Scan barcode
vibes_78's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
heffalump413's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I was very tired reading this. It probably deserves a more accurate rating but still enjoyable
ginalyn's review against another edition
3.0
Super cute. Much slower than the first one but I still love Emily. It really embodies a lot of the fears that young girls have when entering a new place. I can remember being Emily without the cool/ scary mermaid part. I like the duel perspective.
silver_star08's review against another edition
5.0
So far I am enjoying this middle grade read. I checked out what was supposed to be book 1 of 6 from the library on ebook. Turns out its all 6 booms in 1! Great way to marathon.
This 2nd book, like the first, is around 200 pages, 10 chapters. It does have dual point of view chapters that switch between Emily & her friend/enemy Mandy. This adventure has Emily & her reunited parents moving to an island where merpeople & humans live in harmony. That is until the kraken of legend is released from its watery prison early.
This 2nd book, like the first, is around 200 pages, 10 chapters. It does have dual point of view chapters that switch between Emily & her friend/enemy Mandy. This adventure has Emily & her reunited parents moving to an island where merpeople & humans live in harmony. That is until the kraken of legend is released from its watery prison early.
literally_laura's review against another edition
4.0
Book 2 in an interesting and surprisingly unique middle grade series. Emily continues to let her adventurous streak and need to be accepted get the best of her... this time unleashing a monster set on demolishing everything! I adore this spunky and brave little girl, probably because she reminds me a little of myself- so desperate that new start would fix everything that she gets a bit TOO eager and messes it all up. Important lessons about friendship, being yourself, forgiveness, and the true value of riches.
kairin16's review against another edition
5.0
I am absolutely in love with this book. It's a fun and easy ready full of magic and adventure.
The main characters, Emily, is a realistic tween girl with as many troubles of world-magnitude as those more personal. She's worried about having friends in a new place, about her relationship with a father she just met and about the safety and happiness of her mom in a completely new place. And then, trying to solve one of those, she does something very dangerous and wakes up the kraken.
The book is split into two point of views actually: every other chapter is Emily's and the rest of them belong to Mandy - a girl Emily knew in her previous home and who bullied her. We find out Mandy has a not-so-great life with her parents who tend to ignore her at best and scapegoat their problems at her at words and the bullying she did was mostly because she thought Emily was happier than her and she was jealous of it.
Honestly, this book has shown a deeper understanding of how children think and act that some of the 'real life' fiction I've read before.
There is something to be said when even the most unlikable characters in the book end up sparking sympathy in the reader and Liz Kessler has talent to write those books.
This is the first book in the long time that I have really enjoyed start to finish and that really sparked joy and made me eager to read. I didn't expect it when I picked it up, but I am so happy that it ended up on my shelf. Thank you, Liz.
The main characters, Emily, is a realistic tween girl with as many troubles of world-magnitude as those more personal. She's worried about having friends in a new place, about her relationship with a father she just met and about the safety and happiness of her mom in a completely new place. And then, trying to solve one of those, she does something very dangerous and wakes up the kraken.
The book is split into two point of views actually: every other chapter is Emily's and the rest of them belong to Mandy - a girl Emily knew in her previous home and who bullied her. We find out Mandy has a not-so-great life with her parents who tend to ignore her at best and scapegoat their problems at her at words and the bullying she did was mostly because she thought Emily was happier than her and she was jealous of it.
Honestly, this book has shown a deeper understanding of how children think and act that some of the 'real life' fiction I've read before.
There is something to be said when even the most unlikable characters in the book end up sparking sympathy in the reader and Liz Kessler has talent to write those books.
This is the first book in the long time that I have really enjoyed start to finish and that really sparked joy and made me eager to read. I didn't expect it when I picked it up, but I am so happy that it ended up on my shelf. Thank you, Liz.
preciouslittlebook's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars
Between the thunders of the upper deep
Far far beneath in the abysmal sea
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth
-Alfred Lord Tennison
There are some books that fill your heart with brightness and exploding suns. There are some stories that wrap your body in starlight and breathe fresh air into you, protecting you from pain and harm. There are simply some tales that you will always come back to, no matter how old you are, just to seek comfort and be more in control of reality's wild spiralling.
