Review: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Fathomless
(Fairytale Retellings #3)

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publication Date: September 4th, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Fantasy / Fairy Tale Retelling

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Synopsis:

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo. Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality. When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

My Thoughts: Alright, Jackson Pearce is so utterly amazing. This is the only the second book I've read by her, the first being Purity, I freaking loved them both!!! (I know, I'm terrible for not having read the other fairy tale retellings, but now I want to even more!!) I went in thinking this was about mermaids (Little Mermaid retelling, so yeah) but Lo is totally NOT a mermaid. I still don't really understand what she was, Pearce called her an ocean girl. No fins or flippers! Just two legs and the ability to walk on land, albeit painfully. So what exactly did I love about Fathomless?? EVERYTHING!! I started reading it and got completely hooked (no pun intended.. or was it?). I seriously was reading this book every spare moment I had, carrying it around to steal a few word here and there. Pearce has definitely made it into my favorite authors!

There are two (well three, kind of) protagonists in Fathomless. There is Celia, the triplet with the power to see the past and Lo, the ocean girl. Then of course there is Naida, who is Lo, or is she really? Lo and Naida are the same girl, yet they are so different. Each has a different voice, as the reader can plainly tell from reading. Celia is trying to help Lo/Naida remember her past, before she was an ocean girl. All Lo/Naida wants is to not forget, not lose herself again. Celia can help her remember. They meet after the rescue Jude, a boy who fell in the water. The both fall in love with him, but how can Lo even be with him? She lives in the water and the only way to become human again is to steal his soul, which means killing him, so what's the point really.

I will admit, the ending caught me slightly by surprise. I wasn't expecting it. Pearce has a way of writing that seems to keep me guessing and I really enjoy it. If you are looking for a book that will have you dragging it around, unable to put down, I think you should try something by her. I love her writing style, her characters, her imagination. It's just amazing. This was comepletely different from what I was expecting, and I couldn't be happier. There is just something great about a book when you finish it, close it and just stare at it with a giant grin. That is what this book did for me. So yes, yes you should read it!