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mina2199's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
illusie's review against another edition
1.0
This book was not for me. The pacing was too slow and I thought it was boring. I didn't really like the writing style and was unable to connect to the characters.
sarahp85's review against another edition
3.0
Well written, like the idea of the book but it was long and... kind of boring?
I never truly got into it even though I love everything mermaids normally.
I never truly got into it even though I love everything mermaids normally.
lovelylilpill's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
480 pages and nothing happens.
story_singer_101's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Well-written prose and interesting world. The lower rating comes from thematic content that I strongly disagreed with rather than bad writing.
Well-written prose and interesting world. The lower rating comes from thematic content that I strongly disagreed with rather than bad writing.
lyoungthebookfae's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the e-ARC!!
FANTASTIC! A wonderful twist on a classic sea creature... Kept me guessing and rooting for Sanna! Absolutely adored this, and I really must get my hands on the gorgeous physical copy.
FANTASTIC! A wonderful twist on a classic sea creature... Kept me guessing and rooting for Sanna! Absolutely adored this, and I really must get my hands on the gorgeous physical copy.
sunshine169's review against another edition
2.0
I am an avid reader of mermaid stories. The Little Mermaid was my absolute favorite Disney movie as a child. I played out that VHS so much my parents had to buy a new one. That means that when I see a book about mermaids I am going to want to read it.
With all that said this was not my favorite. Mostly because I am not sure what was going on. The story lagged a lot and then you mix that with some confusing aspects and you get a disappointed Stephanie. I am just not really sure what happened. Sanna, our half mermaid half human, sets off with a goal of find her mother who is from the land. However, this was not a quest to find her mom like I had hoped. It ended up being a cluster of randomness and then all hell breaks loose.
Thank you to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With all that said this was not my favorite. Mostly because I am not sure what was going on. The story lagged a lot and then you mix that with some confusing aspects and you get a disappointed Stephanie. I am just not really sure what happened. Sanna, our half mermaid half human, sets off with a goal of find her mother who is from the land. However, this was not a quest to find her mom like I had hoped. It ended up being a cluster of randomness and then all hell breaks loose.
Spoiler
At the end she finds her mother in a blink to just tie up the quest. It just felt really out of the blue with no satisfying finish. I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it was an actual adventure to find her mom.Thank you to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
_kvjones_'s review against another edition
3.0
Maybe closer to a 3.5?
I feel like the prose was very beautiful and a lot was put into the world-building, but I also had a lot of difficulty getting through the book. The changing perspectives were a bit jarring and made it very easy to disengage, and harder to reengage. There's a lot of beautiful descriptions and words, as well as impactful unbeautiful words and descriptions, but overall it fell a little flat for me.
I enjoyed the world-building specifically of mermaid culture, and even the culture of the island being discussed. I don't really know how I feel about particular characters very strongly.
I feel like the prose was very beautiful and a lot was put into the world-building, but I also had a lot of difficulty getting through the book. The changing perspectives were a bit jarring and made it very easy to disengage, and harder to reengage. There's a lot of beautiful descriptions and words, as well as impactful unbeautiful words and descriptions, but overall it fell a little flat for me.
I enjoyed the world-building specifically of mermaid culture, and even the culture of the island being discussed. I don't really know how I feel about particular characters very strongly.
booklover160's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars doesn't seem like a lot, but I can't justify four so let's go with 3.5
I liked this. It's beautifully written and feels like an old fairytale. But the "alternating"(?) chapters is an odd format and took a while to adjust to. It felt like an extraordinarily long book for not much to happen.
The plot felt like it got lost in the prose. I didn't see where anything was going until we got there which was somewhat frustrating. I had really no desire to pick up the book again after I finished it other than it was the only physical book I had with me at work...
Review sounds harsh, but it was very well written and I liked Sanna's character. I think I would have liked Thyrla a lot more if she got a proper motivation but I feel like she was criminally underdeveloped. She could have been so much better but there was very little time devoted to her background or motivation.
I also think there are way too many metaphors since I have no idea if Thyrla was a dragon, was there a dragon at all, or what did the whole dragon business mean????
I liked this. It's beautifully written and feels like an old fairytale. But the "alternating"(?) chapters is an odd format and took a while to adjust to. It felt like an extraordinarily long book for not much to happen.
The plot felt like it got lost in the prose. I didn't see where anything was going until we got there which was somewhat frustrating. I had really no desire to pick up the book again after I finished it other than it was the only physical book I had with me at work...
Review sounds harsh, but it was very well written and I liked Sanna's character. I think I would have liked Thyrla a lot more if she got a proper motivation but I feel like she was criminally underdeveloped. She could have been so much better but there was very little time devoted to her background or motivation.
I also think there are way too many metaphors since I have no idea if Thyrla was a dragon, was there a dragon at all, or what did the whole dragon business mean????