Pacific Tails

by Michelle Sauer

An unsolved murder of a mermaid queen. A shattered stone pendant cursed and lost. A kingdom’s existence in peril.
All of it, dependent on a college student and gifted swimmer, Zoe Vaughn, who thinks her life is falling apart.
Jealous teammates have accused Zoe of using performance enhancing drugs, sinking her dreams of competing in the Olympics. Now, as their relentless bullying continues, she’s ready to uproot her life in California and move across the country.
But hours before Zoe’s flight, something happens that changes those plans forever. Sparks literally fly between her and Baxter, her mythology professor, who confronts Zoe with the truth that her incredible talent beneath the water has a supernatural explanation.
Baxter declares that Zoe is the living reincarnation of Melantha - Mermaid Queen of the Pacific Ocean - who was betrayed and murdered nearly a century earlier. He also claims to be Melantha’s guardian - an immortal tasked with reuniting five sacred stones that can restore Zoe as the rightful queen before her kingdom is lost forever.
But the time to do that is running out, as there are sinister forces who'll stop at nothing to prevent the Mermaid Queen's return. With her life on the line, Zoe must work with Baxter to find all five stones scattered between land and sea and fulfill her destiny - or condemn her mermaid kin to enslavement for all eternity. Pacific Tails is a new adult, fast-paced urban fantasy adventure that is set in a world where myths intertwine with reality. Ride the wave of a thrilling mystery and quest-based novel, filled with mermaids and other unexpected creatures such as immortals, ghosts, demons, and werewolves. Pacific Tails is a slow-burn romance and a fantastical whodunit that will sure to captivate. It is the first book of a planned duology.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction, Romance, Mermaids

475 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2023

About the author

Michelle Sauer has a Masters of Fine Art in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education. By day, she is a Converse-wearing, kinder-8th grade Art Teacher in Colorado. By night, she loves to spend time with her husband and dabble in multiple hobbies such as reading, crafting and fine arts, games (board and video), and driving around in her 1976 Corvette Stingray. She loves dogs and misses her 15 yr-old companion, Hobbes, a 100 lb. German Shepherd. Psych is her favorite series and she often rewatches it every summer break. She has co-written several screenplays and enjoys the Horror genre. Her debut novel, Pacific Tails is based off her love of mysteries, adventure, magic, and growing up in California.

Reviews

[caffeine reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was my first DNF of 2024.
I really wanted to like this, but I just really couldn’t get into it unfortunately.
This is a YA book but didn’t read as YA.
The general plot is good but it was just to childish for my liking.
I’m so sorry

Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

[Resh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 3.8 rounded up to a 4.

“An unsolved murder of a mermaid queen. A shattered stone pendant cursed and lost. A kingdom’s existence in peril”

The story revolves around Zoe, who’s dreams to be an Olympic swimmer were shattered by jealous team mates. On the day she had planned to leave in hopes of finding her dreams elsewhere, sparks fly with Baxter, her mythology professor revealing who Zoe really was; the reincarnated mermaid queen. The story unravels when Zoe and Baxter (her guardian) try to find the late queen’s murderer while going on a quest to find the shattered stone pieces. Will they be able to find the murderer and fuse the stone pieces together to save Zoe’s mer kingdom? Will they be able to conquer their differences with true love?

I loved learning about mermaids, the different powers they have and the mythologies surrounding them. I also really loved the demon mer queen, Lil who’s morally grey and had very interesting character traits. The characters, storyline, concept, adventure and mystery were engaging. However, I did struggle with some parts and had to go back and forth to understand. The reasoning and description around the murder and subsequent events were somewhat unclear to me. I also felt Zoe is annoying sometimes and that the spice (one scene) was unnatural and forced. I do believe the story would have been more entertaining if the length was reduced by polishing some parts. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought me back to what it was like when I was a little kid in the pool playing mermaids with my friends. I loved everything about this book, it’s got adventure, it’s got romance, betrayal, murder, and best of all mermaids and magic! This is the kind of book I fantasized about reading as a kid. I highly recommend this book, the author has a way of setting up multiple worlds all within this one world and it’s done so well. Plus, everything is explained in an easy to understand and keep up with way. The only complaint I had was that there wasn’t really that much of the romance between Zoe and Baxter shown, I definitely would have loved to see that. But if you like mermaids, this is definitely the book to read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[4loveofbooksnkc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel. It was definitely filled with action, and I liked how the story flowed together and your able to keep up with all the characters that were tied into this storyline. Definitely a great read and I enjoyed it.

