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The Silent Prince
*See all of the books in the Once Upon a Prince Series HERE.*
A voiceless prince. A desperate princess. A sham romance that turns heart-breakingly real.
When cocky Mer prince Kaerius impulsively saves the human princess from drowning, he doesn’t expect to fall in love with her. Yet her human fragility is so unexpectedly sweet that he is soon head over tails. So he bargains his voice to the lord of the deep for a chance to court her on land. He's confident that he can win her affection--he's irresistible, after all.
But he is a fish out of water in the human world. He didn’t expect it to be so difficult to make Marin appreciate his charms. Her father is ailing, her kingdom is threatened from multiple directions, and she must choose from among several foreign suitors to keep her people free. Thinking Kaerius no more than a mute stranger, she asks him to pose as her suitor to give her leverage with the foreign lords vying for her hand. But not all of them are so easily deterred, and they won't take no for an answer.
Kaerius will have to show the princess that his love is not just an act, but how can he win her, much less save her, without a word?
The Silent Prince , a gender-swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid , is part of Once Upon A Prince , a multi-author series of clean fairy tale retellings. Each standalone story features a swoony prince fighting for his happily ever after.
A voiceless prince. A desperate princess. A sham romance that turns heart-breakingly real.
When cocky Mer prince Kaerius impulsively saves the human princess from drowning, he doesn’t expect to fall in love with her. Yet her human fragility is so unexpectedly sweet that he is soon head over tails. So he bargains his voice to the lord of the deep for a chance to court her on land. He's confident that he can win her affection--he's irresistible, after all.
But he is a fish out of water in the human world. He didn’t expect it to be so difficult to make Marin appreciate his charms. Her father is ailing, her kingdom is threatened from multiple directions, and she must choose from among several foreign suitors to keep her people free. Thinking Kaerius no more than a mute stranger, she asks him to pose as her suitor to give her leverage with the foreign lords vying for her hand. But not all of them are so easily deterred, and they won't take no for an answer.
Kaerius will have to show the princess that his love is not just an act, but how can he win her, much less save her, without a word?
The Silent Prince , a gender-swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid , is part of Once Upon A Prince , a multi-author series of clean fairy tale retellings. Each standalone story features a swoony prince fighting for his happily ever after.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2023
161 people are currently reading
849 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Brightley
28 books253 followersC. J. Brightley lives outside Washington, D.C., with her husband and their two young children. When she's not busy writing, she teaches karate, bakes too many desserts, and makes jewelry. She loves to connect with readers!
Follow C. J. Brightley at https://www.facebook.com/CJBrightley and https://www.instagram.com/cjbrightley/
Follow C. J. Brightley at https://www.facebook.com/CJBrightley and https://www.instagram.com/cjbrightley/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
December 27, 2024
solid 4 (maybe even 4.5?) stars ✨
🐠 Little Mermaid retelling (but he’s the little merman)
🐠 Fish out of water trope
🐠 He falls first
🐠 Cultural Differences
Oh, he’s arrogant arrogant; This was great fun. 😂 At first, I wasn’t sure about him because he comes across as a juvenile and coddled prince so his emotions, thoughts, and actions were a bit 🤨🫠🫢🥴 as he’s absolutely clueless about the human world and so I read with utter amusement, but as the book progresses and character development happens, I enjoyed it so much!
Speaking of his lack of knowledge on anything to do with humans, the author hit it out of the park with the descriptions and things he goes through, it was great and truly sold this book and the prince’s perspective! It was fascinating because Kaerius comes off so much as a…spoiled prince (which he is) in the beginning and the writing style really showcased that, but as that character development happens while he’s on land, the writing shifts to being a bit more humble and yet keeping his personality and merman quirks. It was really well done and this book amused me the entire time while reading.
Usually Typically Always when I read a “romance” book and there’s only one half of the couple’s perspective, I will typically always usually comment in my review “I wish we had *other half’s name*’s POV”, so let me just say that just having Kaerius’ POV for this book was absolutely perfect for this book. Marin was sweet and while yes, I don’t feel like I knew much about her, I ended up caring for her because of how he viewed her and seeing him smitten by her.
I was grinning like a ninny during the entire book, but especially at his insults that no one could understand. 😁 The gender-swapped version of thistail tale worked so well and it was such a delight to read! I was so amused the entire time. 🥰 My only compliant that I wish it went on longer at the end with more of them discovering about the other’s worlds.
Not only did I find my new favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling this week, I’ve also found my new favorite Little Mermaid retelling!
Main Content-
Kaerius goes to the Lord of the Deep (a magical kraken) to do the classic switch of his voice for legs and lungs to go woo his love on land, so there’s that magical element along with the deal keeping him from talking/making any sound and then Kaerius and other mer folk have their songs which have magic in them; Kaerius uses his singing to keep predators away from humans, call out to them and his kind, to encourage certain emotions (either uplifting or warning) to humans (which causes them to do as was suggested in the songs; This could also ben used to lure people to their deaths by throwing themselves into the water, but Kaerius does not do that).
No major language; A mention or two of curses (said, but not written out); “Good heavens! is exclaimed once, but other than that there’s nothing else; Some eye rolling; Kaerius butts heads with his father.
Fighting, Being hit and stabbed, Being held at knife/sword-point, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Passing out, Illnesses, & Finding injured humans (up to a few sentences); Due to the importance of their voices, mer folk place an importance on their throat and keeping it safe, threatening someone’s throat is a thing and we see Kaerius wishes to rip out a man’s throat to means harm to Marin and also wishing to murder the man; Someone threatens with killing a person’s loved one in front of her.
Mentions of wars, threats and threats of war, fighting, & scars/injuries from the wars; Mentions of possible drownings & the pain of it; Mentions of attacks, injuries (including major ones that should cause the person to die), blood/bleeding, pain, passing out, & throwing up; Mentions of hunting; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking at balls; A couple mentions of sirens of old dats eating human flesh & Kaerius giving the image in a song about mer folk eating humans to keep a group away; A mention of a rumor of a mermaid being caught in a net and killed by humans.
2 hand kisses,
1 kiss lasting a sentence,
1 kissing session lasting a couple sentences and multiple kisses;
Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, Smelling, & some noticing (up to a couple/few sentences); Jealousy.
Kaerius is naked when transformed, is told by others to cover himself (somewhat often), and by the end thinks that humans are “funny about which body parts were acceptable to bare”; At the beginning, Kaerius is arrogant and determined to have the human princess (not because of her crown, but because of falling for her);
A mention of kisses; A mention of a man only wanting a certain woman because she’s young enough to give him an heir; A mention of Kaerius’ mother dying in childbirth.
🐠 Little Mermaid retelling (but he’s the little merman)
🐠 Fish out of water trope
🐠 He falls first
🐠 Cultural Differences
Oh, he’s arrogant arrogant; This was great fun. 😂 At first, I wasn’t sure about him because he comes across as a juvenile and coddled prince so his emotions, thoughts, and actions were a bit 🤨🫠🫢🥴 as he’s absolutely clueless about the human world and so I read with utter amusement, but as the book progresses and character development happens, I enjoyed it so much!
Speaking of his lack of knowledge on anything to do with humans, the author hit it out of the park with the descriptions and things he goes through, it was great and truly sold this book and the prince’s perspective! It was fascinating because Kaerius comes off so much as a…spoiled prince (which he is) in the beginning and the writing style really showcased that, but as that character development happens while he’s on land, the writing shifts to being a bit more humble and yet keeping his personality and merman quirks. It was really well done and this book amused me the entire time while reading.
I was grinning like a ninny during the entire book, but especially at his insults that no one could understand. 😁 The gender-swapped version of this
Not only did I find my new favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling this week, I’ve also found my new favorite Little Mermaid retelling!
Main Content-
Kaerius goes to the Lord of the Deep (a magical kraken) to do the classic switch of his voice for legs and lungs to go woo his love on land, so there’s that magical element along with the deal keeping him from talking/making any sound and then Kaerius and other mer folk have their songs which have magic in them; Kaerius uses his singing to keep predators away from humans, call out to them and his kind, to encourage certain emotions (either uplifting or warning) to humans (which causes them to do as was suggested in the songs; This could also ben used to lure people to their deaths by throwing themselves into the water, but Kaerius does not do that).
No major language; A mention or two of curses (said, but not written out); “Good heavens! is exclaimed once, but other than that there’s nothing else; Some eye rolling; Kaerius butts heads with his father.
Fighting, Being hit and stabbed, Being held at knife/sword-point, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Passing out, Illnesses, & Finding injured humans (up to a few sentences); Due to the importance of their voices, mer folk place an importance on their throat and keeping it safe, threatening someone’s throat is a thing and we see Kaerius wishes to rip out a man’s throat to means harm to Marin and also wishing to murder the man; Someone threatens with killing a person’s loved one in front of her.
Mentions of wars, threats and threats of war, fighting, & scars/injuries from the wars; Mentions of possible drownings & the pain of it; Mentions of attacks, injuries (including major ones that should cause the person to die), blood/bleeding, pain, passing out, & throwing up; Mentions of hunting; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking at balls; A couple mentions of sirens of old dats eating human flesh & Kaerius giving the image in a song about mer folk eating humans to keep a group away; A mention of a rumor of a mermaid being caught in a net and killed by humans.
2 hand kisses,
1 kiss lasting a sentence,
1 kissing session lasting a couple sentences and multiple kisses;
Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Warmth, Smelling, & some noticing (up to a couple/few sentences); Jealousy.
Kaerius is naked when transformed, is told by others to cover himself (somewhat often), and by the end thinks that humans are “funny about which body parts were acceptable to bare”; At the beginning, Kaerius is arrogant and determined to have the human princess (not because of her crown, but because of falling for her);
A mention of kisses; A mention of a man only wanting a certain woman because she’s young enough to give him an heir; A mention of Kaerius’ mother dying in childbirth.
Read
December 15, 2023I admit to not usually being super intrigued by mer stories or The Little Mermaid, but this was delightful. I loved the merfolk physiology and culture differences and how this addressed a lot of complications of a merperson with zero human interaction and unused to legs suddenly being human. Brightley managed to make Kaerius incredibly cocky without making him insufferable and in fact making him likeable, while still giving him an arc of learning humility and deeper regard for other people without losing his self-confidence. Lots of humorous moments and a romance that ended up being very sweet and believable despite the potential for it to be obsessive or unrealistic.
