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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
dark
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:
Yes
"But Ursula was different. There was no one to distract her, no one for her to love. She was alone in the world, alone in her grief, and alone with her pain. No, she wouldn't disappoint them. Unlike the old queen, Ursula would be able to fill her heart with hate."
TL;DR: Allegedly a book about Ursula, but barely a book about Ursula*, dominated by "telling" and "not showing." A giant missed opportunity to explore the "other side" of one of Disney's most memorable (and delightfully fun) villains.
[*No, seriously; Ursula's story comprises 32% of this story; the other 68% is about the Odd Sisters, Nanny, Pflanze, and Princess Tulip and/or Ariel & Triton's POVs. This book is more about Princess Tulip, who if she has a Disney counterpart, I have no idea who it is, and the Odd Sisters than it is about Ursula.]
Vibes: I don't even know. The Little Mermaid + vague, general fairy-tale-ness.
Genre: Fairy-Tale Retelling.
**YA -- because it's categorized that way.
**Third in a series.
Character MVP: Literally none of them.
Verdict: This is now my 4th book in the series, and I had higher hopes for this one. After all, Ursula is a fantastic villain and the Disney film is tailor made for a "alternate perspective," because there's so much backstory between Triton and Ursula that's left unexplored.
And I *thought* that's what I was going to get because, according to the book jacket:
"So what of Ariel's nemesis, Ursula, the sea witch? What led to her becoming so twisted, scorned, and filled with hatred? Many tales have tried to explain her motives. Here is one account of what might have shaped the seat witch into a detestable and poor unfortunate soul."
If you want the account of why Ursula is a "poor unfortunate soul," read Chapter 4. Because that's about the only part of the story where Valentino focuses on that. And I *really* don't like to be so negative, because I know how much work and effort and time goes into writing a book. But...these books, and this one in particular, just confound me. I don't get them. I don't get how Disney was okay putting their name/brand on them.
Again, The Little Mermaid is *perfect* for a villain origin story, because the conflict between Ursula and Triton predates the events of the film. We just know that Ursula is banished and that she and Triton hate each other. I go into it a bit more below, but we don't get much more than that. We're just told -- repeatedly! -- that Ursula hates Triton and Triton hates Ursula. We don't see it -- we don't see the events that would explain it, and that's just a giant missed opportunity in my book. And I probably feel it more because I love TLM so damn much.
Spoilery Thoughts Below on What Worked and What Didn't (For Me):
✔️ -- Early on, there's a reference to a "divine hatred" which Ursula feels, and then "divine" is punctuated by its own one-word sentence. I'm going to choose to see this as acknowledging Ursula's basis on real-life drag-queen Divine.
✔️ -- I guess there's a sort of message of body positivity with Ursula preferring to be in her "true self" -- rather than her skinny human body as "Vanessa" -- and resenting people who make her conform to their body standards. But, since there's no explicit commentary about size, the message is really undercut and really only implied. That is, if you want to, you can choose to see the message of body positivity; it's not overt enough to have much of an impact (so far).
ETA: Nope. No impact whatsoever.
✖️-- The switching perspectives makes my head hurt. In the same chapter, we can shift between Ursula's POV, the Odd Sisters' and Pflanze the cat. We also (apparently) get Tulip and Nanny's POV, which is a lot -- and randomly inconsistent -- for a >200 page book.
✖️ -- The village of Ipswich seems really important to the story. Which...is odd. Since it's either a coastal town in Massachusetts or a coastal town in England. Either way, its oddly jarring because it's so specific. Prior to this weirdly specific detail, everything's taken place in the traditional vague, once-upon-a-time-in-a-faraway-land setting.
✖️-- We jumped into the "lining-up-with-the-Disney-film" portion *real* early: 1/3 of the way in the book, and we've already caught up with the film.