[Susan King · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mermaid queen of the Pacific Ocean is murdered. With her last breath, she casts a spell to protect her underwater kingdom until the next successor can be found, but the spell has an expiration date. It's up to Zoe, a college student, and Baxter, her Humanities professor, to find the murderer and save the mermaid kingdom from ruin.

The novel started out very choppy. There was very little character or situational development. The reader meets the characters, and then moves right into the quest. I would’ve liked to learn a little bit more about Zoe before jumping into the main story line.

It wasn’t deep or thought provoking. The reader knew exactly what was happening and when. Unfortunately, there was also a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the entire novel.

There was a part near the end that was a nod to a very well known mermaid story making it a complete let down for me. It was a little too cliche. I really liked the premise of this story, and I am glad that I read it. The riddles were fun to read through and try to decipher. The author did a great job describing the underwater world.

This book was offered by #netgalley for an honest review. The book was listed as a NA/Fantasy novel. There are a couple of non-graphic sexual scenes, but the writing reads more as middle age. I would recommend this book as a middle age or fan-fiction novel after some more editing.

[Katharina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pacific Tails is the first book in a duology by Michelle Sauer. It is about Zoe, a gifted swimmer who is ready to change her live and move across the country after relentless bullying by her teammates. But right before her flight her mythology professor Baxter confesses to her that she is the reincarnation of the mermaid queen of the pacific ocean. To restore her as rightful queen they have to find 5 stones and only have about a month of time left. So the suspenseful hunt after the stones begins. Will they find all the stones in time?

I absolutely loved Pacific Tails! It's a fast paced and suspenseful story with interesting characters and a nice love story. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. I am so excited for the story to continue in the second book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kristin Keele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventurous, engrossing, magical. An unsolved murder of a mermaid queen. A shattered stone pendant cursed and lost. A kingdom’s existence in peril. Pacific Tails is action packed, with great world building and character development. This story brings you to a new world and was beautifully written. I am a sucker for a story with mermaids and would recommend this book to others.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, and I have chosen to leave a review voluntarily and honestly.

[Audrey Finchum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything you need in a novel. It has adventure, danger, suspense, history, romance, comedy, sarcasm, character building, and a world the reader can get fully engrossed in. This book takes place in the late 90's. I loved all the tidbits of nostalgia and hidden easter eggs in the book. I want more of Zoe and her friends stories. I was lucky to receive this book as an ARC. This is my honest review. I am hoping this book turns into a series.

[Darby Reeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I was given an Advanced Reader Copy. I thought the story was cohesive and intriguing, definitely enough puzzle solving to make it enjoyable for me, but the twists weren’t so far fetched that they were unbelievable. My only critique is that some of the action scenes felt rushed and a little hard to follow, but other than that I thought it was a really great read! Will definitely be waiting for a sequel!

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Totally brought me back into my mermaid obsession. The characters were so interesting in and of themselves, when you add in the scenery and the plot you just can’t lose.
And finally, although i was so kindly gifted the ARC i thoroughly enjoyed this read, and definitely would’ve paid for it myself if i had not been blessed

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is non stop! I love the fantasy adventure it takes you on while including the real world. Michelle Sauer's writing is so captivating that it makes you feel like you are a part of the story. Like mermaids, romance, power and action? Then you will love this book!

[Alexandra Posadas · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I thought this book was just okay, it was just not for me.

I REALLY wanted to love this book. I've been on the hunt for a mermaid book that didn't feel too childish, but yet again this felt like I was reading about a teenager and I had such a hard time relating to it. Most stories about teenagers are coming of age stories, and I don't mind stories about them if they're written well, and the writing just fell flat for me.

I know the main character is meant to be just out of college, but a lot of her actions and reactions to things felt so juvenile and dramatic. She is supposed to be the queen of the pacific ocean, and she acted so immature at times. She couldn't even talk through her feelings, how is she supposed to run a kingdom? I had a hard time believing much of the story, because a lot of the solutions felt so convenient. Like of course they would have a power to fix something complicated.

Also, the reveal about who the villain was, felt so easy. I knew the minute we meet that person.

All in all, it was just okay for me. I did receive this as an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. The parts I did enjoy about the book were the imagery of the underwater and her kingdom, everything sounded so decadent and lovely. Also there was a plot line where they had to travel out of the country and I enjoyed that part and how that was wrapped up.

[Ariana Espinosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fun read that included a variety of different characters. It was interesting finding out about what each mermaid is capable of with their powers! I thought it was pretty neat how the story takes you to different locations in California. It really brought me back to my childhood!!

