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jamies_shelves's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sad to say this... but this book was just not my cup of tea. I adore Greek mythology and mermaids/sirens, so I'm really sad that this fell flat for me because it had such potential.
The plot really was super interesting, but the writing style of it just wasn't for me. It was written like a fanfiction. The main character was constantly talking to the audience which is something I personally don't enjoy. I know some people do enjoy this, but it's not for me.
"You might want to skip this part. I'm going to gush now, and I know from experience no one likes to read that. But I don't care. You'll learn everything about my new,
This is one example of this in the text (it is subject to change as this is from an ARC), but it was one of MANYYYY. I feel like this read more like a middle grade book (except for the make out parts), which is totally fine, I love a good middle grade book, but that's not what this was supposed to be.
I also wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters. Ellie was just so whiny and irritating. There was one moment where Ky made a comment about how he's never even seen her cry and I was so confused because he's watched her cry herself to sleep every night, and also cry about 10000 other times through out the day. She also was just so insanely dramatic. She flipped from love to hate to love to hate so easily. I just wish she had something that made me want to root for her.
Ky was a jerk for most of the story. I mean it starts off with him calling her an idiot as she's being shoved face first into a toilet by bullies, so I feel like that's an example of just how shitty he could be. He did a little bit redeem himself for me by the end, but I still wasn't that impressed.
The side characters, Lei and Maia, I did enjoy, I just wish we got more of them. I feel like I wasn't able to really form a connection with them.
I did really enjoy some of the twists and turns along the way and it kept me engaged. I really liked the way it ended and thought it wrapped up nicely.
scribe391's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Ellie has low self esteem and even contemplates suicide.
mrose21's review against another edition
2.0
This book is 100% depressing.
It felt very doom and gloom, unnecessarily gloomy. I won't be rushing to read this book again ever.
My reasoning if I didn't like this to give it 2 stars because of the bullying aspect. Its very realistic, that kids pick on others for no reason, they pretend theres a reason her weight for example but it wasn't that because when her weight is gone they continue. The moral there is some humans are trash.
qdbibliophile's review against another edition
2.0
darquedreamer's review against another edition
5.0
I found this one to be absolutely STUNNING! It has been a very long time since a book has made me feel this deeply. M.C Frank has captured my heart and soul with Salt for Air.
First of all, the writing was enchanting. It was vivid, elegant, and flowed beautifully from page to page. It captured my imagination like no other book has and it painted exquisite pictures in my mind.
Secondly, the story truly and deeply touched me and left an aura of intense emotions floating around my heart. There was sadness, struggle, danger, friendship, and glorious self-discovery. There was never a dull moment, and the pacing and depth of the plotline was perfection.
And, finally, the stars that truly stole my heart were the characters. I’ve said this before, and I know I will always end up saying this but, M.C. Frank truly knows how to write gorgeous characters and deeply intense friendships. I fell in love with each gloriously unique and dynamic character in Salt For Air, and they have stayed with me since I finished their story.
Salt For Air was a powerful story about loss, depression, bullying, and learning how to love oneself. It was also an amazing tale involving mythology, a fantasy world, and mermaids (particularly a gorgeous, strong, emotionally conflicted merman). M.C. Frank found an incredible way to weave emotional struggle, and important issues, in with a heart pounding faerie tale so, even though there was plenty of dreamlike fantasy, there was also a sense of realism that readers, and especially myself, could relate to.
This one has moved to my favorite spot for the year. The world building was impeccable. The characters were highly developed, and the storyline gave me all the feels and kept me wanting more until the very end. I laughed, I cried, and when I was done with the book, I wanted to sit and read it again. I’ve dreamt about this book so many times since I’ve finished it and I can’t recommend it enough.