Which is frustrating, because Valentino has Ursula relate a promising backstory: something about amnesia and not knowing who she is, so she's raised by a human. Then, other vague plot events happen, and Ursula is about to be burned at the stake, but her father sacrifices himself. Then Ursula wreaks havoc on the village, and Triton shows up to "bring her back to herself" (or something), and then they fight a lot, and Ariel's mother is there, and then BAM. We're there, with Ursula trying to steal Ariel's soul.
That's basically only a chapter and a half, but that's the interesting part! There are so many follow-up questions I have: how did Ursula end up with amnesia? Why didn't she remember anything, including Triton? Why was she in human form as a child, if that's not her real form? What did Triton and Ursula fight about? How are their powers split? If they're siblings, why does Ursula seem so powerful and Triton's only a "minor god"? Why did jumping into the ocean convince sea-faring villagers that Ursula was a witch? Why does Triton hate humans so much? (I'm assuming this is because they killed Ariel's mother, but if that's canon, why is nothing else? IDK.) Why does Athena defend Ursula so much?
*sigh*
There's a half-baked answer about Triton needing to prove his "competition" unworthy for the throne, but, baring any more information in the latter half of this book, it's flimsy at best. It's like "Why does Ursula hate Triton" was a question that was asked in the drafting process and then plugged in at the beginning to "justify" or "explain" Ursula's behavior.
There's also a scene -- lifted straight from the film -- where Ursula watches Ariel fall in love with Eric and muses (as she does in the film) that Ariel's human obsession might be "the key to Triton's undoing." Which is fine except...she already devised her plan with the Odd Sisters a chapter or two ago, so she already knows that...
TL;DR: Allegedly a book about Ursula, but barely a book about Ursula*, dominated by "telling" and "not showing." A giant missed opportunity to explore the "other side" of one of Disney's most memorable (and delightfully fun) villains.
[*No, seriously; Ursula's story comprises 32% of this story; the other 68% is about the Odd Sisters, Nanny, Pflanze, and Princess Tulip and/or Ariel & Triton's POVs. This book is more about Princess Tulip, who if she has a Disney counterpart, I have no idea who it is, and the Odd Sisters than it is about Ursula.]
Vibes: I don't even know. The Little Mermaid + vague, general fairy-tale-ness.
Genre: Fairy-Tale Retelling.
**YA -- because it's categorized that way.
**Third in a series.
Character MVP: Literally none of them.
Verdict: This is now my 4th book in the series, and I had higher hopes for this one. After all, Ursula is a fantastic villain and the Disney film is tailor made for a "alternate perspective," because there's so much backstory between Triton and Ursula that's left unexplored.
And I *thought* that's what I was going to get because, according to the book jacket:
"So what of Ariel's nemesis, Ursula, the sea witch? What led to her becoming so twisted, scorned, and filled with hatred? Many tales have tried to explain her motives. Here is one account of what might have shaped the seat witch into a detestable and poor unfortunate soul."
If you want the account of why Ursula is a "poor unfortunate soul," read Chapter 4. Because that's about the only part of the story where Valentino focuses on that. And I *really* don't like to be so negative, because I know how much work and effort and time goes into writing a book. But...these books, and this one in particular, just confound me. I don't get them. I don't get how Disney was okay putting their name/brand on them.
Again, The Little Mermaid is *perfect* for a villain origin story, because the conflict between Ursula and Triton predates the events of the film. We just know that Ursula is banished and that she and Triton hate each other. I go into it a bit more below, but we don't get much more than that. We're just told -- repeatedly! -- that Ursula hates Triton and Triton hates Ursula. We don't see it -- we don't see the events that would explain it, and that's just a giant missed opportunity in my book. And I probably feel it more because I love TLM so damn much.
Spoilery Thoughts Below on What Worked and What Didn't (For Me):
✔️ -- Early on, there's a reference to a "divine hatred" which Ursula feels, and then "divine" is punctuated by its own one-word sentence. I'm going to choose to see this as acknowledging Ursula's basis on real-life drag-queen Divine.
✔️ -- I guess there's a sort of message of body positivity with Ursula preferring to be in her "true self" -- rather than her skinny human body as "Vanessa" -- and resenting people who make her conform to their body standards. But, since there's no explicit commentary about size, the message is really undercut and really only implied. That is, if you want to, you can choose to see the message of body positivity; it's not overt enough to have much of an impact (so far).
