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stephxsu's review
3.0
BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY is a mermaid book for those who are wary of books categorized by the particular creatures that inhabit the stories. Told in Jaclyn Dolamore’s trademark writing style—straightforward narration that nevertheless paints a lush magical world—BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY is a charming story that, while not perfect, is still a quick and enjoyable read.
Much like in her debut novel Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore has the quiet but valuable ability of deftly portraying elaborate new worlds with no over-fanfare. The first few chapters pulled me completely into the unfamiliar mermaid world of Dolamore’s creation, where magic lanterns are borrowed as a sign of status and being chosen as a siren is one of the highest honors a mermaid can receive. Mermaids, humans, winged people, and who knows what else exist in an unusual society that nevertheless seems to operate in a completely natural and self-contained manner—the mark, in my opinion, of a skilled world-building writer.
Where this book falters a bit is in plot and pacing. BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY starts out so engagingly, with the introduction of this new mermaid world, and the somewhat uneasy dynamics between the different creatures. Unfortunately, I felt that the plot was rather uneven: for a great amount of time, Esmerine is simply waiting to hear of news about her sister, and then the next thing we know she and Alander are off on a confoundingly simple adventure to seek Dosia. I say “confounding” because, with such a wonderful beginning to a novel, I really wanted more from the plot.
That being said, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY is a humbly sparkling story that will make for a sweet read one quiet afternoon. If you are a fan of mermaids or Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore’s sophomore novel is not to be missed!
Much like in her debut novel Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore has the quiet but valuable ability of deftly portraying elaborate new worlds with no over-fanfare. The first few chapters pulled me completely into the unfamiliar mermaid world of Dolamore’s creation, where magic lanterns are borrowed as a sign of status and being chosen as a siren is one of the highest honors a mermaid can receive. Mermaids, humans, winged people, and who knows what else exist in an unusual society that nevertheless seems to operate in a completely natural and self-contained manner—the mark, in my opinion, of a skilled world-building writer.
Where this book falters a bit is in plot and pacing. BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY starts out so engagingly, with the introduction of this new mermaid world, and the somewhat uneasy dynamics between the different creatures. Unfortunately, I felt that the plot was rather uneven: for a great amount of time, Esmerine is simply waiting to hear of news about her sister, and then the next thing we know she and Alander are off on a confoundingly simple adventure to seek Dosia. I say “confounding” because, with such a wonderful beginning to a novel, I really wanted more from the plot.
That being said, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY is a humbly sparkling story that will make for a sweet read one quiet afternoon. If you are a fan of mermaids or Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore’s sophomore novel is not to be missed!
lexingtonreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
oh this book was awful- what?? what was this?? This was a book i read during my "love everything i read" era and i couldn't even like this book then. I remember vividly how much the author would write that the love interest would 'grip his toes onto things"- FOUL. sitting on a roof? gripping his toes on the roof. pick something up? USED HIS TOES. it just happened too much and was just weird & i believe this book really had no point??
halcyone's review
3.0
This was originally posted at The Cozy Armchair!
I wanted to borrow this book from my local library but there wasn't even one copy in the system. I was frustrated by this and went on a hunt for a way to suggest books for the library system to buy. Lo and behold! It was right there on the website, so it was easy to fill out and submit the form. To be honest, I didn't expect results. What were the chances that my request would be honored? Turns out it was highly probable! When I checked the online catalog a couple of months later, they had several copes of the book!
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while because of mermaids! And winged people! That and the fact that Dolamore's first book, Magic Under Glass, was a great read led to me picking up Between the Sea and Sky with high expectations ... which spelled out its downfall from the very beginning.
But let's start with a compliment.
That cover. It's gorgeous. Sure, her torso looks a bit strange, but the colors and font and everything works great together. It's definitely one of the reasons I was so drawn to this book in the first place; it's one of the best covers I've seen for a mermaid story. I just wish the story had lived up to the kind of beauty hinted at in the cover and title.
