Dylan McFinn & The Sea Serpent's Fury

"The deathly beast sailed across the sky like a painted Chinese kite dragon."
      This is a quite funny book with concern for environment, sci-fi elements and mermaids! Sounds odd but the result is hilarious.

“Many thousands of years ago, creatives were considered the most important people in the communities. Stories, songs, poems, and paintings were all considered sacred tools and moral compasses from which people learned and receive guidance. But the importance of creativity has been forgotten along with storytelling and it’s important role within a community”
-Liam Jenkins

Where do I start with this amazing and magical book? The beginning is best. It opens up with little kids gathering around Dylan as a older man, to hear about what happened many years before...when Dylan was just a boy, when he knew he had special powers.
We meet Culburt McFinn aka The Captain. A man with good ole heart that helps everyone around town. After a drunken night at the Neptune’s Tower ( a hangout for sailors). As he takes a dip in the ocean he comes across a lovely face...Varuna. After The Captain goes to hell his buddy Marvin pickup plastic from the ocean, he’s taken down under by Veruna. Many think she’s a mermaid, but she’s a Lapatian. And she’s going to show The Captain a magical place. A place where there’s a whole new world where a great and dangerous secret lies. Lapatia is the underground world Varuna is from. Lapatia was once protected by the sea guardian known as Lapoto, whom was part barracuda part human. He guarded the island and the lapatians. He also made sure the people had a safe passage to the mainland. He was also a whopping 11feet tall. Then there was Kadavul at over 2o feet tall, Kadavul was part man/ part shark and he was jealous of Lapoto and wanted to claim all the Fijan and Samoan Island. One day the two giants collided. As a result the mainland broke off. After Lapoto defeated Kadavul, Kadavul felt bitter and sank the island. Some of the villagers ran away and others stayed and adapted to their new life. Varuna and the rest of the Lapatians vowed to keep the oceans clean, and that’s where The Captain comes in. Varuna explains to The Captain that he needs to stay and continue to help the Lapatians protect their waters...he accepts. 

Flash forward to 14 years later

The Captain and Varuna are married and have 2 boys. Axneus (10) and Dylan (13). Both are characters in their own ways. The Captain decided to take the two boys in a trip to the captains homeland. But things have changed and for the worst after the disappearance of The Captains old friend. While The Captain and his sons explore around the day, Axneus discovers a stone that possesses some secretive powers which will flip this family’s life upside down. 

My thoughts on this masterpiece....it was amazing! Jenkins did an amazing job describing the characters and making them come alive in your imagination. He made you really believe you were there experiencing everything. Axneus was super annoying and may times I wish I could reach through the book and slap him. Dylan was selfless and and not selfish like his younger brother. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter in this saga.

This was a great blend of a few different aspects of stories from mermaids to environmental issues. And it worked well for this story.  This is definitely one of those tales that get kids to read.  I loved the characters and the story in a story aspect.  The pacing was wonderful and I just couldn't put it down.

Dylan McFinn & The Sea Serpent’s Fury (Dylan McFinn Chronicles Book 1) By Liam Jenkins is the perfect book to keep your young readers entertained. It is filled with action-packed adventure from beginning to end. It is also immensely amusing, which is always a good thing when a book is aimed at children. My nine-year-old absolutely loved it from beginning to end.

• I received a copy of this book, via NetGalley, for review consideration.

Dylan McFinn & The Sea Serpent's Fury is a story about old wives' tales come to life with mermaids, sirens, cannibalistic marauders, ships, and ship Captains who drink too much rum, disappearing golden castles, underwater cities, shark gods, and wave bending- Oh my!

Our story starts with Captain Culbert McFinn who wakes after his buddy tested his new rum blend on him and is struggling to walk it off when he suddenly meets a mermaid- which, due to his acknowledged intoxicated state he calks up to the high likelihood that his drink may be causing him to hallucinate. Soon the captain is carried off to an underwater city because he is widely known in their parts for his efforts in cleaning up the oceans and his innovations and promotions of recycling plastics for more Earth-friendly creations. Many years later on his eldest son's 13 birthday, they return to the island of Malolo and that is where our true story begins.

I was excited to read this with my boys. Sadly, with all the COVID madness everything got thrown off track and, well, they bailed. This was a decent kids' book but it was kind of a prequel and a part of a story. The ending definitely sets you up for a continuation of the adventure and was definitely not a happily ever after (HEA). If you are looking for a new kids series this might be a good fit for you.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What a wonderful introduction to Dylan McFinn! Honestly, there is something for everyone in this novel. While the adventure is self-contained, it is wonderful to know there will be more adventures coming! This is a story full of not just adventure but myths, legends, and environmental awareness. Being a YA novel, this definitely follows the general idea of 'coming of age' novels, but the characters are so alive and vibrant, it is impossible to put down! A beautifully crafted and funny novel. Can't wait until the next one!

this was a lot of fun reading, it had what I was looking for in a fantasy novel and had interesting characters. overall i'd like another book in the series.