REVIEW: LOST VOICES by Sarah Porter

  

  

     

I've always had a fascination with mermaids. My favorite story is The little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. Their is a sadness to the original version of that tale that really connects with the melancholy of these sirens of the sea. In Sarah's novel we get a modern day interpretation of the mermaid myth. Fourteen year old Luce moves through her life like a sleepwalker. Since her Father's disappearance at sea she has lived a desolate life with an alcoholic uncle. After a vicious rape attempt by her Uncle she tumbles into the ocean and expects to finally have her pain end. Instead she undergoes a surprising transformation. Now a mermaid Luce is found by another group of young girls. All beautiful and gifted mermaids, all transformed by painful experiences.

There was a lot of promise with the story in the beginning but the novel seemed to lose focus mid way. The girls she has joined spend their time viciously attacking any ships that come their way. Luce desperate to fit in goes along with them discovering that she has a powerful enthralling voice.

The darkness she had in her above life continues to cling to Luce in her new one. I really couldn't connect with he other girls in the story and found that Luce took a back seat to them and had little character growth afterwards. It's possible that more of her story will be revealed in the upcoming sequels but this one left me unsatisfied.