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The Magic Three of Solatia
Three silver buttons...three magic wishes
Once there was Melinna, a mermaid who loved a prince. She shed her tail, walked painfully upon the land, and followed him up the hundred steps to his father's hall. There she gave him a coat with three silver buttons that had come from the depths of the sea. These three buttons had the power to grant wishes, but only if twisted in a special way, and always with consequences....
The prince, too enamored of himself to return Melinna's love, took the coat, but did not listen to Melinna's words. And the secret of the Magic Three was lost.
Now Melinna is Dread Mary, the sea witch who sings sailors down to their deaths in the cold, sunless sea. Her only passion is for the buttons that shine on dead men's coats - until her icy heart is melted by the plight of Sianna, a poor button maker's daughter. It is Sianna who discovers the power of the three wishes, Sianna who must choose whether to use them - and face the consequences....
Once there was Melinna, a mermaid who loved a prince. She shed her tail, walked painfully upon the land, and followed him up the hundred steps to his father's hall. There she gave him a coat with three silver buttons that had come from the depths of the sea. These three buttons had the power to grant wishes, but only if twisted in a special way, and always with consequences....
The prince, too enamored of himself to return Melinna's love, took the coat, but did not listen to Melinna's words. And the secret of the Magic Three was lost.
Now Melinna is Dread Mary, the sea witch who sings sailors down to their deaths in the cold, sunless sea. Her only passion is for the buttons that shine on dead men's coats - until her icy heart is melted by the plight of Sianna, a poor button maker's daughter. It is Sianna who discovers the power of the three wishes, Sianna who must choose whether to use them - and face the consequences....
172 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
10 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Jane Yolen
972 books3,237 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 18, 2019
Jane Yolen has been called America’s Hans Christian Anderson. It is an apt comparison. Most of her work is either for children or young adults, yet the work has that quality that can also attract adults. There is much going on there.
Magic Three of Solatia functions in part as a reply to Andersen’s Little Mermaid. Not the Disney version with its happy ending but the dark original tale. In that one, the prince is, perhaps, not truly deserving of the mermaid’s love. Yolen looks at what comes next, both above and below the surface of the sea. It isn’t a novel, but a series short novella that are interconnected. The first two involved Sianna, a young woman whose mother was loss to the sea, and the last two stories concern her son Lann.
The four stories together are an examination of the uses and the abuses of power as both mother and son struggle with questions about when it acceptable to use magic and how magic should be used. This done though the use of other fairy/folk tale themes – the struggle to kill a wizard, the noble seeking a bride, the hidden bridegroom. The last two novellas are quest tales in form of having to undo curses.
The charm of the stories isn’t so much in the characters but in terms of the style. The novella has the power and rhythm of oral tales, and it is quite easy to imagine Yolen herself reading you the tales. The lesson, if there is one, is that the greatest magic is love.
Magic Three of Solatia functions in part as a reply to Andersen’s Little Mermaid. Not the Disney version with its happy ending but the dark original tale. In that one, the prince is, perhaps, not truly deserving of the mermaid’s love. Yolen looks at what comes next, both above and below the surface of the sea. It isn’t a novel, but a series short novella that are interconnected. The first two involved Sianna, a young woman whose mother was loss to the sea, and the last two stories concern her son Lann.
The four stories together are an examination of the uses and the abuses of power as both mother and son struggle with questions about when it acceptable to use magic and how magic should be used. This done though the use of other fairy/folk tale themes – the struggle to kill a wizard, the noble seeking a bride, the hidden bridegroom. The last two novellas are quest tales in form of having to undo curses.
The charm of the stories isn’t so much in the characters but in terms of the style. The novella has the power and rhythm of oral tales, and it is quite easy to imagine Yolen herself reading you the tales. The lesson, if there is one, is that the greatest magic is love.
February 4, 2011
This is one of those books that haunted me. I thought I'd dreamt it until one day, I'd finally found it. It existed.
June 29, 2024
A little dated but it's definitely firmly in the box of "classic beginner feel-good fantasy" novels. The bad guy is the bad guy, the good guys are the good guys. The story goes all over the place and follows not only a woman but later her son, and does a LOT in every sentence, which I find impressive since each chapter is maybe two pages long. You cannot skim this and will miss important info.
Overall an easy read. Good for people just getting into fantasy, who don't enjoy grimdark, or who do like that classic old-style writing. Personally not what I'd normally look for in a book, but I had fun regardless.
Overall an easy read. Good for people just getting into fantasy, who don't enjoy grimdark, or who do like that classic old-style writing. Personally not what I'd normally look for in a book, but I had fun regardless.
February 16, 2025
Está bien. Es un cuento infantil que me hubiera gustado más desarrollado y con más mundo pero es que es un cuento.
August 2, 2021
Magic has consequences……
I loved this book and discovered it in my early years of high school, I saved it from being burnt and it still sits on my bookshelf today as a firm favourite. In the meantime I read the ‘How does a Dinosaur…’ books to my children, how did I miss that the same extraordinary author pens both? Time to check out her other amazing works methinks 🥰
I loved this book and discovered it in my early years of high school, I saved it from being burnt and it still sits on my bookshelf today as a firm favourite. In the meantime I read the ‘How does a Dinosaur…’ books to my children, how did I miss that the same extraordinary author pens both? Time to check out her other amazing works methinks 🥰
August 24, 2022
2.5 stars
The Magic Three of Solatia is serviceable as an homage to Western fairy tale traditions, but fell short of my expectations. It is just under 200 pages long, but is split into four interconnected parts. Each of these is too short to give satisfying character growth and worldbuilding, yet too long to capture the appealing simplicity of the best-loved fairy tales. This awkward in-betweenness wears out its welcome most in "Book IV: Wild Goose and Gander", which introduces several new characters but provides nowhere near enough time to make the reader invested in them and their problems. The heroes and heroines throughout are static "good" archetypes, and the main villain has a rare case of being even less interesting than the good guys.
