Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island
(Emily Windsnap #7)

Following her adventures in Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Souls (2015), part-mermaid Emily finds an idyllic island vacation disrupted by an ancient prophecy. Thirteen-year-old Emily’s “an adventure magnet.” After promising her mermaid best friend, Shona, she will “not be tempted by adventures, risks, or mysteries for at least one month,” Emily arrives on a secluded island with Shona, her parents, and her “semi-mer” boyfriend and instantly stumbles onto another adventure. During a boat tour to nearby Forgotten Island, thought to be uninhabited and inaccessible, Emily and Shona explore behind the waterfall and are literally swept into a “whole new world” where Emily overhears people discussing a prophecy about an impending disastrous earthquake. On a second visit to Forgotten Island, Emily becomes lost in a maze of tunnels and encounters the same people, who convince her she’s the answer to their prophecy about a girl with a fish tail finding a giant who saves the island. Conflicted by her promise to Shona and her desire to save the island’s inhabitants, Emily enlists her boyfriend’s help. Emily’s fast-paced, first-person narration lends immediacy to her latest quixotic quest, one that tests the bonds of friendship and closes with a surprising twist. Spot art reinforces the maritime theme; friendship and relationship angst ground the story emotionally. Both humans and mer-people seem to be white. Exciting new adventures, risks, and mysteries for Emily Windsnap fans. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Copyright 2018 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.