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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A solid 3.8! I did very much enjoy the style of writing this author has; it's very dreamy & pretty. I felt the romance was a little too quick in my opinion, but otherwise I definitely enjoyed this twist from the more disney-esque telling of mermaids.
Okay, so I finished this book days ago, and since then have been trying to put into words all of my feelings about this book. I should start off by saying I was super lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this through the Penguin Random House booth at Emerald City Comic Con back in March. What follows is my honest review of The Mermaid by Christina Henry.
This is my second book by Christina Henry, and I can say I'm a huge fan of her writing style. She has an amazing way of telling a story that pulls right in and doesn't let me go. Even with story lines I'm not sure I'm going to love, she hooks me right in. I wasn't sure how I was going to fair on a book about a mermaid. But I'm happy I gave it a go.
Christina Henry's mermaid isn't like the ones your thinking. She's not human at all, but a creature of the ocean. One that has business with PT Barnum. It was absolutely wonderful to see the world through Amelia's eyes, especially a time period where women were very much seen and not heard. To understand that despite the glitz and glamour of the Gilded Age, there was darkness and a lot of things that just made very little sense.
I loved that PT Barnum wasn't made out to be a good guy. Christina Henry didn't throw any punches with his character and how far he'd go for freed. It was something I enjoyed. I also enjoyed watching Charity's character growth her knowing Amelia was amazing to see. Amelia herself is amazing. She knows who she is, and she knows that being a women doesn't hinder her in anyway. Though she's far from perfect. We get so the chinks in her armor, we get see her strength, and we get to see her grow as she learns about the world and what it means to human. Which isn't always a good thing.
The detail about the American Museum itself shows the amount of time and research went into this story. As well as the small glimpses of the fashion of the era.
I felt the entire story flowed so well together and all the pieces came together wonderfully. This had started out as my bus, but quickly became the only thing I was reading between work and life. To the point I fell asleep inside the book more than once! It's that good!
However, I'm not a hundred percent okay with how the book ended. It's a little bit about how things between Levi and Amelia changed toward the end of the book, and a little because it felt a bit rushed there at the end. Maybe it's because it left me wanting a little more time with Amelia. Maybe I wasn't ready for the book to done. But, that's why four stars instead of five. I just wasn't real happy with the ending.
The book as a whole, loved it! I just cannot gush enough about the writing, Amelia as a character as whole. It was a wonderful read and I'm glad I didn't have to wait until June to pick this up!
Buy, borrow, skip: You mean you haven't pre-ordered it already? Haven't put it on hold? What are you waiting for! Go now! And, pick up one of Christina Henry's other books while you wait!
You can find this and other bookish goodies at my blog Bookish Whispers!
This is my second book by Christina Henry, and I can say I'm a huge fan of her writing style. She has an amazing way of telling a story that pulls right in and doesn't let me go. Even with story lines I'm not sure I'm going to love, she hooks me right in. I wasn't sure how I was going to fair on a book about a mermaid. But I'm happy I gave it a go.
Christina Henry's mermaid isn't like the ones your thinking. She's not human at all, but a creature of the ocean. One that has business with PT Barnum. It was absolutely wonderful to see the world through Amelia's eyes, especially a time period where women were very much seen and not heard. To understand that despite the glitz and glamour of the Gilded Age, there was darkness and a lot of things that just made very little sense.
I loved that PT Barnum wasn't made out to be a good guy. Christina Henry didn't throw any punches with his character and how far he'd go for freed. It was something I enjoyed. I also enjoyed watching Charity's character growth her knowing Amelia was amazing to see. Amelia herself is amazing. She knows who she is, and she knows that being a women doesn't hinder her in anyway. Though she's far from perfect. We get so the chinks in her armor, we get see her strength, and we get to see her grow as she learns about the world and what it means to human. Which isn't always a good thing.
The detail about the American Museum itself shows the amount of time and research went into this story. As well as the small glimpses of the fashion of the era.
I felt the entire story flowed so well together and all the pieces came together wonderfully. This had started out as my bus, but quickly became the only thing I was reading between work and life. To the point I fell asleep inside the book more than once! It's that good!
