Status
Available
Series
Publication
Duet, an imprint of Interlude Press (2017), 224 pages
Description
Having long wondered what lives beyond the ice shelf, nineteen-year-old mermaid Ersel learns of the life she wants when she rescues and befriends Ragna, a shield-maiden stranded on the merfolk's fortress. But when Ersel's childhood friend and suitor catches them together, he gives Ersel a choice: say goodbye to Ragna or face justice at the hands of the glacier's brutal king. Determined to forge a different fate, Ersel seeks help from the divine Loki. But such deals are never straightforward, and the outcome sees her exiled from the only home and protection she's known. To save herself from perishing in the barren, underwater wasteland and be reunited with the human she's come to love, Ersel must try to outsmart the God of Lies.
User reviews
LibraryThing member keristars
I was of two minds about reading this book, and now that I've finally done so, I'm still of two minds.
At first I was excited to read a Little Mermaid-esque story with heavy Norse influences and a medieval setting, especially with the care for detail regarding undersea living that many early reviews
I ended up reading it because it was on the library's new arrivals display and I was frustrated with the lack of appealing f/f stories. Why not try it after all? I was surprised that it was a paperback and so thin, all the praise online made me envision a heftier tome, but it was conveniently right there at the library.
My original opinions still hold: I love that it's set in the far north of the Atlantic Ocean with a heavy dose of medieval Norse mythology. A lot of thought clearly went into what that means for the characters and how that might play out in their motives and subsequent actions. The tragic Little Mermaid story wasn't so bad after all, and I liked the inclusion of Loki's trickster story and the way the characters dealt with them. (I also loved that they are a nonbinary character!)
But for all that...it seemed like the author went only so far in thinking about the setting's realism, then stopped. My suspension of disbelief was constantly being challenged by descriptions or actions that could have been copypasted from a regular contemporary love triangle novel, with only a few descriptors swapped out for undersea living. And, for that matter, I hated the love triangle and could never really understand the main character's motives. Both felt more obligatory than real.
I feel like this book has a lot of promise and could be something great, but it never quite gets there. I'm disappointed because I can see those suggestions of greatness.
At first I was excited to read a Little Mermaid-esque story with heavy Norse influences and a medieval setting, especially with the care for detail regarding undersea living that many early reviews
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mentioned. The cover is gorgeous, too - how could you pass it up, and with a promise of belugas and other northerly setting features? But early reviews also talked about the somewhat tragic plot and how the romance thread is secondary to the self-discovery story. I have read several Little Mermaid stories in the last year and have grown tired of the tragedy, so I decided to pass it up for now.I ended up reading it because it was on the library's new arrivals display and I was frustrated with the lack of appealing f/f stories. Why not try it after all? I was surprised that it was a paperback and so thin, all the praise online made me envision a heftier tome, but it was conveniently right there at the library.
My original opinions still hold: I love that it's set in the far north of the Atlantic Ocean with a heavy dose of medieval Norse mythology. A lot of thought clearly went into what that means for the characters and how that might play out in their motives and subsequent actions. The tragic Little Mermaid story wasn't so bad after all, and I liked the inclusion of Loki's trickster story and the way the characters dealt with them. (I also loved that they are a nonbinary character!)
But for all that...it seemed like the author went only so far in thinking about the setting's realism, then stopped. My suspension of disbelief was constantly being challenged by descriptions or actions that could have been copypasted from a regular contemporary love triangle novel, with only a few descriptors swapped out for undersea living. And, for that matter, I hated the love triangle and could never really understand the main character's motives. Both felt more obligatory than real.
I feel like this book has a lot of promise and could be something great, but it never quite gets there. I'm disappointed because I can see those suggestions of greatness.
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LibraryThing member ElleGato
I've made it a goal to read more YA this summer and I'm so glad I started with this book! It's a wonderful story, well-written and well-populated with interesting characters. I loved the mythology the author developed for her world, and I loved the lack of genre tropes--love triangles, lovestruck
My only criticism would be the pacing. I felt that, towards the end, the plot became incredibly rushed and certain developments were given just a few paragraphs or so when I wanted much more. I feel like the book was tilted very heavily in favor of the beginning rather than the end, and that impacted the action/plot points that were presented later in the work.
Other than that, I enjoyed reading this book so much. I enjoyed how no one was wholly right or wrong, and how the issues of doing what you must to survive are addressed by the characters. Definitely recommend!
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heroines, etc.My only criticism would be the pacing. I felt that, towards the end, the plot became incredibly rushed and certain developments were given just a few paragraphs or so when I wanted much more. I feel like the book was tilted very heavily in favor of the beginning rather than the end, and that impacted the action/plot points that were presented later in the work.
Other than that, I enjoyed reading this book so much. I enjoyed how no one was wholly right or wrong, and how the issues of doing what you must to survive are addressed by the characters. Definitely recommend!
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LibraryThing member Jonez
4.25
a thoroughly entertaining read. I loved this take on the little mermaid story. Although I did take issue with some of the violence that took place in a couple of the relationships (and seemed to be passed over), overall it was still a very good story. I liked the diversity, and I did appreciate
a thoroughly entertaining read. I loved this take on the little mermaid story. Although I did take issue with some of the violence that took place in a couple of the relationships (and seemed to be passed over), overall it was still a very good story. I liked the diversity, and I did appreciate
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how gender and sexuality were treated in this story. I could see myself picking this book up again. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookbrig
Not my favorite, but could be a good choice for a teen looking for a Little Mermaid retelling. I didn't love the violence between the romantic leads, but honestly it's not any worse than most of the Joker/Harley stuff lots of our teens are into. And there are definitely shades of Disney but darker,
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so it might also work for fans of the Disney Twisted Tales series. Show Less
Awards
Bisexual Book Award (Finalist — Speculative Fiction — 2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-05-04
Physical description
224 p.; 5.25 inches
ISBN
1945053208 / 9781945053207
Local notes
young readers