January 7, 2025
This was so much better then I thought it’d be! Because, okay, how in the world is this guy so arrogant yet charming and funny at the same time?!?! This seriously should be a crime, he should not be able to be this way!
I went into this book with the lowest of expectations to end up being wildly impressed and flabbergasted at just how much I enjoyed it and how hard I fell for these characters. Kaerius, as I’ve already said, is an arrogant little charmer with a wicked sense of humorous insults (to men who truly deserve it, let’s be real) in sign language (so cool how that aspect was used!) who I have no doubt would have spoken said insults to their faces if he could (and I totally would have supported him), but somehow this merman charmed his little way into my heart, and I love him because he didn’t stay that way but GREW—oh BOY did he grow!—and became a man I’m so insanely proud of.
And while we never see Marin’s POV I didn’t have to as Kaerius’ view of her and love for her endeared me to her while also being able to see her true character through their interactions which helped me to love and greatly admire her. Brighton was great too and I love his and Kaerius’ brother bond/friendship, it was so great and not something I was expecting to see!
The worldbuilding of both the mermaid and human kingdoms/cultures was so fleshed out but never once took over the story and even though I had heard of, ahem, Kaerius’ panache for licking stuff to identify it or who had touched it (this being the main reason I was wary of the book to begin with, lol), it actually didn’t turn out to be as gross or weird as I thought it would be.
…or I’m just weird, who knows, lol. 😆
This book shocked me in the best way possible and I would be delighted and thrilled to read it again! Such a good, fun, and unique gender flipped Little Mermaid retelling!
‼️Content‼️
Violence: injuries and blood (not to semi detailed); two men are found bloody and wounded after being left for dead (not detailed); fighting with weapons and hand to hand (not detailed); a man bites another’s throat (not detailed); men fall off a cliff and into the sea to their deaths (not detailed); a broken body is pulled from the sea (semi detailed)
Sexual: a man walks around naked and is unperturbed about it for a bit (not detailed); kissing (not detailed)
Other: mermaids; magic; a kraken; a man is looked down upon by some for not being able to speak; death and grief
I went into this book with the lowest of expectations to end up being wildly impressed and flabbergasted at just how much I enjoyed it and how hard I fell for these characters. Kaerius, as I’ve already said, is an arrogant little charmer with a wicked sense of humorous insults (to men who truly deserve it, let’s be real) in sign language (so cool how that aspect was used!) who I have no doubt would have spoken said insults to their faces if he could (and I totally would have supported him), but somehow this merman charmed his little way into my heart, and I love him because he didn’t stay that way but GREW—oh BOY did he grow!—and became a man I’m so insanely proud of.
And while we never see Marin’s POV I didn’t have to as Kaerius’ view of her and love for her endeared me to her while also being able to see her true character through their interactions which helped me to love and greatly admire her. Brighton was great too and I love his and Kaerius’ brother bond/friendship, it was so great and not something I was expecting to see!
The worldbuilding of both the mermaid and human kingdoms/cultures was so fleshed out but never once took over the story and even though I had heard of, ahem, Kaerius’ panache for licking stuff to identify it or who had touched it (this being the main reason I was wary of the book to begin with, lol), it actually didn’t turn out to be as gross or weird as I thought it would be.
…or I’m just weird, who knows, lol. 😆
This book shocked me in the best way possible and I would be delighted and thrilled to read it again! Such a good, fun, and unique gender flipped Little Mermaid retelling!
‼️Content‼️
Violence: injuries and blood (not to semi detailed); two men are found bloody and wounded after being left for dead (not detailed); fighting with weapons and hand to hand (not detailed); a man bites another’s throat (not detailed); men fall off a cliff and into the sea to their deaths (not detailed); a broken body is pulled from the sea (semi detailed)
Sexual: a man walks around naked and is unperturbed about it for a bit (not detailed); kissing (not detailed)
Other: mermaids; magic; a kraken; a man is looked down upon by some for not being able to speak; death and grief
December 27, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
How can someone so cocky be so endearing?! Kaerius walked that line but Brightley never had him become so overbearing I felt the need to rearrange his pretty face.
Losing one’s voice is the main pillar of the Little Mermaid, and this gender-bent retelling lent for some interesting reading. Because we only get the story from Kaerius’s POV, while he can’t speak all we get is his inner monologue and sign language attempts—and the monologue is hilarious.
He falls first and is dead gone on Marin… it’s a bit sappy, haha, but if you love the completely infatuated lover type, Kaerius is your man.
He’s a total fish out of water and his habit of *ahem* licking things to ascertain them killed me. 🤣
With hard-won friendships (love Brighton, btw), a unique Mer culture unlike anything I’ve ever read, and a heart changed by courage, this gender-bent Little Mermaid retelling is one I know I’ll come back to!
Content: vague mentions of Kaerius being naked after he shifts from a merman into a human as he has no concept of needing clothing
How can someone so cocky be so endearing?! Kaerius walked that line but Brightley never had him become so overbearing I felt the need to rearrange his pretty face.
Losing one’s voice is the main pillar of the Little Mermaid, and this gender-bent retelling lent for some interesting reading. Because we only get the story from Kaerius’s POV, while he can’t speak all we get is his inner monologue and sign language attempts—and the monologue is hilarious.
He falls first and is dead gone on Marin… it’s a bit sappy, haha, but if you love the completely infatuated lover type, Kaerius is your man.
He’s a total fish out of water and his habit of *ahem* licking things to ascertain them killed me. 🤣
With hard-won friendships (love Brighton, btw), a unique Mer culture unlike anything I’ve ever read, and a heart changed by courage, this gender-bent Little Mermaid retelling is one I know I’ll come back to!
Content: vague mentions of Kaerius being naked after he shifts from a merman into a human as he has no concept of needing clothing
November 24, 2023
I was blessed with the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book!
What a fun read! The Silent Prince is a gender-swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid, the story of the Mer prince Kaerius who falls in love with Marin, a human princess. Meanwhile, Marin is navigating struggles of her own, as her father is in poor health and potential suitors, allies, and enemies of her kingdom are closing in from every side. It’s a lovely story that explores what love really means, and I won’t spoil it, but the main character’s arc is wonderful.
I think one of my favorite elements of this book was the author’s ingenuity and attention to detail in describing Kaerius’s experiences as a literal “fish out of water”! I laughed out loud at some places and ached along with him at others. It was really, really imaginative and well done.
An easy, redemptive read with no language and sweet romance with just a little heat (PG!). Some violence and some gore. I would say teen and up.
What a fun read! The Silent Prince is a gender-swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid, the story of the Mer prince Kaerius who falls in love with Marin, a human princess. Meanwhile, Marin is navigating struggles of her own, as her father is in poor health and potential suitors, allies, and enemies of her kingdom are closing in from every side. It’s a lovely story that explores what love really means, and I won’t spoil it, but the main character’s arc is wonderful.
I think one of my favorite elements of this book was the author’s ingenuity and attention to detail in describing Kaerius’s experiences as a literal “fish out of water”! I laughed out loud at some places and ached along with him at others. It was really, really imaginative and well done.
An easy, redemptive read with no language and sweet romance with just a little heat (PG!). Some violence and some gore. I would say teen and up.
October 10, 2024
4.5 Stars! =D
May 28, 2024
This was a fun, gender-swapped take on the Little Mermaid! I liked it well enough…but it wasn’t very memorable for me.
I always feel a little guilty when I start a fairytale retelling, because I know that, most likely, I’m not going to love it. The potential is there, but so often the stories turn out to be a little too predictable. The Silent Prince was pretty much par for the course in that respect.
One thing I did really enjoy about this story was all the differences it showed between humans and merpeople. Watching Kaerius go through that learning experience was quite entertaining at times! 😆
I’d recommend The Silent Prince to readers who are looking for fairytale retellings with a more relaxed pace!
I always feel a little guilty when I start a fairytale retelling, because I know that, most likely, I’m not going to love it. The potential is there, but so often the stories turn out to be a little too predictable. The Silent Prince was pretty much par for the course in that respect.
One thing I did really enjoy about this story was all the differences it showed between humans and merpeople. Watching Kaerius go through that learning experience was quite entertaining at times! 😆
I’d recommend The Silent Prince to readers who are looking for fairytale retellings with a more relaxed pace!
November 23, 2023
Fairytale retelling stories are probably my favorite genre and this one is no exception. I loved the gender swap. I loved Kaerius's character growth. I loved Brighton. I loved Marin's quiet dignity. Such a fun story and I'd definitely recommend it!! (I got to read an ARC but it will be out SOON)
February 22, 2024
Best Fish-Out-of-Water story I've ever read!
Knowing the MMC would be unable to speak for the majority of the book, I expected the pacing to lag due to lack of dialogue, but every word of this story held my full attention, which is rare. Kaerius's thoughts, which he signed, replaced spoken words, and others' guesses as to his meaning were entertaining and realistic. The way he reacted to breathing air, walking on legs with "foot-fingers," and his arrogant thoughts about human weaknesses immersed me completely. It also allowed him the room to grow and change from instinctual, animalistic, self-centered desires to more empathetic, human emotions. His character was so well written. Since the story is told only from Kaerius's POV, we don't get as much of a glimpse into Marin's thought process, but I loved the different ways the author chose to showcase Kai's strengths and make him an attractive suitor. The plot and supporting characters made it a gripping read. I loved the kraken as the "sea witch." Highly recommend!
Knowing the MMC would be unable to speak for the majority of the book, I expected the pacing to lag due to lack of dialogue, but every word of this story held my full attention, which is rare. Kaerius's thoughts, which he signed, replaced spoken words, and others' guesses as to his meaning were entertaining and realistic. The way he reacted to breathing air, walking on legs with "foot-fingers," and his arrogant thoughts about human weaknesses immersed me completely. It also allowed him the room to grow and change from instinctual, animalistic, self-centered desires to more empathetic, human emotions. His character was so well written. Since the story is told only from Kaerius's POV, we don't get as much of a glimpse into Marin's thought process, but I loved the different ways the author chose to showcase Kai's strengths and make him an attractive suitor. The plot and supporting characters made it a gripping read. I loved the kraken as the "sea witch." Highly recommend!
