"Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure" Season 2 is OUT!

Netflix has released season 2 of Mako Mermaids! Yes, yes, I know “But Emily you said you didn’t like Mako Mermaids! You even wrote a whole post about it!”. This is true, but I’ve always been holding out that season 2 might go in a different direction and surprise me. Plus…I just can’t resist watching. With so little mermaid content out there, what’s a hardcore mermaid fan to do?

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the second season’s trailer to get you pumped for your Mako Mermaids binge-fest:

Also, check out some of the promotional pictures below:

Will you be watching Mako Mermaids’ second season? *Leaves to watch*

-The Mermaid Guru

Bookshelf Tour!

I thought I'd share a bit about my bookshelf at home. I wanted to show off my mermaid shelf as well as show you guys that I'm not 100% mermaids all the time! I also really love The Hunger Games, Twilight, and a bunch of other YA books. The bookshelf holds most of the books I own. At least, the ones I care about. I have three shelves, which you can see below:

The first shelf is half Hunger Games and half Twilight. On the Hunger Games from left to right:

• The Hunger Games Training Days board game
• Copies of People magazine with my photo dressed as Effie inside
• The Hunger Games movie companion
• The Girl who was on Fire Movie Edition
• THG Tribute Guide
• UK "adult" editions of the series
• US editions of the series
• The Hunger Games DVD
• Catching Fire DVD
• My GetGlue stickers featuring THG
• Harkins 2012 movie cup featuring Katniss

I also have a Katniss Barbie doll and mockingjay pin. Continuing to the Twilight side:

• Four Twilight movies on DVD (I'm missing Breaking Dawn P1)
• Movie Tie-In Edition of Twilight
• Movie Tie-In Edition of New Moon
• Eclipse
• The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
• Breaking Dawn
• Twilight Official Illustrated Guide

I also keep my jewelry box on that shelf and have a frame from New Moon on the backboard.

My dedicated mermaid shelf actually looks a little different since I took the full bookshelf picture. This is what it looks like now:

In case anything catches your eyes, from left to right we have:

• Sirena
• Forgive my Fins
• Monstrous Beauty
• My Sister Sif
• Seven Tears into the Sea
• Tempest Rising
• Ripple
• The Water Mirror
• Teenage Mermaid
• Isabel of the Whales
• Ingo (3 copies)
• The Tide Knot
• The Tide Knot UK Edition
• The Deep UK Edition
• The Crossing of Ingo UK Edition
• Stormswept
• Wake
• Lost Voices
• Sirena
• Midnight Pearls
• Sea Change
• Aquamarine
• Indigo
• Siren
• The Little Mermaid DVD
• Ariel's Beginning DVD
• Emily Windsnap 2 mini book boxed set
• The Tail of Emily Windsnap 
• Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep
• Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist
• Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret

I also have a mermaid Barbie sitting on the audiobook of The Tail of Emily Windsnap as well as a metal mermaid figure and a water globe from Laguna Beach, CA.

The bottom is really just for everything that's left. Some of my favorites are the Shiver books, Narnia, and the Percy Jackson series. So those are my books; hope you enjoyed taking a look!

-The Mermaid Guru

I'm off to London!

I have very exciting news to share...I am headed to London this Fall! I'm going into my final year of college and it's finally time to realize my dream of studying abroad for a semester.

So why is this relevant to my mermaid blog you ask? First, I thought you just might like to know and second, one of my most anticipated adventures includes a trip to Zennor, Cornwall. Which is the setting for my most favorite book series, The Ingo Chronicles, by Helen Dunmore!

In the very first chapter of Ingo, Sapphire shares the ancient legend of the Zennor Mermaid. If you aren't familiar with the tale, click here. Basically, a mermaid sings by the coast and lures a man beneath the waves. Never to be seen again. Not only am I excited to visit the town of Zennor itself, but there is also a carving of the mermaid inside Senara Church (pictured right), where they say the man used to sing in the choir. I cannot wait to see it in person!

I also hope that during my stay in England, Liz Kessler will have an event or book signing. She's only been over to the States once and I lived too far from the East coast to attend. I'll be bringing along my copy of Emily Windsnap and Ingo just in case!

