Reviews

A Song of Sea and Shore by Katherine Macdonald

mylovescenario's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

3.75

ismana202's review

3.0

I've listened to Katherine's other books and loved them. This one I read the ebook and kept getting pulled out of the story by spelling and grammar mistakes.

nikkieliz13's review

3.0

Rating: 3.5 Stars

A little boy who loved the sea, and a little mermaid who loved him so much she risked everything to save his country.

Ariel was my favorite Disney Princess growing up, so it’d have been remiss of me to pass on this The Little Mermaid inspired story during my current fairytale retellings kick.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this, since [a: Katherine Macdonald] is a new author for me, however she managed to win me over with her fresh and engaging take on this Disney classic. Dare I say that this version is even more compelling than its predecessor.

“I, Neri, Princess of the Sea, swear to never forget you, Prince Kai-of-the-Shore.” I closed his hand over the trinket. “Now you say it back.”

Kai put his arms around me instead. “I won’t forget you, Neri. Never, never, ever. I promise.”

But he had. Somehow. They all had.

I loved that Macdonald did away with the insta-love connection from the film, and instead built a love story on the strong foundation of a childhood friendship between Neri (Ariel) and Kai (Eric). Adding the amnesia storyline was a stroke of genius, as it allowed the existence of said relationship without endangering the integrity of the iconic romance. After all, this wouldn’t be a retelling of The Little Mermaid if Kai knew enough about Neri to see past the air of mystery surrounding her.

Another thing worth mentioning—the reason Neri risked making a deal with the Sea Witch. This FMC didn’t trade her voice for legs in order to spend her life with a complete stranger who literally doesn’t even know she exists. No sirree! This FMC makes the trade in an effort to save an entire kingdom from slaughter. Am I throwing shade at my favorite Disney princess? Yes. Yes I am.

“I’ve missed you every day for ten years,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “And I didn’t know what it was I was missing, only I felt something inside me was lost or gone, and I didn’t know how to fill it. How could I? It was you. It was always you.”

Mcdonald didn’t drop the ball when it came to the writing. Her poet dialogue and fanciful prose characteristic of the fairy tale classics. Characters such as the Sea Witch and Princess Sophia (Kai’s betrothed) were more than props—I felt empathy for the Sea Witch by the end, and admiration for Sophia the moment we met her on page.

TL;DR This retelling of The Little Mermaid has more substance and depth than the original, and is worth the read.

Title:[b: A Song of Sea and Shore]
POV(s):

◆ Chapters: First Person, Single—Neri
◆ Interludes: Third Person, Dual—Kai & Maris

Interconnected Series: N/A
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:

Spoiler

HEA

Relationship: M/F
Genre(s): Fairytale Retelling, Fantasy Romance, Young Adult
Triggers: N/A
Tags/Tropes:
❖ Broken-Treaty
❖ Childhood-Friends-to-Lovers
❖ Clean/Behind-Closed-Doors
❖ Forced-Proximity
❖ Gentle-Hero-Fierce-Heroine
❖ Hero-Doesn’t-Remember-Heroine (Amnesia)
❖ Hero-Engaged-to-OW
❖ Heroine-Defies-Mother
❖ Heroine-Saves-the-Hero
❖ Heroine-Trying-to-Prevent-War
❖ Human-Hero-Mermaid-Heroine
❖ Kingdom-Under-Spell
❖ Language-Barrier/Communication-Barrier
❖ Princess-Heroine-Prince-Hero
❖ Royalty
❖ Seperation (10 years)
❖ The-Little-Mermaid

jneeni's review

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

milkteajeon's review

3.0

2.5

laono's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

cheseliz's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

5.0

<strong>Beautiful Retelling!</strong>

I absolutely love this retelling! Kai is adorable, and the cast of side characters (especially Hans and Greta) are wonderful. I appreciate the use of sign language in this book. Yet another retelling by Katherine Macdonald that I love!

shcleveland's review

4.0

Okay, so this is a fairytale retelling. That by default means it has to work even harder than your average fantasy book at having a killer premise to counterbalance the fact that it’s basically a remake. In my opinion, A Song of Sea and Shore does not disappoint in this regard.

Macdonald seriously amps up the stakes compared to the original Little Mermaid tale. Instead of one mermaid’s heart and soul, Macdonald puts an entire kingdom at risk of obliteration. With this being marketed as a slow-burn romance you know you’re most likely going to get that HEA, but Macdonald makes you sweat for it with these stakes.

I might as well have been a water fountain for at least the second half of the book. Macdonald’s writing is poetic, and can hit you right in the feels. If you don’t like being weepy even after you put the damn book down, you might want to avoid. However, if you like ugly crying through your lunch break and going back to work with a red nose, please proceed.

In the end, A Song of Sea and Shore left me wanting to dive into more of Macdonald’s fairytale retellings. However, I think I’ll need at least a week between them to recover from the emotional rollercoasters. An excellent book, and well worth the read.