Smitten: Part 1 Zerrin by Patria L Dunn....a Review

Alana Cassidy, 17 year old who lost her parents in a car accident five years ago,is now in foster care with the Pernickles and four other foster kids.  She is miserable and abused.  The Pernickles like to collect the checks for their fosters, but could care less about providing or caring for them.  Three months before Alana turns 18, the Pernickles learn that Alana's former home sold and she has an inheritance.  They make a secret trip to adopt her.

While gone, Alana finds an injured Merman- who offers her a plan of escape.   How can she refuse?   But how can she leave the four other fosters?

Now, I enjoyed the storyline.....abuse, escape, a better life?   I remember watching a movie with Shirley Temple as a mermaid from years ago when I was a child and I was totally fascinated by the beauty of the ocean creature.   So something long buried kept me interested in this very short novella.   The characters were well developed and I loved all five of the foster kids.  I did think of Harry Potter's Aunt and Uncle when it came to the Pernickles, as they seemed to be cut from the same cloth.  My only complaint would be that the book was too short.

In fact, I do not understand what prompts a trilogy out of such a short work as I understand the second and third books are shorter yet than the first.   Why not one book with three parts if need be?   But a trilogy?  But then of course, I haven't read books two and three yet, so I may be speaking out of turn.   I will read them as I am drawn into the story from book one and want to see how it ends for our young heroine.

Overall, I really liked Smitten and would recommend it for a light read!