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars(just about) ⭐

Sooooo.......
Another DNF unfortunately 😪
I really tried, guys. I managed 75% until I found myself skipping pages 😪

To start off, the book had such a good premise!! It started really good and pulled me into the story. However, it quickly went into a downhill spiral... 

A lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as randomly missing words, really take away from the experience of enjoying the book and of actually liking it 😪

Zoe was wayyyy too naive and trusting with every mermaid/merman she met 🤦‍♀️ she was constantly on about what her teammates did to her in the swimming team a few weeks/months ago and that she doesn't want to trust anyone because of that and yet here she is... trusting. Every. Single. Ocean inhabitant. 😪


Then there were scenes were Zoe full on pissed me off. Like, massively...
Scenes as followed (not really spoilers):

Example 1:
"Baxter and I are going. Your so-called friendship with him ends here."
I'm sorry, but what the actual fuck? I'm all for a little jealousy and think you have to be slightly jealously if you actually like someone... BUT, telling someone they can't be friends anymore?! Nah, fuck that. That's toxic bullshit.
Baxter made it abundantly clear that he didn't have anything with this woman and Zoe still goes full on bitch mode? Nah, not happening. If you're insecure that doesn't mean you can run around telling people what they can't do ffs. 
Baxter should've reacted the same way when she flirted with a fucking Ghost right infront of him 🙄 

Example 2: 
There was a point where she just runs off like a petulant child cause she thinks everyone betrayed her. 
This is a uni student 🙃
A "grown up" woman 🙃
Who has a limited amount of time to save herself - and Baxter - from dying, and now decides "nah, you can fuck right off just cause you haven't told me about your friendship with some woman" 🙃
AND she didn't say where she was going or how long she was gonna be gone for and what she would be doing (acting like a child most likely)... Fucking communicate with the guy you're in love with for fuck sake! Or have your tantrum after you saved both your asses 🙃

The "twist" at 64%? Way too predictable from the first moment you meet the person it involves 🙃 No surprise at all which was disappointing...

All in all, great idea for a story but too many errors and an annoying FMC who thinks everyone should do what she wants who has a tantrum everytime it doesn't go her way.

Don't know if it gets better again but 75% in I'm calling it a day sadly 😪

[Erin Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, I really did. The concept had such potential, but I found myself having to grit through it and ended up DNF-ing about 75% of the way through.

The story felt very rushed in parts where we should have gotten more backstory or context, and too drawn out in unimportant parts that caused me to do a lot of skimming. We are thrust into the quest almost immediately after meeting the main character, and it all felt too quick in my opinion. I would have liked to have gotten a little more background into Zoe before she is presented with this life changing news. (news that she just sort of...accepts pretty much right off the bat? I wish there had been more of an internal struggle for her)

I did not feel like any of the characters were relatable on any level. The writing felt very adolescent and I found it more cringy than actually intriguing (hence the DNF) Overall, this was just not a book I enjoyed

[Geneva Roa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Michelle Sauer and NetGalley for giving me an e-copy of this book.

"An unsolved murder of a mermaid queen. A shattered stone pendant cursed and lost. A kingdom's existence in peril.
All of it, dependent on a college student and gifted swimmer, Zoe Vaughn, who thinks her life is falling apart.
Jealous teammates have accused Zoe of using performance enhancing drugs, sinking her dreams of competing in the Olympics. Now, as their relentless bullying continues, she's ready to uproot her life in California and move across the country.
But hours before Zoe's flight, something happens that changes those plans forever. Sparks literally fly between her and Baxter, her mythology professor, who confronts Zoe with the truth that her incredible talent beneath the water has a supernatural explanation.
Baxter declares that Zoe is the living reincarnation of Melantha - Mermaid Queen of the Pacific Ocean - who was betrayed and murdered nearly a century earlier. He also claims to be Melantha's guardian - an immortal tasked with reuniting five sacred stones that can restore Zoe as the rightful queen before her kingdom is lost forever.
But the time to do that is running out, as there are sinister forces who'll stop at nothing to prevent the Mermaid Queen's return. With her life on the line, Zoe must work with Baxter to find all five stones scattered between land and sea and fulfill her destiny - or condemn her mermaid kin to enslavement for all eternity.
Pacific Tails is a new adult, fast-paced urban fantasy adventure that is set in a world where myths intertwine with reality. Ride the wave of a thrilling mystery and quest-based novel, filled with mermaids and other unexpected creatures such as immortals, ghosts, demons, and werewolves."

I love this book, I can't get to the next one. This was so easy to read and I was hooked from the first chapter. It is very captivating.