April 9, 2024
Oh man did I dislike Kaerius at the beginning. I mean, I really disliked him. I was thankful for a different review letting me know that it would be worth it to push through.
the amount of dislike I had for him made it all the more glorious when his pride crumbled and his humility took the lead.
I Love that Kaerius never once lied about who he was, he kept telling everyone he was the prince of the Mer…. They just didn’t understand him or believe him! I also loved all the culture clashes that Kai had to learn because of him being “raised by fish” 😆
Even without a voice, he made his messages known pretty well, and even when he didn’t, it was chuckle-worthy as the reader to get the entire message and for those around him to get half of it.
I loved the bromance level friendship that developed.
I also particularly appreciated the fact that the princess was a brilliant strategist which progressed the plot line of the story in a way more interesting way than the typical Little Mermaid storyline.
The romance was absolutely devastatingly swoony! Kai’s arrogance at the beginning made it so much sweeter.
The Lord of the Deep was friggin epic. Absolutely epic.
the amount of dislike I had for him made it all the more glorious when his pride crumbled and his humility took the lead.
I Love that Kaerius never once lied about who he was, he kept telling everyone he was the prince of the Mer…. They just didn’t understand him or believe him! I also loved all the culture clashes that Kai had to learn because of him being “raised by fish” 😆
Even without a voice, he made his messages known pretty well, and even when he didn’t, it was chuckle-worthy as the reader to get the entire message and for those around him to get half of it.
I loved the bromance level friendship that developed.
I also particularly appreciated the fact that the princess was a brilliant strategist which progressed the plot line of the story in a way more interesting way than the typical Little Mermaid storyline.
The romance was absolutely devastatingly swoony! Kai’s arrogance at the beginning made it so much sweeter.
The Lord of the Deep was friggin epic. Absolutely epic.
December 24, 2024
"Courage was practiced..."
"Courage was practiced in small moments as well as great conflicts."
Several quotable moments throughout the pages. "If he must die fighting, he wanted to be beautiful as he did so. What she needed now was not his handsome face but his courage, ferocity, and skill."
The back story between the Mer people and the tentacled villain is more clear in this version than the Disney one. It helps to understand the tension better.
To be able to read Kaerius's thoughts/words in italics provided a realistic opportunity to learn more about him. His character growth was as engaging and entertaining as it was endearing and encouraging.
SPOILER ALERT
My inner prude wished his clothes would transform with him when switching between Mer and Human. Interestingly, while there were plenty of mentions regarding his clothing, or lack thereof, nothing was said when she switched. What did Marin wear as a Mer? What was she wearing when she became Human again?
"Courage was practiced in small moments as well as great conflicts."
Several quotable moments throughout the pages. "If he must die fighting, he wanted to be beautiful as he did so. What she needed now was not his handsome face but his courage, ferocity, and skill."
The back story between the Mer people and the tentacled villain is more clear in this version than the Disney one. It helps to understand the tension better.
To be able to read Kaerius's thoughts/words in italics provided a realistic opportunity to learn more about him. His character growth was as engaging and entertaining as it was endearing and encouraging.
SPOILER ALERT
My inner prude wished his clothes would transform with him when switching between Mer and Human. Interestingly, while there were plenty of mentions regarding his clothing, or lack thereof, nothing was said when she switched. What did Marin wear as a Mer? What was she wearing when she became Human again?
February 19, 2024
Entertaining fairytale with a twist. The mer prince desires to woo a human princess he saves from drowning. He makes an agreement with the Lord of the Deep to become human. The price? His voice. And 30 days to win the princess or die.
Kaerius is arrogant and proud. He has no doubt Marin will swoon as soon as she sees him. But she is too busy deciding which prince to marry for her country's peace: the handsome, duplicitous Ralph, or the ugly, honest Galbraith. Kaerius is just a distraction to her. That is until she asks the silent prince to pretend he is another contender for her hand.
It was interesting to see how Kai learned to cope in the human world, and communicate with signs and expressions. He also learned what true love requires - sacrifice.
Kaerius is arrogant and proud. He has no doubt Marin will swoon as soon as she sees him. But she is too busy deciding which prince to marry for her country's peace: the handsome, duplicitous Ralph, or the ugly, honest Galbraith. Kaerius is just a distraction to her. That is until she asks the silent prince to pretend he is another contender for her hand.
It was interesting to see how Kai learned to cope in the human world, and communicate with signs and expressions. He also learned what true love requires - sacrifice.
December 3, 2023
The Silent Prince by C.J. Brightley was one of my most eagerly anticipated books from the Once Upon a Prince series. I've read many other retellings of "The Little Mermaid," but never one about a merman. Doing a gender-bent adaptation for this assignment instead of going the easy route of retelling the same story from the prince's perspective breathed new life into a classic tale. Though the story is simple and direct for what it is, the portrayal of a merman in the role of the little mermaid comes off as fresh and original. It has a cute romance, plenty of action, and a healthy dose of comedy. All in all, it is a fun read and an exemplary addition to the series.
Kaerius is a confident merman prince who is proud of his incredible singing voice. One day, he rescues a human princess from drowning. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with her. He swims to the surface frequently and learns that her name is Princess Marin, that she is lonely, and that she also enjoys singing and music. Soon enough, he determines that he is in love with Marin and trades his voice to the Kraken in exchange for legs. However, the devious Kraken gives him a one-month deadline to earn Marin's love. If he succeeds, he will get his voice back as well as the ability for both of them to switch between human and mer forms as they please. If he fails, his human lungs will expire, ending his life. Kaerius agrees to these terms and proceeds to find Marin on land and court her. Of course, a naked man washing up on shore and trying to get the attention of a woman can have very different implications from a naked woman washing up on shore and trying to get the attention of a man. Fortunately, the author leaves the more uncomfortable aspects of this to the reader's imagination, focusing instead on Marin's concern for the shipwrecked stranger and his new sensations of having legs, toes, and feet.
The communication mechanics in this book are pretty interesting. I have read other adaptations of "The Little Mermaid" where she learns to write or sign. Here, Kaerius has his own version of sign language used among the merfolk that no one on land can understand but him. Those who take the time to know him such as Marin and her guard slowly begin to learn his signals after seeing them frequently. Kaerius's behavior on land is also endlessly entertaining. He is a typical "fish out of water," confused by everyday concepts like clothing or soap, but he acts so confident that it comes off as absurd at times. His behavior is similar to that of Marvel's Thor. He never fails to lay on the charm when it comes to Marin, which motivates her to ask him to act as her suitor at a royal dance to throw off the advances of those with more malicious intentions. He takes on this task gladly, always placing Marin's safety before anything else, and gains an even deeper reverence for the politically troubled princess
The relationships in this book are simple but acceptable. The author tries to break the "love at first sight" trope by having Kaerius realize that he barely even knew Marin when he first thought he was in love with her. Yet, there are no groundbreaking revelations here as getting to know her better only makes him love her even more. The most interesting relationship in the book is the friendship between Kaerius and Brighton, Marin's guard. Just as the little mermaid often needs a female maid to teach her the ways of human etiquette and clothing, Kaerius meets Brighton soon after arriving on shore, and he does his best to make him not look ridiculous to other humans. They don't get along well at first because Brighton's duties of guarding the princess pose a potential threat, but Kaerius warms up to Brighton as soon as he learns he is married. Brighton is also the quickest to pick up on Kaerius's hand gestures and comes the closest to figuring out his true identity.
In the enchanting retelling of "The Little Mermaid," C.J. Brightley's The Silent Prince provides a fresh take on the classic tale, casting the protagonist as a confident and endearing merman prince. The choice to pivot from the well-trodden path of retelling the story from the prince's perspective to a gender-bent narrative injects a breath of novelty into the familiar storyline. The transformation of Kaerius, the merman prince, as he navigates the dual worlds of sea and land, introduces fascinating dynamics and challenges. Kaerius's unique sign language adds an intriguing layer to the story, fostering connection and understanding between the characters. This book's narrative brims with a delightful mix of romance, adventure, and humor, creating an engaging and enjoyable read that stands out as a commendable addition to the Once Upon a Prince series.
Kaerius is a confident merman prince who is proud of his incredible singing voice. One day, he rescues a human princess from drowning. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with her. He swims to the surface frequently and learns that her name is Princess Marin, that she is lonely, and that she also enjoys singing and music. Soon enough, he determines that he is in love with Marin and trades his voice to the Kraken in exchange for legs. However, the devious Kraken gives him a one-month deadline to earn Marin's love. If he succeeds, he will get his voice back as well as the ability for both of them to switch between human and mer forms as they please. If he fails, his human lungs will expire, ending his life. Kaerius agrees to these terms and proceeds to find Marin on land and court her. Of course, a naked man washing up on shore and trying to get the attention of a woman can have very different implications from a naked woman washing up on shore and trying to get the attention of a man. Fortunately, the author leaves the more uncomfortable aspects of this to the reader's imagination, focusing instead on Marin's concern for the shipwrecked stranger and his new sensations of having legs, toes, and feet.
The communication mechanics in this book are pretty interesting. I have read other adaptations of "The Little Mermaid" where she learns to write or sign. Here, Kaerius has his own version of sign language used among the merfolk that no one on land can understand but him. Those who take the time to know him such as Marin and her guard slowly begin to learn his signals after seeing them frequently. Kaerius's behavior on land is also endlessly entertaining. He is a typical "fish out of water," confused by everyday concepts like clothing or soap, but he acts so confident that it comes off as absurd at times. His behavior is similar to that of Marvel's Thor. He never fails to lay on the charm when it comes to Marin, which motivates her to ask him to act as her suitor at a royal dance to throw off the advances of those with more malicious intentions. He takes on this task gladly, always placing Marin's safety before anything else, and gains an even deeper reverence for the politically troubled princess
The relationships in this book are simple but acceptable. The author tries to break the "love at first sight" trope by having Kaerius realize that he barely even knew Marin when he first thought he was in love with her. Yet, there are no groundbreaking revelations here as getting to know her better only makes him love her even more. The most interesting relationship in the book is the friendship between Kaerius and Brighton, Marin's guard. Just as the little mermaid often needs a female maid to teach her the ways of human etiquette and clothing, Kaerius meets Brighton soon after arriving on shore, and he does his best to make him not look ridiculous to other humans. They don't get along well at first because Brighton's duties of guarding the princess pose a potential threat, but Kaerius warms up to Brighton as soon as he learns he is married. Brighton is also the quickest to pick up on Kaerius's hand gestures and comes the closest to figuring out his true identity.