If you know of any other mermaid related things to see or do in the area, please let me know! I've started a blog just for my study abroad  escapades over at TooManyTeaHouses.blogspot.com. Follow along if you'd like!

-The Mermaid Guru

Favorite Mermaid Artwork

Just a few of my favorite pieces of mermaid-y artwork! I'll let it speak for itself.

Into The Ocean by Kookiekrusader

A Different Kind by Burdge

They Be Fish by Corianten

Old Friends by Nebester

Why I didn't like 'Mako Mermaids'...

This is a hard post to write. I don't want to write it. But I didn't like Mako Mermaids.

No H20 fan was more excited about this revamp than I was, trust me. However, as much as I wanted to love this show, it just fell flat. There was no magical feeling, no warm and fuzzy friendships, and no one I could root for (well, except maybe Cam, but then they went and utterly destroyed Cam).

The problems were way too simple. Everything that the characters faced could have been solved with some  old fashion communication. There was way too much anger in the show. Flat characters who had single goals and not much motivation. Like why does Zac go from a nice, chill guy to a raging lunatic obsessed with the potential power of the trident?? Male power-hungry stereotype much? And the girls themselves aren't really even friends. They don't work together and don't care much about each other.

Then, of course, their mermaid powers were all too convenient for the situations. In H20, the girls each only had one ability and they had to figure out how to save each other in so many instances with just those powers and their brains.

There's a lot more I could say, but I'll just leave it at the fact that I didn't like the show. I hear a second season was filmed, but no word on a release date or if Netflix is even interested in picking it up. What did you think of Mako Mermaids. Does it have the potential to improve?

-The Mermaid Guru

'Mako Mermaids' Episode 2 Review: 'Getting Legs'

Today I will be reviewing and reacting to episode two of Mako Mermaids, Getting Legs. Don't forget to leave you're own thoughts in the comments!

Episode 2: Getting Legs

Episode 2, Getting Legs, begins right where we last left off. Nixie, Layla, and Sirena are podless and Zac has to start figuring out his new life as a merman. After some water spillage confirms he's stuck with a tail for the foreseeable future, Zac gets his very first experience successfully hiding his secret from his Dad. Unfortunately, Zac also happens to be a lifeguard in his spare time and this is definitely going to prove keeping the secret that much harder.

I am quite surprised how well Cam seems to be taking everything in. His best friend reveals that he has become a merman and Cam is cool as a cucumber. I'm sure there's drama to come, but for the time being, it's refreshing.

Meanwhile, the mermaids are at Mako Island hatching a plan. They believe if they zap Zac with their powers, his own powers and his tail will disappear for good. There's just one problem: they have tails. However, the three decide to channel the power of Sirena's moon ring to give them legs and it actually ends up working. There are some hilarious moments here that you'd expect, such as the girls needing to find some sort of clothing and learning to properly walk, which were all fun to see played out.

The girls are able to find Zac's house, but unfortunately for them he is at the beach and not at home. While there, some loud music is accidentally turned on and Zac's parents come to investigate. A new mermaid power is revealed when the girls turn invisible to avoid being seen. I'm not sure if I like this power or not...it seems way too easy. That would have come in real handy for the characters of H2O.

Next the girls run into Zac's girlfriend who tells them that he is at the beach on lifesaving duty. The mermaids find him there and--while remaining undetected--Layla attempts to zap Zac with her powers. She's a little too late though because Zac spots a young girl who is drowning in the ocean and runs to her aid. He transforms into a merman (apparently no one sees the tail since he's out in deep water) and pushes her on a flotation raft back to shore.

And now…here comes the drama. Zac’s never saved anyone so swiftly before and he starts to get a bit of an ego, thinking he should do all the lifesaving from here on out. Cam is definitely hurt by this and lashes out about how Zac shouldn't be taking risks and needs to be more careful. I think Cam is shaping up to be a great character. He's sticking by his friend even through the ego trip and somewhat jealous feelings he appears to be experiencing.

We end this episode back at the moon pool with the mermaids wondering why in the world Zac risked showing his tail to save someone. Layla in particular is beginning to change her mind about Zac, saying that she believes he’s “not all bad”. I think there might be the hint of a future crush brewing here, which would definitely be interesting to see, since Zac already has a girlfriend and we don’t know if/when Zac will find out about the mermaids.