[Heather Barbre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mermaids, murder, mystery with a side of a treasure hunt and a smudge of romance, what could be better. Oh did I mention the mermaids?
I was super excited to receive this ARC read, my son says way more excited than I should have be, but oh well.
As a child I was not the little girl that wanted to be princess or ballerina. No, I wanted to be a dolphin, a mermaid, or a fish of any kind really and Michelle Sauer captured that perfectly in the Pacific Tails.
If I could rate this a 6 stars out of 5, I would! I may be a small bit bias because I want to be mermaid but this is hands down the best book I have read all year.
Pacific Tails follows Zoe and Baxter during their trials and travels in trying to restore the reincarnated mermaid queen who was murdered almost 100 yrs ago. A murder that has remained unsolved.
Baxter who was made a guardian after the queens murder is now a college mythology professor. Zoe is a student who is trying to escape a life that is somewhat falling apart and her life plans has changed. She is trying to take her last final exam so she can board a plane and head off to Yale, however there was a last minute department meeting for Baxter and he has to reschedule his final exams. Zoe confronts Baxter and sparks fly when he touches her shoulder, he immediately knows who she is. He now has to convince her she is the reincarnated mermaid queen.
They go on a journey to find all the pieces of the mermaids queen pendant that shattered after the queen said a spell to be reincarnated. Zoe meets a lot of mermaid friends a long the way.
The plot twist in this book kept me on the edge, I have never rooted and cheered for a book character so loudly!
The descriptiveness of the colors and the way Michelle layout things Zoe felt made me feel like it was happening to me.

[De_Boekenplank_van_Floor · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Most fairy tales are stories. Some are real”

Het leven van Zoe gaat niet over rozen, zo werd ze uit het zwemteam gezet na onterechte verdenking van het gebruik van verboden middelen, iets wat haar vroegere teamgenoten haar niet kunnen vergeven. Klaar met het gedoe, besluit ze terug te gaan naar haar ouders, maar voordat ze dat doet gaat ze nog langs bij haar studiebegeleider Baxter. Die meeting verandert alles.

Zoe’s leven verandert in een rollercoaster wanneer ze erachter komt dat ze de reïncarnatie is van de, honderd jaar eerder gestorven, zeemeermin koningin van de Pacific-Tails (een van de koninkrijken in de Pacific Ocean). Baxter blijkt veel meer dan alleen docent en studiebegeleider, hij is haar beschermer: uitgekozen vanwege zijn pure hart, om te zorgen dat de rechtmatige koningin van de Pacific Tails, haar plaats in zal nemen.

Samen met Zoe en Baxter wordt je meegesleurd de diepte in en de wereld over, op zoek naar de verloren stenen van het medaillon van Melantha, de vorige koningin. Ondertussen ontrafelt zich ook een whodunnit, waarbij Zoe en Baxter steeds dichter bij de waarheid rondom de moord op Melantha komen. Zou het hen lukken om voor de deadline van exact honderd jaar, alle stenen te verzamelen en Zoe op de troon te krijgen?

Te midden van de rollercoaster van magische gebeurtenissen groeien Baxter en Zoe steeds meer naar elkaar toe. Komt dat door hun band als beschermer en koningin? Of is hier sprake van ontluikende liefde?

Laat je meeslepen in dit prachtige verhaal vol magie, romantiek, avontuur en vooral heel veel spanning! Zoals Michelle Sauer haar boek zelf introduceert: “Now, time to check out of reality and enter my altered reality where magic, creatures, ancient beings, and the paranormal co-exist with us, mere mortals.”

[Taylor Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first read of 2024, and I must say I'm disappointed. I found this book to drag. If I DNF books I would have, it just didn't hold my attention. Pacific Tails is classified as New Adult, but it didn't read that way. It seemed somewhat childish at times.

The plot is about an unsolved murder of the mermaid queen. Zoe, who is the reincarnation of Melantha (the queen), must find five stones to reclaim her rightful place. With the help of Baxter, her guardian, they must find all five stones before their 30 days are up or they both lose their lives.

Zoe, the main character, was jealous and borderline toxic. Telling Baxter (the love interest) that he couldn't be friends with a female he'd been friends with for years just because Zoe didn't like her. Throughout the book, I honestly felt bad for Baxter because he didn't have friends and felt alone. The one friend he does have Zoe turns around and basically demands them not to talk. That's a no from me.

