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misha_ali's review
3.0
A cute, if a bit short, story about mermaids and humans establishing relations after a girl is accidentally captured twice by the Merfolk for study and her memory can no longer be wiped. I do wish this was longer because there are some interesting aspects to the Merfolk magic and some fun little references to The Little Mermaid. A quick and fun read, overall, but not much depth (pun intended).
anelya's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
More a note to self than a review:
This novel felt very sadly like a wonderful idea, with not the best execution. I could feel all the story there, but it honestly felt kind of like a first draft or a very detailed outline. I kept wishing for the characters to be more fully in the moments, for the reader to be lead by the hand through events and feelings, instead of beg pulled so quickly through so much. It felt more like I was reading an overview or very deailed summary instead of an actual exploration of events.
I don't quite know how to describe it right now, but that's about my current vibes. Great idea, average execution. Oh, also, there was a lot of messing around with verb tenses that I found extremely jarring. The wonky grammar made it really difficult for me to stay engaged, it kept breaking my immersion.
I dunno, short read, but ultimately really not for me. I mean, it would totally be a story I'd love, just not the way it's currently written.
This novel felt very sadly like a wonderful idea, with not the best execution. I could feel all the story there, but it honestly felt kind of like a first draft or a very detailed outline. I kept wishing for the characters to be more fully in the moments, for the reader to be lead by the hand through events and feelings, instead of beg pulled so quickly through so much. It felt more like I was reading an overview or very deailed summary instead of an actual exploration of events.
I don't quite know how to describe it right now, but that's about my current vibes. Great idea, average execution. Oh, also, there was a lot of messing around with verb tenses that I found extremely jarring. The wonky grammar made it really difficult for me to stay engaged, it kept breaking my immersion.
I dunno, short read, but ultimately really not for me. I mean, it would totally be a story I'd love, just not the way it's currently written.
wynterwonderland's review
Couldn't acquire a physical copy, and reading on my phone is pretty impossible for me.
astraeal's review
4.0
After reading this book I have two main thoughts:
1) We need way more f/f mermaids stories
2) I wanna go on an adventure at sea!!
This story was really a delight to read, beginning with Sarai, our main character, falling off a ship during a storm and landing on land, realizing later she lost a few days memories. I wasn't that interested in the beginning when she was on land, maybe because she was still lost about what happened and what to do now, even though I really like seeing her relationship with her cousin Gretchen.
And then Sarai went back to the beach, into the sea, and was abducted by Ydri, a mermaid who studies how humans work. There we get some answers and Sarai reluctantly agrees to stay and answer Ydri's questions.
The real story began there for me, reading Sarai and Ydri getting to know each other. I absolutely loved every description of the merpeople and everything about this world, it seemed so magical, at some point I really thought I was under the sea.
I think the descriptions were my favorite part of this book, but Sarai and Ydri's developing relationship were a close second, along with some supportive characters like Gretchen, or Irene and Nicholas we meet later in the story. I kind of wish it was longer though, it would have been so good to read about these characters and their adventures!
I received this book from Netgalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.
1) We need way more f/f mermaids stories
2) I wanna go on an adventure at sea!!
This story was really a delight to read, beginning with Sarai, our main character, falling off a ship during a storm and landing on land, realizing later she lost a few days memories. I wasn't that interested in the beginning when she was on land, maybe because she was still lost about what happened and what to do now, even though I really like seeing her relationship with her cousin Gretchen.
And then Sarai went back to the beach, into the sea, and was abducted by Ydri, a mermaid who studies how humans work. There we get some answers and Sarai reluctantly agrees to stay and answer Ydri's questions.
The real story began there for me, reading Sarai and Ydri getting to know each other. I absolutely loved every description of the merpeople and everything about this world, it seemed so magical, at some point I really thought I was under the sea.
I think the descriptions were my favorite part of this book, but Sarai and Ydri's developing relationship were a close second, along with some supportive characters like Gretchen, or Irene and Nicholas we meet later in the story. I kind of wish it was longer though, it would have been so good to read about these characters and their adventures!
I received this book from Netgalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.
kazen's review
3.0
2.5 stars
I picked up Surface Tension because it's an f/f romance with bi rep that has mermaids, and I need more of that in my life. It's inspired by The Little Mermaid but goes off and does its own thing.
The good:
- The author is autistic and bi, making for own voices bi rep, yea!
- Serai's yearns to be out at sea and make her own life to get away from a less than ideal father, and she does it. The beginning, where she meets an awful storm with her crew mates on the high seas, drew me right in.
- The Ariel-esque character has the same grotto and love of human objects that you would expect, but with a more scientific bent, which is neat.
- All of the icky parts of The Little Mermaid story are taken out so no one loses their voice to get legs, etc.
- The under sea sections have the germ of a good idea, but...
The not-so-good:
- The setting isn't fleshed out much. It's your typical European fantasy setting - vaguely medieval with a town, castle, forest, and ocean. I wanted more, especially from the under sea sections.
- The one side character with any teeth, Nicholas, could have served the plot better.
-There's a tsunami at one point, and the damage was more fitting to a gently rising tide of mineral water. Tsunamis do not damage so cleanly, I'm afraid.
- I'm not sure I understood the point of the mermaids having four tentacles.
- The end smacks of colonialism, which I did not like or expect.
After such a wonderful beginning I was left disappointed.
Thanks to Nine Star Press and Netgalley for providing a review copy.
I picked up Surface Tension because it's an f/f romance with bi rep that has mermaids, and I need more of that in my life. It's inspired by The Little Mermaid but goes off and does its own thing.
The good:
- The author is autistic and bi, making for own voices bi rep, yea!
- Serai's yearns to be out at sea and make her own life to get away from a less than ideal father, and she does it. The beginning, where she meets an awful storm with her crew mates on the high seas, drew me right in.
- The Ariel-esque character has the same grotto and love of human objects that you would expect, but with a more scientific bent, which is neat.
- All of the icky parts of The Little Mermaid story are taken out so no one loses their voice to get legs, etc.
- The under sea sections have the germ of a good idea, but...
The not-so-good:
- The setting isn't fleshed out much. It's your typical European fantasy setting - vaguely medieval with a town, castle, forest, and ocean. I wanted more, especially from the under sea sections.
- The one side character with any teeth, Nicholas, could have served the plot better.
-
- I'm not sure I understood the point of the mermaids having four tentacles.
- The end smacks of colonialism, which I did not like or expect.
After such a wonderful beginning I was left disappointed.
Thanks to Nine Star Press and Netgalley for providing a review copy.
llamareads's review
4.0
Look, this is a lesbian romance about a mermaid scientist and a farmer-girl-turned-sailor, and if that doesn’t have you one-clicking the heck out of this story, I don’t know what will! It’s a sweet, fairy-tale-like romance, and it was a delightful read.
Sarai wakes up on a beach after a shipwreck, with only disjointed memories of the storm that wrecked her ship. What she does know is that she doesn’t want to go back to her life as the daughter of a pig farmer, so she eventually seeks out her cousin Gretchen, who works at the castle. Sarai is just biding time, trying to figure out to do since she loves the ocean but knows she’ll have a hard time getting a new position on a ship without any references. While walking along the beach, she thinks she spies the figurehead of her ship, and wades in, only to be grabbed by something and drug under the water. Turns out, she’s been kidnapped by a mermaid scientist, Ydri, who intends to keep her captive for fourteen days, and who’ll then release her with some gold to make up for it. The catch, though, is that it’s revealed that she’d been captured before in the aftermath of the shipwreck, so the mermaid’s magic will not be able to wipe her memory. During their experiments, Ydri and Sarai become almost-friends, but it’s what happens after she’s released that may have impacts on both the human and mermaid worlds. What common ground can a woman who loves the sea and a mermaid scientist have?
Despite being a novella, the story moves at a leisurely pace. It reminds me a bit of a fairy tale retelling, and there are little homages to Disney’s The Little Mermaid, from Ydri’s cache of human artifacts to one character long to be “part of your world.” Once Sarai is kidnapped, however, the story really starts. Ydri, the mermaid scientist, is fascinated by humans and their society, and secretly wishes they would have more contact with the humans, though it’s forbidden by their council. For all the things Ydri learns about her, though, she’s forbidden from revealing anything about their magic, which frustrates Sarai to no end. Despite their growing friendship – and other feelings – they’re hampered by the captor/captive relationship, and that, after fourteen days, Sarai will be returned to the surface and they’ll never see each other again. Both women, of course, are strongly against this, both being curious about the other culture and both, eventually, convinced that mutual cooperation could only help both cultures. When push comes to shove, however, Ydri chooses her family over Sarai, and she’s returned to the surface, once again forced to make a new life on land while her heart remains under the sea. Ydri’s such a wonderful character, curious and motivated to fulfill that curiosity, and I simply loved her. Compared to her, Sarai felt much more anchorless and aimless, though she does her best to form a new life for herself after each time she’s returned to the sea. I loved how she stood up to Ydri, though, about the unfairness of the one-way exchange of information, and how she stepped up when Ydri came to her with news vital to the town, and how brave she was in being the messenger of that bad news.
If you’re as leary of tentacle sex as I am, it’s good to know that besides a few kisses and some mild petting, there’s no sexual content. It’s much more focused on the initial relationship between Sarai and Ydri, which, considering they’re in a captor/captive relationship, is a very good thing that the romance takes a bit to develop. I did find some of the dialog a bit too contemporary for a fantasy-esque story, but I loved the banter between Sarai and Ydri. I thought the ending was quite sweet, and I honestly would love to read more of Sarai and Ydri’s adventures!
Overall, I think some people might find the gentle pace a bit off-putting, but if you’re willing to settle in for a comfy ride, you’ll be well rewarded!
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“The mast swayed beneath her, the ship banking hard as it came about, and she gripped the edge of the basket with both hands and wrapped her hands in the webbing, closing her eyes. Back home in a storm, she’d be huddled in front of a warm, blazing fire. She’d have her father beside her and a book in her hands. She’d be warm and dry and safe.
