Water and Blood is the first novel in the Merworld series. Whitney Mallory moved across the country from the Pacific Northwest to the sunny beaches of Florida to get a fresh start outside the paranormal world she grew up in. Losing her night human side in an attack that killed her parents, she was ready to be a normal day human. She wouldn't have to worry about drinking blood or fighting that happened often in that world. After one year of getting used to her new reality, Whitney discovers that maybe she was never meant to leave the night human world after all. Deciding to take swimming lessons, she is paired with high school hottie, Prince Sam as her friends called him. Sam was a perfectionist--he protected his family and friends as he swore he would as the guardian leader of the sirens, an outlawed mermaid race banned by the night human council and hunted if caught. He held jobs to help everyone survive while they hid in plain sight. He even taught swimming lessons. His life was perfect, at least until Whitney showed up in his town. Without thinking of the consequences, Sam makes a choice to follow his heart for a change. That choice changes everything. That one decision changes her life, and she's quickly thrown right back into the night human world she thought she was getting away from. The only question is: Can she survive going back?
Songs and Fins is the second novel in the Merworld series. Whitney's entire life changed the moment Sam changed her into a siren. She was part of a new night human race that she had not consented to but she had a lot of learning to do that was not like the skinwalker clan she was born into. More shockingly, Whitney was amazed to finally have a boyfriend. And the fact he was a lead singer in a rock band in his free time wasn’t bad, either. Too bad having a boyfriend didn’t mean she was going to see him, as his father’s punishment included separating them. Whitney is certain she can handle it, but sure enough, that isn’t the only wrench thrown into her new life. There’s a new threat in town, a scarier one than the backstabbing siren clan she’s part of now. They are night human hunters in town, and Whitney is now an outlawed night human breed. Could her luck get any better?
Scales and Legends is the third novel in the Merworld series. Whitney and Sam share a romantic bond that together got them through setbacks and triumphs. Now the siren are on the brink of war. Other mer clans have joined together to kill off the siren. Whitney has been through night human wars before, yet she’s nowhere near ready to deal with this one. It’s not just her life or the life of her mate on the line, either. Everyone she knows in the mer world is in jeopardy. But there’s one last hope: the siren must quickly come to depend solely on their newest member, Whitney. The only catch is she might not be a siren after all. Whitney was thrown into the mer world without her consent, but now she wants to stay. Her siren friends stuck on the mainland are in grave danger if they cannot be rescued in time. But she keeps running into the problem that she’s playing a game she doesn’t know all the rules to. As the only siren on the outside of the barrier surrounding their island, Whitney is the only chance to turn the balance for her clan. As the other clans gather to attack the siren, she just has to figure out how before it’s too late.
Kristen McMichael did it again! She has built a captivating world of day humans and night humans that is easy to grasp for young adult readers. I loved the protagonist -- Whitney was brave, caring, intelligent, and free-spirited. As Sam said best, her strong personal convictions to save and protect the innocent won me over. Whitney wasn't seeking leadership or titles yet she was exactly what the sirens needed in order to save the merworld. While the editing could be better, I believe this series ranks among the top mermaid series. I highly recommend that you first read the opening series, The Blue Eyes Trilogy, which describes in great detail this unique supernatural world. This series, and other previous series (Day Human Hunter and Skinwalker Witchling), have reoccurring cast members that appear in the Merworld Trilogy. In other words, read the Blue Eyes Trilogy first!!
Stay tuned for my next review in McMichael's night human world, Night Human Hunter.
