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A review by halcyone
Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
3.0
This was originally posted at The Cozy Armchair!
I wanted to borrow this book from my local library but there wasn't even one copy in the system. I was frustrated by this and went on a hunt for a way to suggest books for the library system to buy. Lo and behold! It was right there on the website, so it was easy to fill out and submit the form. To be honest, I didn't expect results. What were the chances that my request would be honored? Turns out it was highly probable! When I checked the online catalog a couple of months later, they had several copes of the book!
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while because of mermaids! And winged people! That and the fact that Dolamore's first book, Magic Under Glass, was a great read led to me picking up Between the Sea and Sky with high expectations ... which spelled out its downfall from the very beginning.
But let's start with a compliment.
That cover. It's gorgeous. Sure, her torso looks a bit strange, but the colors and font and everything works great together. It's definitely one of the reasons I was so drawn to this book in the first place; it's one of the best covers I've seen for a mermaid story. I just wish the story had lived up to the kind of beauty hinted at in the cover and title.
The narrative voice was very simple, as was the plot set-up and overall story line. It was too easy to predict what was going to happen next. Maybe this could have been excused if the fairy tale aspects of the story were well executed. I feel like the atmosphere was well suited to that kind of simplistic storytelling, but I still wish everything had been more complex. There was no real conflict, no true antagonist, no deadline to Esmerine's search for her sister.
Speaking of Esmerine, I tried to like her - on some level, I think I did, but the various aspects of her personality just didn't click for me. I think she would have worked better as a character if she hadn't been swooning over Alander the whole time. His character was particularly boring, the motives for his standoffish behavior predictable, and his chemistry with Esmerine nearly absent. There was no spark. I wouldn't have minded that the journey to find her sister took a backseat to the romance if there had been some actually exciting tension beyond Esmerine doubting herself and beating herself up over admiring Alander because he obviously didn't like her back. We can all guess at how that turned out.
Anyway, I didn't feel outright disappoint upon its conclusion, but I was left with this unfulfilled desire for a gripping mermaid story with more plot substance. If I had gone in with an open mind or expecting a more lighthearted story, this review might have turned out differently.
I wanted to borrow this book from my local library but there wasn't even one copy in the system. I was frustrated by this and went on a hunt for a way to suggest books for the library system to buy. Lo and behold! It was right there on the website, so it was easy to fill out and submit the form. To be honest, I didn't expect results. What were the chances that my request would be honored? Turns out it was highly probable! When I checked the online catalog a couple of months later, they had several copes of the book!
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while because of mermaids! And winged people! That and the fact that Dolamore's first book, Magic Under Glass, was a great read led to me picking up Between the Sea and Sky with high expectations ... which spelled out its downfall from the very beginning.
But let's start with a compliment.
That cover. It's gorgeous. Sure, her torso looks a bit strange, but the colors and font and everything works great together. It's definitely one of the reasons I was so drawn to this book in the first place; it's one of the best covers I've seen for a mermaid story. I just wish the story had lived up to the kind of beauty hinted at in the cover and title.
The narrative voice was very simple, as was the plot set-up and overall story line. It was too easy to predict what was going to happen next. Maybe this could have been excused if the fairy tale aspects of the story were well executed. I feel like the atmosphere was well suited to that kind of simplistic storytelling, but I still wish everything had been more complex. There was no real conflict, no true antagonist, no deadline to Esmerine's search for her sister.
Speaking of Esmerine, I tried to like her - on some level, I think I did, but the various aspects of her personality just didn't click for me. I think she would have worked better as a character if she hadn't been swooning over Alander the whole time. His character was particularly boring, the motives for his standoffish behavior predictable, and his chemistry with Esmerine nearly absent. There was no spark. I wouldn't have minded that the journey to find her sister took a backseat to the romance if there had been some actually exciting tension beyond Esmerine doubting herself and beating herself up over admiring Alander because he obviously didn't like her back. We can all guess at how that turned out.
Anyway, I didn't feel outright disappoint upon its conclusion, but I was left with this unfulfilled desire for a gripping mermaid story with more plot substance. If I had gone in with an open mind or expecting a more lighthearted story, this review might have turned out differently.