Serena is a mermaid living off Vancouver Island and her people are known as Undine. They can go on land and walk, but sadly they are now hunted by werewolves - which used to guard them. Humans are called by them Ungainlies, for their lack of agility in the water. The maiden Serena is the youngest, as no more mermaids have been born in the past fifteen years.

THE RISING wonderfully depicts the richness of life under water. This life is under threat, from increasingly acidic seawater. Told in present tense, the tale follows Serena to archives and here she reads how females go on land with males to conceive, and alone to give birth. At this time the werewolves should protect them but Serena's mother was attacked by them for no known reason. Serena, exploring on land, puts other Undines in danger by leading a wolf towards them as she runs for safety. Accordingly she is punished by being assigned the post of Werewolf Liaison.

Serena, who prefers sea vegetables and kelp to a diet of fish and shellfish, is just as caring for abovesea nature, redwoods and bumblebees alike gaining her sympathy. A garden of wolfsbane which is poisonous to wolves is her first port of call. She just wants to deter attackers. Thus she meets - in some safety - Liam, a werewolf who in human form works at a bowling alley. He's not all that friendly at first. But what could he have to fear from her? Is there some root cause of the wolf revolt that has been kept hidden?

The story becomes darker and leads to pitched battle, so it's no Little Mermaid retelling; Serena uses both knife and bow and arrow to protect her people. Readers who enjoy a well-realised fantasy world with the additional flavour of the water element will take to this tale. The violence would make THE RISING unsuitable for younger readers but more mature young adults as well as adults could read it. I mainly enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the environments as well as the bravery and inquisitiveness of the mermaid girl.