Rating: 
Summary: The water is definitely haunted
Review: Based on an old legend, this is a romance/horror/fantasy/mythical story, and quite nicely written. There are some areas that could use a little more elaboration, but overall it's very nice.A young nobleman named Huldbrand ends up temporarily stranded at the home of a fisherman. There, he meets the fisherman's foundling daughter -- a beautiful, sea-obsessed, almost wild-seeming girl named Undine. Huldbrand falls helplessly in love with her, and after a priest is conveniently provided, the two are married. But something sinister is lurking in the woods -- a skin-faced, eyeless, lipless demon that is stalking Undine. Though she and Huldbrand initially are happy at his vast estate, the demon has followed her. Increasingly frightened by his wife's strange ways and by the bizarre things that follow her, Huldbrand begins to wonder what she truly is and whether she is as innocent as she seems. Mary Pope Osborne is best known for her younger reader books, the Magic Tree House series. But this book is for older readers, despite its short length. It'll scare some younger readers, there are some brief hints about the marital relationship between Huldbrand and Undine, and the kiddies may be bored stiff by the steady, gradual pace and the uneventful settings. Writing is exquisite, detailed but not too detailed, evocative without requiring too much description. There seems to be a dreamy tint to even the everyday occurrances in this book, especially any scenes with Undine. Characterizations are a little thin -- at times, Huldbrand feels like the only truly 3-D character. However, as adaptations go this is a great one. Definitely worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Spare, Atmospheric Tale of Enchantment
Review: Based upon the novel "Undine" written in the early 19th century by Friedrich Heinrich Karl, this short novel is spare and seems almost primative. The dialog is simple, the characters not very deep, but it has atmosphere in abundance and romance and obsession. It is the sad tale of a nobleman who is beguiled and ultimately falls in love with a mysterious young woman. It reads almost like a myth or a legend. It draws you into its pages and treats you to emotional ambiance that you won't soon forget. Some elements of the tale are never fully explained, but I did not find that to be a necessity because it is very dream-like or similar to being held under a spell. Anyone who has lived under an enchantment will understand. Read it and see for yourself. It is lovely.
Rating: 
Summary: who is this written for?
Review: I checked this book out for a young reader in my life - she tried it (about 30 pages), said "ugh," and handed it to me. We're both fans of mermaids and fairy tales and selkies and so on... so I gave it a shot. (I'm 28). This book was in the young adult section at the library... and the whole time I was reading it I felt like Mary Pope Osbourne was dying to write a mermaid bodice ripper, but didn't want to upset her magic treehouse fans. The book had the elements of a fairy tale with the feel of a harlequin romance thrown in. (She only alludes to sex, but it feels forced or restrained - just not right). I didn't give a poop what happened to the lord and his lady by the end... it was boring and silly, and I am astonished it has received so many good reviews here on amazon. I'd love to read the original story it's based on (and plan to). I have a feeling there might have been a lot more to work with that Osborne didn't bother to bring to the page. Go read Hans Christian Anderson or a book on sea-lore instead. The horrible paperback cover says enough in itself. The hardback (which I read, was much spookier looking).
Rating:
Summary: who is this written for?
Review: I checked this book out for a young reader in my life - she tried it (about 30 pages), said "ugh," and handed it to me. We're both fans of mermaids and fairy tales and selkies and so on... so I gave it a shot. (I'm 28). This book was in the young adult section at the library... and the whole time I was reading it I felt like Mary Pope Osbourne was dying to write a mermaid bodice ripper, but didn't want to upset her magic treehouse fans. The book had the elements of a fairy tale with the feel of a harlequin romance thrown in. (She only alludes to sex, but it feels forced or restrained - just not right). I didn't give a poop what happened to the lord and his lady by the end... it was boring and silly, and I am astonished it has received so many good reviews here on amazon. I'd love to read the original story it's based on (and plan to). I have a feeling there might have been a lot more to work with that Osborne didn't bother to bring to the page. Go read Hans Christian Anderson or a book on sea-lore instead. The horrible paperback cover says enough in itself. The hardback (which I read, was much spookier looking).
Rating:
Summary: Stagnant Waters is More Like It
Review: I rarely have to force myself to read a book. I like fantasy but this book was so dry and plodding that I couldn't enjoy it. I never did quite figure out what the original premise of the book was; I think it was something about a sea king but the author did such a poor job of writing that the book just made me irratable and confused. If I had to do it again I wouldn't even waste the time checking it out from a library.
Rating: 
Summary: Haunted Waters-Confusing!
Review: I rated this book two stars because it was really too hard to follow, and it used a lot of words I did not know. The book was about a maiden from a poor family who was really the daughter of the Sea King. But how did she become human? Her purpose was to see what love was like, but don't they know what love is like under the water? One day a man named Lord Holdbrand came to their families pennisula after spending one minute with her, he fell deeply in love with her by some mysterious power. They married and lived happily in their castle, or so they thought. The one point I forgot to tell you is that there was a ghost that haunted the pennisula, and now it followed her to the castle. What is it, why does it want from her? Those are the questions that raced through my mind. This book was good but hard to understand. I encourage you to read this book and maybe you can understand it better then I did.
Rating: 
Summary: I recomend it!
Review: I thought the use of words and the discription was excellent. It had a lot of climaxes and it was a very suspenful book, but yet it wasn't a scary book. It had a very good base to the story and just made you want to read more. I thought it was so good that I just sat in my chair and read the whole thing in one day. I highly recomend it!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Mysterious, Morbid Fantasy; Hauntingly Beautiful
Review: I was very impressed by the author's writing style. She described everything perfectly; not in a lot of detail, but just enough to give you the aura of the setting. Mary Osborne took a fairy tale and twisted it into her own dark story. It's intriguing, as very little is actually explained, but the place inbetween the lines tells you what you need to know. It's kind of scary, so I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids, but anyone mature enough would be sucked into the story. I especially loved the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Mysterious, Morbid Fantasy; Hauntingly Beautiful
Review: I was very impressed by the author's writing style. She described everything perfectly; not in a lot of detail, but just enough to give you the aura of the setting. Mary Osborne took a fairy tale and twisted it into her own dark story. It's intriguing, as very little is actually explained, but the place inbetween the lines tells you what you need to know. It's kind of scary, so I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids, but anyone mature enough would be sucked into the story. I especially loved the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Spine tingling!
Review: Isn't it great when a book really grabs you and knocks you off your feet? I was so sorry to come to the end. A hauntingly beautiful fairy tale for older readers. The love of Lord Huldbrand (spelling!) for Undine is powerful to begin with and it is fascinating to watch this love turn to suspicion to fear and even to loathing. The mysterious, mystical elements of the book are particularly well written. It's spooky without being scary. I am a Storyteller who loves folklore, mythology, and fairy tales. I am now searching Amazon.com for similar books. (Anyone out there have any suggestions?) This is just a very powerful work that is extremely well written. I'm not doing as good a job as I'd hoped in praising it (these reviews are tough to write, which makes me appreciate a well-written book even more!) so buy a copy for yourself and enjoy, I know you will.
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