The narrative voice was very simple, as was the plot set-up and overall story line. It was too easy to predict what was going to happen next. Maybe this could have been excused if the fairy tale aspects of the story were well executed. I feel like the atmosphere was well suited to that kind of simplistic storytelling, but I still wish everything had been more complex. There was no real conflict, no true antagonist, no deadline to Esmerine's search for her sister.
Speaking of Esmerine, I tried to like her - on some level, I think I did, but the various aspects of her personality just didn't click for me. I think she would have worked better as a character if she hadn't been swooning over Alander the whole time. His character was particularly boring, the motives for his standoffish behavior predictable, and his chemistry with Esmerine nearly absent. There was no spark. I wouldn't have minded that the journey to find her sister took a backseat to the romance if there had been some actually exciting tension beyond Esmerine doubting herself and beating herself up over admiring Alander because he obviously didn't like her back. We can all guess at how that turned out.
Anyway, I didn't feel outright disappoint upon its conclusion, but I was left with this unfulfilled desire for a gripping mermaid story with more plot substance. If I had gone in with an open mind or expecting a more lighthearted story, this review might have turned out differently.
I wanted to borrow this book from my local library but there wasn't even one copy in the system. I was frustrated by this and went on a hunt for a way to suggest books for the library system to buy. Lo and behold! It was right there on the website, so it was easy to fill out and submit the form. To be honest, I didn't expect results. What were the chances that my request would be honored? Turns out it was highly probable! When I checked the online catalog a couple of months later, they had several copes of the book!
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while because of mermaids! And winged people! That and the fact that Dolamore's first book, Magic Under Glass, was a great read led to me picking up Between the Sea and Sky with high expectations ... which spelled out its downfall from the very beginning.
But let's start with a compliment.
That cover. It's gorgeous. Sure, her torso looks a bit strange, but the colors and font and everything works great together. It's definitely one of the reasons I was so drawn to this book in the first place; it's one of the best covers I've seen for a mermaid story. I just wish the story had lived up to the kind of beauty hinted at in the cover and title.
The narrative voice was very simple, as was the plot set-up and overall story line. It was too easy to predict what was going to happen next. Maybe this could have been excused if the fairy tale aspects of the story were well executed. I feel like the atmosphere was well suited to that kind of simplistic storytelling, but I still wish everything had been more complex. There was no real conflict, no true antagonist, no deadline to Esmerine's search for her sister.
Speaking of Esmerine, I tried to like her - on some level, I think I did, but the various aspects of her personality just didn't click for me. I think she would have worked better as a character if she hadn't been swooning over Alander the whole time. His character was particularly boring, the motives for his standoffish behavior predictable, and his chemistry with Esmerine nearly absent. There was no spark. I wouldn't have minded that the journey to find her sister took a backseat to the romance if there had been some actually exciting tension beyond Esmerine doubting herself and beating herself up over admiring Alander because he obviously didn't like her back. We can all guess at how that turned out.
Anyway, I didn't feel outright disappoint upon its conclusion, but I was left with this unfulfilled desire for a gripping mermaid story with more plot substance. If I had gone in with an open mind or expecting a more lighthearted story, this review might have turned out differently.
charms1976's review
2.0
Is it just me or does it seem like there is a downpour of mermaid themed books lately? Even with the amount of mermaid books on the market right now, I still wanted to read this book and see what sort of spin this author could bring to the mermaid tale. While I never read the authors first book Magic Under Glass, I understood that it was a sort of spin off from that one involving certain characters.
Again, since I have never read anything by this author before, I did enjoy this book and the tale of mermaids and sirens. I didn't get lost and the author explained everything to the point of being able to imagine myself in the undersea world. While I enjoyed the first few chapters involving the set up of the plot, it eventually started to flop for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and the interaction between everyone was not as established as it should have been. The main plot is for Esmerine to find her older sister Dosinia, but I never really felt the sisterly bond that should have formed early on to make it a plausible outcome.
