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athenathestorier's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story of The Little Mermaid meets the characters and dynamics of Pirates of the Caribbean, but make it queer and enemies-to-lovers.
You can really tell where the author got her inspiration from, but she framed it in such a way that made me excited to keep reading. I found myself quite giddy from the ways it matched and deviated from some of my favorite stories growing up. The ways that the characters were distinct and consistent and lovable. Our pirate siren-hunter Captain/Princess Kae who never intrudes into others' business or feelings unless she's explicitly desired or needed (for better or for worse). The desperate and conflicted Aqeara, willing to sacrifice everything for her family and kingdom to feel somewhat whole again after a major loss. And the way that all of the other characters are described and interacted with, making readers feel totally immersed alongside the crew. "Show don't tell" is strong with this one, as was the world-building. And as a character-driven reader, this story kept me in its waves throughout.
I thoroughly enjoyed the representation and the discussions surrounding sexuality present throughout the book, but in a non-preachy and non-explicit manner that I think many readers will appreciate. Whether with the lesbian female leads, the gay support characters, the sapphic nature of siren culture, and even the casual use of 'they' used at one point.
Something that I will always love in queer media, is how many characters wind up being queer. It makes me happy.
But, my enjoyment doesn't come without caveats. For one, this is very much a book that feels like a Disney movie - for better or for worse. As a self-proclaimed quotaholic, I didn't find very many quotable moments (which is a bit saddening). In fact, several of the words of wisdom felt like standard sayings - not fully befitting the wiser-than-thou-years reputations of the characters speaking them. And several subplots were climaxed and resolved so quickly I wondered if I missed something. Even the ending portion of the book, leading into the sequel, didn't feel built up to - which made it feel out of place. Like I said, rather like a Disney movie. Which may have been the intent, as the author writes in her back copy about enjoying these stories very much (and the inspiration materials are both Disney).
This very much could have been a standalone, but based on the promotions for the sequel, I can understand and appreciate why it isn't. And I am very much looking forward to seeing these characters and their dynamics with each other and their world again.
You can really tell where the author got her inspiration from, but she framed it in such a way that made me excited to keep reading. I found myself quite giddy from the ways it matched and deviated from some of my favorite stories growing up. The ways that the characters were distinct and consistent and lovable. Our pirate siren-hunter Captain/Princess Kae who never intrudes into others' business or feelings unless she's explicitly desired or needed (for better or for worse). The desperate and conflicted Aqeara, willing to sacrifice everything for her family and kingdom to feel somewhat whole again after a major loss. And the way that all of the other characters are described and interacted with, making readers feel totally immersed alongside the crew. "Show don't tell" is strong with this one, as was the world-building. And as a character-driven reader, this story kept me in its waves throughout.
I thoroughly enjoyed the representation and the discussions surrounding sexuality present throughout the book, but in a non-preachy and non-explicit manner that I think many readers will appreciate. Whether with the lesbian female leads, the gay support characters, the sapphic nature of siren culture, and even the casual use of 'they' used at one point.
But, my enjoyment doesn't come without caveats. For one, this is very much a book that feels like a Disney movie - for better or for worse. As a self-proclaimed quotaholic, I didn't find very many quotable moments (which is a bit saddening). In fact, several of the words of wisdom felt like standard sayings - not fully befitting the wiser-than-thou-years reputations of the characters speaking them. And several subplots were climaxed and resolved so quickly I wondered if I missed something. Even the ending portion of the book, leading into the sequel, didn't feel built up to - which made it feel out of place. Like I said, rather like a Disney movie. Which may have been the intent, as the author writes in her back copy about enjoying these stories very much (and the inspiration materials are both Disney).
This very much could have been a standalone, but based on the promotions for the sequel, I can understand and appreciate why it isn't. And I am very much looking forward to seeing these characters and their dynamics with each other and their world again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Death, Misogyny, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, and Lesbophobia
sophieissapphhic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
Sapphic Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean? Bam, you’ve got A Song of Silver and Gold!
Content Warnings: magic healing trope, murder, sibling death, family death, parental abuse, death of children (on-page), vomiting (on-page), blood (on-page, graphic), alcohol consumption (on-page, graphic), alcohol-induced hangover, emotional abuse, refusing to eat, sexism, sexual assault, being drugged (the characters’ drinks were spiked), kidnapping, torture, confinement, sex scene (fade-to-black), death from childbirth (mention), broken bones, injury to eyes, mutilation (threatened), homophobia
For the past year, Princess Kaelyn of Avalon shortened her name to “Kae” and disguised herself as a man. After Kae’s brother was murdered in a siren attack, she sets out to avenge his death. Consequently, she puts together a crew and captains the Mar Daemon, a pirate vessel that hunts sirens. After a fatal siren attack on Avalon’s harbor, Kae resumes her authority as Captain Kae and sets out to destroy the sea demons once and for all.
Aqueara is a siren warrior of Meyrial, the underwater kingdom of sirens. When an attack on Avalon’s harbor goes terribly wrong and costs the life of her youngest cousin, she is exiled. However, a sea witch offers her cousin’s life in exchange for Captain Kae’s heart. Aqueara is given a human body and a month to carve out Captain Kae’s heart before her cousin can no longer be brought back.
When Aqueara joins Kae’s crew in an attempt to get close to her, her objective is complicated by her attraction to the pirate captain.
The plot of A Song of Silver and Gold doesn’t pick up until around a quarter into the book- but once it does, it was wonderful. The story feels light and fast-paced, filled with drinking, banter, and swashbuckling. While some aspects of the story feel unrealistic (perhaps intentionally so, to keep the story light), I appreciated that Aqueara and Kae had a genuine reason to hate each other.
At some points, the reader witnesses events through one character’s perspective. The next chapter, the other character would retell the same events in full. This only happened once or twice, but it was noticeable enough to disrupt the flow of the story.
Aqueara and Kae were good narrators, but Aqueara feels underdeveloped in comparison to Kae. I liked Aqueara as a character, but I wish her chapters were more fleshed out. In addition, I wish both of their character arcs were drawn out more. the characters changing their minds seemed to happen very suddenly. It makes more sense for Aqueara, who is surrounded by humans who hate sirens and is better able to put herself in their shoes, and therefore would most likely be quicker to stop hating humans. Kae’s beliefs changing, however, felt abrupt and forced.
Regardless, I loved both main characters and I’m excited to continue their story in the sequel to A Song of Silver and Gold. I also particularly enjoyed the side characters, especially Dalton.
This book provides easter eggs for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Little Mermaid. They were subtle enough to not be overwhelming while still providing readers with a treat.
Finally, my biggest gripe with this book was the use of the magical healing trope. (Spoilers ahead! I don’t use character names.) It was used to heal a character after they died from their throat being slit; then it was used to heal a character’s broken leg. The first character dying was only for shock value. They were only dead for a few pages, and in my opinion, could easily be taken out. I think the other character’s broken leg could easily be changed- it doesn’t need to be healed. In both cases, the characters are restored to fully able and it’s like their injuries never happened.
Thank you to Hansen House Publishing, Melissa Karibian and BookFunnel for an advance review copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Blood
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, and Vomit
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