All the mermaids for this one, and then some!! I am so glad I had the opportunity to beta read this and provide my honest feedback and review!
thehamsterreads's review against another edition
4.0
Get ready for a wild ride of mermaids and monsters, love and death. The writing is absolutely beautiful! There is a strong theme of bullying throughout the story, and how to overcome it. Ellie learns that she is NOT a nobody and how important it is to be true to herself. I found the beginning and the end of the story to be particularly strong. It bogged down in the middle for me because there was a bit too much angst and Ellie annoyed me by pushing everyone away over and over. I mean it’s understandable given her long history of being bullied, so she had a hard time trusting people, but I still found it to be a bit much for my taste. Overall it was still a very good read, and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be looking out for more books by M. C. Frank in the future. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mermaids, Greek mythology, and young adult reads.
I received an ARC from the author, and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
libraryofbecca's review against another edition
5.0
"Breathe, dammit..."
I'm not sure if I can breathe after reading this story. Salt for Air by M.C. Frank is about teenage fanfiction writer Ellie is astonished to encounter a merman asking her to save his life. It's a story not about love but about death and loss. It's a story about trying to survive, whether in this reality or another.
This book was a whirlpool (see what I did there?) of emotions. One second everything would be fine and dandy (or at least as fine and dandy as it could get in this story) and then the next splash! (I'm not stopping with these water puns) everything would go to hell. I rarely got a minute to catch my breathe, but that was fine. It just made me want to read more and more. I've read enough of Frank's writing to become familiar with her tone and I was happy to fall back into those lyrical, poetic pages. That effect just made me glide through this story so much easier and something that I really appreciated.
"You're it."
Everybody's 'it' and by 'it' I mean the characters that I grew to care for in a bit over 200 pages. There's more that I won't mention because of spoilers so I'll just talk about the main two. There's Ellie, of course, the main female character who's point of view the novel is in. Placing the book in her point of view made me really feel for her being able to see her innermost thoughts. In particular there was one scene that my heart literally broke for her and had me saying "oh no no no no" when it happened. Our spectacular merman is our other main character who, well, it was hopeless for me not to fall in love with. Of course there were times I wanted to slap him across the face but near the end of the novel I was crying his name nonetheless.
M.C. Frank never fails to disappoint with endings and Salt for Air is no exception. There were at least two points I thought 'what else could happen' and other things happen they did. But it wasn't meaningless run-on at the end of the story like other novels I've read, it was substance, scenes that needed to happen or the story wouldn't have been so fulfilling at the end.
This book takes a spin on the ever-popular greek mythology and revitalizes it in a new way. The myths in this story aren't the cut-and-dry definitions that you can find in any textbook. They're unique and unexpected. And don't even get me started on the descriptions of the mer-creatures because they're just beautiful. I wish I was an artist so I could draw them, but the gorgeous image in my head will just have to suffice.
I'd recommend Salt for Air to anyone who wants to read an amazing story about fighting back and taking back what is yours. Oh, and also anyone who likes mythology and mermaids too. You'll enjoy it as well.
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel by the author in exchange for my honest review*
bookschief_managed's review
4.0
M.C. Frank is such a fantastic writer and has a great way of drawing you into the story and making you love the characters. I loved the fact that Ellie was a fanfiction writer and that that was her escape. I could totally relate to that side of her, having spent the majority of high school and college doing just that. She was so relatable and so strong.
The one thing that bothered me throughout the book was that she was so wishy washy with everything going on. She yanked poor Ky around left and right, BUT I get it. There was a lot going on and they did expect a lot from her right from the get-go.
This book was set in Greece, which so rarely happens that it made me love it at once! I wish that there was more exploring when it came to actually seeing more of Greece, but that’s okay!
The progression of this book was amazing! The flow was great and it moved at a pace that made me want to keep reading. I flew through this book, especially the last 30%!
I don’t want to get into any of the actual plot because I don’t want to spoil anything for other readers, but I will say that if you like mermaids and mythology, you should DEFINITELY read this book. You get hot mermen trying to save the world from eternal damnation, awesome battles, and some pretty cool world building that sets us up nicely for the next book!
I can’t wait to see where this series goes in the future.
shyviolet09's review
3.0