She opened her eyes, the fear sliding away. She’d be safe at home. But out here, she was alive.”
Sarai wakes up on a beach after a shipwreck, with only disjointed memories of the storm that wrecked her ship. What she does know is that she doesn’t want to go back to her life as the daughter of a pig farmer, so she eventually seeks out her cousin Gretchen, who works at the castle. Sarai is just biding time, trying to figure out to do since she loves the ocean but knows she’ll have a hard time getting a new position on a ship without any references. While walking along the beach, she thinks she spies the figurehead of her ship, and wades in, only to be grabbed by something and drug under the water. Turns out, she’s been kidnapped by a mermaid scientist, Ydri, who intends to keep her captive for fourteen days, and who’ll then release her with some gold to make up for it. The catch, though, is that it’s revealed that she’d been captured before in the aftermath of the shipwreck, so the mermaid’s magic will not be able to wipe her memory. During their experiments, Ydri and Sarai become almost-friends, but it’s what happens after she’s released that may have impacts on both the human and mermaid worlds. What common ground can a woman who loves the sea and a mermaid scientist have?
“There’s nothing wrong with what you’ve shown me!” Sarai reached toward Ydri, but she pulled away, and Sarai’s hand dropped between them. “There’s nothing wrong with being curious, Ydri. There’s nothing wrong with sharing, with making friends. That’s how you learn new things.”
Despite being a novella, the story moves at a leisurely pace. It reminds me a bit of a fairy tale retelling, and there are little homages to Disney’s The Little Mermaid, from Ydri’s cache of human artifacts to one character long to be “part of your world.” Once Sarai is kidnapped, however, the story really starts. Ydri, the mermaid scientist, is fascinated by humans and their society, and secretly wishes they would have more contact with the humans, though it’s forbidden by their council. For all the things Ydri learns about her, though, she’s forbidden from revealing anything about their magic, which frustrates Sarai to no end. Despite their growing friendship – and other feelings – they’re hampered by the captor/captive relationship, and that, after fourteen days, Sarai will be returned to the surface and they’ll never see each other again. Both women, of course, are strongly against this, both being curious about the other culture and both, eventually, convinced that mutual cooperation could only help both cultures. When push comes to shove, however, Ydri chooses her family over Sarai, and she’s returned to the surface, once again forced to make a new life on land while her heart remains under the sea. Ydri’s such a wonderful character, curious and motivated to fulfill that curiosity, and I simply loved her. Compared to her, Sarai felt much more anchorless and aimless, though she does her best to form a new life for herself after each time she’s returned to the sea. I loved how she stood up to Ydri, though, about the unfairness of the one-way exchange of information, and how she stepped up when Ydri came to her with news vital to the town, and how brave she was in being the messenger of that bad news.
If you’re as leary of tentacle sex as I am, it’s good to know that besides a few kisses and some mild petting, there’s no sexual content. It’s much more focused on the initial relationship between Sarai and Ydri, which, considering they’re in a captor/captive relationship, is a very good thing that the romance takes a bit to develop. I did find some of the dialog a bit too contemporary for a fantasy-esque story, but I loved the banter between Sarai and Ydri. I thought the ending was quite sweet, and I honestly would love to read more of Sarai and Ydri’s adventures!
Overall, I think some people might find the gentle pace a bit off-putting, but if you’re willing to settle in for a comfy ride, you’ll be well rewarded!
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
souslesignedelalune's review
4.0
first thought
a f/f mermaid story? GIVE IT TO ME
once i finished reading
• i loved the historical aspects
•queerness
- Sarai is queer (i want to say lesbian but i'm not 100% sure), Ydri too, and Nicholas is a gay noble (so yeah for queer characters!)
•romance
- the focus isn't on the romance but rather how humans and mermaids coexist and can they help each other? I wish we could have learn more on the magic and science aspect of the mermaid life
• strong women
- I liked to see women living different life and having different expectations. Sarai wants adventures, while Gretchen wants to marry and have kids. There's also Ydri who wants to go further in her research than any mermaid did before. The Queen and the woman working at the antique store are both interesting too
a f/f mermaid story? GIVE IT TO ME
once i finished reading
• i loved the historical aspects
•queerness
- Sarai is queer (i want to say lesbian but i'm not 100% sure), Ydri too, and Nicholas is a gay noble (so yeah for queer characters!)
•romance
- the focus isn't on the romance but rather how humans and mermaids coexist and can they help each other? I wish we could have learn more on the magic and science aspect of the mermaid life
• strong women
- I liked to see women living different life and having different expectations. Sarai wants adventures, while Gretchen wants to marry and have kids. There's also Ydri who wants to go further in her research than any mermaid did before. The Queen and the woman working at the antique store are both interesting too
simonlorden's review
5.0
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
rating: 4.5 stars
the short version is that I loved this, but RTC
rating: 4.5 stars
the short version is that I loved this, but RTC
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