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jfictitional's review against another edition
5.0
A fast-paced, imaginative and compelling steampunk swashbuckler. There's enough worldbuilding and story arcs for a series to develop, and the blending of genres is deft and unique. Even better, it's a character-driven story, with a cast we immediately like and enjoy seeing grow. All these ingredients combine to make a wonderful debut novel.
The heart of "Our Bloody Pearl" is the relationship between the protagonist, a captive siren crippled by the machinations of the villain Kian, and their rescuer, the compassionate and somewhat bumbling Dejean. In fact, one of the most interesting subversions of genre tropes is that, except for the initial rescue, Dejean tends to occupy what would traditionally be the damsel-in-distress role of the story. Although Pearle comes to be dependent on this human and his friends for their livelihood, it is they who tend to be the hero. The slow buildup of their relationship with Dejean, from using sign language to communicate to grudging trust to something more, is compelling and intelligent, and much of the novel rightly focuses on this. Perle themselves is a fascinating character, with enough insight into siren culture to make sense and a delicate balance between wanting to trust humans and falling back on their brutal, survivalist nature, as well as an exploration of a disabled character.
The supporting cast, including Dejean's eccentric sister Murielle and pragmatic first mate Simone, are a diverse and entertaining bunch, with naturalistic POC and LGBT representation, and even if the story being told entirely from Perle's POV means we don't actually see as much of them, it's something that can be addressed in future books. Where it falters somewhat is with the villains: Kian, who doesn't actually appear until over three-quarters of the way into the book (and at just under 230 pages that's a brief appearance), is underwhelming, considering how much the rest of the story spends mythologizing her, and some last-minute twists fail to give her dimension beyond being the catalyst for the story. Likewise her second-in-command, Theirn, is hastily sketched, though to be fair he has a moral complexity that the others lack - the only character who isn't outright "good" or "bad."
In exploring Perle and Dejean's life together, the novel touches upon themes such as bridging the gap between opposing cultures/species, the uneasy relationship between nature and machines, and the perpetual cycle of violence and its consequences. All of these it explores thoughtfully and with nuance, particularly in the way Perle comes to rely upon Murielle's inventions to swim in the sea again. It helps that the actual plot is straightforward and almost episodic in nature, driven by the characters and their actions rather than the other way around. When it shifts to battling Kian, it becomes more of a conventional action-adventure story, but continues to explore these themes, which makes the climactic battle a bit more meaningful - even if, again, the villain herself isn't as compelling.
Ultimately, that's what elevates this novel: it's emphasis on character and how it uses that to subvert expectations of the genre to deliver something fresh. There were a few places where it could have developed more, but it has sequels to do that. A worthy investment of time and emotion, as I'm sure the follow-ups will be.
The heart of "Our Bloody Pearl" is the relationship between the protagonist, a captive siren crippled by the machinations of the villain Kian, and their rescuer, the compassionate and somewhat bumbling Dejean. In fact, one of the most interesting subversions of genre tropes is that, except for the initial rescue, Dejean tends to occupy what would traditionally be the damsel-in-distress role of the story. Although Pearle comes to be dependent on this human and his friends for their livelihood, it is they who tend to be the hero. The slow buildup of their relationship with Dejean, from using sign language to communicate to grudging trust to something more, is compelling and intelligent, and much of the novel rightly focuses on this. Perle themselves is a fascinating character, with enough insight into siren culture to make sense and a delicate balance between wanting to trust humans and falling back on their brutal, survivalist nature, as well as an exploration of a disabled character.
The supporting cast, including Dejean's eccentric sister Murielle and pragmatic first mate Simone, are a diverse and entertaining bunch, with naturalistic POC and LGBT representation, and even if the story being told entirely from Perle's POV means we don't actually see as much of them, it's something that can be addressed in future books. Where it falters somewhat is with the villains: Kian, who doesn't actually appear until over three-quarters of the way into the book (and at just under 230 pages that's a brief appearance), is underwhelming, considering how much the rest of the story spends mythologizing her, and some last-minute twists fail to give her dimension beyond being the catalyst for the story. Likewise her second-in-command, Theirn, is hastily sketched, though to be fair he has a moral complexity that the others lack - the only character who isn't outright "good" or "bad."
