LOST VOICES

After 14-year-old Luce is nearly raped on the cliffs of an isolated Alaskan village, she falls into the ocean—and is transformed into a mermaid. As Julia Whelan narrates these opening scenes, the listener hears the courage in Luce that is waiting to surface. Underwater, Luce encounters a group of mermaids—also lost girls who were betrayed when they were humans. Leaders Caterina and Annaliese vibrate with outrage in Whelan’s narration, and even the minor characters come through clearly. The mermaids take pleasure in killing seafarers by enticing them to sail into dangerous waters. Luce is horrified at the actions of her new friends. Whelan’s narration allows listeners hear the mermaids’ music without any need for special effects. The first book of a projected trilogy balances the warmth of resolution with a new and beckoning horizon. M.C.T. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]