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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
This book is FAR too visceral and raw for me to read right now. Actually probably anytime. It reminds me unnervingly of Robin McKinley's Deerskin and also Catherine Called Birdy which both traumatized me as a teenager. I knew by 10% of the book that there was no way I could finish it; I skimmed to 20% and confirmed it. It looks interesting, with the mermaid born of a human going on land to find something, perhaps her mother, but the way it is written completely turns me off.
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this e-arc to review*
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this e-arc to review*
I received this book for free for in exchange for an honest review.
Mermaids? Fairy tale retelling? This book had the premise of things I enjoy. However, it didn't totally hit the mark for me. Sanna was born of a merman and human mother. The put a forgetting spell on all of their clan to make sure that no one would remember where Sanna's mother gave birth to her. Sanna goes on a quest to find her mother but is pulled into the clutches of a Duchess wanting to live forever.
I enjoyed parts of the book. The setting and the merging of two worlds was great. Sanna wasn't my favorite character, but she did eventually grow on me. The writing was beautiful and flowed so well. My main issue with the writing was the switching of POV. It didn't go from character to character, but from Sanna's point of view to an all knowing narrator. It pulled me out of the story every time it changed.
I wouldn't say I entirely enjoyed the book, but the message was meaningful and clear. There were feminist leanings to the story and it did feel magical, but it didn't keep my full attention and I struggled at times to keep reading. I think it all comes down to my taste. It might not be for me, but I would recommend it for anyone wanting a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid.
Mermaids? Fairy tale retelling? This book had the premise of things I enjoy. However, it didn't totally hit the mark for me. Sanna was born of a merman and human mother. The put a forgetting spell on all of their clan to make sure that no one would remember where Sanna's mother gave birth to her. Sanna goes on a quest to find her mother but is pulled into the clutches of a Duchess wanting to live forever.
I enjoyed parts of the book. The setting and the merging of two worlds was great. Sanna wasn't my favorite character, but she did eventually grow on me. The writing was beautiful and flowed so well. My main issue with the writing was the switching of POV. It didn't go from character to character, but from Sanna's point of view to an all knowing narrator. It pulled me out of the story every time it changed.
I wouldn't say I entirely enjoyed the book, but the message was meaningful and clear. There were feminist leanings to the story and it did feel magical, but it didn't keep my full attention and I struggled at times to keep reading. I think it all comes down to my taste. It might not be for me, but I would recommend it for anyone wanting a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid.
Teenage me would have sung the praises of this book to everyone around her.
Adult me is having a few issues with someone of the underlying philosophies.
But overall this is a good book, its well written and moves quickly.
Adult me is having a few issues with someone of the underlying philosophies.
But overall this is a good book, its well written and moves quickly.
This was such a unique and lyrical story! I really loved this mermaid story. It was not a typical little mermaid kind of story or killer mermaid story either it had a perfect balance of love, magic, power, and a lot of feminism, that was beautifully portrayed.
This was a mermaid story that perfectly blended the best parts of old fairy tales and modern stories. The magic and writing style of old fairy tales with the more in depth characters and plot of a modern story. I had so much fun reading this. This kind of story was exactly the kind of thing that hooked me on reading in the first place. I really like her writing style especially switching between the POV of a first person with the main character/mermaid Sanna and the more general third person POV of any other character or group of characters. It was unique and interesting but not confusing. I also really loved the setting it sounded like the perfect backdrop for a fairy tale with a beautiful myserteous sea, huge grand castle, and poor quaint town. The plot was interesting and kept me invested in the story. I really liked the main character Sanna but the other characters felt more flat and underdeveloped. The other aspect that made this book four stars instead of five is Sanna's mother. The resolution of that felt rushed and I wished it was explored and given more time at the end of the novel. Overall it was a great read that I hope to read again in the future and I hope other fairy tale lovers will pick this up and get swept away in the magic same as I did.
*I received a free ARC of this novel, with thanks to the author, Candlewick Press and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Mermaid Moon takes the familiar story of a young mermaid begging a sea witch for legs to walk on the land, and turns it on its head.
Sanna isn’t chasing after a man, for a start; she is searching for clues to find her human mother, forgotten due to a magic spell on the night of her birth. And she is no helpless ingenue. She has strength and resources, and plenty of magic of her own.
Strangely, despite this, she still seems easily trapped and spends a large portion of the story passively waiting for answers to reveal themselves to her. Caught up in the selfish plots of the landish baroness and the desperate hopes of the townspeople, her own search is constantly sidelined as she is manoeuvred around the story-board like a pretty pawn. Until towards the end, when she suddenly takes control of events and begins to think, and act, for herself!
The writing is beautiful – conjuring up, not only an exotic underwater landscape and society, but also a landish society rich with magic and mythology of its own, and the juxtaposition of Sanna’s viewpoint with Baroness Thyrla’s as they consistently misunderstand and misinterpret each other’s behaviours is a very clever illustration of the human tendency to project ourselves onto others.
