Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Published October 25th 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

The world that the author has created is very well thought-out and interesting. I would enjoy reading more novels set in this world. Esmerine and Alander are multidimensional characters but for some reason I just didn't feel the spark between them. I believed more in Esmerine's love for her sister, Dorsia, than her love for Alander (or his for her). The message of loving someone despite outside pressure not to is a beautiful one though.

Also, I don't get why her sister didn't even try to leave some kind of word of herself. I understand that running away with a human is somewhat common for a siren and that writing a note of some kind was out of the question. It just seemed careless rather than romantic.

Pros
World Creation
Character Development

Cons
Love Connection

Verdict
Check out from the library if you're interested.