If you or your middle schooler enjoy light horror, mermaids, and zombies, this is a perfect read for you. The guidelines suggest ages 12 and up, and that’s about right. A mature 10-year-old could probably read it, but I’m not an expert on that kind of thing. It does feature light romantic themes, fearful and violent elements, and other scary zombie-related graphic scenes. So, it all depends on your child.

About the Book

Can One Girl Face the Terrors of the Deep to Lift the Mermaid’s Curse?

🧜‍♀️ Mermaid Fantasy 🌊

💀 Zombie Twist 🧟‍♀️

🏰 Gothic Vibes 😱

🌠 Coming of Age 💪

🧭 Artifact Quest 💎

🤝 Friendship Power 👭

⏳ Race Against Time 🏃‍♀️

🧠 Underwater Scrabble♟️

💕 Family Bonds 👩‍👧

🌅 Hope in Darkness 🌟

📖 Selena Flowers and the Cursed Ruby by Ella English – A thrilling mermaid fantasy with a spooky twist! 🧜‍♀️💀🌊

Blurb

From the bustling streets of London to the eerie shores of Madderly Bay, Selena Flowers’ world turns upside down when a zombie mermaid shatters the calm of her new seaside home. This is no ordinary mermaid, but Faustina, a creature from the depths, cursed with eternal youth and a thirst for companionship in her underwater realm of shadows.

As her mother falls victim to Faustina’s sinister spell, Selena faces a race against time. The key to salvation? A legendary ruby necklace, lost in the swirling depths, steeped in magic and mystery. With each passing day, her mother’s humanity ebbs away, inching closer to a watery doom.

Selena must brave the haunted waters of the merkingdom, navigating a world where trust is as fleeting as shadows. In her desperate search for the necklace, she confronts not only the horrors of the deep but the courage within herself.

Will Selena reclaim the cursed ruby and save her mother, or will they both be lost to the mermaid’s chilling embrace?

Dive into “Selena Flowers and the Cursed Ruby,” where the line between hero and legend blurs in the murky waters of Madderly Bay.

My Thoughts

The book’s main character, Selena, deals with a lot in her life, separate from just her zombie fighting. A flaky single mom who can’t quite keep the finances on track, a new school, bullies, a somewhat fairweather friend, and teachers who won’t see beyond who she is makes school hard. The zombie-mermaid ancestor who wants to make her a permanent deep-sea resident just makes things that much harder!

Growing up is hard enough without all these challenges, and Selena has a lot on her plate. She is a great character, and the author did a great job building her. She also built a distinct set of supporting characters, and I enjoyed the full cast surrounding her. I really enjoyed the redemption arcs of some of the characters, even if they were a bit drastic.

I can’t wait to see more and see where Selena and her friends and family end up! I’m so grateful to the author and LBT for including me.

Who’s It For?

I am not an expert on middle school/tweens. I haven’t been one for a long time, I haven’t worked with them for a long time, and my daughter is only six. But it seems like kids as young as 10 might be able to read this – depending on their maturity level. It wasn’t really that scary, and the gore wasn’t too bad either. It does have some scary adn graphic bits though, so it would have to be up to the parents’ discretion as always. In general, if you like fantasy/mythology and light horror, you’d probably enjoy this story.

Content Warnings: Child Harm, Kidnapping, Graphic Body Horror, Monsters, Zombies, Violence, Gore, Mind Control, and More

Question of the Day

Did you read/watch any horror as a child? If you’re a parent, do you let your kids read/watch horror?

Answer of the Day

I read what we were required to at school – like Poe – and I loved shows like “Are You Afraid of the Dark” and later “Supernatural.” But I have long considered myself a scaredy cat. I had night terrors and nightmares for most of my life, even now.

About the Author

Ella English is a British author and illustrator of children’s books who now lives in Baltimore, USA. Her Kitty in the City chapter book series features a singing cat in Manhattan (Book 1 is Katy on Broadway, Book 2 is out in the Fall https://www.amazon.com/Katy-Broadway-Kitty-City-English-ebook/dp/B09PTHLSG6/).

The Merblood Saga is about magic and mermaids in Madderly Bay. Ella was inspired to write the Merblood Saga by her childhood holidays on the Kent Coast in the UK, where massive waves crashing against the seawall and freak waves pulling beachgoers into the water sparked her imagination.

Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Selena-Flowers-Cursed-Ruby-Thrilling-ebook/dp/B0D15KDM1K
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Selena-Flowers-Cursed-Ruby-Thrilling-ebook/dp/B0D15KDM1K
Bookshop US: https://bookshop.org/a/25511/9798224694402
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211069217-selena-flowers-and-the-cursed-ruby
Author’s Website: www.ellaenglish.com

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