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A review by christajls
Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
Originally reviewed at Christa's Hooked on Books
This was my first mermaid book and I've got to say it was exactly what I expected. That's not a bad thing by any means. I expected it to be a bit whimsical, to draw on traditional fantasy tropes and to remind me of the Little Mermaid. These were all things I was looking forward to and were happy to see woven into the story.
In addition to all the expected elements of Between the Sea and Sky there were also a few things I wasn't expecting. For starters the love story. Instead on being between two merpeople, or a mermaid and a human, it was between a mermaid and winged boy. Definitely wasn't expecting that one. Esmerine and Alander's relationship was so sweet and caring – they had been friends since childhood and developed feelings from there. This felt significantly more realistic than the insta-love I'm used to seeing in other, similar novels.
Now despite all the pleasent features of this novel there were a few things that disappointed me. To start of with, there's really not a lot of depth to the story. The plot is fairly basic. This book is listed as a young adult title, but it reads more like middle grade. There's nothing wrong with middle grade, some of my favourite stories are from that category. It's just a little disappointing when you were set up to expect something different. I also wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. It felt forced and choppy. At times it could get a little distracting and take me right out of the story.
If you're looking for a cute, easy to read fairytale, than Between the Sea and Sky is a great pick for you. There's a lot of great things about this book and it was fun to read. However, if you're looking for a more action/adventure filled fantasy tale this one might disappoint you. In my opinion this book is going to have a very specific audience that enjoy it immesenly, which is totally fine! Not every book can appeal to all people at any time.
This was my first mermaid book and I've got to say it was exactly what I expected. That's not a bad thing by any means. I expected it to be a bit whimsical, to draw on traditional fantasy tropes and to remind me of the Little Mermaid. These were all things I was looking forward to and were happy to see woven into the story.
In addition to all the expected elements of Between the Sea and Sky there were also a few things I wasn't expecting. For starters the love story. Instead on being between two merpeople, or a mermaid and a human, it was between a mermaid and winged boy. Definitely wasn't expecting that one. Esmerine and Alander's relationship was so sweet and caring – they had been friends since childhood and developed feelings from there. This felt significantly more realistic than the insta-love I'm used to seeing in other, similar novels.
Now despite all the pleasent features of this novel there were a few things that disappointed me. To start of with, there's really not a lot of depth to the story. The plot is fairly basic. This book is listed as a young adult title, but it reads more like middle grade. There's nothing wrong with middle grade, some of my favourite stories are from that category. It's just a little disappointing when you were set up to expect something different. I also wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. It felt forced and choppy. At times it could get a little distracting and take me right out of the story.
If you're looking for a cute, easy to read fairytale, than Between the Sea and Sky is a great pick for you. There's a lot of great things about this book and it was fun to read. However, if you're looking for a more action/adventure filled fantasy tale this one might disappoint you. In my opinion this book is going to have a very specific audience that enjoy it immesenly, which is totally fine! Not every book can appeal to all people at any time.