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Reviews tagging 'Gore'
Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For by Natalie C. Parker, Zoraida Córdova
3 reviews
dannilmp's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Anthologies are not a genre I tend to pick up but the cover and the focus being mermaids really caught my eye! I felt this book gave a lot of different insights into mermaids, sea dwelling creatures and variation to the typical disney sort of ideal of mermaid.
My only complaint is that I could have happily read the majority of these tales as full length books and was left wanting more, this is a gripe I have with most short stories though. I have to say my favourites were Storm Song by Rebecca Coffindaffer and The First and Last Kiss by Julie Murphy. Storm Song offered - to me - a new take on a siren's song that I hadn't considered before, while The First and Last Kiss made me long for a full revenge tale for a wrong commited against a sibling.
My only complaint is that I could have happily read the majority of these tales as full length books and was left wanting more, this is a gripe I have with most short stories though. I have to say my favourites were Storm Song by Rebecca Coffindaffer and The First and Last Kiss by Julie Murphy. Storm Song offered - to me - a new take on a siren's song that I hadn't considered before, while The First and Last Kiss made me long for a full revenge tale for a wrong commited against a sibling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
Anthologies are always hit or miss for me, and I found I didn't like this collection as much as I liked the vampire one they did a year or two ago. That one had some heavy hitters and I enjoyed more of the stories in that one.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy stories in this one! I think the Kalynn Bayron and Julian Winters ones were my favorites. There were a lot of interesting takes on mermaids in here though, and I enjoyed it for the most part.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy stories in this one! I think the Kalynn Bayron and Julian Winters ones were my favorites. There were a lot of interesting takes on mermaids in here though, and I enjoyed it for the most part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Bullying
Moderate: Gore, Animal death, and Body horror
Minor: Abortion, Racism, and Sexual assault
obscurepages's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Listen I liked Vampires Never Get Old, but I think Mermaids Never Drown is on another level 😭👏
This was brilliantly executed—all the stories captured the essence of a mermaid's beauty, power, and danger as a myth, while also bringing a new twist or significance from the authors' various perspectives. We see queer identity, romance, environmental issues, racism, self-discovery, and so much more.
Overall, these stories just worked so good together and this anthology is one for the books. I can't wait to see a third installment from this series!
Exact rating: 4.75/5
Full review on my blog soon!
(Received an e-arc from the publisher as part of the upcoming tour with Turn the Pages Tour. This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)
Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>
Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.
This was brilliantly executed—all the stories captured the essence of a mermaid's beauty, power, and danger as a myth, while also bringing a new twist or significance from the authors' various perspectives. We see queer identity, romance, environmental issues, racism, self-discovery, and so much more.
Overall, these stories just worked so good together and this anthology is one for the books. I can't wait to see a third installment from this series!
Exact rating: 4.75/5
Full review on my blog soon!
(Received an e-arc from the publisher as part of the upcoming tour with Turn the Pages Tour. This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)
Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>
Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Death, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Classism and Racism
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