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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What an interesting retelling. This series is definitely growing on me.
Warning, this review may contain spoilers for the first two books, but not for [b:Poor Unfortunate Soul|27416133|Poor Unfortunate Soul (Villains, #3)|Serena Valentino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457203717l/27416133._SX50_.jpg|47465201] itself. Read at your own risk.
This is the first retelling I've ever read of The Little Mermaid, and it was a very enthralling one. In the beginning, we get Ursula's perspective on the events that turned her into the Sea Witch. We get the sense that things could have played out a lot differently, if not for a few factors, especially those involving Triton.
I liked that we also got to see more of Ariel's perspective than we had of Snow White or Belle in the previous books. Most of the retellings I read are in the POV of the princess, or sometimes the prince, so this villains take is very different for me. That said, Ariel shows up a lot more in this one than the previous princesses, and we do experience her thought process to some extent, especially surrounding Ursula's deal. I really appreciate that [a:Serena Valentino|172512|Serena Valentino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549066065p2/172512.jpg] doesn't use the villains' pasts to rationalize their actions, and shows them instead as whole people who have become deeply flawed. Having the sisters as driving characters help this as well, and have made a lot more sense in the last two books than the way they were used as a scapegoat for the Evil Queen in the first novel.
The writing has also become a lot more female-centric and feminist, and we have two original characters to root for in all of the craziness and evil. I'm really glad we got to see Tulip grow into herself in this novel, and I'm curious to see what role she will play, along with Nanny, Circe, and the sisters, in the coming books.
This book has me intrigued to find out what happens with Maleficent as well. The snippets we read of her views here set up for a clever plot in the near future, and I'll be downloading [b:Mistress of All Evil|34220302|Mistress of All Evil (Villains, #4)|Serena Valentino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495803202l/34220302._SX50_.jpg|55271944] as soon as I can.
Warning, this review may contain spoilers for the first two books, but not for [b:Poor Unfortunate Soul|27416133|Poor Unfortunate Soul (Villains, #3)|Serena Valentino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457203717l/27416133._SX50_.jpg|47465201] itself. Read at your own risk.
This is the first retelling I've ever read of The Little Mermaid, and it was a very enthralling one. In the beginning, we get Ursula's perspective on the events that turned her into the Sea Witch. We get the sense that things could have played out a lot differently, if not for a few factors, especially those involving Triton.
I liked that we also got to see more of Ariel's perspective than we had of Snow White or Belle in the previous books. Most of the retellings I read are in the POV of the princess, or sometimes the prince, so this villains take is very different for me. That said, Ariel shows up a lot more in this one than the previous princesses, and we do experience her thought process to some extent, especially surrounding Ursula's deal. I really appreciate that [a:Serena Valentino|172512|Serena Valentino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549066065p2/172512.jpg] doesn't use the villains' pasts to rationalize their actions, and shows them instead as whole people who have become deeply flawed. Having the sisters as driving characters help this as well, and have made a lot more sense in the last two books than the way they were used as a scapegoat for the Evil Queen in the first novel.
The writing has also become a lot more female-centric and feminist, and we have two original characters to root for in all of the craziness and evil. I'm really glad we got to see Tulip grow into herself in this novel, and I'm curious to see what role she will play, along with Nanny, Circe, and the sisters, in the coming books.
This book has me intrigued to find out what happens with Maleficent as well. The snippets we read of her views here set up for a clever plot in the near future, and I'll be downloading [b:Mistress of All Evil|34220302|Mistress of All Evil (Villains, #4)|Serena Valentino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495803202l/34220302._SX50_.jpg|55271944] as soon as I can.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy smokes! I could not put this book down! I loved every minute of this story. The twists and the way it connected to the first two books I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays into the next book. The Little Mermaid will never be the same after reading Poor Unfortunate Soul.
This book has practically nothing to do with Ursula and I was extremely disappointed with that. Was looking forward to her back story and her perspective. I got a taste of it but it mostly focused on the witches that tie all these villain books together. While I certainly got some enjoyment out of it, if they wanted a story about the witches, don't lead the audience on by describing it as an account of what made the sea witch who we all know today.
Ursula is really complicated and this story reflects her complexity.