ETA: Nope. No impact whatsoever.
✖️-- The switching perspectives makes my head hurt. In the same chapter, we can shift between Ursula's POV, the Odd Sisters' and Pflanze the cat. We also (apparently) get Tulip and Nanny's POV, which is a lot -- and randomly inconsistent -- for a >200 page book.
✖️ -- The village of Ipswich seems really important to the story. Which...is odd. Since it's either a coastal town in Massachusetts or a coastal town in England. Either way, its oddly jarring because it's so specific. Prior to this weirdly specific detail, everything's taken place in the traditional vague, once-upon-a-time-in-a-faraway-land setting.
✖️-- We jumped into the "lining-up-with-the-Disney-film" portion *real* early: 1/3 of the way in the book, and we've already caught up with the film.
Which is frustrating, because Valentino has Ursula relate a promising backstory: something about amnesia and not knowing who she is, so she's raised by a human. Then, other vague plot events happen, and Ursula is about to be burned at the stake, but her father sacrifices himself. Then Ursula wreaks havoc on the village, and Triton shows up to "bring her back to herself" (or something), and then they fight a lot, and Ariel's mother is there, and then BAM. We're there, with Ursula trying to steal Ariel's soul.
That's basically only a chapter and a half, but that's the interesting part! There are so many follow-up questions I have: how did Ursula end up with amnesia? Why didn't she remember anything, including Triton? Why was she in human form as a child, if that's not her real form? What did Triton and Ursula fight about? How are their powers split? If they're siblings, why does Ursula seem so powerful and Triton's only a "minor god"? Why did jumping into the ocean convince sea-faring villagers that Ursula was a witch? Why does Triton hate humans so much? (I'm assuming this is because they killed Ariel's mother, but if that's canon, why is nothing else? IDK.) Why does Athena defend Ursula so much?
*sigh*
There's a half-baked answer about Triton needing to prove his "competition" unworthy for the throne, but, baring any more information in the latter half of this book, it's flimsy at best. It's like "Why does Ursula hate Triton" was a question that was asked in the drafting process and then plugged in at the beginning to "justify" or "explain" Ursula's behavior.
There's also a scene -- lifted straight from the film -- where Ursula watches Ariel fall in love with Eric and muses (as she does in the film) that Ariel's human obsession might be "the key to Triton's undoing." Which is fine except...she already devised her plan with the Odd Sisters a chapter or two ago, so she already knows that...
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot: basically a retelling of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' in the eyes of Ursula and other witches involved.
This was an okay book. Unlike 'The Beast Within' though, I felt it was revolved around more the three witches and a certain princess rather than Ursula, Ariel, or any of the original characters. But I did like the story, so that's why I gave it a three rather than a lesser rating. So far I've read 2/4 collections, but I plan to read more. I'll give it a bit of a break and focus on the works of other authors.
This was an okay book. Unlike 'The Beast Within' though, I felt it was revolved around more the three witches and a certain princess rather than Ursula, Ariel, or any of the original characters. But I did like the story, so that's why I gave it a three rather than a lesser rating. So far I've read 2/4 collections, but I plan to read more. I'll give it a bit of a break and focus on the works of other authors.
This is barely about Ursula. This book is more about furthering the Odd Sisters story. Not what I signed up for.
loved this one. i had no idea that ursela was made to be his sister. i loved how the odd sisters play a part in each book tying them together.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
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:
No
Ik was echt teleurgesteld in dit boek. Ursula was oprecht een minor character in dr eigen verhaal, dan ben je wel genaaid hoor. Op dit moment had ik ook angst over of de serie zo leuk zou zijn als ik dacht, maar gelukkig was dat het geval.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I started out this book and really enjoyed it but in the middle I felt it was a three star read. I did like how short it was, and quick to the point. The only thing is that everyone is a villain in this and it is a little frustrating.