There are appealing magical ideas in the story, and the little poems throughout are sweet and never felt out of place. There are also some enchanting illustrations by Julia Noonan. There is a pleasant dreamlike atmosphere to the storytelling, and nothing about the story feels cheap or insincere, but I found it too detached and rushed to really appeal to me.
The Magic Three of Solatia is serviceable as an homage to Western fairy tale traditions, but fell short of my expectations. It is just under 200 pages long, but is split into four interconnected parts. Each of these is too short to give satisfying character growth and worldbuilding, yet too long to capture the appealing simplicity of the best-loved fairy tales. This awkward in-betweenness wears out its welcome most in "Book IV: Wild Goose and Gander", which introduces several new characters but provides nowhere near enough time to make the reader invested in them and their problems. The heroes and heroines throughout are static "good" archetypes, and the main villain has a rare case of being even less interesting than the good guys.
There are appealing magical ideas in the story, and the little poems throughout are sweet and never felt out of place. There are also some enchanting illustrations by Julia Noonan. There is a pleasant dreamlike atmosphere to the storytelling, and nothing about the story feels cheap or insincere, but I found it too detached and rushed to really appeal to me.
September 25, 2023
Sianna tries to outwit Dread Mary, who drags down sailors for their buttons.
3.5 stars - this is really a book of short stories/novellas where the first two are about Sianna and the other two are about her son, Lann. While I enjoyed them, they were a slow read for me.
3.5 stars - this is really a book of short stories/novellas where the first two are about Sianna and the other two are about her son, Lann. While I enjoyed them, they were a slow read for me.
July 15, 2018
This was an interesting story playing with fairy tale tropes and patterns. However, I would recommend it for a younger audience than I.
June 6, 2020
A childhood favorite I couldn’t part with.
March 24, 2025
hands down the best fairy-tale i've ever read.
(spoiler)
but in the end, it should've been bridda who sacrificed herself, not bred. otherwise, the consequence was easy to bear.
(spoiler)
but in the end, it should've been bridda who sacrificed herself, not bred. otherwise, the consequence was easy to bear.
May 24, 2025
A fun fairy tale esque story. Even though it spanned many years, I never struggled to keep up.
July 7, 2021
This story are absolutely awesome.
October 3, 2010
This is a series of related stories, sequential with the same characters and setting but semi-freestanding. Even so, the book is still pretty short and a fairly quick read.
It's definitely written in the style of a fairy tale or lore, and is formulaic enough to carry the ambiance, but is not so formulaic that the plot is utterly predictable and there are deeper, more meaningful elements in plot and theme than in classic lore or similar modern fantasy (magic has consequences, imagine that!) There's just a little more depth and convincing detail that give the stories more impact than you expect, even though they're still quite short, not incredibly "fleshed out" and maintain the fairy-tale style.
It's definitely written in the style of a fairy tale or lore, and is formulaic enough to carry the ambiance, but is not so formulaic that the plot is utterly predictable and there are deeper, more meaningful elements in plot and theme than in classic lore or similar modern fantasy (magic has consequences, imagine that!) There's just a little more depth and convincing detail that give the stories more impact than you expect, even though they're still quite short, not incredibly "fleshed out" and maintain the fairy-tale style.
December 9, 2010
""Here is your first lesson. And it is the most important lesson of all," said the witch. "Magic has consequences."
"Consequences?" asked Sianna.
"Yes," said the mermaid. "All of nature is in a delicate balance, the good with the evil, the soft with the hard, the weak with the strong. If through magic you create in imbalance, nature itself will right the scales. So whatever you do—for good or evil—it will be counterpoised. If you forget all else, forget not this."
Sianna nodded.
The witch smiled. "Come then, little bird. Teach me that seamother song.""
"Consequences?" asked Sianna.
"Yes," said the mermaid. "All of nature is in a delicate balance, the good with the evil, the soft with the hard, the weak with the strong. If through magic you create in imbalance, nature itself will right the scales. So whatever you do—for good or evil—it will be counterpoised. If you forget all else, forget not this."
Sianna nodded.
The witch smiled. "Come then, little bird. Teach me that seamother song.""
March 12, 2015
Ah, Jane Yolen. Another good one. I loved the use of traditional-style story types and characters and the way this book reads like several old, old fairy tales woven together. Although the writing was a bit stilted at first, I came to appreciate the way it intentionally hearkened to the "oral folk lore" tradition. I would say the only reason I gave this 3 instead of 4 stars is because I felt the climax and ending were less consistently woven, and that the last "book" didn't fit as snugly with the rest of the story. Still a very good read, though.
April 25, 2012
Jane Yolen is always amazing!
July 3, 2012
i am enjoying this so far.
December 5, 2013
Yay for legends of another world. And written from before everyone wrote YA hoping to easily convert to a blockbuster movie
July 20, 2016
I have finally found this book!! It exists!!!
April 29, 2016
A blending of interconnected stories.
July 2, 2017
This is one of the first books I read in my early teens that really sparked my imagination. I still have my battered copy of it today, and I treasure it deeply.
January 28, 2020
Still as great as I remember when I first read as a preteen.
February 2, 2013
Like a Fantasy but in a realistic a bit sinister way :D
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews