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welcometoellasbookshelf's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
miscellaneous_frog's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
kiiouex's review against another edition
4.0
Hey look, a book I liked! Feels like it's been awhile.
Anyway this is primarily an abuse-recovery tale about a pirate and a siren (functionally also a mermaid), doin' some physical therapy, getting some mobility aids, learning how to love again, etc etc.
It pretty much did one single thing, and did a good job of that thing (it's not a very long book either). I don't have complicated thoughts about it because it's not a complicated book; it hit the beats I thought it would and I liked those beats :V read it if you also like hurt/comfort fantasy/adventure queer romance novels (the ideal genre).
Anyway this is primarily an abuse-recovery tale about a pirate and a siren (functionally also a mermaid), doin' some physical therapy, getting some mobility aids, learning how to love again, etc etc.
It pretty much did one single thing, and did a good job of that thing (it's not a very long book either). I don't have complicated thoughts about it because it's not a complicated book; it hit the beats I thought it would and I liked those beats :V read it if you also like hurt/comfort fantasy/adventure queer romance novels (the ideal genre).
marilanoire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
This was a really lovely story with interesting characters and some for me unusual topics. I enjoyed this book very much.
libraryteaimp's review against another edition
5.0
Found family trope, healthy communication, and a nautical setting. I don’t have a lot to say in this review (usually the more I say in a review, the worse the book was) other than it deserves to be read!
Rep: disabled characters, many flavors of queer (ie NB, ace, lesbian)
Rep: disabled characters, many flavors of queer (ie NB, ace, lesbian)
paperbackd's review against another edition
1.0
DNF.
Loved the diversity and the originality of the premise, but found the writing, characterisation and world-building too simplistic.
Loved the diversity and the originality of the premise, but found the writing, characterisation and world-building too simplistic.
unwrappingwords's review against another edition
5.0
Let me start by saying I really loved this book. In Our Bloody Pearl, Bryn has built a fascinating, terrifying world, where bloodthirsty is a general state of being. The waters are populated with sirens, until Captain Kian creates a device to block out their songs. Kian captures Perle, and when we start the book, Perle is trapped, unable to even consider escape, especially as every siren who approaches is at risk from Kian and her crew. Until another pirating vessel captures Kian’s ship. Kian escapes, but Perle finds themself under a new captain, one who promises they will never again be at Kian’s mercy.
Perle mistrusts all humans, but slowly they open up, realising they will need the help of this new captain and his pod if she’s ever going to swim in the sea again.
Perle is an absolutely brilliant POV character, and Bryn does excellent work at conveying everything precisely through their eyes. Their way of parsing out the world is really intriguing, as they come to grips with human terminology, and Perle and Dejean work out their own language and way of communicating. I really liked the interactions between them, and the way their relationship development is woven in with Perle’s own character arc, as they realise the ongoing battle with sirens and humans come from a misunderstanding.
When these new pirates try to move Perle from the ship, it becomes clear their tail is damaged beyond repair, leaving Perle unable to return to the sea they love so much. The humans work out ways to assist Perle, and I really adored this aspect. There’s a strong sense of found family here, and each character really stands on their own. Perle comes to call them their ‘pod’, and it feels very fitting, as the characters gel well together and really look out for each other, even while getting on each other’s nerves or making mistakes, as all families do.
Although Perle has their own internal feelings about their tail, it’s not reflected in the others. It’s conveyed that sirens have their own way of dealing with members of their pod who can’t fully perform the duties, but the humans don’t think any lesser of Perle for what’s happened to them. They, instead, look for ways to help Perle, and comfort them, and Perle comes to realise changes need to be made to the world for all of them, and changing the world so they can thrive will help others do the same.
Perle really grows as a character, exposed to a different side of humanity than they faced under Kian. The book is utterly gripping, really difficult to put down, constantly wanting to see what happens to these characters and how they handle the difficulties that come their way. Perle has a really strong protective streak, but eventually realises it’s okay for others to feel protective over them, too.
It’s a wonderful, LGBT friendly, found family tale with a nonbinary, disabled siren as a protagonist, and all the elements that went into this one really strengthened it overall. An excellent book, and one that now comes highly recommended from me.
Perle mistrusts all humans, but slowly they open up, realising they will need the help of this new captain and his pod if she’s ever going to swim in the sea again.
Perle is an absolutely brilliant POV character, and Bryn does excellent work at conveying everything precisely through their eyes. Their way of parsing out the world is really intriguing, as they come to grips with human terminology, and Perle and Dejean work out their own language and way of communicating. I really liked the interactions between them, and the way their relationship development is woven in with Perle’s own character arc, as they realise the ongoing battle with sirens and humans come from a misunderstanding.
When these new pirates try to move Perle from the ship, it becomes clear their tail is damaged beyond repair, leaving Perle unable to return to the sea they love so much. The humans work out ways to assist Perle, and I really adored this aspect. There’s a strong sense of found family here, and each character really stands on their own. Perle comes to call them their ‘pod’, and it feels very fitting, as the characters gel well together and really look out for each other, even while getting on each other’s nerves or making mistakes, as all families do.
Although Perle has their own internal feelings about their tail, it’s not reflected in the others. It’s conveyed that sirens have their own way of dealing with members of their pod who can’t fully perform the duties, but the humans don’t think any lesser of Perle for what’s happened to them. They, instead, look for ways to help Perle, and comfort them, and Perle comes to realise changes need to be made to the world for all of them, and changing the world so they can thrive will help others do the same.
Perle really grows as a character, exposed to a different side of humanity than they faced under Kian. The book is utterly gripping, really difficult to put down, constantly wanting to see what happens to these characters and how they handle the difficulties that come their way. Perle has a really strong protective streak, but eventually realises it’s okay for others to feel protective over them, too.
It’s a wonderful, LGBT friendly, found family tale with a nonbinary, disabled siren as a protagonist, and all the elements that went into this one really strengthened it overall. An excellent book, and one that now comes highly recommended from me.
araleith's review against another edition
5.0
I loved everything about this book. The siren who uses they/them pronouns, the human characters, the world, all of it. More please.
clacksee's review against another edition
5.0
Having been held captive by a pirate captain for several months, Perle doesn't have the best opinion of humans. But when another ship invades, the new captain isn't what Perle expects.
A mug of hot chocolate on a grey day – this queer pirate steampunk story will bring a smile to even chilliest of hearts.
I thought I'd found the aro-ace agender QPR story I'd been seeking – until the very last couple of pages when it turned out I was (slightly) off base. Still absolutely no hesitations in recommending this book.
A mug of hot chocolate on a grey day – this queer pirate steampunk story will bring a smile to even chilliest of hearts.
I thought I'd found the aro-ace agender QPR story I'd been seeking – until the very last couple of pages when it turned out I was (slightly) off base. Still absolutely no hesitations in recommending this book.