Review: The Moon And The Tide

“Just when things seem to be all figured out, Marina discovers that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than she ever imagined. When a terrible accident exposes her secret, she discovers that her whole life has been one big lie, and has to cope with more than one kind of betrayal. A dangerous enemy arrives on the scene, putting her bravery to the test and forcing her to use all of her new-found talents to protect her family. Will good win out over evil? Can love triumph over jealousy?”
- Goodreads



Stats:
• Format: ebook
• Publisher: Self-Published
• Release Date: March 28, 2011
• File Size: 588 KB

Favorite Quotes:

“I craved the feeling I got flying through the surf, free from reason and all sense of time. It could only be compared to an addiction; I needed more and more danger to get the same thrill. I could see the trajectory my behavior would take. This was bound to end badly.”

“The gently waving kelp beckoned me; I could feel the ocean swells in my bones.”

“It was soothing, comforting to stop worrying, to give in to the sensation of freedom and power that the vast amount of water ahead of me provided.”

“Evie used to say that depression was simply anger without enthusiasm.”

Review: The Moon And The Tide is the second book in the Marina’s Tales series by Derrolyn Anderson. In the first book Marina discovered that her mother was a mermaid and that that is why she is so drawn to the ocean. This part of her story focuses on her acceptance of who she is and embracing the mermaid part of herself.

Right away in the first chapter the story kind of lost me- the recap of the first book was in too much detail and seemed out of place. A lot that was shared didn’t seem important to the continued plot. I did not enjoy this book as much as the first and I think a lot of that had to do with Ethan, Marina's boyfriend. He continues to worry about Marina and try to prevent her from going to the sea but his behavior borders on being controlling. While I understood that his behaviors were out of fear for Marina’s safety, sometimes it was hard to like him. He has some redeeming moments and I started to like him again towards the end of the book.

Where the story did grab and hold my attention was the addition of Kimo, a Hawaiian professional surfer that becomes interested in Marina. He isn’t in the book that much, but enough for me to really like him. He is laid back, likes to have fun, and is a total flirt. I loved the direction the story took when Kimo began vying for Marina’s attention.

Marina continues to have difficulties with other relationships in her life but struggles the most with Evie. Her Aunt Evie has also taken a controlling edge and Marina is not sure what to make of her motives. Evie has been keeping her own secrets and Marina strives to discover them.

My favorite aspect of the book was the descriptions of the sea calling to Marina. Marina begins to view her desire to be in the sea as an addiction; she begins lying to others, sacrificing sleep, and taking dangerous risks. The author’s way of writing these descriptions was amazing and had me completely captivated. Overall, I liked this book but not as much as the previous. There were too many things going on in the story and it came across as a bit choppy or thrown together; I would've preferred a narrower plot with more details. I am still very into the storyline and am excited to read the third book and find out what’s next for Marina!