I was often reminded of the animated film of Peter S. Beagle’s story The Last Unicorn, with its old-fashioned other-wordly feel – strange and hauntingly unnatural, but beautiful – with Sanna as Lady Amalthea, Kett as Molly Grue, Tomas and Peder as Schmendrick and Lir, and Baroness Thyrla as King Haggard. However, the ‘red bull’ of danger in this story is actually, as mentioned previously, our speed and willingness to jump to erroneous assumptions about those around us. The characters here are all so focused on their own wants and needs that they unwittingly and repeatedly shroud themselves and each other in confusion.
Far darker and more adult in theme than the average Disney mermaid tale, Mermaid Moon, weaves a slow and strangely haunting tale around the reader, overwhelming them with the scent of salt tears and cloying, blood-red roses, and drowning the sounds of siren song with the clacking clamour of dust-dry bones.
Fans of slow-paced narratives, focused strongly on female-centric themes, will enjoy this swim in magical waters.
As I step toward them, I get another sensation, that which we call the Down-Below-Deep. I feel as if I’m moving below the sea’s striae of buoyancy, so far down it takes days first to swim and then to sink to the bottom. Anyone who reaches that place risks being held by the weight of water until it crushes her to death.
I am almost afraid enough to turn back, but I don’t. I am sworn to the quest. And anyway, my poor new feet can’t walk to the water again, and my grip on my magic is weak; I might not be able to change.
So I take a deep breath, and then the last few steps into sun and the edge of the crowd.
– Susann Cokal, Mermaid Moon
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/mermaid-moon-susann-cokal/
Mermaid Moon takes the familiar story of a young mermaid begging a sea witch for legs to walk on the land, and turns it on its head.
Sanna isn’t chasing after a man, for a start; she is searching for clues to find her human mother, forgotten due to a magic spell on the night of her birth. And she is no helpless ingenue. She has strength and resources, and plenty of magic of her own.
Strangely, despite this, she still seems easily trapped and spends a large portion of the story passively waiting for answers to reveal themselves to her. Caught up in the selfish plots of the landish baroness and the desperate hopes of the townspeople, her own search is constantly sidelined as she is manoeuvred around the story-board like a pretty pawn. Until towards the end, when she suddenly takes control of events and begins to think, and act, for herself!
The writing is beautiful – conjuring up, not only an exotic underwater landscape and society, but also a landish society rich with magic and mythology of its own, and the juxtaposition of Sanna’s viewpoint with Baroness Thyrla’s as they consistently misunderstand and misinterpret each other’s behaviours is a very clever illustration of the human tendency to project ourselves onto others.
I was often reminded of the animated film of Peter S. Beagle’s story The Last Unicorn, with its old-fashioned other-wordly feel – strange and hauntingly unnatural, but beautiful – with Sanna as Lady Amalthea, Kett as Molly Grue, Tomas and Peder as Schmendrick and Lir, and Baroness Thyrla as King Haggard. However, the ‘red bull’ of danger in this story is actually, as mentioned previously, our speed and willingness to jump to erroneous assumptions about those around us. The characters here are all so focused on their own wants and needs that they unwittingly and repeatedly shroud themselves and each other in confusion.
Far darker and more adult in theme than the average Disney mermaid tale, Mermaid Moon, weaves a slow and strangely haunting tale around the reader, overwhelming them with the scent of salt tears and cloying, blood-red roses, and drowning the sounds of siren song with the clacking clamour of dust-dry bones.
Fans of slow-paced narratives, focused strongly on female-centric themes, will enjoy this swim in magical waters.
As I step toward them, I get another sensation, that which we call the Down-Below-Deep. I feel as if I’m moving below the sea’s striae of buoyancy, so far down it takes days first to swim and then to sink to the bottom. Anyone who reaches that place risks being held by the weight of water until it crushes her to death.
I am almost afraid enough to turn back, but I don’t. I am sworn to the quest. And anyway, my poor new feet can’t walk to the water again, and my grip on my magic is weak; I might not be able to change.
So I take a deep breath, and then the last few steps into sun and the edge of the crowd.
– Susann Cokal, Mermaid Moon
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/mermaid-moon-susann-cokal/
I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.
I pretty much request any book I see involving mermaids. Some have been good, some interesting, some terrible. This one floats somewhere between.
The story is definitely interesting and several of the characters are compelling enough to keep you interested. The author's writing style is...wordy. At times, it's lovely to get lost in. Others, it's a bit of a bore and you just want to flip pages ahead to see if anything happens.
I probably wouldn't necessarily read it again, but I did enjoy it and am glad I gave it a chance!
I pretty much request any book I see involving mermaids. Some have been good, some interesting, some terrible. This one floats somewhere between.
The story is definitely interesting and several of the characters are compelling enough to keep you interested. The author's writing style is...wordy. At times, it's lovely to get lost in. Others, it's a bit of a bore and you just want to flip pages ahead to see if anything happens.
I probably wouldn't necessarily read it again, but I did enjoy it and am glad I gave it a chance!
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated