I found Lorali's naivety and enthusiasm charming, and Rory a loyal and friendly support. Laura Dockrill's poetic writing combined with a modern setting and relatable teenage characters made me feel comfortable, as if I were reading a summery young adult contemporary story about family, friendship and falling in love, but with a twist. I unexpectedly enjoyed discovering how the mermaids came to be and how their world was kept secret from humans – plus all the other creatures and antics under the sea, like fellow mermaid Orla, who revels in being a celebrity! I knew about this unusual perspective before starting the book and I wasn't sure how it would work, but it does a wonderful job of constructing the world for the reader, both the history and the present. I thoroughly enjoyed the alternating perspectives: Lorali, Rory and, yes, The Sea.

With beautiful, well-written characters and a story like no other, Lorali takes us under the sea. Lorali has turned her back on her destiny to be an underwater princess in the Whirl, and has become human – a walker. Lorali begins with the arrival of a naked mermaid on Hastings pier, discovered by Rory on his sixteenth birthday. I started reading, not knowing what to expect, and then, a few hours later, I had finished. I wouldn't normally be drawn to a mermaid book and I'm not sure that I've ever read one before, but I picked up Lorali because:ġ) After reading Hi So Much, I trusted Laura Dockrill to create amazing contemporary characters

Lorali by Laura Dockrill