Skipping the Scales (Book 2) by Pete Tarsi {Review}

Skipping the Scales (Book 2) by Pete Tarsi

252 pages, Kindle edition

Published July 12th 2016

The exciting sequel to the YA contemporary fantasy Flipping the Scales.Meredith, Marina, and Hailey's wildest dreams could be coming true.

Two weeks in the ocean changed Meredith's life and career goal. Now studying marine biology, she lands a summer internship at a local aquarium. Her aquatic intuition impresses her mentor, but how would the mermaids feel about holding fish captive in the name of science?

Marina has returned ashore to seek out her missing mother. A curious and cryptic painting leads to other clues, but the search through her mother's past reveals more questions than answers. Could her parents have left the ocean harboring a deep, dark secret?

Meanwhile, Hailey keeps Marina's tail safe and lives her lifelong dream to be a real mermaid. The experience is exhilarating, until the leader of the school suspects she is a human. If she gets caught, would it leave her friend forever marooned on land?

When second-guessing, mystery, and danger threaten to sink their dreams, will they skip out? Or will they work together and swim through the rough waters ahead?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My Review: 4 Stars

This is series that must be read in order. In this second installment, Marina has returned to land to try and find her mother, give Hailey the opportunity to live her dream of being a real, live mermaid. I'm not a strong swimmer and don't even really like to put my face in the water if I don't have to, but even I used to daydream a little bit about what it would be like to be a mermaid. The story bounces back and forth between Hailey's adventures undersea and her friends lives on land.

I love the elements of magic, danger, romance, and plenty of adventure that make up this imaginative story. Although the characters are now graduated from high school, it reads as a middle grade novel. Hailey's heavy use of acronyms kind of drove me crazy, especially because it seems more fitting for a twelve year old to use than an older teen, but her bubbly personality and exuberance for life make up for it. The ocean puns are fun too.

This isn't a deep story, haha--another pun, but it is a lot of fun. The characters are mostly likable and there are a few twists and an underlying mystery or two that really give it an added dimension. And that ending? Let's just say some things are wrapped up and some are left open. I'm already waiting for more.

Content: mild romance

*I received a copy from the author, which did not affect my thoughts in any way.*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buy Links:

  

About the Author:

Pete Tarsi writes books that he hopes his daughters will enjoy. Two down, and so far, so good.

He graduated from MIT with a degree in Creative Writing and Physics, and he considers himself fortunate that he gets to do both. When he's not writing, he can be found teaching high school science, directing theatre, or spending time with his three lovely daughters. He grew up in a small town north of Boston and still lives in Massachusetts.