easy book to read and gave me a complete and satisfying end to this trilogy.

My favorite part of this book was seeing the growth of all the characters. Lily became a leader and I respected her more and her decisions. Dosinia matured a ton! She used to be just a spoiled brat, but in this book she grew up and became a awesome character to get to know. The same is true for Brody, although I still don't get how Dosinia could change his perspective on mermaids so much. Quince, the whole reason I read these books, was still amazing as always. He is so dedicated to Lily, which I truly admire. I really wish this book could have had more about him and Lily's relationship in it, I missed that. Tellin's plot line I wasn't into. I feel like he wasn't necessary because it was like a almost love triangle but not really. What does that mean? Yeah, I still I don't get it.

The ending was a great conclusion to this sweet little series. Although this book was not my favorite of the series, I still loved this trilogy and this book. The series matured a lot through the series. It started out easy breezy and light and became more mature along with the characters. Now that I think about it I really like that idea. I feel like I can leave Lily and Quince's story feeling confident that they are where they need to be. If Ms. Childs decides to write another book about Quince and Lily I won't complain, but if she doesn't I think I will still live.

My Favorite Part: Once again Quince and also how much Dosinia matured.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it's a satisfying end to an amazing trilogy.(less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Jessi Larie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: prettiest-covers

From my blog Auntie Spinelli Reads

Just like the first two books in the Fins series, Just for Fins was a cute and fun read! I devoured it all in almost one sitting, and in one day (that doesn't happen very often!).

Lily and Quince are back for another magical adventure, and their relationship is stronger than ever. The romance wasn't the biggest focus in this book, but their love for each other was obvious in their actions. I love Quince!
There was a lot of politics in this one - but not so much...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Lily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

* Hardcover: 256 pages
* Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (July 3, 2012)
* ISBN-10: 0062192159
* Author: Tera Lynn Childs
* Cover Art: Love it!
* Over all rating: **** out of 5 stars
* Obtained: Local Library, then bought my own copy.

Just for fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews.

When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last coupl...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-release, 2012-100-book-challenge, books-i-own, signed-books-arcs, mundie-moms-reviews

An enchanting undersea world sprinkled the right amount of romance and given a touch of a modern day fairy tale brought to life, Just for Fins is a fabulous summer time read!

Tera Lynn Childs's is an author who's books are ones that without fail, each time I sit down to read one of them I really enjoy it. She creates these wonderful, sweet romances that leave me wanting more, gives her stories this modern day fairy tale feel to them them, and over all knows how to write a truly good ole' fashion...more An enchanting undersea world sprinkled the right amount of romance and given a touch of a modern day fairy tale brought to life, Just for Fins is a fabulous summer time read!

Tera Lynn Childs's is an author who's books are ones that without fail, each time I sit down to read one of them I really enjoy it. She creates these wonderful, sweet romances that leave me wanting more, gives her stories this modern day fairy tale feel to them them, and over all knows how to write a truly good ole' fashion fun read. Not to mention she creates these vivid worlds, and in this case a lively undersea world that makes me want to go back and visit it often. Just for Fins was no exception. I have really enjoyed the Fins series, and getting to see not just Lily grow and change, but she how her and Quince work through the things that always try to tear them apart. Or I should say Quince is another reason why I read this series. I adore the relationship he and Lily have.

It was great seeing Lily fulfill some of her tougher duties as Crown Princess. She has a lot to deal with, and lucky for her a few good friends to help her through it. The whole bonding with Tellin made more sense to me in this book, and I liked seeing the two of them interact on the level they're on with each other, which is one of mutual friendship and respect. My favorite is of course Quince and Lily. They have this sweet romance that makes me smile and makes me want to keep reading just to see what else is going to evolve between them. They also do these little things or say things to each other that make me laugh. Despite their determination to make things work between them, Quince now has to prove himself worthy of being with Lily (Merman people rules), by enduring three grueling trials. They're being together determines their fate, and he won't know what the trials are until he has to do them. Who wouldn't want a guy like Quince doing whatever he could to be by your side?!

One of the other things I enjoyed about Just for Fins was getting to see more of the other kingdoms, how they interact, and how real world situations like global warming, oil spills, drilling and so forth are impacting this under sea world. It made the story more realistic and authentic. One of Lily's new roles as Crowned Princess is figuring out a way to save some of the kingdoms that are dying off from these problems. I was impressed with the way Lily grew into her role, and she does it well. Part of this story's plot line is Lily learning to embrace her new role and figuring out a way to stop what's happening and the war that's now threatening the kingdoms. There are some books who try to tie in real world issues/global warming issues into their books, and it comes across as preachy, but in Tera's case it came across as mater factly and fit in perfectly with what Lily's undersea world is dealing and how it's destroying some of her neighboring kingdoms, and the ripple effect it's now causing for the rest of them.

Just for Fins is a fabulous installment to an already awesome series. It's one I definitely recommend picking up and one I'd even recommend to older MG readers. It's a fun, clean cut read. If you're looking for a fun, refreshing under sea adventure that is sprinkled with romance, and wrapped around an engaging plot line I highly recommend picking this book up!
(less)

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Who's going to miss the series?	7	19	Aug 14, 2012 09:04am

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Just for Fins (Fins #3)

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