While fans of the mermaid/siren world will more than likely enjoy this book, I am one of the few that would rather not set sail again on this voyage without some further fixes from the author.
Again, since I have never read anything by this author before, I did enjoy this book and the tale of mermaids and sirens. I didn't get lost and the author explained everything to the point of being able to imagine myself in the undersea world. While I enjoyed the first few chapters involving the set up of the plot, it eventually started to flop for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and the interaction between everyone was not as established as it should have been. The main plot is for Esmerine to find her older sister Dosinia, but I never really felt the sisterly bond that should have formed early on to make it a plausible outcome.
While fans of the mermaid/siren world will more than likely enjoy this book, I am one of the few that would rather not set sail again on this voyage without some further fixes from the author.
sunsess's review
5.0
So, fun fact: this was my favorite mermaid tale back in the day. It was even favorable to the classic Disney Princess. And there's a few reasons for this.
-The main character loves to read and is constantly fascinated by the things around her. I found her to be very relatable
-You have winged people! I loveeeeeeeee having characters with wings, and a sea and sky forbidden romance? Come onnnnnnn
-Though in hindsight this seems to be more my complete dismissal for writer descriptions than Ms. Dolamore's own writing, at the time the opening scenery seemed very unique compared to others underwater worlds. Lets be real, they're all cliche, and terriblyyyyyyy droll. I do think it is vague enough though that you can manipulate the world to your liking which is nice
I did, however, notice one issue as I was rereading this. The siren's belt isn't very well explained. When I was younger I must've made up my own rules because the one's in the book aren't very concrete. Does the belt stop working when given to a human? Why can't they just go back and forth without removing their belt (yes, it hurts their feet... but it goes back and forth how big of a deal this is, and with all the moving Esmerine did, I'm not convinced it's all that great) Honestly there's just so many questions I feel could've been resolved, quite easily, by simply explaining the siren belt a little better.
But, this book is stilllllllllll one of my favorites. Perhaps I'm biased, but it just brings back so many lovely visuals. AND AND AND I forgot to mention, it's my favorite ship, best friend x best friend. Now tell me: how does it get better than that?
The answer is: it doesn't.
Four and a calf cows! I know in my heart I can't give it the full five but I really want to. <333
-The main character loves to read and is constantly fascinated by the things around her. I found her to be very relatable
-You have winged people! I loveeeeeeeee having characters with wings, and a sea and sky forbidden romance? Come onnnnnnn
-Though in hindsight this seems to be more my complete dismissal for writer descriptions than Ms. Dolamore's own writing, at the time the opening scenery seemed very unique compared to others underwater worlds. Lets be real, they're all cliche, and terriblyyyyyyy droll. I do think it is vague enough though that you can manipulate the world to your liking which is nice
I did, however, notice one issue as I was rereading this. The siren's belt isn't very well explained. When I was younger I must've made up my own rules because the one's in the book aren't very concrete. Does the belt stop working when given to a human? Why can't they just go back and forth without removing their belt (yes, it hurts their feet... but it goes back and forth how big of a deal this is, and with all the moving Esmerine did, I'm not convinced it's all that great) Honestly there's just so many questions I feel could've been resolved, quite easily, by simply explaining the siren belt a little better.
But, this book is stilllllllllll one of my favorites. Perhaps I'm biased, but it just brings back so many lovely visuals. AND AND AND I forgot to mention, it's my favorite ship, best friend x best friend. Now tell me: how does it get better than that?
The answer is: it doesn't.
Four and a calf cows! I know in my heart I can't give it the full five but I really want to. <333
haleyelisereads's review
3.0
"If anyone asks, we are married," he whispered. "I'm not letting you out of my sight here."
This book blew me away! Jaclyn takes you into a beautifully written adventure and romance that will leave you stunned and completley speechless!
This story follows Esmerine, Esmerine has just been given the title of a Siren, and couldn't be happier about bringing such an honor to her family, but then her older sister Dosinia who is also a Siren goes missing, everyone believes the worst. That a human man has captured her and forced her to be his wife, but Esmerine needs to know for sure what happened to her sister. So she sets out to land to find her..and not alone, Esmerine finds her old friend Alan who is a winged man who agrees to help her find Dosinia. With her connection to Alan getting stronger each moment they are together, she wonders if once she finds her sister she will have to make a descision of her own, return to the sea that she loves with her family and leave Alan..or live every day in pain on land to be with Alan..
What a delight this story ended up being! Jaclyn writting is so beautiful I found myself completly consumed into Between the Sea and Sky and had to stay up all night until I finished the very last page, and then once I finished all I wanted was to be sucked back in!
The characters in this book were writen up amazingly, they each developed in there own ways and each had personality traits that I adored. Dosinia matures greatly, Esmerine discovers what she truely wants, Alan opens up, and Alans father even shows growth with in the short 240 amazing pages of Between the Sea and Sky.
While every aspect of this story was utterly captivating. I found myself espicially drawn to the world and the romance that Jaclyn has put together. I have never read a book that combines Mermaids, and winged people. It was a refesing new paranormal romance that I believe any person that enjoys paranormal romance, will completly fall in love with this creative match Jaclyn has put together.
All in all, this review has not done any justice to this book at all. This book is just one I would recommend to anyone. I completly fell in love with this book, I fell in love with the characters, the soft romance between Esmerine and Alan, the adventure they embark on, everything about this story will pull you in. This is a must read.
This book blew me away! Jaclyn takes you into a beautifully written adventure and romance that will leave you stunned and completley speechless!
This story follows Esmerine, Esmerine has just been given the title of a Siren, and couldn't be happier about bringing such an honor to her family, but then her older sister Dosinia who is also a Siren goes missing, everyone believes the worst. That a human man has captured her and forced her to be his wife, but Esmerine needs to know for sure what happened to her sister. So she sets out to land to find her..and not alone, Esmerine finds her old friend Alan who is a winged man who agrees to help her find Dosinia. With her connection to Alan getting stronger each moment they are together, she wonders if once she finds her sister she will have to make a descision of her own, return to the sea that she loves with her family and leave Alan..or live every day in pain on land to be with Alan..
What a delight this story ended up being! Jaclyn writting is so beautiful I found myself completly consumed into Between the Sea and Sky and had to stay up all night until I finished the very last page, and then once I finished all I wanted was to be sucked back in!
The characters in this book were writen up amazingly, they each developed in there own ways and each had personality traits that I adored. Dosinia matures greatly, Esmerine discovers what she truely wants, Alan opens up, and Alans father even shows growth with in the short 240 amazing pages of Between the Sea and Sky.
While every aspect of this story was utterly captivating. I found myself espicially drawn to the world and the romance that Jaclyn has put together. I have never read a book that combines Mermaids, and winged people. It was a refesing new paranormal romance that I believe any person that enjoys paranormal romance, will completly fall in love with this creative match Jaclyn has put together.
All in all, this review has not done any justice to this book at all. This book is just one I would recommend to anyone. I completly fell in love with this book, I fell in love with the characters, the soft romance between Esmerine and Alan, the adventure they embark on, everything about this story will pull you in. This is a must read.
amethystbookwyrm's review
3.0
All Esmerine, a mermaid, wants to do is to become a Siren and work with her sister, Dosinia. When Dosinia is believed trapped on the land by a human, Esmerine decides to rescue her, but changing her tail into legs means that every step is painful. In the capital city Esmerine meets a friend who she has not seen for years Alander who belongs to a winged race of people called Fandarsee, and together they search for Dosinia. As they get closer to Dosinia there rekindle their friendship but is it able to develop into more with them being from different worlds.
Between the Sea and Sky is an enjoyable, sweet fantasy novel with a fairytale feel to it. It is a bit slow paced and while it is predictable it is a nice romantic book.
