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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I loved some of these more than others. Some of them fell flat and others wrecked really well done. There where a few that should have been novels especially the story where she assassinates the prince
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Mermaids Never Drown is an anthology collection of 14 short stories about mermaids. I find it hard to review anthologies as a whole because they can vary so much from story to story.
I will say almost all of these stories were fun. There was some great queer representation throughout a lot of the stories that was nice to see. My biggest complaint is that some of the stories felt more like samplers to larger novels. I’m not left with an incomplete feeling from short story collection very often but a handful of stories just felt like they were missing the last half of the story and ended very abruptly.
I do think this was overall a fun collection and a great way to try our several different authors. Some of the stories were sweet and some were a little more sad. But if any of these authors decided to expand and turn their short story into a full length novel, I would definitely not complain.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I will say almost all of these stories were fun. There was some great queer representation throughout a lot of the stories that was nice to see. My biggest complaint is that some of the stories felt more like samplers to larger novels. I’m not left with an incomplete feeling from short story collection very often but a handful of stories just felt like they were missing the last half of the story and ended very abruptly.
I do think this was overall a fun collection and a great way to try our several different authors. Some of the stories were sweet and some were a little more sad. But if any of these authors decided to expand and turn their short story into a full length novel, I would definitely not complain.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
inspiring
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:
Complicated
I was only familiar with a few of the authors in this anthology, but it is a great collection with a broad array of different interpretations and depictions of mermaids.
In "Storm Song" by Rebecca Coffindaffer, a seemingly asexual mermaid doesn't relate to the lust-based songs that the other mermaids sing. She struggles to find her own song until she learns to channel different powerful emotions such as awe.
"Deep Water Vandal" by Darcie Little Badger was one of my favorite stories, where a human girl enlsits the help of a mischievous mermaid who likes defacing ships with purple paint to help find her lost father who succumbed to the transformation into a sea monsters that strikes people who experience severe loss while at sea.
One of the most unique stories was "Sea Wolf in Prince's Clothing" by Adriana Herrera, which takes place in an archipelago of islands rules by kings and princes whose wealth comes from sugar, putting me in mind of the Caribbean. A young siren is on a mission to kill a prince who murdered her sister. Her people, also called aycayias, are forbidden to use their magic and are treated as concubines for the ruling class who use them to breed shark-tailed soldiers that guard the royal line.
"The First and Last Kiss" by Julie Murphy ends in a twist revelation that made me think back on the story in a new light.
Lastly, in "Six Thousand Miles," Julie C. Dao likens being a mermaid who straddles life on land and in the sea to being a Vietnamese-American who often feels too "other" to fit either country context. In both cases, to deny one half of the identity is to deny oneself.
In "Storm Song" by Rebecca Coffindaffer, a seemingly asexual mermaid doesn't relate to the lust-based songs that the other mermaids sing. She struggles to find her own song until she learns to channel different powerful emotions such as awe.
"Deep Water Vandal" by Darcie Little Badger was one of my favorite stories, where a human girl enlsits the help of a mischievous mermaid who likes defacing ships with purple paint to help find her lost father who succumbed to the transformation into a sea monsters that strikes people who experience severe loss while at sea.
One of the most unique stories was "Sea Wolf in Prince's Clothing" by Adriana Herrera, which takes place in an archipelago of islands rules by kings and princes whose wealth comes from sugar, putting me in mind of the Caribbean. A young siren is on a mission to kill a prince who murdered her sister. Her people, also called aycayias, are forbidden to use their magic and are treated as concubines for the ruling class who use them to breed shark-tailed soldiers that guard the royal line.
"The First and Last Kiss" by Julie Murphy ends in a twist revelation that made me think back on the story in a new light.
Lastly, in "Six Thousand Miles," Julie C. Dao likens being a mermaid who straddles life on land and in the sea to being a Vietnamese-American who often feels too "other" to fit either country context. In both cases, to deny one half of the identity is to deny oneself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Blood
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Loved these short stories about mermaids across time and location. Some were bittersweet, some were romantic, and some were just adventurous. I like trying out anthologies because I find new to me authors that way and can get a taste of their writing. If you like mermaids, definitely read this!
3.4 ⭐️ overall, bumped up for representation and being such a DIVERSE collection of mermaid tales.
Storm Song ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We'll Always Have June ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Story of a Knife ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dark Calls ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Return to the Sea ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Deepwater Vandal ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Nightingale's Lament ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sea Wolf in Prince's Clothing ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nor'easter ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The First and Last Kiss ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Merrow ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shark Week ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jinju's Pearls ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six Thousand Miles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Storm Song ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We'll Always Have June ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Story of a Knife ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dark Calls ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Return to the Sea ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Deepwater Vandal ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Nightingale's Lament ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sea Wolf in Prince's Clothing ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nor'easter ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The First and Last Kiss ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Merrow ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shark Week ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jinju's Pearls ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six Thousand Miles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I'm almost embarrassed by how much I enjoyed this by the end. YA is generally not my flavor, but some of these stories were undeniably charming and my weakness for mermaids continually prevails. I enjoyed the different snippets of mermaids and seafolk in different cultures and overall it was a decent collection. There are some that struggle but finding a perfect collection would be asking too much. However, the ones that were good were new authors that I look forward to diving into.
They also mostly seemed to lean towards the idea that mermaids eat people or have the capability of doing so. No story was truly violent, but the inclusion of that detail is what I love.
I think I need a few more mermaids in my life.
They also mostly seemed to lean towards the idea that mermaids eat people or have the capability of doing so. No story was truly violent, but the inclusion of that detail is what I love.
I think I need a few more mermaids in my life.