In the enchanting retelling of "The Little Mermaid," C.J. Brightley's The Silent Prince provides a fresh take on the classic tale, casting the protagonist as a confident and endearing merman prince. The choice to pivot from the well-trodden path of retelling the story from the prince's perspective to a gender-bent narrative injects a breath of novelty into the familiar storyline. The transformation of Kaerius, the merman prince, as he navigates the dual worlds of sea and land, introduces fascinating dynamics and challenges. Kaerius's unique sign language adds an intriguing layer to the story, fostering connection and understanding between the characters. This book's narrative brims with a delightful mix of romance, adventure, and humor, creating an engaging and enjoyable read that stands out as a commendable addition to the Once Upon a Prince series.
February 7, 2025
Reread 1: Again, the writing is just so good. The book begins as if it were narrating an old, old fairy tale, before slowly and subtly transitioning to a more active and less descriptive way of speaking. It's like in classic Disney princess movies when it starts with a narrator flipping through a book before diving into the current action.
I really like this quote from the book: "I regret only that I saw you as a beautiful prize to be won rather than a courageous woman of honor. The beauty of your face, body, and voice is far surpasses by the beauty of your heart."
I also have no clue what I was refencing in my original review as a "lack of conflict in one aspect of the story". In fact, I was going to say that I really liked how the addition of the political pressures and tensions added a sense of urgency beyond just "I need her to fall in love with me so I don't die."
That being said, the timeline was a little wonky. At one point pretty far into the story, Kaerius mentions that it's only been a week, but there's no way. It definitely felt like way more than a week. I wasn't counting the days or anything, but it felt like too much action had happened for it to have been only a week.
Original Review
This is probably the worst way to word this but there's really no other way to do it that gets the point across: the writing was delicious.
The prose had such a rich quality to it that the whole book felt like an old fairytale being told by an old man with a beard as our entire village roasted a deer over a fire. It felt so magical and nodded perfectly to the original story.
And for everyone who hates on Ariel saying that she turned into a human for a man, 1) no she didn't and 2) can I introduce you to Kaerius? Kaerius is everything that people accuse Ariel of being. When the blurb described him as cocky, I was like, "how bad could he be?" Oh, he's bad. He's like actually an asshole. He's like your stereotypical frat Chad who is really hot and knows he's hot, so he uses it as an excuse to be horrible to people. Also, Kaerius totally gives up his tail for legs because he's in "love" with a girl he's never had substantial conversation with. All that being said, watching his character development was calming. Kaerius learns a handful of lessons in this story, and honestly he needed all of them.
Marin felt a little static compared to Kaerius, but she wasn't boring by any means. I think that her characterization showed through her actions (rather than being told by the author) enough that we can assuage that she's actually pretty okay.
Technically speaking, there's a lack of conflict in one aspect of the story (worded to avoid spoilers). One thing that you thought would've been a big problem wasn't, but honestly that kinda worked because that let the focus stay on the main plot.
If anything, I didn't like the ending, but that's because I hate books that end in marriage (not because I am a hater, just because I am a pessimist).
But overall, pretty decently okay book.
I really like this quote from the book: "I regret only that I saw you as a beautiful prize to be won rather than a courageous woman of honor. The beauty of your face, body, and voice is far surpasses by the beauty of your heart."
I also have no clue what I was refencing in my original review as a "lack of conflict in one aspect of the story". In fact, I was going to say that I really liked how the addition of the political pressures and tensions added a sense of urgency beyond just "I need her to fall in love with me so I don't die."
That being said, the timeline was a little wonky. At one point pretty far into the story, Kaerius mentions that it's only been a week, but there's no way. It definitely felt like way more than a week. I wasn't counting the days or anything, but it felt like too much action had happened for it to have been only a week.
Original Review
This is probably the worst way to word this but there's really no other way to do it that gets the point across: the writing was delicious.
The prose had such a rich quality to it that the whole book felt like an old fairytale being told by an old man with a beard as our entire village roasted a deer over a fire. It felt so magical and nodded perfectly to the original story.
And for everyone who hates on Ariel saying that she turned into a human for a man, 1) no she didn't and 2) can I introduce you to Kaerius? Kaerius is everything that people accuse Ariel of being. When the blurb described him as cocky, I was like, "how bad could he be?" Oh, he's bad. He's like actually an asshole. He's like your stereotypical frat Chad who is really hot and knows he's hot, so he uses it as an excuse to be horrible to people. Also, Kaerius totally gives up his tail for legs because he's in "love" with a girl he's never had substantial conversation with. All that being said, watching his character development was calming. Kaerius learns a handful of lessons in this story, and honestly he needed all of them.
Marin felt a little static compared to Kaerius, but she wasn't boring by any means. I think that her characterization showed through her actions (rather than being told by the author) enough that we can assuage that she's actually pretty okay.
Technically speaking, there's a lack of conflict in one aspect of the story (worded to avoid spoilers). One thing that you thought would've been a big problem wasn't, but honestly that kinda worked because that let the focus stay on the main plot.
If anything, I didn't like the ending, but that's because I hate books that end in marriage (not because I am a hater, just because I am a pessimist).
But overall, pretty decently okay book.
December 12, 2023
Yusssss! Such a good gender swapped retelling!
This is little mermaid done right!
First off it's genderswapped - AWESOME
Second of all he actually struggles adjusting and it's so fun to see him learn the human things- very much reminded me of a toddler licking things IYKYK
Third the character development of the prince was 👌👌👌 perfection!
Fourth our princess is awesome and there are some pretty heart warming side characters.
I really loved all the little things about how he was a merman learning all the human things and truly discovering everything he didn't know. I felt like it made the story so authentic.
I also just really loved his growth arc. He's endearing at the beginning because he's naive but has cool powers right, well it gets better and I loved every second of it!
On the note of the romance in the book: I felt like there wasn't a lot of dialogue between the two main characters. We are in the prince's head so much of the time that we see his love transform. It just didn't feel as real from the princess's side. So the ending was satisfactory but didn't quite ring the bell for me in believing in it completely. I think it is perfect for a teenage audience and if you're here for the plot then it's perfect, if you're here for the romance know that it's there but not completely the main focus. This is a fantasy book first and foremost. ❤️
💋Romance: sweet kisses
⚠️Trigger warning: loss of parents
Thank you to the author for the advanced reader copy
This is little mermaid done right!
First off it's genderswapped - AWESOME
Second of all he actually struggles adjusting and it's so fun to see him learn the human things- very much reminded me of a toddler licking things IYKYK
Third the character development of the prince was 👌👌👌 perfection!
Fourth our princess is awesome and there are some pretty heart warming side characters.
I really loved all the little things about how he was a merman learning all the human things and truly discovering everything he didn't know. I felt like it made the story so authentic.
I also just really loved his growth arc. He's endearing at the beginning because he's naive but has cool powers right, well it gets better and I loved every second of it!
On the note of the romance in the book: I felt like there wasn't a lot of dialogue between the two main characters. We are in the prince's head so much of the time that we see his love transform. It just didn't feel as real from the princess's side. So the ending was satisfactory but didn't quite ring the bell for me in believing in it completely. I think it is perfect for a teenage audience and if you're here for the plot then it's perfect, if you're here for the romance know that it's there but not completely the main focus. This is a fantasy book first and foremost. ❤️
💋Romance: sweet kisses
⚠️Trigger warning: loss of parents
Thank you to the author for the advanced reader copy
November 21, 2023
I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Silent Prince and am more than happy to write an honest review.
This is a delightful retelling of a favorite story, flipped to breathe fresh life into it, and very well done at that. CJ Brightley gives us a beautifully developed world full of characters that feel real, from the feared anti-hero, Lord of the Deep, to our hero and heroine to the unnamed guard at the palace. Where many versions of The Little Mermaid leave all but the main character a bit two dimensional, we are given a cast of characters that are well fleshed out and relateable.
Kaerius, from whose point of view we experience the story, is presented in such a way as to be immediately likable (even if at first it is a little begrudgingly... it is hard not to like him at least a little), even as he is an unintentional snob. I found him to be a combination of utterly humility-free, unapologetic self-assurance and more admirable qualities such as candor and devotion to friends, family, and his people. There is a bravery in his bravado, honesty in his vanity. And we are given a front row seat to watch the development of those qualities into what a true prince and true leader can and should be. Marin, as the next in the line of characters we learn to care for, has been developed beautifully in her own right. Where other versions often make the mermaid's prince a bit boring and mostly there to move the plot along so the mermaid can become human or die trying, we're given a princess who is kind and charming and considerate. She has been thrust into the toughest of situations, but is constant from start to finish in both character and behavior as our mer-prince becomes the man worthy of her. We cannot help rooting for her. Next to her is Brighton, who is immediately a lovable character, a man well suited to unintentionally guiding our prince on his journey. And on down the line, so that each person we encounter is easy to envision. Even the antagonists of the story are individuals who have not been left flat. They are immediately the characters you love to hate. I don't think there was a character presented to me that I didn't invest in at least a little in one way or another.
As for the plot, I found it engaging and eagerly continued reading to find out what happened next. None of it felt unlikely or rushed and the ending felt like a natural conclusion, while also leaving it open for the potential to hear more of our human princess and mer-prince. I didn't find any of the cliche-ness that retellings can be riddled with sometimes, which was refreshing, and there were no points where what I was reading felt like it was in there merely because the source material contained it. It was fun to watch Kaerius figure out he may have jumped in over his head as time and again he discovered being human wasn't the walk in the park he had expected and there were more than a few moments where I laughed out loud reading about the clash of "his normal" with "human normal."
I enjoyed how the transition from mer to human was presented and appreciated that Kaerius wasn't completely changed, as some versions of a Little Mermaid seem to imply. We see him struggle and watch as he has to figure out how to fit into a completely foreign world as a mostly foreign being in a way that not only allows him to survive, but to thrive long enough to reach his end goal. CJ Brightley has done a fantastic job pointing out what we take for granted that would be very odd to experience for the first time and the reactions of the humans as they watch this process, having no idea that Kaerius is just learning things and not simply a bit odd.
