Tag Archives: Mermaids

The Sea Hag by Melissa Lee Shaw

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Sea Hag
Author: Melissa Lee Shaw
In: Silver Birch, Blood Moon (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Mermaids, Retellings
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 1999

Thoughts

I absolutely, completely, totally and utterly freaking loved this Little Mermaid retelling. Particularly since it mostly borrows elements from the Disney version, not the original… it just made this all that much more potent and loveable. I love that the Sea Hag is the mother of the mermaids, and at the end of the day, everything she has done is in an attempt to help her beautiful children. The love of a mother is intense and irreplaceable, and I love that this is featured in this tale.

Although I really liked reading about this redemption arc and recovery, I really want to read about the battle that first put the Sea Hag in her horrible position. Or the one that I’m sure is about to take place now that she’s freed from the father’s evil clutches. I mean, she’s going to seriously kick butt for being taken from her children…

As much as I loved this short story, this was a great reminder of how femininity and womanhood tend to be vilified. How if you are old and no longer attractive, you are a hag and something to be feared. And how easy it can be to turn woman against each other with bad intentions and evilly whispered words.

<- PreciousThe Frog Chauffeur ->

Image source: Wikipedia

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Title: To Kill a Kingdom
Author: Alexandra Christo
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Mermaids, Retellings, Young adult
Dates read: 27th – 28th June 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: “Have you known for a while?” Sakura asks.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

I have a heart for every year I’ve been alive.

There are seventeen hidden in the sand of my bedroom. Every so often, I claw through the shingle just to check they’re still there. Buried deep and bloody.

Princess Lira is siren royalty and revered across the sea until she is cursed into humanity by the ruthless Sea Queen. Now Lira must deliver the heart of the infamous siren killer or remain a human forever.

Prince Elian is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world, and captain to a deadly crew of siren hunters. When he rescues a drowning woman from the ocean, she promises to help him destroy siren kind for good. But he has no way of knowing whether he can trust her…

Thoughts

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for a while, and I kind of figured that it was just going to be another cute little retelling. I was excited to read it, but wasn’t desperate to. And then I read this. And honestly… WOW! This is an AMAZING Little Mermaid retelling. I honestly just can’t get it out of my head. It’s dark, it’s fun and it’s weirdly sweet…

Probably one of my favourite things about this novel / retelling is that Lira is completely predatory. She isn’t the nice, sweet, innocent mermaid of the Disney stories. Or even the kind of sad sack from the original Hans Christian Andersen story. Instead, she is tough, hungry and completely powerful in her own right. I also love that she is seriously sarcastic and aggressive in so many, many, many ways. Which, of course means, she fits perfectly with Elian. He’s also a pretty intense predator, and a pirate. Although, in this battle, I think it’s actually Lira that I found more intimidating and powerful… just as it should be.

Although this is a really nice little romance, it’s definitely not going onto my romance shelf. It’s a little unromantic in many places, and although it does still follow that fairly typical YA romance pattern… there is something a little extra about it. Something that doesn’t give me romantic feelings, but rather, happily ever after, big smile feelings…

The world building, characters and story line of this novel is just phenomenal. It made the story completely impossible to put down and forget about. Impossible to forget and stop thinking about. What makes that fact really horrible… this is a standalone. I would love to find out more about how Elian and Lira get along in the new world that they’ve created. Find out more about Lira’s cousin… there are so many more stories I want told from this world!!!

<- The Crooked PlaceMore Alexandra Christo ->

Image source: Goodreads

Shifting Sea by Virginia Kantra

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
burning-up

Title: Shifting Sea
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea #3.5
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Mermaids, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 29th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “That’s why we came,” Hobson said.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in BB Shifting Sea BB, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.

Thoughts

I like the switch from selkies to finfolk in this short story. It helps build upon the storyline of the past, but also to open up a whole new avenue in this series. Or at least, that’s how it kind of felt to me. (I haven’t actually read Sea Lord yet, but I know who it’s about). And Shifting Sea jumps from the modern day to the 1800s, featuring a different group of powerful children of the sea.

I really enjoyed reading about Morwenna and Jack. They had this gorgeous Scottish Highland fling that kind of made my heart melt a little. It was just such a beautiful concept, a beautiful setting and a fantastic romance. The fact that there was treachery and confusion sprinkled throughout this novella just made it all that harder to put down.

I loved this beautiful Celtic romance. It was kind of stunning and just set against a great backdrop. It was hard not to imagine yourself swept away in this situation. Hard not to imagine the world in which these individuals found themselves.

 <- Blood and Roses ReviewHere There Be Monsters Review ->
Image source: Nalini Singh

Sea Fever by Virginia Kantra

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for sea fever virginia kantra book cover

Title: Sea Fever
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves:Celtic, Mermaids, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 2nd – 3rd February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “Not once the season’s over,” Antonia grumbled.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A desire for life… Regina Barone knows something is missing from her life. She spends her days working in her mother’s restaurant on the Maine island of World’s End and her nights caring for her young son. When the island’s only eligible bachelor marries another woman, Regina realizes that the love she yearns for isn’t going to appear by magic. Or is it?

A denial of blood… Dylan Hunter has returned to World’s End for his brother’s wedding, but he is troubled by his human ties. years ago, he chose his life as a selkie – an immortal being of the sea – over the fragile and treacherous emotions of humanity. The same emotions that destroyed his family, and that will strike at his very heart…

A danger to both… Neither Regina nor Dylan can ctonrol their attraction to each other – or foresee its disastrous consequences. But their destiny has been foretold, and their fate will be decided in the stormy tides of water and fire, where only love can save them – and the world…

Thoughts

In Sea Witch, I kind of hated Dylan. He was a bit of a douche. And had major tickets on himself. So I really wasn’t sure whether I would actually like this story or not… after all, the lead was someone who I thought was a bit… eh. And after reading this, I don’t really think all that much more of Dylan. I still think he’s a douche. Although I understand his douchiness a little better I suppose.

Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the male lead, I did love the female lead – Regina. She is tough, independent and has a lot of gumption. And, even though she’s falling for Dylan all throughout, she still maintains her independence and integrity. And, as I read this story, I spend a lot of time thinking about the food that she is cooking. Which makes me incredibly hungry. After all, who can read about food and not want to eat?

Sea Fever really starts to set up the overall series storyline for the Children of the Sea series. Where Sea Witch was a great introduction and a wonderfully easy read, Sea Fever was a little more complex. The idea of the future prophecy heavily intertwines with the lives of the characters. And it meant, that like Sea Fever, I had to immediately pick up Sea Lord to see what was going to happen next…

 <- Sea Witch ReviewSea Lord Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for sea witch virginia kantra book cover

Title: Sea Witch
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Mermaids, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 30th January – 2nd February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Margred gave herself a moment to admire him, the thoughtful green eyes, the long, strong jaw, the sensitive mouth.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

From the water… For years, Margred has gone without the touch of another. Now, her need has driven her beyond her own world. For she is a selkie – a legendary being of the sea, able to shape-shift into seductive human form. Finally, she has found the one she wants…

From the land… A burned-out veteran of the big-city streets, Caleb Hunter was only too happy to take the job as police chief on the peaceful Maine island of World’s End. Nothing ever happens in this tiny community surrounded by the sea – until he meets a woman who’s everything he’s ever dreamed of. And more…

To each other… Their passion is undeniable. Irresistible. But when a murderer begins targeting women in World’s End, Caleb must face the terrible possibility that the killings are somehow connected to the mysterious Margred – and that the power of their love may change the fate of humankind…

Thoughts

This is the first story in a long time that I’ve read where the woman is the sexual aggressor. And I really liked the change of pace. Maggie isn’t promiscuous and damaged as most sexually aggressive woman are often portrayed, but she is also completely free. I loved this balance between femininity and sexuality, passive and aggressive. She is such an incredibly sweet and lovable character. One that I was kind of disappointed to leave behind when I closed the last page of the book.

This paranormal romance is a nice balance between modern-day sensibilities and beliefs and ancient folklore. The use of selkies and their archaic mannerisms balances beautifully against the small town life and daily struggles of Maine. This especially comes to light when there are murders of selkies which need to be investigated. Small town cop, Caleb tries to solve a demonic murder, while using the legal system that we are all familiar with. It certainly leads to a number of confusing moments and difficulties that make this romance all the more intriguing and… well, sweet.

Sea Witch is an amazing first novel in the Children of the Sea series. It introduces a great new world set right alongside our own. There are already pasts and futures at stake and the vague mention of a prophecy. All of which make it impossible to not pick up Sea Fever straight away… which I did… after all, it is a Celtic series about Selkies… possibly the best mix of supernatural, romance and fantasy that I’ve read in a while.

 <- Sea Crossing ReviewSea Fever Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Sea Crossing by Virginia Kantra

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for shifter angela knight book cover

Title: Sea Crossing
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea #0.5
In: Shifter (Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day & Virginia Kantra)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Mermaids, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: She didn’t want to sleep.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

And don’t miss the story that started it all, “Sea Crossing” in the anthology SHIFTER (Think Anne of Green Gables sails on the Titanic, but with shapeshifters!)

Thoughts

I’m already obsessed with this new series. I was kind of obsessed within the first chapter – there was something both sensual and innocent about the storyline. I also loved the fact that although Emma feels that she is a ruined woman (a complete strong and powerful product of the times), she still manages to find a way to stand on her own two feet. She refuses to settle for the second best that is forced upon her, but rather, decides to build her own life anew. Or at least try to. As with every other story, her best laid plans quickly go awry.

It’s hard to tell whether my obsession with Celtic folklore and the UK is because of my ancestry, or just because I love the richness of the mythology. So, anytime I find a series or tale that uses Celtic mythology, I tend to dive in head first. This paranormal romance story fit the bill exactly. Utilising selkies instead of other forms of mythological sea creatures pulled me in hook, line and sinker, and now I can’t get the beauty of the storyline out of my head. The greatest issue that I have with this novella is the fact that I have to wait at least a month until the first novel in the series arrives…

 <- Forgotten Sea ReviewSea Witch Review ->
Image source: Amazon