However, I'm not a hundred percent okay with how the book ended. It's a little bit about how things between Levi and Amelia changed toward the end of the book, and a little because it felt a bit rushed there at the end. Maybe it's because it left me wanting a little more time with Amelia. Maybe I wasn't ready for the book to done. But, that's why four stars instead of five. I just wasn't real happy with the ending.
The book as a whole, loved it! I just cannot gush enough about the writing, Amelia as a character as whole. It was a wonderful read and I'm glad I didn't have to wait until June to pick this up!
Buy, borrow, skip: You mean you haven't pre-ordered it already? Haven't put it on hold? What are you waiting for! Go now! And, pick up one of Christina Henry's other books while you wait!
You can find this and other bookish goodies at my blog Bookish Whispers!
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The mermaid follows the story of a mermaid called Amelia with big dreams of the human world. She falls in love and is trying to find the balance of sea and land.
I thought it was quite slow paced and not much happened for a lot of the story.
As always, Christina Henry has such a good writing style that it made it worth finishing. Not to say some won’t love it… I know they do. It was just a bit slow for me despite it being a 300 odd page book.
I liked finding out one of the characters you meet later on , Barnum was a real person. That’s very cool.
I thought it was quite slow paced and not much happened for a lot of the story.
As always, Christina Henry has such a good writing style that it made it worth finishing. Not to say some won’t love it… I know they do. It was just a bit slow for me despite it being a 300 odd page book.
I liked finding out one of the characters you meet later on , Barnum was a real person. That’s very cool.
An interesting take on PT Barnum and a real life mermaid. There were pieces that seemed to drag on a bit, but overall this was a very engaging story. And it had such a satisfying ending!
As usual, Christina Henry is a wonderful author. This book however really stands out from her others. Highly recommend!
“And then he saw her.
She stood on the cliff staring out to sea, her unbelievably long witch-hair not blowing in the wind from the ocean but seeming to embrace it, to twine around the very air and move with it in an impossible dance.”
First things first, this is NOT a retelling of The Little Mermaid. I think I got more out of this book than others because I knew going in that this was not the case. Amelia and her story are an all together different creature, one that I was impressed by it.
My favourite aspect of this book is how believable and genuine it seems. Henry’s storytelling makes it totally plausible to the reader that mermaids could travel to and walk the streets of New York City.
Despite the time period this story takes place in, Amelia is very much a modern woman. I enjoyed every sparring match between her and Barnum, and how she reiterated time and time again that she was in charge of her own person and her future. I also loved the relationships that Amelia formed with the other women in the story and her fondness for children.
My only complaint was the abruptness of the ending, I would have loved if it had gone on for a few more pages, and wrapped up more of the more minor parts of the story.
After reading ‘The Mermaid’ I am very much looking forward to some of Christina Henry’s other works.
“Do not mistake the revelation of my body for the revelation of my heart. My heart keeps its own secrets, and they don’t belong to you or anyone else just because you’ve seen me with a fishtail.”
She stood on the cliff staring out to sea, her unbelievably long witch-hair not blowing in the wind from the ocean but seeming to embrace it, to twine around the very air and move with it in an impossible dance.”
First things first, this is NOT a retelling of The Little Mermaid. I think I got more out of this book than others because I knew going in that this was not the case. Amelia and her story are an all together different creature, one that I was impressed by it.
My favourite aspect of this book is how believable and genuine it seems. Henry’s storytelling makes it totally plausible to the reader that mermaids could travel to and walk the streets of New York City.
Despite the time period this story takes place in, Amelia is very much a modern woman. I enjoyed every sparring match between her and Barnum, and how she reiterated time and time again that she was in charge of her own person and her future. I also loved the relationships that Amelia formed with the other women in the story and her fondness for children.
My only complaint was the abruptness of the ending, I would have loved if it had gone on for a few more pages, and wrapped up more of the more minor parts of the story.
After reading ‘The Mermaid’ I am very much looking forward to some of Christina Henry’s other works.
“Do not mistake the revelation of my body for the revelation of my heart. My heart keeps its own secrets, and they don’t belong to you or anyone else just because you’ve seen me with a fishtail.”
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated