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deeburnette's review
3.0
Okay, this is my first true goodreads reviews.
If you’re looking for a fun, quick, and not too complicated read, then this is for you. I’ve been in a reading slump for years now and I think this just got me back into reading.
There were a few things a little off. The enemies to lovers plot line wasn’t fleshed out enough in my opinion. There wasn’t enough slow burn. They went from enemies to being in love a little too quick. The overall pacing of the book was off, especially at the end. Everything has wrapped up with a bow a little too neatly. Aqeara finding out she’s one of the princess and before she even has time to process her mom dies and she’s queen. Kae becoming queen after HATING the idea throughout the whole book. And Kae and her crew being completely okay with Aqeara being a siren just because she saved them. Just gonna go over the fact she had been lying the entire time and planning on murdering Kae just a chapter before the sea witch attacked.
There were a few other details too. Kae said in the beginning that she didn’t have a good relationship with her parents, that they both detested her. In the end, her mother is saying how much she loves her and how proud she is. And her “punishment” is becoming queen? I’m sorry but if the princess is running off constantly to sail the seas I don’t see how that makes her good queen material?
And word choice sometimes. Aqeara shouldn’t know any human lingo, but is using phrases like motley crew? And the setting…is Avalon supposed to be South America? I’m confused if it’s set in an alternate version of our world but Kae speaks Spanish in it.
I promise you I did like the book despite my criticism
If you’re looking for a fun, quick, and not too complicated read, then this is for you. I’ve been in a reading slump for years now and I think this just got me back into reading.
There were a few things a little off. The enemies to lovers plot line wasn’t fleshed out enough in my opinion. There wasn’t enough slow burn. They went from enemies to being in love a little too quick. The overall pacing of the book was off, especially at the end. Everything has wrapped up with a bow a little too neatly. Aqeara finding out she’s one of the princess and before she even has time to process her mom dies and she’s queen. Kae becoming queen after HATING the idea throughout the whole book. And Kae and her crew being completely okay with Aqeara being a siren just because she saved them. Just gonna go over the fact she had been lying the entire time and planning on murdering Kae just a chapter before the sea witch attacked.
There were a few other details too. Kae said in the beginning that she didn’t have a good relationship with her parents, that they both detested her. In the end, her mother is saying how much she loves her and how proud she is. And her “punishment” is becoming queen? I’m sorry but if the princess is running off constantly to sail the seas I don’t see how that makes her good queen material?
And word choice sometimes. Aqeara shouldn’t know any human lingo, but is using phrases like motley crew? And the setting…is Avalon supposed to be South America? I’m confused if it’s set in an alternate version of our world but Kae speaks Spanish in it.
I promise you I did like the book despite my criticism
debrakelsey's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been screaming about sapphic pirates and sirens since I read the blurb for this book. A Little Mermaid retelling meets Pirates of the Caribbean vibes and that made it SO much fun! Having just recently binged all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, this was a really good time for me.
This is a YA fantasy with a slow-burn romance. The plot moves along pretty quickly. It’s dual POV and it’s full of angst and hijinks! The world building is good and the scattered action scenes were pretty exciting. You’ll love the siren warrior Aqeara and princess Kaelyn (captain Kae). Not to mention all of the great side characters — lots of queer characters to fall in love with. Dalton needs a book stat!
Tropes to look forward to:
Enemies to lovers (I hate you, but I’m so attracted to you and I can’t stop thinking about wanting to kiss you)
Found family
Forced proximity
Hidden identities
For a debut novel, this was impressive and it broke me out of my reading slump. Thank you Hansen House and the author for my e-ARC!
This is a YA fantasy with a slow-burn romance. The plot moves along pretty quickly. It’s dual POV and it’s full of angst and hijinks! The world building is good and the scattered action scenes were pretty exciting. You’ll love the siren warrior Aqeara and princess Kaelyn (captain Kae). Not to mention all of the great side characters — lots of queer characters to fall in love with. Dalton needs a book stat!
