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A review by annereads2000
The Seafarer's Kiss by Julia Ember
3.0
'I'll see you rot here. Wouldn't that be something? A monster's corpse, buried here amongst the bones of the humans she loved so much?'
The Little Mermaid retelling we've all been waiting for. Ersel makes a deal with the trickster god Loki to avoid the expectations of her world, and to go live with the shield maiden Ragna instead.
This was a very short but enjoyable read. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, based on Norse mythology and featuring a sapphic romance that was enjoyable for the most part. Ersel stole my heart, as did Havamal, the male childhood friend of Ersel. I wish it had been longer - and I feel like it easily could've been. The narration and pace of the book is very fast, and I was surprised to see how much could actually fit in 212 pages. This is part of why I wish it had been longer. The world was so interesting and wonderful, with the politics of the merworld and the mystery of Ragna's tattoos. But perhaps some of the book's charms come from the fact that it was short and without too much detail and too many side plots?
There are some instances where Ember loses me - I'm confused as to how the mermaids have air in their lungs when they breathe. It feels like it was a bit sloppy, when the rest of the story follows the idea of being underwater quite well.
With that being said, read this short and intriguing story if you want a fantasy retelling with mermaids, Norse mythology and sapphic romance - okay who doesn't want that?
TW: domestic violence that goes unchallenged + fertile mermaids are prized, while infertility is seen as being 'broken'
The Little Mermaid retelling we've all been waiting for. Ersel makes a deal with the trickster god Loki to avoid the expectations of her world, and to go live with the shield maiden Ragna instead.
This was a very short but enjoyable read. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, based on Norse mythology and featuring a sapphic romance that was enjoyable for the most part. Ersel stole my heart, as did Havamal, the male childhood friend of Ersel. I wish it had been longer - and I feel like it easily could've been. The narration and pace of the book is very fast, and I was surprised to see how much could actually fit in 212 pages. This is part of why I wish it had been longer. The world was so interesting and wonderful, with the politics of the merworld and the mystery of Ragna's tattoos. But perhaps some of the book's charms come from the fact that it was short and without too much detail and too many side plots?
There are some instances where Ember loses me - I'm confused as to how the mermaids have air in their lungs when they breathe. It feels like it was a bit sloppy, when the rest of the story follows the idea of being underwater quite well.
With that being said, read this short and intriguing story if you want a fantasy retelling with mermaids, Norse mythology and sapphic romance - okay who doesn't want that?
TW: domestic violence that goes unchallenged + fertile mermaids are prized, while infertility is seen as being 'broken'