I could go on and on, so I'll conclude by saying that I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is a delightful retelling of a favorite story, flipped to breathe fresh life into it, and very well done at that. CJ Brightley gives us a beautifully developed world full of characters that feel real, from the feared anti-hero, Lord of the Deep, to our hero and heroine to the unnamed guard at the palace. Where many versions of The Little Mermaid leave all but the main character a bit two dimensional, we are given a cast of characters that are well fleshed out and relateable.
Kaerius, from whose point of view we experience the story, is presented in such a way as to be immediately likable (even if at first it is a little begrudgingly... it is hard not to like him at least a little), even as he is an unintentional snob. I found him to be a combination of utterly humility-free, unapologetic self-assurance and more admirable qualities such as candor and devotion to friends, family, and his people. There is a bravery in his bravado, honesty in his vanity. And we are given a front row seat to watch the development of those qualities into what a true prince and true leader can and should be. Marin, as the next in the line of characters we learn to care for, has been developed beautifully in her own right. Where other versions often make the mermaid's prince a bit boring and mostly there to move the plot along so the mermaid can become human or die trying, we're given a princess who is kind and charming and considerate. She has been thrust into the toughest of situations, but is constant from start to finish in both character and behavior as our mer-prince becomes the man worthy of her. We cannot help rooting for her. Next to her is Brighton, who is immediately a lovable character, a man well suited to unintentionally guiding our prince on his journey. And on down the line, so that each person we encounter is easy to envision. Even the antagonists of the story are individuals who have not been left flat. They are immediately the characters you love to hate. I don't think there was a character presented to me that I didn't invest in at least a little in one way or another.
As for the plot, I found it engaging and eagerly continued reading to find out what happened next. None of it felt unlikely or rushed and the ending felt like a natural conclusion, while also leaving it open for the potential to hear more of our human princess and mer-prince. I didn't find any of the cliche-ness that retellings can be riddled with sometimes, which was refreshing, and there were no points where what I was reading felt like it was in there merely because the source material contained it. It was fun to watch Kaerius figure out he may have jumped in over his head as time and again he discovered being human wasn't the walk in the park he had expected and there were more than a few moments where I laughed out loud reading about the clash of "his normal" with "human normal."
I enjoyed how the transition from mer to human was presented and appreciated that Kaerius wasn't completely changed, as some versions of a Little Mermaid seem to imply. We see him struggle and watch as he has to figure out how to fit into a completely foreign world as a mostly foreign being in a way that not only allows him to survive, but to thrive long enough to reach his end goal. CJ Brightley has done a fantastic job pointing out what we take for granted that would be very odd to experience for the first time and the reactions of the humans as they watch this process, having no idea that Kaerius is just learning things and not simply a bit odd.
I could go on and on, so I'll conclude by saying that I cannot recommend this book enough!
February 13, 2024
This is a completely honest review of the book. So take this with a grain of salt because not everyone likes the same books, and I’ve seen plenty of 5 stars for this particular book. It just wasn’t for me, and I’ll explain why.
So it’s kind of self explanatory that this book is reverse Little Mermaid, which I was excited for. But the more I read it, the more…I’m not even sure how to describe it. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t care for it either.
I’ve never read a book that went from third person to third person omniscient before and it drove me up the wall. One minute the prince would know certain things like ivory buttons or what certain foods were, like cauliflower. But then he also wouldn’t know what the dessert was or what the princess was sitting in front of—a piano. Sometimes the narrator would describe what was going on in the other room or how people would behave, but then go back to how the prince didn’t know things. It felt like the book didn’t know what it wanted to do. It was a very odd writing style to me.
The prince used some kind of sign language to communicate, which would be great, if other people knew it. I don’t know about you, but if no one could understand me, I wouldn’t keep trying to talk to them or at least not in detailed sentences. For a minute I thought he was thinking it, but then the humans would look at him and be like “What did you say?”
And every dang time the princess didn’t understand him, she bit her lip, chewed her lip, worried her lip. Frankly, I’m surprised she had a lip at the end of the book.
There was no tension or romance or angst, so it was hard for me to believe that there was any connection between the two characters. They didn’t even kiss until the end and that was kind of a “and they kissed. The author has written Christian books, so perhaps that is why. I prefer a little romance (not spice per say) in the books I read. So if you’re not looking for that, then this would be a good book to read.
The prince reminded me of a mixture of Gaston (because he constantly said he was beautiful and that’s all it will take for the princess to love him) and Prince Edward from Enchanted where he’s singing to Giselle wondering why she doesn’t love him yet. He kept saying how much he loved her but he didn’t even know her. Even by the end they had never sat down for an intimate conversation to know each other. Just ok, we love each other and we’re getting married (more him saying that than her really). It kind of came off as creepy/stalkerish to me. But that is only my take on it.
At the end the mer king stated the Lord of the Deep said he won the bargain, but it was never explained why the kraken thinks that when clearly the prince did since the Princess wept for him when she thought he was dead. Maybe because when the prince becomes king things will be different? Or he’s changed the princes’ mindset on some things (which to be honest, I didn’t see a lot of character development for him. He grew a little, but not much. He still thought himself as beautiful even at the end. I mean, at least he asked Marin for her hand? Instead of “you will be mine”)
So it’s kind of self explanatory that this book is reverse Little Mermaid, which I was excited for. But the more I read it, the more…I’m not even sure how to describe it. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t care for it either.
I’ve never read a book that went from third person to third person omniscient before and it drove me up the wall. One minute the prince would know certain things like ivory buttons or what certain foods were, like cauliflower. But then he also wouldn’t know what the dessert was or what the princess was sitting in front of—a piano. Sometimes the narrator would describe what was going on in the other room or how people would behave, but then go back to how the prince didn’t know things. It felt like the book didn’t know what it wanted to do. It was a very odd writing style to me.
The prince used some kind of sign language to communicate, which would be great, if other people knew it. I don’t know about you, but if no one could understand me, I wouldn’t keep trying to talk to them or at least not in detailed sentences. For a minute I thought he was thinking it, but then the humans would look at him and be like “What did you say?”
And every dang time the princess didn’t understand him, she bit her lip, chewed her lip, worried her lip. Frankly, I’m surprised she had a lip at the end of the book.
There was no tension or romance or angst, so it was hard for me to believe that there was any connection between the two characters. They didn’t even kiss until the end and that was kind of a “and they kissed. The author has written Christian books, so perhaps that is why. I prefer a little romance (not spice per say) in the books I read. So if you’re not looking for that, then this would be a good book to read.
The prince reminded me of a mixture of Gaston (because he constantly said he was beautiful and that’s all it will take for the princess to love him) and Prince Edward from Enchanted where he’s singing to Giselle wondering why she doesn’t love him yet. He kept saying how much he loved her but he didn’t even know her. Even by the end they had never sat down for an intimate conversation to know each other. Just ok, we love each other and we’re getting married (more him saying that than her really). It kind of came off as creepy/stalkerish to me. But that is only my take on it.
At the end the mer king stated the Lord of the Deep said he won the bargain, but it was never explained why the kraken thinks that when clearly the prince did since the Princess wept for him when she thought he was dead. Maybe because when the prince becomes king things will be different? Or he’s changed the princes’ mindset on some things (which to be honest, I didn’t see a lot of character development for him. He grew a little, but not much. He still thought himself as beautiful even at the end. I mean, at least he asked Marin for her hand? Instead of “you will be mine”)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2023
First off, I love the fact that the gender of the Mer is male and not female as the familiar fairytale. Secondly, I love Kaerius's/Kai's self assurance and confidence, which can come across as arrogance but I saw it differently. I saw a Prince who knows he's gorgeous, who knows he's charming, not in a big headed kind of way, in a factual, dare I say unassuming kind of way and humility is a completely alien concept to him, in fact, I found him utterly adorable! He's a Prince who's protective of his people, a Prince who's tired of always being frowned upon by his father, a Prince who's willing to put himself in harms way to save one of his own, as he did when confronted by the Kraken. Yes, there's a Kraken! How cool is that! Instead of being the one to beguile with his beauty and exquisite voice, he's instead beguiled by a human Princess. And he's pretty fearless too, I mean, confronting that which he should fear in the hopes of achieving his aim, to woo the human Princess. But at a price and boy oh boy, what a price! As he tries to adjust to the human way of life, he realises he's ill equipped for it and it's a heck lot different to what he'd assumed. I caught myself smiling at his first experience of eating, clothing, bathing, all portrayed by the author as one would imagine a being who's never seen these irems reacting. His confidence and assurance in his...prowess as an exceptionally beautiful being, takes a major knock. Not at all helped with his inability to communicate, he flails magnificently, like....a fish out of water.😁 I couldn't resist that...
Marin is a dream character, warm, kind, compationate, generous but being forced into chosing a husband, one to act as an ally to her country. But her choices are, glory me, the disgusting or the despicable. Not much of a choice yet one she must make. And then there's Kai, who actually IS a Prince, although no one is aware of it and he's been tasked with acting as a foreign Prince.... ironic, no? I enjoyed every minute of Kai's interaction with Marin, Brighton and the members of the palace. Even though he cannot speak, Kai has them all warming up to him and I loved how he started teaching them sign language. Brighton is a sweetheart! Not only fiercely loyal to Marin but his genuine caring of Kai and his want to understand him, makes him a real gem in my book.
A story that captivated me from the first page to the very last, this story wrapped my up like the warmest, fluffiest blanket, warming every inch of me in the most delectable way. So much so, my heart was filled to bursting with sheer joy. An immensely fulfilling read, told in a unique voice, by an author I can only describe as exceptional! This was ALL exceptional!
Marin is a dream character, warm, kind, compationate, generous but being forced into chosing a husband, one to act as an ally to her country. But her choices are, glory me, the disgusting or the despicable. Not much of a choice yet one she must make. And then there's Kai, who actually IS a Prince, although no one is aware of it and he's been tasked with acting as a foreign Prince.... ironic, no? I enjoyed every minute of Kai's interaction with Marin, Brighton and the members of the palace. Even though he cannot speak, Kai has them all warming up to him and I loved how he started teaching them sign language. Brighton is a sweetheart! Not only fiercely loyal to Marin but his genuine caring of Kai and his want to understand him, makes him a real gem in my book.
