Part of your world

I'll start this with the irritation I had when seeing Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill's The Waters and the Wild is listed as being a new entry in Bedlam's Bard. It makes sense, given they wrote several volumes in the series, however, it would have been more honest to refer to it as a SERRAted Edge novel, given NONE of the Bedlam characters show up in this. (I mean, it's a shared world, but still... no flute or banjo playing bard?)

With that said, this is actually a fairly solid entry in fairie filled world, even if given the number of fae related books in the Urban Fantasy market means shifting around a few definitions and mythos related to the central concepts. (The few land courts we hear about make it know Oberon and the Queens are still around, among other things, although here Mab/Maeve is referred to as the Morrigan.)

We're centered rather firmly on Olivia, who just turned 18 in Sacramento, who's on summer vacation with her boyfriend, Blake. Blake is in the running to become an Olympic swimmer, and is generally not much liked by the folks at the Lake Endor resort in New York's Adirondacks. (His family is fairly well off, so the can't say much, but the father loves to try to get his way in everything.) Blake has 2 younger brothers, and a drunken mother. Oh, and he has a girlfriend at the Lake from Boston, Audrey. And Olivia spends much of the book playing mother to the family, since Blake's mother is either usually drunk or asleep.

And then we meet Dylan, itinerant watercraft repairman and lifeguard, who also turns into a seal and is the champion of one faction of the seafolk, who's bound to fight Tiamat in a Duel to the Death under the sea someplace. He's rightfully in hiding above hill, wearing an amber necklace that prevents most magic from working on him or by him. Most. Given he's a selkie, he can't prevent their bane, which Olivia sets off on accident after hearing Audrey and Blake discussing what to do with Olivia; she goes and cries into the lake, which makes Dylan fall in love with her. Which he can't really explain to Olivia, but he does court her as best he can.

Anyway, he makes his true self known about the time Audrey tips a canoe over in the middle of the lake while the two girls are supposed to be timing Blake's swim times. Mind you, after she does this, Audrey is revealed to also be a Lamia...

Much happens, as Olivia tries running away, gets caught, and even with Dylan's magical protection, can't help herself against physical threats of a non magical variety. Which is fine, since Dylan's removal of the necklace also reveals his location, so we get a visit from a rather irate sea monster in the middle of a finger lake.

There are a few undeveloped characters floating around in here, like Mandy and her gran, who run a diner in the closest town to the resort. One gets the impression Gran knows more than she lets on, but what she actually does know is never really discussed. We also find out later on Olivia's Mom knows more than what we were lead to believe, even if it is vaguely foreshadowed in the opening chapter.

There's also a shot fired at a certain movie, as Audrey talks about eating an insipid mermaid who surrounded herself with manmade treasures.

I will give Olivia and the authors credit though, since the do a fairly good job showing us Olivia's clinical depression, although the adventures she goes through do seem to lighten it up a little, which isn't particularly realistic.

All in all, it's a good, if quick read; I just wish they'd have given it a different series title.