Esmerine is a sweet and naïve girl but she never gives up and a likeable character. Alan is distant and cold to begin with but he does get better but I still struggled to connect with his character.
Between the Sea and Sky is a cute book and I would recommend it to people who enjoy light fantasy novels and the other book by Jaclyn Dolamore.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Between the Sea and Sky is an enjoyable, sweet fantasy novel with a fairytale feel to it. It is a bit slow paced and while it is predictable it is a nice romantic book.
Esmerine is a sweet and naïve girl but she never gives up and a likeable character. Alan is distant and cold to begin with but he does get better but I still struggled to connect with his character.
Between the Sea and Sky is a cute book and I would recommend it to people who enjoy light fantasy novels and the other book by Jaclyn Dolamore.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
christajls's review
Originally reviewed at Christa's Hooked on Books
This was my first mermaid book and I've got to say it was exactly what I expected. That's not a bad thing by any means. I expected it to be a bit whimsical, to draw on traditional fantasy tropes and to remind me of the Little Mermaid. These were all things I was looking forward to and were happy to see woven into the story.
In addition to all the expected elements of Between the Sea and Sky there were also a few things I wasn't expecting. For starters the love story. Instead on being between two merpeople, or a mermaid and a human, it was between a mermaid and winged boy. Definitely wasn't expecting that one. Esmerine and Alander's relationship was so sweet and caring – they had been friends since childhood and developed feelings from there. This felt significantly more realistic than the insta-love I'm used to seeing in other, similar novels.
Now despite all the pleasent features of this novel there were a few things that disappointed me. To start of with, there's really not a lot of depth to the story. The plot is fairly basic. This book is listed as a young adult title, but it reads more like middle grade. There's nothing wrong with middle grade, some of my favourite stories are from that category. It's just a little disappointing when you were set up to expect something different. I also wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. It felt forced and choppy. At times it could get a little distracting and take me right out of the story.
If you're looking for a cute, easy to read fairytale, than Between the Sea and Sky is a great pick for you. There's a lot of great things about this book and it was fun to read. However, if you're looking for a more action/adventure filled fantasy tale this one might disappoint you. In my opinion this book is going to have a very specific audience that enjoy it immesenly, which is totally fine! Not every book can appeal to all people at any time.
This was my first mermaid book and I've got to say it was exactly what I expected. That's not a bad thing by any means. I expected it to be a bit whimsical, to draw on traditional fantasy tropes and to remind me of the Little Mermaid. These were all things I was looking forward to and were happy to see woven into the story.
In addition to all the expected elements of Between the Sea and Sky there were also a few things I wasn't expecting. For starters the love story. Instead on being between two merpeople, or a mermaid and a human, it was between a mermaid and winged boy. Definitely wasn't expecting that one. Esmerine and Alander's relationship was so sweet and caring – they had been friends since childhood and developed feelings from there. This felt significantly more realistic than the insta-love I'm used to seeing in other, similar novels.
Now despite all the pleasent features of this novel there were a few things that disappointed me. To start of with, there's really not a lot of depth to the story. The plot is fairly basic. This book is listed as a young adult title, but it reads more like middle grade. There's nothing wrong with middle grade, some of my favourite stories are from that category. It's just a little disappointing when you were set up to expect something different. I also wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. It felt forced and choppy. At times it could get a little distracting and take me right out of the story.
If you're looking for a cute, easy to read fairytale, than Between the Sea and Sky is a great pick for you. There's a lot of great things about this book and it was fun to read. However, if you're looking for a more action/adventure filled fantasy tale this one might disappoint you. In my opinion this book is going to have a very specific audience that enjoy it immesenly, which is totally fine! Not every book can appeal to all people at any time.
lorimy's review
4.0
The only reason I would give it a 4 instead of a 5 is the simplistic style of writing. In the begining,I was wondering if I would ever finish it, because the style was not something that I usually enjoy reading. But once you get caught up in the story, it wont matter!