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antithesis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
clairvoyant_weapons's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
alreadspurpleprose's review against another edition
5.0
The sea calls to me; in the tow of the tide and the salt in the breeze. But it calls loudest the moment the storm hits.
Our Bloody Pearl is the book I've always wanted to read and D.N. Bryn offered me a chance to read it for free in exchange for an honest review. It's a take on mermaids and pirates without the romantising. It's honest and brutal. Beautiful and dark. I enjoyed every second of reading it and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my paperback copy to proudly display on my bookshelf.
This is a protagonist like I've never seen in published fiction. It's always a risk in a fantasy story to have your protahonist as a non-human character as it can alienate the reader. A good protagonist is one the reader needs to identify with on some level and all too often, the easiest way to do so is to make them human. Bryn delves deeper. Perle is a fierce blood thirsty siren and Bryn never shies away from that. There's a very distinct difference between the humans and the sirens so that they feel so much more realistic, alien and terrifying. The humans however, are all too familiar but still expertly crafted. Perle manages to be different enough to be interesting with a journey and character growth that readers find compelling and can, in fact, identify with.
Bryn inserts themes that are common in an uncommon story. Found-family, persecution for being different, love. Those are all things we can, one way or another, identify with. By the end of the story Perle transforms from something unfamiliar to a fully fleshed out character that is more than man-eating siren or human. Perle is a marvel of a character and what makes this story so so good.
I believe that Bryn has a very exciting and promising career in writing ahead of them and I can't wait to read more.
Our Bloody Pearl is the book I've always wanted to read and D.N. Bryn offered me a chance to read it for free in exchange for an honest review. It's a take on mermaids and pirates without the romantising. It's honest and brutal. Beautiful and dark. I enjoyed every second of reading it and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my paperback copy to proudly display on my bookshelf.
This is a protagonist like I've never seen in published fiction. It's always a risk in a fantasy story to have your protahonist as a non-human character as it can alienate the reader. A good protagonist is one the reader needs to identify with on some level and all too often, the easiest way to do so is to make them human. Bryn delves deeper. Perle is a fierce blood thirsty siren and Bryn never shies away from that. There's a very distinct difference between the humans and the sirens so that they feel so much more realistic, alien and terrifying. The humans however, are all too familiar but still expertly crafted. Perle manages to be different enough to be interesting with a journey and character growth that readers find compelling and can, in fact, identify with.
Bryn inserts themes that are common in an uncommon story. Found-family, persecution for being different, love. Those are all things we can, one way or another, identify with. By the end of the story Perle transforms from something unfamiliar to a fully fleshed out character that is more than man-eating siren or human. Perle is a marvel of a character and what makes this story so so good.
I believe that Bryn has a very exciting and promising career in writing ahead of them and I can't wait to read more.
polaris42's review against another edition
3.0
I love stories of healing. And for a story about healing it was very good!
My issues with this are entirely spoilery hence hiding the review. So please don't read below. The non spoilers is I had issues with some of the thematic follow throughs and characters.
I didn't like that Perle killed Storm, it was established early on that Sirens don't kill other Sirens. No matter what. Let alone Perle killing someone that only wants to help them. While I get that it was Perle being scared they'd be willing to kill for love cue found family vibes. It just felt like a very big thing that happened that was very horrible, and while Perle felt bad afterwards but it never felt quite fully addressed.
Also, Kaine being spared and being linked to Storm also felt strange to me, since those are two different things. I get it's cycle of violence but Storm's death was never linked in with cycles of revenge and violence. While Kaine's definitely was. Perle giving Kaine a second chance just was bizarre.
I think if one of those plots was taken, or with changes due to pacing we flipped the two- potentially Perle killing Kaine at the very beginning in an act of rage and not being able to snap out of seeing everyone as a threat.
My issues with this are entirely spoilery hence hiding the review. So please don't read below. The non spoilers is I had issues with some of the thematic follow throughs and characters.
I didn't like that Perle killed Storm, it was established early on that Sirens don't kill other Sirens. No matter what. Let alone Perle killing someone that only wants to help them. While I get that it was Perle being scared they'd be willing to kill for love cue found family vibes. It just felt like a very big thing that happened that was very horrible, and while Perle felt bad afterwards but it never felt quite fully addressed.
Also, Kaine being spared and being linked to Storm also felt strange to me, since those are two different things. I get it's cycle of violence but Storm's death was never linked in with cycles of revenge and violence. While Kaine's definitely was. Perle giving Kaine a second chance just was bizarre.