In exploring Perle and Dejean's life together, the novel touches upon themes such as bridging the gap between opposing cultures/species, the uneasy relationship between nature and machines, and the perpetual cycle of violence and its consequences. All of these it explores thoughtfully and with nuance, particularly in the way Perle comes to rely upon Murielle's inventions to swim in the sea again. It helps that the actual plot is straightforward and almost episodic in nature, driven by the characters and their actions rather than the other way around. When it shifts to battling Kian, it becomes more of a conventional action-adventure story, but continues to explore these themes, which makes the climactic battle a bit more meaningful - even if, again, the villain herself isn't as compelling.
Ultimately, that's what elevates this novel: it's emphasis on character and how it uses that to subvert expectations of the genre to deliver something fresh. There were a few places where it could have developed more, but it has sequels to do that. A worthy investment of time and emotion, as I'm sure the follow-ups will be.
bonriki's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lilybethneeds2read's review against another edition
5.0
For full transparency, the author was kind enough to give me a read-for-review copy, but of course this is my honest opinion.
Our Bloody Pearl is amazing for any fantasy or found-family fans. To be entirely honest, I don't normally read fantasy, but I heard such good things about this book I was excited to read it for myself. The world building is amazing and unique. I love the steampunk elements, and the sirens are so well developed. Typical mermaids are fun enough as is, especially for the daughter of a mermaid fanatic, but it's doubly fun to have original sirens that are so thoroughly developed. They were so fleshed out as a species that they felt truly real, and I loved learning about them through Perle, and the way their love of the water colored their language (especially all of the crab metaphors). There's also just something about the focus on the character relationships and pacing that feels special, and like what I've been looking for but missing in other books.
The story also has great representation. It's especially nice for me to have a canonical ace character in Dejean. Of every other bit of media I've consumed, I can only think of one other such character. Dejean also happens to be my favorite character for other reasons. He's strong but gentle all at once, a pirate who has no doubt seen a lot of violence, but never lets it turn him cold. It's an awesome cast of characters overall (love quirky Murriel with her very distinct voice and hair full of gadgets). Oh, and I nearly forgot, it's friggin amazing to see representation of a signed language, and so heavily featured.
There's so many lovely, refreshing facets to this book.
And finally, the messages. The decision to reject your past as a "monster," that it's never too late to grow and change...I love it. My heart was so warmed by the ending on the beach, the growth of the pod. It left me wanting to see what's next for Perle, Dejean, and the others.
Our Bloody Pearl is amazing for any fantasy or found-family fans. To be entirely honest, I don't normally read fantasy, but I heard such good things about this book I was excited to read it for myself. The world building is amazing and unique. I love the steampunk elements, and the sirens are so well developed. Typical mermaids are fun enough as is, especially for the daughter of a mermaid fanatic, but it's doubly fun to have original sirens that are so thoroughly developed. They were so fleshed out as a species that they felt truly real, and I loved learning about them through Perle, and the way their love of the water colored their language (especially all of the crab metaphors). There's also just something about the focus on the character relationships and pacing that feels special, and like what I've been looking for but missing in other books.
The story also has great representation. It's especially nice for me to have a canonical ace character in Dejean. Of every other bit of media I've consumed, I can only think of one other such character. Dejean also happens to be my favorite character for other reasons. He's strong but gentle all at once, a pirate who has no doubt seen a lot of violence, but never lets it turn him cold. It's an awesome cast of characters overall (love quirky Murriel with her very distinct voice and hair full of gadgets). Oh, and I nearly forgot, it's friggin amazing to see representation of a signed language, and so heavily featured.
There's so many lovely, refreshing facets to this book.
And finally, the messages. The decision to reject your past as a "monster," that it's never too late to grow and change...I love it. My heart was so warmed by the ending on the beach, the growth of the pod. It left me wanting to see what's next for Perle, Dejean, and the others.
madivanthof08's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
harveyjoy53's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
frantic_vampire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This was a really fun read! I honestly don’t know why I waited so long to read it. I loved Perle and Dejean so much! I loved getting to see the queerplatonic relationship that developed between them over the course of the book. They made this beautiful connection that led to them making a pod based on trust and a willingness to help those that need a place to recover or rest or that need a home. They just kind of started collecting people little by little. I also loved just how queer this whole book was! It was really nice. Our Bloody Pearl is getting a four out of five stars from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Body horror, Confinement, Torture, Trafficking, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Ableism
tinysongstress's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.75
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Sexual violence
spookyaz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.75