Rabid Reads

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

After having thoroughly enjoyed Derrolyn Anderson's first installment in her Marina's Tales series; I was anxious to read The Moon and the Tide. Book 2 continues right where the first one left off but I wasn't as enthralled with the story this time around. The first and the final chapters were amazing while as the bulk of the middle felt more like filler and wasn't overly relevant to the progression of the plot line. The endless fashion talk and Marina's obsession with surfing quickly got on my nerves. The strong ending is what saved this book for me but even it didn't entirely make up for the 150+ pages of meaningless descriptions. Also, the mermaid lore that I adored so much in Between the Land and the Sea was next to non-existent this time around.

I enjoyed the turn that Marina and Ethan's relationship takes in The Moon and the Tide. These two are quite obviously infatuated with each other. Their love and understanding of one another other grows quite a bit in this second installment. They face new challenges and even though it was touch and go for a while; in the end their relationship is stronger as a result. I liked the underlying messages that Anderson manages to get across to readers. The first one being to not give up even when times are tough. Loving someone isn't always easy but standing by them and fighting for them pays off huge in the long run. I also approve of the way that Derrolyn addresses sex among teens. She doesn't ignore the fact that they have urges like everyone else but Anderson demonstrates how to be responsible by bringing up touchy subjects like birth control. Marina and Ethan don't end up going all the way and for that I was glad. Perhaps in the next installment seeing how they'll both soon be 18.

I didn't like Ethan as much as I did in Between the Land and the Sea. The traits that I originally admired in him seemed a bit over the top this time around. His possessiveness towards his girlfriend bordered on obsession. This couple eventually makes their way back to equal ground but for a while I was rooting for Marina to ditch Ethan. His protectiveness morphed from charming to controlling which turns me off to the extreme. As I mentioned earlier, I found the greater part of this novel to be fluff. I understand that Anderson was trying to develop her characters and improve her world building skills but I thought she got carried away. At times, it seemed like this story was primarily about fashion and surfing. To the best of my knowledge, this is a mermaid book and I expect the contents to reflect that fact. If I was interested in learning more about design or water sports there are plenty of non-fiction books out there to that effect.

This book takes a turn for the better towards the end. The pace picks up, mysteries are unveiled and amends are made. I trudged through most of this novel but towards the ending I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Why wasn't the whole thing like this!? Although The Moon and the Tide was a step down from its predecessor there's still plenty of goodies that'll keep readers entertained. Overall, The Moon and the Tide is a great story full of love, mermaids and intrigue along with a few valuable life lessons for teens. A great value for the price.