Endless Blue Beneath

Offering a uniquely horrific take on mermaids, the transfixing adult debut from YA novelist English (The Lightyears Between Us) stars Euphemia “Eppie” Wester, who’s not just the only unmusical member of a family of musicians, but has been labeled a “freak” by Lucy Craig, the first girl she ever tried to kiss. When Eppie sees a girl struggling in the surf, she races into the waves to help—only to be kidnapped and held captive by mermaids with tails as long as Eppie’s entire body, dorsal fins ridging their backs, and sharp fangs set into faces that could otherwise pass for human. Eppie’s new “sisters” take her to the leviathan mermaid they call Mother who transforms Eppie into one of them. Angry and resistant to the painful change, which leaves her stronger and faster but disconnected from the world she knows, Eppie is further convinced of the mermaids’—and now her own—monstrosity when she discovers a newfound appetite for human blood. Facing threats from humans and mermaids alike, Eppie must reclaim her agency and learn to navigate her new world. The romance that blooms between Eppie and a fellow mermaid feels a bit rushed, but English’s mermaid lore fascinates, and her colorful underwater world comes alive on the page. This twisty, fast-paced tale should win her a whole new set of fans. (June)