A story that captivated me from the first page to the very last, this story wrapped my up like the warmest, fluffiest blanket, warming every inch of me in the most delectable way. So much so, my heart was filled to bursting with sheer joy. An immensely fulfilling read, told in a unique voice, by an author I can only describe as exceptional! This was ALL exceptional!
December 21, 2023
I want to say I loved everything about this book. I feel like I did, but logically I know I didn’t. It’s the strangest mix of feelings I have had about a book in a long time. There were some things I didn’t care for, and I didn’t think I would like the writing style, but I LOVED the book. Perhaps I just enjoyed the plot that much. Maybe writing this review will help me sort that out a bit.
Confession time to start: I got a bit in and couldn’t stand the main character male lead. So, logically, I read the end of the book to see if it was worth my time. ; ) I then immediately flipped back to where I had started and read the book in a day, picking it up when I could. It is not always the case, but reading the end first here really helped me to enjoy this story better, especially since there are some aspects about the traditional Little Mermaid story that I really don’t like and was worried about.
I loved the characters, even Kaerius, who I couldn’t originally stand. His signing of snarky things that no one understands made me laugh aloud so many times. And he is so self-confident. I loved watching him change and improve. It was wonderful that it wasn’t unreal. It’s not like he goes from arrogant to humble and kind, merely his arrogant edges are softened and he learns to appreciate others- but he is still fully himself.
The villains may have been a bit over the top, but I didn’t even notice until I was just now thinking about it. And everyone else was perfect. Marin. Her father. Brighton. The Lord of the Deep. Oh, my goodness. I feel like another book with him in it would not be amiss.
While I was originally thinking to give it four stars because of a couple of things, I find that I cannot even remember my negatives in light of all of the positives I keep wanting to spew. So five it is.
Romance: clean. There is a bit of kissing at the end. My worst complaint with the book is the use of the word “desire” A LOT. I really could have done without that.
Violence: near-drowning. Fighting. More near drowning. Mentions of blood. Over all, it seemed more realistic than intentionally gory. And spoiler, no one turns to sea foam or has to stab their love to save their own life so…
P. S. I feel like I have spent an inordinately long amount of time gazing at the cover. Does it come in poster size?
Confession time to start: I got a bit in and couldn’t stand the main character male lead. So, logically, I read the end of the book to see if it was worth my time. ; ) I then immediately flipped back to where I had started and read the book in a day, picking it up when I could. It is not always the case, but reading the end first here really helped me to enjoy this story better, especially since there are some aspects about the traditional Little Mermaid story that I really don’t like and was worried about.
I loved the characters, even Kaerius, who I couldn’t originally stand. His signing of snarky things that no one understands made me laugh aloud so many times. And he is so self-confident. I loved watching him change and improve. It was wonderful that it wasn’t unreal. It’s not like he goes from arrogant to humble and kind, merely his arrogant edges are softened and he learns to appreciate others- but he is still fully himself.
The villains may have been a bit over the top, but I didn’t even notice until I was just now thinking about it. And everyone else was perfect. Marin. Her father. Brighton. The Lord of the Deep. Oh, my goodness. I feel like another book with him in it would not be amiss.
While I was originally thinking to give it four stars because of a couple of things, I find that I cannot even remember my negatives in light of all of the positives I keep wanting to spew. So five it is.
Romance: clean. There is a bit of kissing at the end. My worst complaint with the book is the use of the word “desire” A LOT. I really could have done without that.
Violence: near-drowning. Fighting. More near drowning. Mentions of blood. Over all, it seemed more realistic than intentionally gory. And spoiler, no one turns to sea foam or has to stab their love to save their own life so…
P. S. I feel like I have spent an inordinately long amount of time gazing at the cover. Does it come in poster size?
January 30, 2024
Reader’s Notes:
– this is part of a series, but is meant to be read as a stand-alone
– this is told from Kaerius’s point of view
– there is some fantasy violence & mentions of blood/injuries
Review:
I didn’t like Kaerius for majority of the beginning of the story as he was very self-centered and had a huge ego. Though I didn’t like his attitude, I really enjoyed getting to know how the Mer lived and starting to see the story unfold from Kaerius’s point of view. It made me focus more on the plot and the worldbuilding of this particular story. Plus, it made things more entertaining as Kaerius would fail or get confused by his ineptitude for something he’d never done before. I liked getting to see Kaerius knocked down a peg or two and seeing how that positively changed him for the better as the story continued. I loved Marin & Brighton as the characters closest to Kaerius. Marin was so sweet, kind, and caring for all in her care. I loved that she was self-less and wanted to do all in her power to do right by her people, even when it meant that she’d likely not enjoy what she had to do. I loved Brighton’s need to protect those he cared for. And I loved that there was a time where Brighton had to step back from that role for a time, making it possible for Kaerius to step up as a protector himself.
Summary:
Prince Kaerius of the Mer has been drawn to the human princess ever since he saved her from drowning. He constantly finds himself searching for her at the beach, just to catch a glimpse of her from the safety of the waters. Until one day he makes the decision that she is his love and he must get the chance to capture her heart as she had captured his. With a cocky confidence, Kaerius bargains with the Lord of the Deep to be able to woo his fair maiden on land within thirty days or lose everything. Though Kaerius is quick to realize that things may not be as simple as he thought. Between not having a voice to communicate, needing to learn human customs, and learning how to even dress as a human, Kaerius is on precarious ground.
But Kaerius has one thing going well for him. The princess is in need of someone to lean on as other suitors come to vie for her hand and for the control of her kingdom, so she asks Kaerius to be a fake suitor to fulfill this purpose. Kaerius is determined to not allow this chance to fall out of his grip without showing the princess just what she means to him…
– this is part of a series, but is meant to be read as a stand-alone
– this is told from Kaerius’s point of view
– there is some fantasy violence & mentions of blood/injuries
Review:
I didn’t like Kaerius for majority of the beginning of the story as he was very self-centered and had a huge ego. Though I didn’t like his attitude, I really enjoyed getting to know how the Mer lived and starting to see the story unfold from Kaerius’s point of view. It made me focus more on the plot and the worldbuilding of this particular story. Plus, it made things more entertaining as Kaerius would fail or get confused by his ineptitude for something he’d never done before. I liked getting to see Kaerius knocked down a peg or two and seeing how that positively changed him for the better as the story continued. I loved Marin & Brighton as the characters closest to Kaerius. Marin was so sweet, kind, and caring for all in her care. I loved that she was self-less and wanted to do all in her power to do right by her people, even when it meant that she’d likely not enjoy what she had to do. I loved Brighton’s need to protect those he cared for. And I loved that there was a time where Brighton had to step back from that role for a time, making it possible for Kaerius to step up as a protector himself.
Summary:
Prince Kaerius of the Mer has been drawn to the human princess ever since he saved her from drowning. He constantly finds himself searching for her at the beach, just to catch a glimpse of her from the safety of the waters. Until one day he makes the decision that she is his love and he must get the chance to capture her heart as she had captured his. With a cocky confidence, Kaerius bargains with the Lord of the Deep to be able to woo his fair maiden on land within thirty days or lose everything. Though Kaerius is quick to realize that things may not be as simple as he thought. Between not having a voice to communicate, needing to learn human customs, and learning how to even dress as a human, Kaerius is on precarious ground.
But Kaerius has one thing going well for him. The princess is in need of someone to lean on as other suitors come to vie for her hand and for the control of her kingdom, so she asks Kaerius to be a fake suitor to fulfill this purpose. Kaerius is determined to not allow this chance to fall out of his grip without showing the princess just what she means to him…
December 17, 2023
What a retelling! I have been mostly reading fairytale retellings and I am constantly amazed at the creativity of all of the authors. When the cocky Mer prince Kaerius impulsive saves the human princess from drawing, he doesn’t expect to fall in love. Yet her human fragility is so unexpectedly sweet that he bargains his voice to the Lord of the Deep for a chance to court her on land. He’s confident he can win her affection, but he is a fish out of water in the human world. He didn’t expect it to be so difficult to make Marin appreciate his charms. Her father is ailing, her kingdom is threatened from multiple directions, and she must choose from among several foreign suitors to keep her people free. Thinking Kaerius no more than a mute stranger, she asks him to pose as her suitor for leverage with the foreign lords. But not all of them are so easily deterred and they won’t take no for an answer.
Okay, I’ll be honest, cocky and smug are not my favorite traits in main characters. When I first met Kaerius I was a bit put-off, but I loved to read about his growth. He found himself in an unusual situation and it was a lot of fun to watch him figure out the human world. It was a world full of customs and politics all new to him. I love seeing how the Brighton’s took him under their wing and how they helped him out. He learned from them and found friendship and support through it. Kaerius grew on me and he was fiercely loyal to those who he chose. Marin was such a cool character. She knew her responsibility as a princess and was willing to protect her people, even if it meant sacrificing for them. She was clever and tried to work toward the best for her people. I admired her so much and loved how her inner circle supported her.
This was full of intrigue as well as sweetness. I really enjoyed watching the story play out. There were such fun elements of the fairytale included in it too! I found this book so fun and would definitely recommend it. This is a fairytale inspired romance full of magic and adventure. There is some fantasy action and political intrigue and only kissing.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
Okay, I’ll be honest, cocky and smug are not my favorite traits in main characters. When I first met Kaerius I was a bit put-off, but I loved to read about his growth. He found himself in an unusual situation and it was a lot of fun to watch him figure out the human world. It was a world full of customs and politics all new to him. I love seeing how the Brighton’s took him under their wing and how they helped him out. He learned from them and found friendship and support through it. Kaerius grew on me and he was fiercely loyal to those who he chose. Marin was such a cool character. She knew her responsibility as a princess and was willing to protect her people, even if it meant sacrificing for them. She was clever and tried to work toward the best for her people. I admired her so much and loved how her inner circle supported her.
This was full of intrigue as well as sweetness. I really enjoyed watching the story play out. There were such fun elements of the fairytale included in it too! I found this book so fun and would definitely recommend it. This is a fairytale inspired romance full of magic and adventure. There is some fantasy action and political intrigue and only kissing.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
June 3, 2024
Content Warnings: Nearly drowning, sickness, attempted murder, blood, and death
The blurb for this book sounded really interesting and I thought there would be some great banter or funny moments. Unfortunately this story was kinda lackluster.
