Reviews

I think I have grown out of this particular genre of story, it felt a tad bit juvenile for my tastes. That being said: the story is still enjoyable and the characters likeable. It's a quick read and easy to digest.

I will not fault it for being a read that is punching below my typical tastes, as I'm the one that plucked it from the shelf. However, I will critique the minimalistic fantasy setting. It never sat on anything for too long, there wasn't any real skin in the game and scenes moved so quickly sometimes it felt like the stakes were astronomically low. The book is very fast paced, which is both a positive and a critique. Within the first 20 pages Prince Tal is already head over heels with his love interest despite having just met him.

I wish the story had elaborated on anything just a *little* more. I would have easily been fine reading an extra hundred pages if we'd let conversations or scenes have a bit more breathing room.

It's a cute, fun little fantasy book, but overall nothing to write home about.

dyr's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-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

3.0

-the world building was really bad tbh, it didnt quite fit with me the explanations of how the magic worked ¿?
-foreshadowing too obvious
-some dialogues were really cringe
-the siblings relationship didn’t feel real ¿¿ like i was sus of kest for the entire book
-ending felt like AND U GET A BOYFRIEND AND U GET A GIRLFRIEND AND U GET SLEEPING BEAUTY
-the sea witch/poppy part was lit deus ex machina😭😭😭😭
-quite addictive and HIGHLY RECOMMEND if looking for a chill/adventurous coming-of-age fantasy

dnandrews797's review against another edition

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4.0

I have definitely been savouring every word of this book. It’s so rare to find such a perfect blend of fantasy, action, adventure and romance. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I picked up the book and went into it blind, but it was just what I wanted. The pacing was a bit slow in the middle but the beginning and end more than made up for it. A lovely romance about the power of love and sharing your true self with the world. I hope there’ll be a sequel.

bookwyrm76's review against another edition

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5.0

A high fantasy fairytale. Wonderful fun for a novel involving kidnapping, torture, and including references to mental illness. Tal is the 4th of 5 royal siblings and the only one to inherit the magic of his great grandfather, King Lon. King Lon set out to dominate all the other kingdoms and eliminate all forms of magic not his own. This has left his descendants paying retribution for his actions and working hard to establish relationships with neighboring kingdoms.
Tal's magic is not a welcome thing to say the least. It, and he, are kept hidden until his coming of age tour of the kingdom....the tour starts with finding a mysterious boy at sea, said boy jumping overboard quickly followed by an assassination attempt. Those are just the first couple chapters, read for yourself to hear the rest of the adventure and the happily ever after.

pkc's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

fallingwings's review against another edition

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3.0

Okay, so I finished this book ages ago, but have been too lazy to do anything on here. I also swear--I SWEAR--I had a review started for it but I can't find it. I don't feel like delving into the nitty gritty, so I'm just going to sum up my overall feelings about it below.

I personally really enjoyed the first half of this book. It felt original, like it was going to be it's own thing, and I was all here for it. This is my first book about mermaids (er...mermen? Lol), so I was happy.

However, the second half was just a retelling of The Little Mermaid and was rather lackluster for me personally. I don't mind retellings, if anything, I love to see how people can do them in their stories with their worlds and characters. Something about this didn't quite 'click' with me when it came to this book, unfortunately. Maybe it was the fact it was a weird mesh of the original retelling and the "Disney" version (like it tried to be dark, but really really wasn't). Maybe it was the fact that the first half of this book felt original and strong but gave away and just became a basic retelling with a predictable ending you could see coming ten miles away.

I don't know. It was a good story, though a little juvenile in some parts for my personal tastes. If you like retellings, I think you might really enjoy this, but it just didn't vibe with me anymore when I reached that second half.

sophnoel_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring sad tense fast-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

3.5

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