The Emily Windsnap series will always be these books for me.
Since the moment I received the fourth book in my birthday (it can be read as a companion novel) and after finishing it and crying tears of pure joy, a feeling I haden't felt in a long time, despite the fact I was in a tender age, I knew something had changed in me. Since the moment I stepped foot in the bookstore and purchased the other free, I knew something had made my heart feel light.
And since then, in my darkest times, when I could sometimes barely remember that life is important, I read this books, and it all came back to me.
Emily, a girl from Brightport without a father, who has bullied and didn't feel good for herself, but later found out she was a mermaid, and her father was alive, kept in prison, was the main character. The girl who changed from a caterpillar toa butterfly, and in each book, she grew more and more, not just physically but also mentally. I connected to that girl in a spiritual level. I was a girl who was stigmatized from bullying for a long, long time. And I needed someone to show me that being myself was the most wonderful feeling. Emily did that. Since then, I followed her loyally in all of her adventures.
In this book, I travelled with her to her new home, where merpeople and humans lived together peacefully. Was it the quite paradise it seemed to be, though? Of course not. There was something hiding beneath the surface, a terrible monster that was sleeping its eternal sleep, until a ship crossed the Bermuda Triangle. Because then, it would wake. And it would take what belonged to it.
Emily did not wake the Kraken up before its time out of sheer curiosity. That's what I remembered, since it had been a while since I read the books. No, not at all actually. She woke it up because she wanted to be liked. She wanted friends who thought she was brave and beautiful. She wanted to be admired, and not hated and mentally tortured like in her old human school. When I realized this, something broke inside me. I shed a tear on that page, and I did not feel ashamed. Because Emily needed to learn.
Thank God she later realized what a bad, bad decision she had taken.
The writing of this book was so freshed, and as developped as a middle grade book writing can get. It made me dream, and wish, and believe, and took me out of reality, giving me my own unique place inside the story. I also adored the dual POVs, although the second one belonged to a character I do not personally like.
The plot made me cry, as always, and smile, since these books are just perfect for the summer. I realized that there were some things I did not remember about the characters. Their guide to the island (who later becomes Millie's boyfriend) was called Archie and not Arthur and Mandy Rashton actually has short hair! I felt slightly ashamed of myself because both of these mistakes were visible in my name meaning aesthetics I had made about the series a while ago.
The characters will always, always have a unique place in my heart. Not only Emily, but also her parents, who are sweet and loving and just the perfect family, Shona, her best friend who proves that being girly and feminine can make you more badass than one could realize some times, Millie, the psychic whose optimism and clear mind made me smile, Archie, our newly introduced guide with an important position of power and hell, even Mr Beeston and Mandy, will always remind me and teach me so much.
I just don't know what else to write. This is a childhood favorite for me. Plus, there are some really creepy moments in it, and the way the Kraken is described is just A+.
Also, since this is a really underrated series, if you guys have an urge to read middle grade, something mermaid related, or just a story about friendship, bravery, forgiveness and mental growth, read this series as soon as possible ♥
Until my next review
Keep swimming, fishpeople ♥
~Mary
Between the thunders of the upper deep
Far far beneath in the abysmal sea
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth
-Alfred Lord Tennison
There are some books that fill your heart with brightness and exploding suns. There are some stories that wrap your body in starlight and breathe fresh air into you, protecting you from pain and harm. There are simply some tales that you will always come back to, no matter how old you are, just to seek comfort and be more in control of reality's wild spiralling.
The Emily Windsnap series will always be these books for me.
