The Twice Lost by Sarah Porter (Review)

Genre:	Mermaid, YA
Publication Date:	July 22, 2013
Pages:	480
Published By:	HMH Books for Young Readers
Website	The Twice Lost on Goodreads
	Sarah Porter's Website
My review copy:	From publisher for honest review in event.

Where to get:

  Mermaids have been sinking ships and drowning humans for centuries, and now the government is determined to put an end to the mermaid problem—by slaughtering all of them. Luce, a mermaid with exceptionally threatening abilities, becomes their number-one target, hunted as she flees down the coast toward San Francisco.

  There she finds hundreds of mermaids living in exile under the docks of the bay. These are the Twice Lost: once-human girls lost first when a trauma turned them into mermaids, and lost a second time when they broke mermaid law and were rejected by their tribes. Luce is stunned when they elect her as their leader. But she won’t be their queen. She’ll be their general. And they will become the Twice Lost Army—because this is war.

(Goodreads)

"General," Luce announced, looking up.  Her mouth suddenly curved into an irrepressible smile, and she didn't feel nearly as embarrassed anymore.  "I am the mermaids' general."

  Like Imani had said, it was a miracle: their own miracle, their personal creation.

  "They'll follow you, and they'll trust absolutely in anything you decide, Lucette.  Until you fail, that is; until you disappoint them.  Then, of course, they'll go back to their old ways with vengeance.  And their hero will become the lunatic who led them into hell."

Stunning Conclusion...

 The Twice Lost was my favourite book in this series.  It was a stunning and action packed finish, that left me reeling and possibly a little heart broken.  Sarah Porter pulled everything from the other books and made it into something so much bigger.  This is the type of conclusion that fills you when you are done, and you can let go of the series, because you are okay with how it all came to an end.  Although it was a long road to get here, this book was everything that I had hoped that this series would be and more.

  There was a large amount of action and this showed in the fast pacing.  Right from the get go this book was different from the others.  It is what the sun is to the other stars we see in the sky, brilliant and consuming.  The stakes were higher than ever before and you could feel the tension within the pages.  I loved that all of the build up that had happened in the last two books really took on a purpose, that is was all for something.  Honestly there was so much forward movement right through until the end, the book itself was spectacular.  There was more world building that was vivid and wonderful, and more characters added, that added to the strength of the series and the already standing characters. Overall this was the best book for pacing and really did bring everything together.

  Luce really grew in this book.  She realized that some things must be done, but she also stuck to her belief that things could change.  There are moments that I believed she was risking more than she needed to, but change takes risks and Luce was risking it all.  However, to a point there was no real choice.  I wanted to celebrate Luce's power and her ability to trust others, but a part of me worried that her trusting nature was going to be the end of everything that she wanted to accomplish.  There is something wholly pure about Luce despite the heartbreak she has faced, and the trials that she has faced throughout these books.  She is a character that grew in some ways and stayed the same in others but I enjoyed from the start and loved for her choices in the end.

  I can't say much about romance for this one without spoiling past books.  However, I will say that there is more unexpected romance.  It's not right away but when it hit, it shocked the heck right out of me.  It was an unexpected twist that I did not see coming and could not have even if I was told it was a possibility.  What was also amazing about this book beyond the unexpected, was that there was an addition of amazing characters that fit flawlessly into the story. Normally adding a character that is so important this late in the game is awkward, or they don't fit right.  They were each perfectly moulded for their parts, and their different personalities filled holes that I did not even know existed to start with. Between the hints of romance past and romance anew, and the new characters Porter really powered this book up with extras.

  The Twice Lost was a phenomenal read and really pulled everything together.  To fully appreciate it you will have to read the first two books, but it is worth it.  Everything was detailed, tragic, yet beautiful and meaningful.  Finishing this book I realize just how much time the author put into building every brick perfectly to get to this point.  There was so much going on and action that hadn't been there before.  Light was brought to both the bright and dark side of mermaids and humans, showing that neither species is completely good or completely evil.  My words can't describe how perfect this trilogy was ended but if you like mermaids I would suggest giving these books a try.

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