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joanna1905's review against another edition
4.0
Once again I really enjoyed this book - and I pretty much stand by everything in my original review. This is a fantastic cute little read but definitely had more potential to be longer and have the points of conflict be a little bit more suspenseful. Due to its short length every time a conflict is introduced it is immediately resolved in the next chapter which takes away from the emotional impact.
But definitely a fantastic read, I'd really love a high quality fxf romance fantasy like this one!
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This was exactly as cute as I had hoped it would be! When I read the synopsis I was INSTANTLY intrigued because who doesn't love a modern queer fairytale! However, I was super nervous because the only other queer fantasy/romance I've read us 'Of Fire of Stars' which got hella hype but was super disappointing. So I wasn't sure what to expect with this one since I hadn't heard much about it and because my only other experience with this genre was so mediocre.
BUT THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THEN THAT BOOK AND IT WAS THE PERFECT CUTE LIL FANTASTICAL ROMANCE! The author did a great job of blending the mythology and fantasy aspects with the contemporary aspects!
I loved that our main character was a bisexual Asian boy because not only is good bi rep hella rare but Asian queer rep is even rarer! Plus this was a really fluffy and happy, while there was certainly tension and drama it wasn't a gut-wrenching tragic 'kill your gays' kind of book. So that's always fantastic because we deserve happy queer literature and fairytales.
I also found the whole Selkie storyline was so interesting to me because I'd never really heard of them before, I mean I'd heard the name but I had no idea what they were. So this was a really refreshing and original take on a Little Mermaid esque story.
I want to be clear though, this isn't a Little Mermaid retelling (I have zero idea if it even inspired the author in any way), the only real similarity is that it's a love story between someone from the sea and someone from the land, and they have a very limited time together. This story is wholly original and doesn't feel at all like a quick sell out attempt to queer up a fairytale.
The author has done a truly fantastic job, and I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of queer contemporary or fairytales!
There was a great plot twist in the second half that I didn't expect and it really helped amp up the pressure, taking this book from a cute fluffy love story to a fantasy with some real stakes!
My only criticism is that it would have been great if it was longer. I don't at all feel like it was too short in a way that makes it undeveloped but I just loved the world and characters so much that I would have liked more content to enjoy!
Also, the ending was really great.
This book also did something really great for me, as I mentioned earlier my only other experience with queer fantasy was really disappointing which as made me kind of hesitant to delve deeper into the genre. But this book has given me hope, so I'll definitely be checking out more books in this genre.
I would also definitely check out other/future books from this author!
But definitely a fantastic read, I'd really love a high quality fxf romance fantasy like this one!
____________________________________________________________
This was exactly as cute as I had hoped it would be! When I read the synopsis I was INSTANTLY intrigued because who doesn't love a modern queer fairytale! However, I was super nervous because the only other queer fantasy/romance I've read us 'Of Fire of Stars' which got hella hype but was super disappointing. So I wasn't sure what to expect with this one since I hadn't heard much about it and because my only other experience with this genre was so mediocre.
BUT THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THEN THAT BOOK AND IT WAS THE PERFECT CUTE LIL FANTASTICAL ROMANCE! The author did a great job of blending the mythology and fantasy aspects with the contemporary aspects!
I loved that our main character was a bisexual Asian boy because not only is good bi rep hella rare but Asian queer rep is even rarer! Plus this was a really fluffy and happy, while there was certainly tension and drama it wasn't a gut-wrenching tragic 'kill your gays' kind of book. So that's always fantastic because we deserve happy queer literature and fairytales.
I also found the whole Selkie storyline was so interesting to me because I'd never really heard of them before, I mean I'd heard the name but I had no idea what they were. So this was a really refreshing and original take on a Little Mermaid esque story.
I want to be clear though, this isn't a Little Mermaid retelling (I have zero idea if it even inspired the author in any way), the only real similarity is that it's a love story between someone from the sea and someone from the land, and they have a very limited time together. This story is wholly original and doesn't feel at all like a quick sell out attempt to queer up a fairytale.
The author has done a truly fantastic job, and I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of queer contemporary or fairytales!
There was a great plot twist in the second half that I didn't expect and it really helped amp up the pressure, taking this book from a cute fluffy love story to a fantasy with some real stakes!
My only criticism is that it would have been great if it was longer. I don't at all feel like it was too short in a way that makes it undeveloped but I just loved the world and characters so much that I would have liked more content to enjoy!
Also, the ending was really great.
This book also did something really great for me, as I mentioned earlier my only other experience with queer fantasy was really disappointing which as made me kind of hesitant to delve deeper into the genre. But this book has given me hope, so I'll definitely be checking out more books in this genre.
I would also definitely check out other/future books from this author!
mel_muses's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
booksandladders's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ 44%
This one started off so promising and then crashed and burned so quickly. The MC, Kevin, is bisexual and proud of who he is and has extremely supportive parents of his sexuality, which was really nice to see. But the writing just wasn't up to par with what should have been done in the story. I was not a fan of Morgan or how he chapters and POVs were written because it wasn't in first person, so there was no need for it to be written like a "toddler" perspective. It could have easily been written the same was as Kevin's initial chapter and still made sense. But it was as though the writing deteriorated throughout the book. And then there were added plot points at 40% that didn't quite fit with the narrative I wanted to read about so I was just out. This had all the makings of being a good story and none of the execution.
This one started off so promising and then crashed and burned so quickly. The MC, Kevin, is bisexual and proud of who he is and has extremely supportive parents of his sexuality, which was really nice to see. But the writing just wasn't up to par with what should have been done in the story. I was not a fan of Morgan or how he chapters and POVs were written because it wasn't in first person, so there was no need for it to be written like a "toddler" perspective. It could have easily been written the same was as Kevin's initial chapter and still made sense. But it was as though the writing deteriorated throughout the book. And then there were added plot points at 40% that didn't quite fit with the narrative I wanted to read about so I was just out. This had all the makings of being a good story and none of the execution.
msdominel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
emilyrpf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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
theshenners's review against another edition
5.0
so many feeeeels
the cutest fantasy romance ever tbh
the cutest fantasy romance ever tbh
booklooksbyjenna's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
bespectacledbibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
I must admit to some bias in this review. I'm a huge fan of selkies as mythological figures, so this book had a head start on winning my heart. However, it lived up to my expectations of a selkie story - sad at times, with loss always at the door - and gave me a thoroughly enjoyable story besides.