Clara loves her sister, Maren. That's why it's so painful to watch Maren slowly transforming into a mermaid bound for the sea far away from her. Together, Clara and her friend O'Neill take Maren on a journey to get Maren to the sea as her transformation quickens, because no mermaid can survive on land. Along the way, they encounter trouble, cruel people, and adventure they never expected.

THE MERMAID'S SISTER by Carrie Anne Noble is an original and engrossing read for young adult fiction fans. From the first chapter, the almost haunting but entirely magical prose takes the reader into a world of magic and mermaids, love and family. It reads like a fairy tale and will keep the reader turning the pages, desperate to find if these characters will get a happy ending or not.

While some wording in the story gets a little repetitive, it doesn't take away from the steady pace and building plot. Full of twists and turns, there is hardly a dull moment in this tale. The slow romance between two of the characters is especially charming, though the primary focus on the story is on the many close relationships between friends and family in a world of extraordinary things. The heart warming family relationships between Maren, Clara, and Auntie are nicely contrasted with the scary and vengeful family relationships found when Clara, Maren, and O'Neill meet an evil troupe of people.

Carrie Anne Noble writes a brilliant story with THE MERMAID'S SISTER. By the end, I was a ball of emotions, both happy and sad for several of the characters. I really, really liked it, and I can't wait to see what this author writes next.