A review by bookloversofi
Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn

4.0

I want to thank the author for sending me, so kindly, a copy for review. As always, my thoughts on the book are 100% my own and honest


Wow this book, I really liked it, and I can't wait for the next one. I think it's one of the most unique books I've read this year, it's full of well-made representations and lovable characters, very well created.



4/5 Stars

You can find more of my review on my blog A Book. A Thought.


In this story we follow Perle, a mermaid who has been captured by the fearsome pirate captain Kian, who in her quest to capture mermaids and sell them, has created a device which blocks their voices, by preventing them from singing, and in this way has stripped them of one of their most lethal weapons. Perle's hope of escape is revived when the ship is taken by other pirates, and this new captain, with his bright smiles seems different than the rest and promises Perle that she'll never return to Kian's hands. But he's still a human and a captor in some way, so Perle is not sure if she can really trust him. As the tides change, Perle must decide whether to escape once and for all from Kian, or ride the wave and defeat her, so that she no longer hurts more mermaids, waiting for these new humans to join her.


The book is entirely told from Perle's point of view, and that's so incredible, I usually enjoy multiple POVs, but this time I feel it was perfect that the story was only told from Perle's point of view, since she's a mermaid, she has a very particular and different way of seeing the world out of the water and the humans that live in it. There are times when she describes how the sirens live and how they relate, and I feel that it's so interesting, in fact the sirens don't identify themselves with any gender, they can change their sexual organs to female or male depending on what their needs are, what which I found so interesting, unique and incredible. This gave to the plot something very special, since Perle refers to everyone as THEM or THEY, until she goes more bonding with humans and understanding how they live and how they feel represented. I think all this is the most unique and different that this book has, and it was indeed a pleasant surprise for me, it gives to the story a lot of diversity and makes you see the world differently, loved that.

The way in which sexual diversity is touched in this book is beautiful, so natural and relaxed. The conversations are so amazing.



The writing style is very different from what I'm used to, but that was a good thing, I enjoyed it a lot, I feel it's one of those writings that should be read slowly in order to enjoy them, it has very beautiful and poetic quotes.
Even so, I think that the book in general is slow pace, but if this is not a problem for you, you'll surely enjoy it

The world building is really good, but I would have liked to see a little more of the sirens world as such, maybe this is something that will be seen more in the next book, so I'll be waiting for it. The whole structure of the sirens like these beings that hunt, and are a little cold but also very loyal, it was fantastic. I think it's a world full of possibilities and I need to know more about. It's very atmospheric and I think it is due to the beautiful writing style.


Confession Time #1: It's the first time I read a story entirely about mermaids. And it has been a new and rewarding experience for me, now I'm determined to read more about it

Confession Time #2: I don't usually like pirate stories, I know, SHOCK lol. I don't know why, but I usually find pirates as difficult characters, which fail to capture my interest, but this time there was so much diversity around the subject that I managed to get involved a bit more.


The characters were great!, you know I'm all about some good characters and this book has them. We have, of course, Perle, and I loved her, I think it adds a lot to the story and gives the plot both fun and raw moments, plus, I enjoyed her learning, growth and above all her incredible strength. Dejean, is a great character and although he enters the story as a pirate, is not the typical image of one, in fact, it's the opposite and has been a very loyal and adorable character, and also his chats with Perle are very diverse and interesting to read. Murielle and Simone are both great, they have made me laugh a lot with their lines, and I also adore this incredible relationship that exists between them.



There are many Sci-fi aspects that are very well integrated in the world, I didn't expect it at all, but I liked it a lot

So, I really loved the book, the ending was very nice and inclusive, I recommend it a lot if you like pirates and mermaids stories, but especially if you're looking for books that represent the LGBT+ community or have gender representations, overall. The author has done an excellent job with that, and I can't wait to read the next one!, I feel that this book is just the beginning of a great adventure