The Lost Voices Trilogy by Sarah Porter

In Lost Voices, the first book, Lucette's father was lost at sea, leaving her orphaned and living with her abusive uncle. But when her uncle tries to rape her on her fourteenth birthday, Luce feels trapped and tired of the cruelty, finally deciding to throw herself off a cliff. But instead of dying she changes into a mermaid and discovers a whole new life with a nearby tribe. Suddenly, Luce has friends and magical abilities. But the relationships in the tribe are complex and she struggles with the fact that their magic is used to lead humans to their deaths.

The second book, Waking Storms, is told from the point of view of both Luce and Dorian, the human boy that Luce saved. After leaving the tribe, Luce is living alone and trying to figure out how to become more comfortable with her life as a mermaid. But larger problems may be on the horizon for Luce and all of the mermaids in the area as they face the possibility of exposure.

The final book in the trilogy (The Twice Lost) will be released June 2, 2013.

This story was very compelling and definitely drew me in; I was a little disappointed when I realized that the final book isn't out yet and I would have to wait to finish reading the trilogy. Even though a lot of the plot is fairly light, there is still an underlying serious tone. The focus of these books is really on character development and the social interaction of the mermaids, since they are all "lost girls" who have given up on humanity because of their own horrific experiences. I would recommend these books to older fantasy fans who enjoy stories about magic in the real world, or stories that are a little more serious.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Half-Human, Rampant, Wicked Lovely, or Morganvill Vampires series

The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw

Saaski is a changeling. Her adopted human parents, Anwara and Yanno love her but find her (as most of the village does) a little bit odd. Saaski's appearance is unusual, she does not act as a human child should and she has a love for the wild lands of the moor above the sleepy village; a place described by villagers as filled with "eldritch" happenings and mischief.

Tormented daily by the other village children and feeling just as "freaky-odd" as they call her, Saaski belongs neither with the human villagers or with the elves that swapped her for Anwara's true human child. As the story progresses, Saaski struggles to find some measure of peace with her human family. When a traveling tinkerer and his young ward stumble into town, Saaski begins to discover who she truly is and where she came from.

I love this book and believe all young readers should give it a try. It is one of the few books that I have had to purchase because I reread and reread this story. This is a story about a young girl who feels very alone in a world that she finds incredibly dull. I was emotionally vested in this story and even found some parts of this story hard to read as McGraw describes the terrible injustices done to Saaski through fear of the unknown. This book is at times, heartwarming and at others, heartbreaking but always enthralling. The story is heavily steeped in Irish folklore about fairies and changelings for the reader interested in European mythology.

The Moorchild was awarded the Newbery Honor in 1997.