Tropes to look forward to:
Enemies to lovers (I hate you, but I’m so attracted to you and I can’t stop thinking about wanting to kiss you)
Found family
Forced proximity
Hidden identities
For a debut novel, this was impressive and it broke me out of my reading slump. Thank you Hansen House and the author for my e-ARC!
galian84's review
4.0
This was a fun spin on The Little Mermaid! Here, instead of a mermaid falling for a male human prince, we have a siren falling for a female pirate captain.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in both land and sea. I adore the concept because The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney films. And it kept me reading, wanting to know what happened next. And that ending! It caught me off guard and left me curious about what would happen in the sequel.
While I liked this book (and admittedly binge-read it 2/3 is the book in one sitting), sadly the general lack of characterization prevented me from loving it. I never felt that Kae and Aqeara, or the side characters were fully fleshed out and I really wanted to feel like I was on the adventure with them, instead of feeling as if I was watching them from a distance. And I was hoping for a little more from the love story - it did feel a little insta-lovey to me. In the sense that our protagonists didn’t interact much through the bulk of the book, and then fell in love rather quickly. I felt their friendship more than their love in this instance.
In any case, I’ll most likely read the sequel.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in both land and sea. I adore the concept because The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney films. And it kept me reading, wanting to know what happened next. And that ending! It caught me off guard and left me curious about what would happen in the sequel.
While I liked this book (and admittedly binge-read it 2/3 is the book in one sitting), sadly the general lack of characterization prevented me from loving it. I never felt that Kae and Aqeara, or the side characters were fully fleshed out and I really wanted to feel like I was on the adventure with them, instead of feeling as if I was watching them from a distance. And I was hoping for a little more from the love story - it did feel a little insta-lovey to me. In the sense that our protagonists didn’t interact much through the bulk of the book, and then fell in love rather quickly. I felt their friendship more than their love in this instance.
In any case, I’ll most likely read the sequel.
isoka's review against another edition
adventurous
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
jasminx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.5
wblove's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing
A song of silver and gold is a compelling tale of revenge, love, adventure and self acceptance.
I went in only knowing it was a sapphic little mermaid meets pirates of the Caribbean, but it’s so much more. This is not a big romance book, so if you’re looking for spice it doesn’t exist BUT there is a beautiful romance that blossoms as a subplot.
A siren and a siren hunter’s lives become inexplicably woven together as they both travel on a similar journey of revenge and avoidance. While hiding their true intentions from each other on their shared journey, both learn hard truths about themselves, the beliefs they’ve always had, and how far they’ll go for love.
I ended up really enjoying this book, especially the last few chapters that almost gave me whiplash with all the twists and turns there were! Amazing debut Novel!
A song of silver and gold is a compelling tale of revenge, love, adventure and self acceptance.
I went in only knowing it was a sapphic little mermaid meets pirates of the Caribbean, but it’s so much more. This is not a big romance book, so if you’re looking for spice it doesn’t exist BUT there is a beautiful romance that blossoms as a subplot.
A siren and a siren hunter’s lives become inexplicably woven together as they both travel on a similar journey of revenge and avoidance. While hiding their true intentions from each other on their shared journey, both learn hard truths about themselves, the beliefs they’ve always had, and how far they’ll go for love.
I ended up really enjoying this book, especially the last few chapters that almost gave me whiplash with all the twists and turns there were! Amazing debut Novel!
camii's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
5.0
Simply perfect. Fun to read, entertaining, lovable characters, compelling story... i am obsessed
monocular's review against another edition
Juvenile writing style, tell don't show. Reads like a list of tropes w/o any fat and texture to actually round it out into something real and authentic
emkaypee's review against another edition
3.5
I was definitely entertained by this Lesbian retelling of The Little Mermaid! That being said, I was equally distracted by the odd prose shifts that happen throughout the book. It felt as though Karibian hadn't quite figured out her characters at the beginning of the story, so they really didn't feel the same at the end (and I'm not talking about character development here). Just like the Disney movie, the resolution felt very rushed and like an afterthought