I think if one of those plots was taken, or with changes due to pacing we flipped the two- potentially Perle killing Kaine at the very beginning in an act of rage and not being able to snap out of seeing everyone as a threat.
thestarlessskye's review against another edition
5.0
GR deleted my review D:
Anyway, my rating for this initially was 4.5 stars but I'm gonna give it 5!
To begin with,
CHARACTERS
Perle was a brilliant protagonist. Their journey from being captive, abused and mistrusting humans, to rehabilitation, health and trusting humans was brilliantly done. The characterization of them being both a predator and someone with c0mplex emotions, history and thoughts was *chefs kiss!* As someone who's been separated from their own kind and left to suffer, to being cared for and understood despite their Siren-ness was one aspect that really spoke to me. Their growth as a character felt grounded and real, due to their relationship with Dejean, Murielle and Simone. The choice to make Perle Non-Binary and Asexual felt realistic and made sense. The representation through their character was well done. As an N.B. Ace individual myself, I could see myself in their character.
Dejean. Is. PERFECT! From the moment he's introduced, his gentle, compassionate and kind nature immediately wins you over. As he insists on helping Perle, regardless of the aggression they show him, he still wants to save them. Due to Perle's injury they are rendered paralyzed from the waist down, causing them to be unable to naturally use their tail. Seeing the two characters bond was beautiful and heartwarming to see! When Dejean said ' "-I’m using strange hand motions to talk to my kind’s natural predators, yet this is easier than any conversation I’ve had with another human in a long time,” ' showed how much he felt more at home with Perle than humans, and that was really heartfelt to me. I also liked that Dejean was canonically Ace and Pan. I adore this character! trust me to fall for the pirate. Lol!
The element of found family and belonging with these two characters was touching and amazingly done.
Kian as an antagonist was done well. She didn't get much page time, but towards the end I felt sorry for her. It was nice to see Perle offering her the chance for redemption and forgiveness, even though she abused them.
The side characters were really fun and were often bringing a smile to my face. I love this little family!
PLOT
To me, this book is more character-focused than plot-focused. However, with that being said, the characters are the drive and reason for both the plot and point of the story. Two "natural" enemies forming a bond of friendship, love and understanding is the catalyst for change in a world riddled with violence and fear. I loved that the book ended with Dejean and Perle taking in another siren, as well as a human that was somewhat responsible for Perle's suffering. And deciding to help change things by saving sirens and fostering trust amongst humans. I would love to see where they go next, if the author ever writes another book about them.
WRITING
The writing in this book is both poetic and emotional, yet action-packed and pacey. Bryn really balances all aspects, enticing the reader and bringing a sense of upliftment with the story. There were certain lines that really stood out to me so I highlighted them. As well as lines between the character's interactions that had me squealing!
OVERALL
This book is an automatic new favourite! I love fantasy about Pirates, Mermaids and Sea-faring. And the fact it's queer just makes it all the better! I will be recommending this book to anyone looking for pirate/siren/queer fiction, with found family and a sense of finding where you belong.
And lastly, consider this final comment me gushing about these wonderful characters! Thank you Bryn for this amazing novel! <3
Anyway, my rating for this initially was 4.5 stars but I'm gonna give it 5!
To begin with,
CHARACTERS
Perle was a brilliant protagonist. Their journey from being captive, abused and mistrusting humans, to rehabilitation, health and trusting humans was brilliantly done. The characterization of them being both a predator and someone with c0mplex emotions, history and thoughts was *chefs kiss!* As someone who's been separated from their own kind and left to suffer, to being cared for and understood despite their Siren-ness was one aspect that really spoke to me. Their growth as a character felt grounded and real, due to their relationship with Dejean, Murielle and Simone. The choice to make Perle Non-Binary and Asexual felt realistic and made sense. The representation through their character was well done. As an N.B. Ace individual myself, I could see myself in their character.
Dejean. Is. PERFECT! From the moment he's introduced, his gentle, compassionate and kind nature immediately wins you over. As he insists on helping Perle, regardless of the aggression they show him, he still wants to save them. Due to Perle's injury they are rendered paralyzed from the waist down, causing them to be unable to naturally use their tail. Seeing the two characters bond was beautiful and heartwarming to see! When Dejean said ' "-I’m using strange hand motions to talk to my kind’s natural predators, yet this is easier than any conversation I’ve had with another human in a long time,” ' showed how much he felt more at home with Perle than humans, and that was really heartfelt to me. I also liked that Dejean was canonically Ace and Pan. I adore this character! trust me to fall for the pirate. Lol!