Since the moment I received the fourth book in my birthday (it can be read as a companion novel) and after finishing it and crying tears of pure joy, a feeling I haden't felt in a long time, despite the fact I was in a tender age, I knew something had changed in me. Since the moment I stepped foot in the bookstore and purchased the other free, I knew something had made my heart feel light.
And since then, in my darkest times, when I could sometimes barely remember that life is important, I read this books, and it all came back to me.
Emily, a girl from Brightport without a father, who has bullied and didn't feel good for herself, but later found out she was a mermaid, and her father was alive, kept in prison, was the main character. The girl who changed from a caterpillar toa butterfly, and in each book, she grew more and more, not just physically but also mentally. I connected to that girl in a spiritual level. I was a girl who was stigmatized from bullying for a long, long time. And I needed someone to show me that being myself was the most wonderful feeling. Emily did that. Since then, I followed her loyally in all of her adventures.
In this book, I travelled with her to her new home, where merpeople and humans lived together peacefully. Was it the quite paradise it seemed to be, though? Of course not. There was something hiding beneath the surface, a terrible monster that was sleeping its eternal sleep, until a ship crossed the Bermuda Triangle. Because then, it would wake. And it would take what belonged to it.
Emily did not wake the Kraken up before its time out of sheer curiosity. That's what I remembered, since it had been a while since I read the books. No, not at all actually. She woke it up because she wanted to be liked. She wanted friends who thought she was brave and beautiful. She wanted to be admired, and not hated and mentally tortured like in her old human school. When I realized this, something broke inside me. I shed a tear on that page, and I did not feel ashamed. Because Emily needed to learn.
Thank God she later realized what a bad, bad decision she had taken.
The writing of this book was so freshed, and as developped as a middle grade book writing can get. It made me dream, and wish, and believe, and took me out of reality, giving me my own unique place inside the story. I also adored the dual POVs, although the second one belonged to a character I do not personally like.
The plot made me cry, as always, and smile, since these books are just perfect for the summer. I realized that there were some things I did not remember about the characters. Their guide to the island (who later becomes Millie's boyfriend) was called Archie and not Arthur and Mandy Rashton actually has short hair! I felt slightly ashamed of myself because both of these mistakes were visible in my name meaning aesthetics I had made about the series a while ago.
The characters will always, always have a unique place in my heart. Not only Emily, but also her parents, who are sweet and loving and just the perfect family, Shona, her best friend who proves that being girly and feminine can make you more badass than one could realize some times, Millie, the psychic whose optimism and clear mind made me smile, Archie, our newly introduced guide with an important position of power and hell, even Mr Beeston and Mandy, will always remind me and teach me so much.
I just don't know what else to write. This is a childhood favorite for me. Plus, there are some really creepy moments in it, and the way the Kraken is described is just A+.
Also, since this is a really underrated series, if you guys have an urge to read middle grade, something mermaid related, or just a story about friendship, bravery, forgiveness and mental growth, read this series as soon as possible ♥
Until my next review
Keep swimming, fishpeople ♥
~Mary
joannam13's review against another edition
4.0
honestly I should be shelving these as LGBT bc they are gay as FUCK
peculiarb's review against another edition
3.0
I was less than impressed by the first book, I didn’t feel the same excitement as I did back when I was 12, but I recognised the appeal. However, the second book was much better as we finally got to see some character development on Emily’s side. There’s a clear contrast in how she behaves here when compared to the first book, with acceptance being one of the main themes in this book. It’s interesting to see how Emily handles being alienated from her friends after she tried so hard to please them, and it was lovely to see her accept herself as she is, instead of trying hard to fit in one world or the other.
an_adult_ish_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I'm pretty sure I read this a few years ago, but if I did, I completely forgot 90% of what happened, haha. I did enjoy this one, but definitely not as much as the first. Emily seemed so whiny throughout almost this entire book, and while it was probably realistic, it was kind of annoying... I really did love the ending though and I can't wait to read the next book!