The prince, Kaerius, was supposed to be arrogant but I never really saw that. I mostly just saw anger and misunderstanding towards his father, which we never really get a deeper story on. I was hoping there would be a bit of a bonding moment between them later over Kaerius’ mother and maybe more details about the Mer war. The war is never talked about in detail either. It’s mentioned many times, but we learn nothing about it.
Even when Kaerius turns human, he’s not really arrogant. He just seems confused and tries to learn the customs among humans which are very different from the Mer. He does think that Mer bodies are a bit more superior due to them being impervious to certain elements and sickness, but he never hates on his human body or says they’re weak. Honestly a couple of the other characters were more arrogant than him.
As for Kaerius and Marin’s relationship, it didn’t really exist. Honestly Kaerius built a better relationship with her personal guard than with her. I was hoping there would be some moments of them together where she tries to learn his signing or maybe teaches him to write so they can communicate better, but nothing like that ever happens. She doesn’t even take time to learn his signing, aside from a couple things. The most that I felt was built was a small friendship between them, nothing that really resembled love though. Also Kaerius says that he’s loved her for years, but the span of events seemed to be only a couple weeks. Everything felt very insta-love in the end.
Lastly the discourse, threat, and action within the story, it felt very empty. The threat against Marin’s kingdom didn’t seem dangerous. The way Kaerius saves her from the threat was very anticlimactic. It seemed like there was supposed to be some political intrigue within the story, yet it wasn’t really there.
I really wish there was a lot more. I think it could’ve been really interesting retelling, but it just fell flat for me.
The blurb for this book sounded really interesting and I thought there would be some great banter or funny moments. Unfortunately this story was kinda lackluster.
The prince, Kaerius, was supposed to be arrogant but I never really saw that. I mostly just saw anger and misunderstanding towards his father, which we never really get a deeper story on. I was hoping there would be a bit of a bonding moment between them later over Kaerius’ mother and maybe more details about the Mer war. The war is never talked about in detail either. It’s mentioned many times, but we learn nothing about it.
Even when Kaerius turns human, he’s not really arrogant. He just seems confused and tries to learn the customs among humans which are very different from the Mer. He does think that Mer bodies are a bit more superior due to them being impervious to certain elements and sickness, but he never hates on his human body or says they’re weak. Honestly a couple of the other characters were more arrogant than him.
As for Kaerius and Marin’s relationship, it didn’t really exist. Honestly Kaerius built a better relationship with her personal guard than with her. I was hoping there would be some moments of them together where she tries to learn his signing or maybe teaches him to write so they can communicate better, but nothing like that ever happens. She doesn’t even take time to learn his signing, aside from a couple things. The most that I felt was built was a small friendship between them, nothing that really resembled love though. Also Kaerius says that he’s loved her for years, but the span of events seemed to be only a couple weeks. Everything felt very insta-love in the end.
Lastly the discourse, threat, and action within the story, it felt very empty. The threat against Marin’s kingdom didn’t seem dangerous. The way Kaerius saves her from the threat was very anticlimactic. It seemed like there was supposed to be some political intrigue within the story, yet it wasn’t really there.
I really wish there was a lot more. I think it could’ve been really interesting retelling, but it just fell flat for me.
January 28, 2024
Kaerius is the prince of the Mer. Considered a skilled warrior, a magnificent singer, and talented hunter he considers himself quite the catch among the Mer. Now that the war is over he tends to indulge in his whims more while still doing his duties towards his people, even though he has ro be nagged by his father a bit. While enjoying a storm he finds a ship in trouble and ends up saving the princess from drowning. He watches her from a distance, not understanding why he has become so fascinated with her. After arguing with family, he not only declares he loves a human but stumbles across the Lord of the Deep. He makes a bargain, a chance to win the princess's love or forfeit his life. But bargains aren't always fair, he trades his voice for legs and all the other things to make him human. Kaerius doesn't see this as a problem, he is beautiful and confident and knows he will succeed for why wouldn't he? But upon washing ashore after almost drowning, he finds that maybe his goal is harder to reach than he realizes. He finds himself as a willing pawn in the princess's plan for he can spend time with her to win his bargain while learning some humility along the way.
Like others have said, Kaerius is insufferable at the beginning but he is designed to be that way to see the growth he goes through in this book. And it was done gradually and in such a way that was very well done. I really enjoyed the use of sign language and how he did not filter anything because he knew they wouldn't understand, it had me chuckling at times. And I do appreciate showing how the situation overwhelms him at times and shows some vulnerability. I can appreciate how Marin is trapped, she recognizes that her life is tied to politics, and is trying to use this situation to her advantage. I will say Brighton is probably my favorite side character from this book and I can appreciate the Lord of the Deep's long game.
Like others have said, Kaerius is insufferable at the beginning but he is designed to be that way to see the growth he goes through in this book. And it was done gradually and in such a way that was very well done. I really enjoyed the use of sign language and how he did not filter anything because he knew they wouldn't understand, it had me chuckling at times. And I do appreciate showing how the situation overwhelms him at times and shows some vulnerability. I can appreciate how Marin is trapped, she recognizes that her life is tied to politics, and is trying to use this situation to her advantage. I will say Brighton is probably my favorite side character from this book and I can appreciate the Lord of the Deep's long game.
February 28, 2024
༻❥☆🧜♂️☆❥༺
📖🅑🅞🅞🅚•🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦📖
──────☆🧜♂️👑🧜♂️☆──────
📚🌊𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊•𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒🌊📚
✨𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙱𝚈 𝙲𝙹 𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈
✨𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝟿 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚄𝙿𝙾𝙽 𝙰 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 (𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙰𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙰 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂)
✨𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: 𝙵𝙰𝙸𝚁𝚈𝚃𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶
✨𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝙽𝙾𝚅. 𝟸𝟺𝚃𝙷, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹
╰┈❥𝙰𝚅𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙺𝚄!✨
✨𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ || 𝟻
✨𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋: 🌶️ || 𝟻
✨𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒
──────☆🧜♂️👑🧜♂️☆──────
✨✨𝑀𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠✨✨
Thank you so much to @cjbrightley for my gifted eARC of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄!
I loved this! Definitely another win in the Once Upon a Prince series. This gender-swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid was everything! We follow the story of the Mer Prince Kaerius and the human Princess Marin. Kaerius saves Marin’s life when she falls overboard on a ship, and he ends up falling in love with her. He watches her from afar & bargains with the Lord of the Deep to become human. In exchange, he loses his voice.
He definitely is a fish out of water when he becomes human! There were so many antics & moments that had me giggling when he was trying to figure everything out! He has to learn how to be a human & learn the value of love & friendship while he is trying to court Marin.
Kaerius definitely took some time for me to warm up to. In the beginning he was very arrogant & cocky. I loved his character growth and loved seeing him go from the arrogant prince who thought he was better than everyone, to someone who knows the true value of a relationship and how to treat people based on who they are & not on how they look. He becomes everything a good prince should be, not only for Marin but also for the Mer.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this and recommend it! It was quick and fun and the character growth in it is just superbly written! It has mermaids and romance, and it was extremely entertaining! It was a wonderful and delightful read!
👑✨𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄...✨👑
❥Gender-Swapped Little Mermaid Retelling
❥He Falls First
❥Slow Burn Romance
❥Prince in Disguise
❥Mythical Creatures
──────☆🧜♂️👑🧜♂️☆──────
📖🅑🅞🅞🅚•🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦📖
──────☆🧜♂️👑🧜♂️☆──────
📚🌊𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊•𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒🌊📚
✨𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙱𝚈 𝙲𝙹 𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈
✨𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝟿 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚄𝙿𝙾𝙽 𝙰 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 (𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙰𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙰 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂)
✨𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: 𝙵𝙰𝙸𝚁𝚈𝚃𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶
✨𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝙽𝙾𝚅. 𝟸𝟺𝚃𝙷, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹
╰┈❥𝙰𝚅𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙺𝚄!✨
✨𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ || 𝟻
✨𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋: 🌶️ || 𝟻
✨𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒
──────☆🧜♂️👑🧜♂️☆──────
✨✨𝑀𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠✨✨
Thank you so much to @cjbrightley for my gifted eARC of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄!
I loved this! Definitely another win in the Once Upon a Prince series. This gender-swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid was everything! We follow the story of the Mer Prince Kaerius and the human Princess Marin. Kaerius saves Marin’s life when she falls overboard on a ship, and he ends up falling in love with her. He watches her from afar & bargains with the Lord of the Deep to become human. In exchange, he loses his voice.
He definitely is a fish out of water when he becomes human! There were so many antics & moments that had me giggling when he was trying to figure everything out! He has to learn how to be a human & learn the value of love & friendship while he is trying to court Marin.
Kaerius definitely took some time for me to warm up to. In the beginning he was very arrogant & cocky. I loved his character growth and loved seeing him go from the arrogant prince who thought he was better than everyone, to someone who knows the true value of a relationship and how to treat people based on who they are & not on how they look. He becomes everything a good prince should be, not only for Marin but also for the Mer.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this and recommend it! It was quick and fun and the character growth in it is just superbly written! It has mermaids and romance, and it was extremely entertaining! It was a wonderful and delightful read!
👑✨𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄...✨👑
❥Gender-Swapped Little Mermaid Retelling
❥He Falls First
❥Slow Burn Romance
❥Prince in Disguise
❥Mythical Creatures
──────☆🧜♂️👑🧜♂️☆──────
October 22, 2024
Of all the fairy tales out in the world I think I most dislike the little mermaid. I don’t know why, but not even Disney’s retelling with its happy ending never interested me either. Maybe because it’s really a tale of teenage rebellion and stupidity? I never was one for breaking the rules much…
And, at first, this gender swap was more obnoxious- seriously, this Prince couldn’t be more self-absorbed. Girls are just swooning right and left over this idiot due to his looks and title- it certainly isn’t for his personality. So what happens when he falls for a human girl he’s never spoken to based upon her looks and odd singing voice (he repeatedly refers to it as nowhere as good as his own singing) and essentially stalks for a year?
He gets the Kraken, Lord of the Deep to make him human, of course. Oh, the Kraken wants his voice? No problem, this human princess will fall for his looks and charming smile in no time at all.