That wraps things up for Mako Mermaids episode 2, Getting Legs. Let me know what you’re thinking of the show so far too!

-The Mermaid Guru

'Mako Mermaids' Episode 1 Review: 'Outcasts'

Mako Mermaids is finally out, which means you can be sure that I'll be sharing all my thoughts and opinions here on the blog! I'd love to hear your thoughts and reactions as well, so be sure to leave a comment so we can discuss!

EPISODE 1: OUTCASTS

At the start of episode 1 we are introduced to Sirena and Nixie who are two seemingly playful mermaids that are in some sort of training and are put on guard duty while the older mermaids, specifically one named Aquata, participate in a full moon ceremony. When Sirena and Nixie show up late to guard duty, we are then introduced to our third main mermaid, Layla, a perfectionist who likes to be in charge. 

Meanwhile, our two leading land boys (Cam and Zac) are headed to Mako Island. On a scene side note, I'm loving that the show is using the same music from H2O, it helps give everything a familiar vibe. 

So Sirena and Nixie decide to get a little mischievous by helping the boys catch some fish and the two head for shore on Mako to camp the night, which is a big mistake on the mermaids' part--especially during a full moon. They convene at the moon pool and we get to see some great banter between the three of them. Layla and Nixie both have extremely confident personalities, but have very different approaches to getting things done. At this point of the show I would say Layla is a lot like Emma of H2O, Nixie like Rikki, and Sirena like Cleo, though they are definitely not trying to be carbon copies of the originals.

The moon pool is also noticeably different from how we left it in H2O. I believe Mako Mermaids is not supposed to be a sequel, prequel, or really at all exist in the H2O universe, but is merely a different take on the story of mermaids and Mako Island. I don't think fans should be trying too hard to place the time frame here, because I don't think it's meant to be placeable.

While Zac is out finishing his "nature business", he stumbles upon a cave that was opened by the power of the full moon. Of course, he winds up exploring the place, and finds a mysterious glowing trident on the cave's wall. When he touches it, the floor of the cave drops him down into the moon pool, where Sirena, Layla, and Nixie are waiting. How Zac fell into the moon pool is a complete mystery to them and the mermaids resort to leaving him, unconscious, on Mako's beach.

The next morning Zac's memories of the night's events are fuzzy at best and the mermaids are in trouble with the pod. If Zac changed at all because of the moon pool, we're told that bad things are in store for all the mermaids. The moment of truth comes when Nixie, Sirena, and Layla watch Zac back on land to see how he was affected. Zac is revealed to have the power to manipulate water, but that's not all. After trying to show Cam his new found talent, Zac falls into the water and gets another huge surprise. Unfortunately for the mermaids, Zac has become...a MERMAN!

This is really the moment I was waiting for. I was dying for there to be a merman in H2O, but sadly it never happened. Mako Mermaids was really the answer to everything I had been missing and it's definitely delivering so far.

Another important scene comes right after the big merman reveal. Nixie, Layla, and Sirena must face punishment for the outcome of the last full moon's events and it's pretty horrible news. The mermaid pod is leaving Mako Island and our three mermaids have been cast out of the pod. The mermaids say their goodbyes to Aquata, who then gives Sirena (they're sisters) her moon ring. It's a pretty intense scene, taking the emotion to a level that I don't think H2O ever had and once again proving that this series can stand (or swim) on it's own.

What I don't understand is why in the world Aquata would leave her younger sister in favor of staying with the pod. This was unrealistic to me. I would never abandon my sister merely for friends or responsibilities.

In an unusual plot twist, Cam learns about Zac's merman development right away. The more I think about it though, this makes sense. I think guys are a bit more rash in similar situations, Zac probably wasn't thinking about the possible disadvantages or consequences of revealing his new secret to someone else. I like this, because while he still will undoubtedly be hiding his secret from people, Zac will have someone to talk to about being a merman from the get go.

The episode ends with Nixie, Sirena, and Layla at the moon pool determined to fix their situation.

Overall, this was a great first episode and I can tell that Mako Mermaids is not just a gimmicky reinvention of H2O: Just Add Water, which I was afraid might happen. I have to admit, my fears are pretty much now disbanded! Definitely looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds from here.

-The Mermaid Guru