The underwater world of Ingo is once again brought to life in this spellbinding sequel. Sapphy, Conor and their mum have moved away from the cottage by the cove, away from the memories of their father. But Sapphy can’t adjust to her new life and is increasingly drawn back to Ingo and to her Mer friend, Faro. Now the undersea world is becoming more dangerous, and as its power grows, both Sapphy and Conor are called to its depths to take on the might of Ingo’s tides.

There is a legend in Cornwall of a man who fell in love with a mermaid, a man who swam down into the sea one night and met his Mer love. He was never seen again. Sapphire knows the legend well. Her father disappeared at sea, and now her brother, Conor, keeps vanishing by the shore, too. Sapphy also feels the inexorable lure of the ocean, a temptation that reveals the truth of the legend and opens a beautiful world beneath the waves: the enchanted, undersea realm known as Ingo. But there’s a dark and dangerous side to Ingo, and Sapphy must face its power or lose touch with everything—and everyone—she loves on land.

In a seaside town of sandy beaches and ocean breezes, Sapphy has never felt so far from the sea. The crowded shore at St. Pirans is nothing like the cove at Sapphy's old home, where she first found her way into the underwater world of Ingo. But Ingo's pull is strong, and it always finds a way. Soon Sapphy and her brother, Conor, are swimming beneath the waves again, riding the currents and teasing their Mer friend Faro. As Sapphy goes deeper into Ingo, she learns to feel more at home in the sea—even as she begins to be aware of its dangers. There's the danger of going in too deep, and breaking the delicate balance between Sapphy's life on land and her life in Ingo. There's the mysterious disappearance of Sapphy's father, an experienced sailor who should never have drowned. And then there's Ingo itself—a restless power as old as the world, as strong as the tides, and more dangerous than anything Sapphy has ever known.

The crossing of Ingo is an ancient and dangerous coming-of-age ritual: a journey to the bottom of the world. Sapphy and Conor have been called to take part, the first of human blood ever to make an attempt. But Ervys and his followers are determined to stop them: dead or alive. Helen Dunmore builds her classic, much-loved series up to a breathtaking finale.

Originally published in Great Britain in 2006 by HarperCollins Publishers.

In this companion novel to the Ingo series, myth and reality collide when Morveren, a young girl from a Cornish island, discovers a Mer boy, Malin, half-buried in the sand dunes. New conflicts erupt between the worlds of sea and air, and storm clouds of danger gather as Morveren and her twin sister, Jenna, struggle to protect Malin. An enthralling battle of loyalties begins when Morveren and Jenna learn that even your closest friends can betray you, and that a tragic reality lies beneath their island’s legends.

With over 150 knots and splices, The Handy Book of Knots is guaranteed to amuse for hours on end.