Except she doesn’t. She’s stuck deciding which suitor’s alliance will best keep her small kingdom together.
Well shucks… too bad he can’t just tell her he’s a prince and that a marriage to her will solve all of her problems.
Instead he is asked to pretend to be a fellow suitor to throw off everyone else while she holds negotiations.
It’s the side characters that help to make this work- the princess’s cousin-turned-guard and his wife are a nice counterpoint for our clueless prince to get an idea of what a true relationship should look like.
Will our boy get over his own ego, win the girl and manage to prevent intercontinental war? Of course, this is a fairy tale marketed for young women, but it’s an enjoyable ride with some gasps and plenty of perilous moments along the way to keep the story from becoming too cloyingly sweet.
3 1/2 stars… and a job well done at getting me to rethink my stance on this fairy tale.
And, at first, this gender swap was more obnoxious- seriously, this Prince couldn’t be more self-absorbed. Girls are just swooning right and left over this idiot due to his looks and title- it certainly isn’t for his personality. So what happens when he falls for a human girl he’s never spoken to based upon her looks and odd singing voice (he repeatedly refers to it as nowhere as good as his own singing) and essentially stalks for a year?
He gets the Kraken, Lord of the Deep to make him human, of course. Oh, the Kraken wants his voice? No problem, this human princess will fall for his looks and charming smile in no time at all.
Except she doesn’t. She’s stuck deciding which suitor’s alliance will best keep her small kingdom together.
Well shucks… too bad he can’t just tell her he’s a prince and that a marriage to her will solve all of her problems.
Instead he is asked to pretend to be a fellow suitor to throw off everyone else while she holds negotiations.
It’s the side characters that help to make this work- the princess’s cousin-turned-guard and his wife are a nice counterpoint for our clueless prince to get an idea of what a true relationship should look like.
Will our boy get over his own ego, win the girl and manage to prevent intercontinental war? Of course, this is a fairy tale marketed for young women, but it’s an enjoyable ride with some gasps and plenty of perilous moments along the way to keep the story from becoming too cloyingly sweet.
3 1/2 stars… and a job well done at getting me to rethink my stance on this fairy tale.
January 22, 2024
This book is gender swapped retelling of the Little Mermaid. Kaerius is a cocky prince of the Mer, who falls in love with a human princess after hearing her voice. He saves her after she falls overboard from a ship and then for the next year he swims near the shore to listen to her sing. After making a deal with The Lord of the Deep, a large kraken, he is given the chance to be human without his voice. After he washes up on the shore, naked and freezing the princess takes him in and asks his help while trying to avoid suitors who are coming to the island. This leads to some pretty interesting interactions between everyone. Princess Marin and her guard begin to learn some of his signs, but no one else can really figure out what he is saying. (Which is probably for the best since he is threatening one of the visiting nobles most of the time!)
The character development Kaerius goes through in this book is so wonderful. While trying to prove his love, he realizes that he has been treating his people like a spoiled brat. He begins the book by being cocky, arrogant and annoying. He believes al he will have to do is show up and she fall immediately in love with him. As he courts her, he beings realizing there is much more to relationships than that. And not just with Marin, but all the people he interacts with.
I really enjoyed this story and found myself eager to find out what happens all the way through. Like the other books in this series, there are some unexpected twists to the story. I especially like the way the Lord of the Deep was portrayed and how things ended with him and Kaerius.
The character development Kaerius goes through in this book is so wonderful. While trying to prove his love, he realizes that he has been treating his people like a spoiled brat. He begins the book by being cocky, arrogant and annoying. He believes al he will have to do is show up and she fall immediately in love with him. As he courts her, he beings realizing there is much more to relationships than that. And not just with Marin, but all the people he interacts with.
I really enjoyed this story and found myself eager to find out what happens all the way through. Like the other books in this series, there are some unexpected twists to the story. I especially like the way the Lord of the Deep was portrayed and how things ended with him and Kaerius.
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November 12, 2025This was a gender-bent version of the little mermaid.
Now, you need to go into this book understanding that it is single POV, and the MMC is obnoxiously arrogant for about the first half of the book. His lie is that he is the most beautiful, and the physically (and magically) strongest of his people, so it is perfectly okay for him to look down on everyone around him, and basically treat people like dirt.
When he falls in love with the princess he has saved, he genuinely believes it will be easy to woo her, because of course she will want him. He's so pretty. (It almost reminds me of Gaston, actually). When evaluating his romantic competitors, he does so mainly in terms of their physical appearance. It's actually kind of funny.
What this book did really, really well was to convey the culture shock of a merman on land. I don't think I've read another book that conveys this quite so well. Brightley draws from the original Little Mermaid, and has Kaerius experience pain in walking (his boots rub his feet raw in one ball scene). Kaerius misses the pressure of the water around him, and often presses his hands to his face to simulate the experience of being under water. He struggles to walk, and is clumsy. He doesn't know how to eat with cutlery. He licks things he shouldn't lick (a skill which comes in handy at one point in the story).
After the midpoint, Kaerius has gained a bit of humility, and his love for the princess becomes more based on the reality of who she is as a person, than her appearance or the sound of her voice. His character softens, and he loses a lot of his arrogance, which makes the ending of the story very satisfying.
Now, you need to go into this book understanding that it is single POV, and the MMC is obnoxiously arrogant for about the first half of the book. His lie is that he is the most beautiful, and the physically (and magically) strongest of his people, so it is perfectly okay for him to look down on everyone around him, and basically treat people like dirt.
When he falls in love with the princess he has saved, he genuinely believes it will be easy to woo her, because of course she will want him. He's so pretty. (It almost reminds me of Gaston, actually). When evaluating his romantic competitors, he does so mainly in terms of their physical appearance. It's actually kind of funny.
What this book did really, really well was to convey the culture shock of a merman on land. I don't think I've read another book that conveys this quite so well. Brightley draws from the original Little Mermaid, and has Kaerius experience pain in walking (his boots rub his feet raw in one ball scene). Kaerius misses the pressure of the water around him, and often presses his hands to his face to simulate the experience of being under water. He struggles to walk, and is clumsy. He doesn't know how to eat with cutlery. He licks things he shouldn't lick (a skill which comes in handy at one point in the story).
After the midpoint, Kaerius has gained a bit of humility, and his love for the princess becomes more based on the reality of who she is as a person, than her appearance or the sound of her voice. His character softens, and he loses a lot of his arrogance, which makes the ending of the story very satisfying.
December 3, 2023
This is a fun gender-switched Little Mermaid retelling. I enjoyed Kaerius/Kai and his journey of discovery, coming to the human world and learning that what he felt before was infatuation, while what he develops for Princess Marin develops into love. I also really enjoyed the politics in the human world and the difficulties she faces with her country in danger of invasion. I liked how Kaerius supports her and tries to help, even when his understanding is limited because the human world works so differently from the Mer world.
I liked the author's small details in comparing sea life to land life. There were some really fun moments with Kaerius discovering the differences and exploring the newness of it all. I also loved how Kaerius learned about humility and that it's not demeaning, but actually a strength. It was a lovely touch to a sweet story.
The ending was a little rushed for my tastes and the resolution too easy. I think if there'd been more time pressure for Kaerius to accomplish his end of the deal it might have made the whole thing more intense, because he essentially achieves the goal in a quarter of the given time, so I never had any doubt he'd do it. Then again, Kaerius himself never doubted either, as he's that arrogant. But he's lovely in his arrogance.
Definitely a worthy contribution to this series and an interesting retelling.
I liked the author's small details in comparing sea life to land life. There were some really fun moments with Kaerius discovering the differences and exploring the newness of it all. I also loved how Kaerius learned about humility and that it's not demeaning, but actually a strength. It was a lovely touch to a sweet story.
The ending was a little rushed for my tastes and the resolution too easy. I think if there'd been more time pressure for Kaerius to accomplish his end of the deal it might have made the whole thing more intense, because he essentially achieves the goal in a quarter of the given time, so I never had any doubt he'd do it. Then again, Kaerius himself never doubted either, as he's that arrogant. But he's lovely in his arrogance.
Definitely a worthy contribution to this series and an interesting retelling.
November 21, 2023
A gender-reversed Little Mermaid - loved it!
Cocky Prince Kaerius falls in love with a human princess’s voice and yes, he makes that deal.
I loved how the author kept the elements of the Disney clean&sweet version of the tale and swapped them round. I particularly enjoyed the substitutions - Kraken lord instead of the Sea Witch; Captain of the Guard Brighton as the substitute for the seagull and pinching boots instead of walking on blades. I also loved the reason the princess decided to keep Kaerius aka mute Kai by her side - but no spoilers, read it yourself! Seeing Kai grow up was adorable. I never considered what it would feel like to be above water and get used to having muscles for the first time - the descriptions were amazingly vivid. Nor did I think about the intricacies of mermen etiquette and what senses would one rely on more beneath the waves vs on land.
I’ve always considered The Little Mermaid a cautionary tale about one-sided obsession, which only seems more hazardous when the stalker is male, but this was a sweet and innocent version that wasn’t dark at all.
Recommended for lovers of clean and sweet gender-reversed fairytales. Suitable for both upper YA and NA audiences as MCs are 20, but the story has coming of age elements.
Cocky Prince Kaerius falls in love with a human princess’s voice and yes, he makes that deal.
I loved how the author kept the elements of the Disney clean&sweet version of the tale and swapped them round. I particularly enjoyed the substitutions - Kraken lord instead of the Sea Witch; Captain of the Guard Brighton as the substitute for the seagull and pinching boots instead of walking on blades. I also loved the reason the princess decided to keep Kaerius aka mute Kai by her side - but no spoilers, read it yourself! Seeing Kai grow up was adorable. I never considered what it would feel like to be above water and get used to having muscles for the first time - the descriptions were amazingly vivid. Nor did I think about the intricacies of mermen etiquette and what senses would one rely on more beneath the waves vs on land.
I’ve always considered The Little Mermaid a cautionary tale about one-sided obsession, which only seems more hazardous when the stalker is male, but this was a sweet and innocent version that wasn’t dark at all.
Recommended for lovers of clean and sweet gender-reversed fairytales. Suitable for both upper YA and NA audiences as MCs are 20, but the story has coming of age elements.
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