I’ve been anxiously waiting to read The Turning Tides, the final book in Derrolyn Anderson’s Marina’s Tales, ever since the author sent it to me. Unfortunately, I was so busy with the Easter Bunny set that I didn’t have a chance to start it until last week. Once I did get started, I read it in two days. In a way, I’m glad I held off, because since this is the last book in the series, I knew that finishing it meant saying goodbye to Marina, Aunt Evie, Cruz, Abby, and all the other characters I’ve come to love over the last year.
For those who haven’t heard of the series, Marina’s Tales follows the story of a young woman who spent the majority of her life believing she was just an ordinary (albeit highly intelligent and worldy) girl. In the first book, Between the Land and the Sea, Marina discovered that her mother was a mermaid, and that she has certain abilities that extend beyond the typical mermaid-human hybrid talents. She also met Ethan, the serious, hardworking guy who would quickly become the love of her life.
Throughout the first three books in the series, Marina discovered more about herself and her abilities, was kidnapped several times by a man desperate to harness those talents for his own gain, and struggled with a significant decision that would alter her life forever…literally. In The Turning Tides, all the momentum that built up in the first three books come to a conclusion that I found pretty satisfying. Yes, there are a few loose ends, but I think that leaves a little something up to the imagination. Besides, if you know the characters, you already know how it will play out.
I like how Turning Tides put pretty much all the focus on Marina and Ethan. While I missed the presence of the other characters- Cruz, Megan, and Shayla played very small roles in this one- their stories have already been told and they would have been a distraction. Marina’s dad got bumped up to more of a supporting character role in this book, and a few new additions arrived on the scene. Marina and Ethan, however, definitely had the majority of the stage to themselves for this final installment.
If you haven’t read the other books in the series, I highly suggest doing so. Marina’s Tales wasn’t just one of my favorite Indie Author series of last year, but one of my favorite series overall.