The element of found family and belonging with these two characters was touching and amazingly done.
Kian as an antagonist was done well. She didn't get much page time, but towards the end I felt sorry for her. It was nice to see Perle offering her the chance for redemption and forgiveness, even though she abused them.
The side characters were really fun and were often bringing a smile to my face. I love this little family!
PLOT
To me, this book is more character-focused than plot-focused. However, with that being said, the characters are the drive and reason for both the plot and point of the story. Two "natural" enemies forming a bond of friendship, love and understanding is the catalyst for change in a world riddled with violence and fear. I loved that the book ended with Dejean and Perle taking in another siren, as well as a human that was somewhat responsible for Perle's suffering. And deciding to help change things by saving sirens and fostering trust amongst humans. I would love to see where they go next, if the author ever writes another book about them.
WRITING
The writing in this book is both poetic and emotional, yet action-packed and pacey. Bryn really balances all aspects, enticing the reader and bringing a sense of upliftment with the story. There were certain lines that really stood out to me so I highlighted them. As well as lines between the character's interactions that had me squealing!
OVERALL
This book is an automatic new favourite! I love fantasy about Pirates, Mermaids and Sea-faring. And the fact it's queer just makes it all the better! I will be recommending this book to anyone looking for pirate/siren/queer fiction, with found family and a sense of finding where you belong.
And lastly, consider this final comment me gushing about these wonderful characters! Thank you Bryn for this amazing novel! <3
emmina's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lupinreads's review against another edition
3.0
Even though this book is full of kidnapping, murder, and general peril, the overall feeling is like a very comforting fanfiction?? Great vibes! Any book with a queer disabled siren and their asexual pirate bf is a winner in my eyes :))
geminidragonbadger's review against another edition
5.0
Our Bloody Pearl was this month’s read for Great Ace Club ( @creative-aces ). It came highly recommended to me by a good friend, and they were absolutely right.
I found Our Bloody Pearl to be fast paced with gripping characters, fantastic representation, and excellent humor. Perle, Dejean, Murielle, Simone, and even Kian are all well crafted, three dimensional characters with detailed backgrounds, motivations, and personalities. The interactions between Perle and Dejean, and really Perle and any human, are absolutely hilarious and some of my favorite parts of the book. Watching Perle grow throughout the book is a great way to really start the year.
My one issue with the book, which was not enough to remove any stars, was some descriptions of the setting. Perle is a siren and thus not familiar with human things, combined with a steampunk setting, made it difficult for me to picture certain scenes. However, I could still follow what was going on, though it did sometimes bring me out of the action.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Our Bloody Pearl though is the recurring themes of redemption and what makes someone a monster. I don’t want to spoil anything, but both the siren and human characters have to confront their preconceived notions of each other and learn that neither group is inherently bad, while also realizing that neither group is all good either. Redemption and forgiveness also play heavily throughout the book. I can’t get all the
I absolutely loved this book and I am hoping that there will be more adventures with Perle and their pod in the future!
I found Our Bloody Pearl to be fast paced with gripping characters, fantastic representation, and excellent humor. Perle, Dejean, Murielle, Simone, and even Kian are all well crafted, three dimensional characters with detailed backgrounds, motivations, and personalities. The interactions between Perle and Dejean, and really Perle and any human, are absolutely hilarious and some of my favorite parts of the book. Watching Perle grow throughout the book is a great way to really start the year.
My one issue with the book, which was not enough to remove any stars, was some descriptions of the setting. Perle is a siren and thus not familiar with human things, combined with a steampunk setting, made it difficult for me to picture certain scenes. However, I could still follow what was going on, though it did sometimes bring me out of the action.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Our Bloody Pearl though is the recurring themes of redemption and what makes someone a monster. I don’t want to spoil anything, but both the siren and human characters have to confront their preconceived notions of each other and learn that neither group is inherently bad, while also realizing that neither group is all good either. Redemption and forgiveness also play heavily throughout the book. I can’t get all the
I absolutely loved this book and I am hoping that there will be more adventures with Perle and their pod in the future!
goblingirlreads's review against another edition
Premise was too simple and prose not interesting enough. I liked the bloody bits but could tell the book was leaning more towards love & friendship and I am not in the mood.