Beyond the Sea by Emily Goodwin

After the brutal and mysterious murder of her sister, Melia is forced to leave her life as a merrow and live on land, pretending to be human. Feeling very much like a fish out of water, Melia struggles to fit in and to accept that the Pacific Ocean she loves so much may never again be her home.
 Melia is unable to hide her fins from outsider Jamie Forester, who possess the gift to see into the Otherworld. Jamie—and everyone she knows—views her ability as a curse, isolating her from the rest of society. Melia sees the curse as a gift…and a way to find out what really happened to her sister.
 Eighteen year old Peter Anderson thinks college is the most extraordinary thing that will ever happen to him, until he meets Melia. He is immediately bewitched by her beauty and spirit, sensing but not seeing that there is more to her than meets the eye.
 Caught up in Peter’s affection and human affairs, Melia is too distracted to notice the darklings surfacing from the depths of the ocean. It isn’t until a body is found that Melia realizes parts of her old life have come back—with a vengeance.
 If Melia stays with the humans she has grown to love, danger will certainly find them. But going back to the sea with a killer still on the loose isn’t a choice she’s ready to make. Peter and Jamie are quick to defend Melia, willing to risk life and limb to keep their friend safe. But nothing can prepare them for the truth they learn about merrows and all of the darkness that lies beyond the sea.



Our Thoughts:
I had the privilege of reading the ARC of this wonderful book. I have never read anything from Emily or even of anything about merrows. I was really happy with the direction that the book was going. Especially what it is like as a teenager growing up in today's world where people are all different. And that whether it is a new boy or even a new friend that you are accepted for all of your strengths and faults. Melia proves that she is not just a fish out of water she has strengths and the ability to care deeply or people whether they are her land friends or her sea friends. I would give this book 5 stars and recommend that everyone mark you calendars for April 1, 2012 this is definitely something you will want to read. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Emily Goodwin is also the author of two other series that I am going to check out now. Contagious (The Contagium Trilogy #1) and Unbound (The Guardian Legacies).
~Lisa



I love how this book makes things so tangible and real. The way that Emily Goodwin makes you identify with the characters is awesome! She was able to give the generalized background story of each character without digressing from the story and setting things up with the characters. This books plot and subplots are very like its title. There are small ones that crescendo on their own like small waves that are building and building as it goes. Each subplot seems to make a bigger splash as you read until the climax at the end, which still leaves you wondering…will there be a sequel? Although I would have liked to have an epilogue, I will rate this at 4 stars. This was an interesting read that you could put down, but didn’t really want to.
 ~Carrie