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szuum's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Car accident
bookbrig's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
What a fantastic story! It's got an outstanding audiobook, and the way it braids mermaid story into human story into island story into family story works so well. I love Kira, and as an adult reader I teared up several times in the story, including where she's working through stuff around her mom and the consequences of her wish. I love the magic and the sense of place, as they really ground the fantasy parts. It gets a bit scary near the end, but not gory or too dark. The presence of a loving friend or caring adult at each scary part helps balance the tension a little. I'll definitely be bringing this to our schools, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a wonderful summer read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Confinement
Minor: Slavery, Kidnapping, and Car accident
thelittlestmermaid's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
* Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! *
To be entirely honest, I requested this book mainly because it had a mermaid on the cover. After reading it however I'm very glad that I requested it. I did think it would be more of a scary book based on the cover, but maybe it would be to a younger reader.
Kela is a good protagonist for a middle grade novel. She makes mistakes but ultimately realizes what the right thing to do is and follows through with doing it. Her grief over her mother feels very real and the story shows how much it has affected her life. Her friend Lissy calls her out for pushing her away, her dad talks about how they never go diving anymore, and other similar things.
Ophidia, the sea woman, is a fun character to read about. Her perspectives all start and end with the same phrases and I thought that was unique and a fun storytelling tool. I do wish we could learn more about her and her life under the sea, but her motivation in this story is simply to get her comb back from Kela.
This book felt a little slow during some parts and it took me a little longer to read than I'd anticipated, but I enjoyed it despite that. The setting and characters were fun and the plot was intriguing. This was fun to read as an adult but as a child this is definitely a book that I would have read in one sitting.
4 Stars
To be entirely honest, I requested this book mainly because it had a mermaid on the cover. After reading it however I'm very glad that I requested it. I did think it would be more of a scary book based on the cover, but maybe it would be to a younger reader.
Kela is a good protagonist for a middle grade novel. She makes mistakes but ultimately realizes what the right thing to do is and follows through with doing it. Her grief over her mother feels very real and the story shows how much it has affected her life. Her friend Lissy calls her out for pushing her away, her dad talks about how they never go diving anymore, and other similar things.
Ophidia, the sea woman, is a fun character to read about. Her perspectives all start and end with the same phrases and I thought that was unique and a fun storytelling tool. I do wish we could learn more about her and her life under the sea, but her motivation in this story is simply to get her comb back from Kela.
This book felt a little slow during some parts and it took me a little longer to read than I'd anticipated, but I enjoyed it despite that. The setting and characters were fun and the plot was intriguing. This was fun to read as an adult but as a child this is definitely a book that I would have read in one sitting.
4 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
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