Which Mermaid Books For Young Adults Feature Strong, Independent Heroines?

The 'strong' part is trickier than just fighting ability. Some authors write mermaids as physically powerful but emotionally reliant on men, which kind of ruins the point for me. I'd argue for 'The Deep' by Rivers Solomon. The mermaid society here is a collective memory-keeping culture born from pregnant African women thrown overboard during the transatlantic crossing. The protagonist, Yetu, holds the traumatic history for her people, and her entire journey is about the immense weight of that duty versus her need for personal freedom. Her strength is in vulnerability, endurance, and ultimately choosing a new way for herself and her people. It's a haunting, poetic book where independence is defined communally, not individually. On a totally different note, 'Into the Drowning Deep' by Mira Grant has marine biologist Tory, who's driven, brilliant, and stubbornly pursuing the truth about what killed her sister. She's on a ship full of mercenary hunters and cynical corporate types, armed with science and sheer will. She doesn't have magical powers; her strength is intellectual resilience in the face of literal monsters. It's a horror thriller, so the 'independence' is survival-focused, but she's never a damsel. I'd skip a lot of the older paranormal romance stuff where the mermaid's main conflict is choosing between two supernatural boyfriends. That's not the vibe you're after.

One that springs to mind immediately is 'The Sea King's Daughter' by Barbara Michaels, though it's more historical romance with a mermaid folklore twist. The protagonist is a Victorian scholar determined to prove her father's theories right, which means diving into dangerous academic and social waters. She's not a mermaid herself, but the creature's myth drives her entire quest for independence against a stuffy society. For a more direct aquatic heroine, try 'Into the Drowning Deep' by Mira Grant. The scientists on that doomed ship, especially the sisters, are fiercely competent and driven by their own intellectual curiosity, not by any romantic plot. They're facing down literal killer mermaids with scalpels and sonar. It's less a fairy tale and more a sci-fi thriller, but the female leads are about as independent as they come—their struggle is for survival and truth, not love.