The Lost Voices Trilogy is stunning. I really liked the first book, but I LOVED the second and third — it’s one of those series that keeps getting better as it goes. My favourite thing about these books is Sarah Porter’s beautiful prose and gorgeous descriptions. I felt as though I’d been transported to the Alaskan coast.
This trilogy follows Luce, a fourteen-year-old abused girl who experiences trauma and a near-death experience. This transforms her into a mermaid with the inherent desire to sing sailors to their deaths. The series follows her on her journey as she comes to terms with her new nature and her inner struggle between wanting to abide by the mermaid code vs her desire not to kill. The first book is the most trauma-heavy, but there is plenty of conflict and small amounts of blood and violence in books two and three.
Overall Series Rating: 🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
Note: I’ve aimed to keep this review spoiler-free, but you may find the brief descriptions of the plot in subsequent books to be spoiler-y. If this might bother you, you may want to read those reviews after reading the first (and second) books.
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Book 1: Lost Voices
🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️
(you can find my rating and spice system here)
POV & Tense: Third person, past tense. Mostly single POV (except for one chapter)
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Speculative Fiction,
Tropes/Themes: Fish out of water (except it’s fish new to water), Coming of Age, Transformation, Revenge, Dealing with Trauma, Being True to Yourself
Locations: Alaskan Coast
Synopsis:
Life is hard for Lucette (Luce) Korchak. Her mother died when she was young, and when her father’s fishing vessel never returns, Luce is forced to live with her alcoholic uncle. When he crosses unspeakable boundaries, she tumbles into the ocean. But she doesn’t die. She finds out what happens to all the abused little girls — they turn into mermaids who seek their revenge on the cruel and uncaring humans. Luce is quickly ‘adopted’ by the mermaids who live nearby in the ocean and taken under the wing of their queen, Catarina. She learns about the mermaid code, the Timahk, which dictates that no human who has seen or heard a mermaid sing may be permitted to live. Luce struggles between her desire to belong and her inner voice, which tells her there must be another way.
tw: Attempted rape, mentions of child abuse and trafficking.
The cold sank into her body in a way it never had before, not even in the deepest snow. The cold took over her skin, her muscles, her brain, and then at last, with a tiny sigh like something breaking, it took over her heart.”
My Review:
This book was both heartbreaking and yet heartwarming at the same time. It was beautiful to see the girls receive a second chance at life, but difficult at times when confronted with the reasons they were there. I loved the limitations the mermaids have. Although they can lure any human to their death, they are not infallible — they need to come up for air, and if their tail is exposed to air for too long, they will die. Luce proves herself to be courageous and resourceful, especially when the story becomes part Mean Girls and part Lord of the Flies. This story drew me in and left me wanting to know what was next in store for Luce.
Book 2: Waking Storms
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️
POV & Tense: Third person, past tense. Multi POV.
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Speculative Fiction, Mythology
Tropes/Themes: Forbidden Love, Isolation, Mythology, Coming of Age
Locations: Alaskan Coast and surrounding area
Synopsis:
After leaving her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce tries to live out a peaceful solitary existence further along the coast. But some members of her former tribe come looking for Luce. They want her to claim leadership and overthrow their cruel queen (who happens to want Luce dead). And Dorian, the boy she broke mermaid law to save, wants to make contact, and won’t take no for an answer. A tribe in chaos, forbidden love, possible human discovery, and the threatening encroachment of the harsh Alaskan winter all test Luce’s mettle and challenge her in unprecedented ways.
Late twilight brushed the cresting waves with strokes of indigo, moody purple, slate gray. A few scattered islands cut black patches from the blue-glowing distance. The spruce-fringed slopes of the coast began to call to Luce, and she felt the tidal pull of desire to give herself to the sea.”
My Review:
Ahhhhhhh, there were so many juicy details and happenings in this book. I adore forbidden romance, and this installment provided that in spades. I also loved the mermaid mythology, including how the mermaids first came to be. I’m a huge fan of Multi POV, so it was great to have Dorian’s POV as well as FBI agent Ben Ellison’s (which really amped up the tension with humans closing in on the mermaids’ secret). The story was equally hopeful and heartbreaking, and I loved seeing Luce growing stronger and becoming more comfortable in her skin.
Book 3: The Twice Lost
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️
POV & Tense: Third person, past tense. Multi POV.
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Speculative Fiction, Mythology
Tropes/Themes: Coming of Age, Inner Strength, Humans vs Creatures
Locations: Various locations along the West Coast with a good portion in San Francisco
Synopsis:
The US government has discovered that mermaids are responsible for sinking ships—resulting in the deaths of thousands of humans—and are determined to put an end to it once and for all. This could mean the total annihilation of the mermaid population. It’s up to Luce to rally the troupes (all the remaining tribes, including the Twice Lost: mermaids banished from their tribes for breaking mermaid law). They must all work together to make their presence known to the greater human population and prevent a war.
Her song twisted on like a living thing, vital with determination. But while her voice still lived, Luce was sure her heart hadn’t survived.”
My Review:
This was such a satisfying ending to a beautiful series. Seeing Luce grow into the person she’s meant to become and face challenges head-on felt both empowering and heartwarming. This is as much a story about friendship as it is about strategy. Secretary Moreland, the US secretary of defense, is the perfect antagonist, a character so twisted you’ll love to hate him. There were quite a few POVs explored in this installment, and I loved all of them. Luce had so much to overcome and there were quite a few interesting subplots (including some poetic justice for two characters…).
The Twice Lost by Sarah Porter
Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
Sarah Porter is the author of many young adult fantasy books.
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Have you read the Lost Voices trilogy? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
~~If you like books about mermaids, check out my Mermay reclist~~
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