Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Lost Voices (Lost Voices, #1)

Author: Sarah Porter
ISBN-13: 978-0547482507
Publication Date: July, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Length: 304 Pages
Acquired by Me: NetGalley

Description Courtesy of Goodreads:

 

“What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help?

Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.

A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.

Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?

Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.”

 

My Thoughts:

I found this book to be an incredibly sad tale. Not one speck of hope or happiness can be found between its covers. Yet, at the same time, it was eerily interesting with its darkness that tells the story of throwaway children. I also thought it very fanciful – what happens to the children that no one loves? Lost Voices give you something to hold on to in that there is a way out for these abused kids, but I think the darkness still kept me from truly enjoying it. I constantly felt bad for Luce and her fellow mermaids. Without the benefit of love and tenderness, none of these children can express anything but pure misery to one another. Each completely dysfunctional in her own way. The dynamic between them includes jealousy, spite, and a dash of pure evil – truthfully. It can be a bit overwhelming at times – that feeling of just being plain miserable!

Technically, I thought Sarah Porter wrote the story well enough. The plot was a little sluggish as it spent most of its time giving us a chance to learn the characters histories – or how they came to be mermaids. It seems that two thirds of the way through it finally gained some momentum.

Perhaps Lost Voices will hold more appeal to its intended target, the younger audience, (it is young adult fiction) who can empathize with these girls and their pain that fills the pages. I can see teen girls identifying with their own personal troubles. However, for me, it was really just too sad to call a great story.

This book is supposed to be the first in a series, so where Luce and her friends wind up next is still a mystery to me. There was a slight twist at the end that introduced a young boy to the storyline – I’m sure he will figure in more during the rest of the series.

A small note: I don't see any mention anywhere of a second book being released any time soon...so we may just end up left with the odd ending in this book.

 

 

 

The thoughts expressed in this post are solely based on my personal opinion and have not been influenced by any other entity or being. Use of my statements may not be reproduced without permission from me, the author of Fall In Love With Books.

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