Scan barcode
auntieerrica's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Our Vengeful Souls is a fantastic origin story, which I didn’t realize going into. It’s engaging from the get-go. You’re thrown into a world under the sea where siblings compete for a crown, hoping to outshine one another in their father’s eyes. When the brother becomes overly jealous and worried he’s losing, he curses his sister and sends her on land.
The author's novel had me rooting for our FMC, waiting for her to avenge herself and claim the throne. What disappointed me, though, is that I didn’t care as much for the romance. I know this is a YA novel, but I couldn’t get behind the romantic interest and was unconcerned by his fate.
I did enjoy the narrator. She did a great job acting out all the characters' lines and pulling me into the story.
This would be an excellent book for younger YA and readers looking for clean but whirlwind mermaid book.
Thank you, NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Kristi McManus, for the advance listener copy!
elcosmiquechild's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rlbridges's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
lyakimov's review
3.0
I had no idea that this was a villain origin story of Ursula. What?? I didn't connect it with the tentacles, but honestly she is mostly humanoid, so she is not ugly or anything but whatever.
The writing was good, but there was way too much information about Sereia learning new things about the human world. What are berries? What is bread? There was a little too much of that for me. Also, the plot was entertaining but there was so much stuff that happened in such a short book that a lot of the plot points failed to land, and then at the end became completely irrelevant because she destroyed the entirety of Atlantis and killed all the humans at the end. It was just kind of bizarre. I also wish that the climax of the book was a little longer and less rushed. You could take the whole army aspect out of the story and nothing would have changed, so that felt so unnecessary and could've been taken out to add in more time for a more satisfying conclusion.
The writing was good, but there was way too much information about Sereia learning new things about the human world. What are berries? What is bread? There was a little too much of that for me. Also, the plot was entertaining but there was so much stuff that happened in such a short book that a lot of the plot points failed to land, and then at the end became completely irrelevant because she destroyed the entirety of Atlantis and killed all the humans at the end. It was just kind of bizarre. I also wish that the climax of the book was a little longer and less rushed. You could take the whole army aspect out of the story and nothing would have changed, so that felt so unnecessary and could've been taken out to add in more time for a more satisfying conclusion.
caitlinjohnson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've always been a fan of retellings. I realised early on that this was a Ursula retelling and yet I still found myself hoping and rooting for Sereia. Seeing her build a life on Atlantis with her new friends was heartbreaking when you know where she ends up and how her story will inevitably end. Her pain and rage were so visceral that you can't help but root for her regardless of her less-than-ideal choices.
It truly is a story about a young girl who was betrayed and so consumed with a vengeance that she couldn't fathom a life in which she didn't enact her revenge on her brother.
The critiques I have of this book is that sometimes the dialogue, especially when Sereia was reasserting her power to herself, was a bit clunky. The final confrontation between Sereia and Triton was a bit anticlimactic, I thought that it would hit much harder than it did.
Thanks to NetGalley, Kristi McManus, and CamCat books for the chance to review!
It truly is a story about a young girl who was betrayed and so consumed with a vengeance that she couldn't fathom a life in which she didn't enact her revenge on her brother.
The critiques I have of this book is that sometimes the dialogue, especially when Sereia was reasserting her power to herself, was a bit clunky. The final confrontation between Sereia and Triton was a bit anticlimactic, I thought that it would hit much harder than it did.
Thanks to NetGalley, Kristi McManus, and CamCat books for the chance to review!
pagesofash's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.0
cnoodles's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
theaceofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
After being cursed by and being forced out of the ocean by her brother, Sereia finds herself in Atlantis, surrounded by the humans she has been warned about her whole life. She quickly starts forming connections and even finds love as she searches Atlantean knowledge to find a way home so that she can get her revenge. But the longer she stays, the more she wishes that she can keep the parts of her human life she has come to love.
I found myself hesitating between a 3.5 and a 3.75 for this one. Although I had a great time with this, I think it had a few issues that didn't quite make it a four star read, although I was leaning somewhat towards it for a good portion of the book. It was definitely an interesting story! Although it did contain mermaids, which usually does draw me in because I always find underwater cultures interesting to learn about (especially when they are fiercer, which this one seems to be!) I loved seeing Sereia grow into herself when she was finally taken seriously. The way her father treated her and dismissed her talents was rather sad to read about. I'm glad she was finally given the opportunity to thrive. I wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Valeria, but exploring Atlantis through a newcomer's eyes was also a wonderful experience. I'd love to see that library! The writing kept my attention well and I found myself wanting to keep going (although the Netgalley shelf app didn't always cooperate - very frustrating since I wanted to know what was going to happen next!)
I usually enjoy it when books don't focus on the romance so it feels strange saying that this one should have given more attention to it. It just kind of exists occasionally, almost feeling like an afterthought, between Sereia doing all these other awesome things and forming what feel like stronger and more important bonds with other characters. And then becomes this big, important thing that plays a massive role in where the book goes towards the end. There is such a massive character pivot and I don't fully believe it I don't quite see how we got there,. It makes her decisions feel like more of an overreaction than they already were - I really don't see her acting in such an extreme way given how targeted her previously shown more violent tendencies have always been. She sacrificed herself to save a girl and then simply decides "screw it, everyone is evil, including this kid I see as a sister" Also on the not so good side of things, although it's a pretty minor thing, is that there seem to be some inconsistency in how much knowledge she has on the human world. She knows nothing of things like chickens, bread and horse, and yet she knows the smell of mildew (okay, maybe this was explained to her at some point but I don't see how it naturally comes up?) and is familiar with very at least one clearly terrestrial idiom (having butterflies in ones stomach) although she usually defaults to oceanic things (like seals) to describe what she sees and experiences. This wasn't a big thing at all, but the second one in particular stood out to me. Some points are also maybe repeated a bit too often, but that could also just be because its more common in books for the age range it is being marketed towards?
Although we ultimately know where the story goes through the epilogue and of course her role as a villain in another story I would definitely want to read more about her. She's an interesting character and I feel like there is so much to explore with the shift to her new identity.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
I found myself hesitating between a 3.5 and a 3.75 for this one. Although I had a great time with this, I think it had a few issues that didn't quite make it a four star read, although I was leaning somewhat towards it for a good portion of the book. It was definitely an interesting story! Although it did contain mermaids, which usually does draw me in because I always find underwater cultures interesting to learn about (especially when they are fiercer, which this one seems to be!) I loved seeing Sereia grow into herself when she was finally taken seriously. The way her father treated her and dismissed her talents was rather sad to read about. I'm glad she was finally given the opportunity to thrive. I wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Valeria, but exploring Atlantis through a newcomer's eyes was also a wonderful experience. I'd love to see that library! The writing kept my attention well and I found myself wanting to keep going (although the Netgalley shelf app didn't always cooperate - very frustrating since I wanted to know what was going to happen next!)
I usually enjoy it when books don't focus on the romance so it feels strange saying that this one should have given more attention to it. It just kind of exists occasionally, almost feeling like an afterthought, between Sereia doing all these other awesome things and forming what feel like stronger and more important bonds with other characters. And then becomes this big, important thing that plays a massive role in where the book goes towards the end. There is such a massive character pivot and I don't fully believe it I don't quite see how we got there,.
Although we ultimately know where the story goes through the epilogue
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual assault
adrihean's review
4.0
“Our Vengeful Souls,” by Kristi McManus
Sereia, a mermaid princess, has been cursed by her brother to be a human and get out of his way so he can be the future leader under the sea. When he washes up on land, she is the realm of Atlantis and is determined to get revenge on her brother.
I loved this book. I love fairytale retellings and mermaids and the story of Atlantis is so cool. I loved the world building and lore of the mermaids so much. Little mermaid vibes but with an FMC that is strong because she was the punching bag of her family her entire life. The love interest was super sweet, and I was hoping they would see their feelings and it would heal both of the traumas throughout the book, so I was happy when they finally admitted it. I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was really good and paced well. 4 out of 5 stars, I adored it.
Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.
zgreyz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
So netgalley's description didn't mention any connection to the little mermaid at all. So i didn't know this was Ursula's origin story. I'm not a big disney fan so i probably wouldn't have picked it up had I seen that. or I might have enjoyed it more knowing that beforehand so that i didn't have other expectations. Once she got tentacles i realized it was an ursula villain origin story. but i still kinda hoped it wasn’t. made for a not very exciting ending plot twist. That being said, I do like the perspective showing she was a victim to just everything going completely wrong and to patriarchal bs. Though sinking an entire city is a bit much. I don't know how to feel.
It started out interesting and i enjoyed the first half or so. then everything just goes downhill and you're waiting for something good to happen but it never does. the ending was unsatisfying for me and I wish i'd known more of what this was going into it, but I do like the perspective. ARC review.
It started out interesting and i enjoyed the first half or so. then everything just goes downhill and you're waiting for something good to happen but it never does. the ending was unsatisfying for me and I wish i'd known more of what this was going into it, but I do like the perspective. ARC review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse