My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My last review was on another book in the "Once Upon A Time" series, and while that one tried to take the realistic retelling approach, this one stuck with the fantastical aspect of the classic fairy tale while the author gave it her own little spin.
Pearl is rescued from the sea when she's only four years old, but growing up, both she and her parents realize she's a little strange. The only person who seems to accept her outside of her family is James, her best friend who she meets in secret once a week due to the fact that he's the prince...and the prince isn't supposed to mix with commoners. When James is told by his father that he must wed, he approaches Pearl, but before he can propose, their boat capsizes and everything changes.
From the sea come two mermaids: Kale, who recognized Pearl as the sea princess Adriana, and his sister Faye, who falls in love with the prince and saves him from drowning. The mer siblings make a deal with the sea witch to become human, both for different reasons, but both paying a price with the ultimate loss being death. As they try to earn the love of the ones they've fallen in love with, they are caught in a treacherous plot of those wanting to take over the throne.
This was another quick read and it wasn't bad. The writing was good, and the story had a definite air of "fairy tale" about it. While it was a retelling, it stuck pretty close to the original with a few new characters thrown in. I like retellings to be a bit more subtle, but it did what it was meant to do. I don't think it's one I'll ever read again, and it got a bit boring towards the end, but I don't consider the time I spent reading it to be a waste of time.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment