Robin's Review

Dread Rating: 2 Skulls

Shimmerfish

by Bethany Browning

From the author of Sasquatch, Baby! and Dead Spread, Shimmerfish is an unputdownable, coming-of-age horror filled with quirky characters and spine-tingling suspense. After a bizarre accident leaves her motherless, Amy Jay escapes her violent stepfather and is taken under the wing of a small-town doctor. When the doctor’s niece, a self-described mer-witch, arrives in a turquoise school bus bursting with potions, spells, mermaid tails, wigs, and costume jewelry, Amy Jay dives headfirst into the fascinating world of professional mermaiding. She gets a tail, a mer-name, a detailed instruction book by a mysterious, missing mermaid named Shimmerfish—and still, something about her new life doesn’t add up. But before Amy Jay can sort out what feels fishy, her stepfather locates her hideout, and changes the course of her life forever.

Robin’s Review: Once again, Bethany Browning has spun a tale of literary enchantment with her newest masterpiece, Shimmerfish. This story is brimming with creativity and originality, woven with the threads of the author’s signature humor and style. From beginning to end, the reader is swept away on a suspenseful journey, like witnessing a phoenix rise from the ashes or, should I say, a mermaid obtaining her fins. The narrative explores themes of transformation, coming of age, and the bonds of found family, breathing life into fully realized, authentic, and captivating characters.

The tale follows the story of a young girl named Amy Jay, who has lived in the shadows of neglect and violence. When she escapes the clutches of her abusive stepfather, she finds sanctuary with a kind-hearted doctor. Here, she meets the doctor’s mermaid-loving niece, who introduces her to the world of professional mermaiding.

With the acquisition of a mermaid tail, a new name and a mysterious instruction book from a missing mermaid named Shimmerfish, Amy Jay is plunged into a world of possibilities.

However, as the details of the story rise to the surface, the depths of her past, in the form of her stepfather, loom large, and Amy Jay’s world is again threatened. But before Amy Jay can sort out what feels fishy, her stepfather finds her and changes the course of her life forever. The story’s twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, and as the final pages turn darker, you’ll be left spellbound by the deft weaving of the words that Bethany Browning has become known for.

It would be remiss not to mention the book’s cover art, which, like the story itself, is simple, fresh, and perfectly suited to the tale it holds within its pages.

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