During the book, they are on a timeline that both their lives depend on, and Zoe just runs away for a whole week! When she finally comes back, she's mad at Baxter...like what!? She makes a comment about not understanding how he has a right to be mad. Baxter was worried about her, too. This makes it worse because he cares about her, but I don't see the efforts made on her side. It seems that she shows a lot of self-interest and doesn't take her responsibilities seriously. Zoe tells Baxter she doesn't even want to deal with him and then spends two days ignoring him and wallows in self-pity. Finally, in the end, they agree to work together to achieve their goal.

[Kylie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️ DNF @ 13%
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Genre: Fantasy
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Main Concepts: Basically a mermaid novel where the queen dies and sends off a message to help keep her kingdom safe. The main quest is revealed very early one and the MC learns she is the mermaid queen far too quickly. The whole storyline just moved really fast without readers really having a chance to meet the characters and learn the world around the characters. The concept with the nine crystal shards or whatever spread about the lands is pretty cool. The novel does has some pretty cool aspects and I really wanted to keep reading it but I just couldn’t. It just felt like a chore because of how fast pace everything is and how not fleshed out the characters are. They felt really flat. I think this novel could be good if the author revamped it and really took the time to reveal the main story line, don’t just give it up right away.
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Random thoughts:
- The hand drawn map is beautiful. Really love the flower detailing.
- The preface is a pretty nice catch for the beginning. Lots of cool mermaid magical abilities happening that I was really intrigued to find out more details about.
- Dual pov
- I don’t like how the book just go straight into the plot. We don’t enough learn about the characters, just get thrown straight into the story line. It’s like you’re missing information.
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Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley escapewithashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was nourishment for my inner child. As a kid, I loved supernatural creatures like mermaids, werewolves, vampires, etc. I especially enjoyed when they would interact and the nuances of those interactions.
Pacific Tails hit the ground running with an engaging delivery and real-life setting. The MC starts out thinking she's an ordinary girl and finds out she is something other; this can be tricky to handle. In some books, they accept it entirely too quickly to be believable, OR they spend an unbearable amount of time in denial despite apparent clues. In Pacific Tails, the MC has a fair amount of skepticism about the supernatural that feels believable.
I do feel at points the topic jumped around a bit without a direct connection to the plot or influencing the overall "completeness" of the story. Sometimes it felt like things were added without a clear-cut direction which made me feel there were a few loose ends.
Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and its twists and turns. I love when a story gets my wheels turning, asking questions like "what if" and theorizing about the mystery at hand. The mermaid lore was very thorough and Sauer clearly did her research about these creatures.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Miska Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Premise!

I loved this mermaid tale (hehehe, get it?!). It was cute, a fast read, and the author clearly put a lot of care into the mythology that she used in order to write the story.

I was worried about reading this at first, because even though the topic is in my list of interests, some of the details of the characters were not, and some were too close (I have a B.A. in History and Africana studies). But my fears were for nothing- I did enjoy the details, and I learned some about California! Which is not a state I have been to.

I do have some constructive criticisms, but they did not keep me from enjoying this book. I would like to see less passive language, and more active language. I would love it if the characters were deeper developed and if the action wasn't quite so front loaded without enough detail to really hook me in. It took me a minute to be invested in the story, but I became invested, and that's when the pages just started to fly by!

I hope this is the first of a series, because there is so much opportunity for so many of the other characters (Farah?!) to have their own story.

Thank you for a wonderful read! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cassie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did get this book as an ARC, but in no way does that affect my opinion about the book

Pacific Tails was amazing. Urban fantasy mermaid meets murder mystery!

A little spice, a lot of mystery, and a whole lot more discovery makes this one of a kind 😍

Zoe went through quite a bit, dealing with her university swim team accusing her of using PEDS, and becoming a shell of who she once was.

Enter in her mythology professor, Bennett Baxter, who seems to know more about her and her murder mystery than she does.

Together they travel throughout California to solve an old murder, and to discover all the secrets to Zoe’s murder mystery 😍

I couldn’t put it down until I was literally falling asleep with it in my hands 😭 it was that good. I absolutely cannot wait for Zoe’s story to continue!!!

[nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d like to thank Michelle Sauer for sending an advanced reader copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Zoe has been driven away from California by relentless bullying and is about to board a plane to Connecticut when Baxter, her mythology professor drops the fact that she is the reincarnation of a mermaid queen who was betrayed and murdered. Wanting to get as far away as possible from the bad memories, Zoe finds herself being dragged into the adventure of a lifetime as she needs to search for the missing pieces of the mermaid pendant with Baxter. A slow burn that will be perfect for fans of mermaid lore, adventure, prophecy and reincarnation.

When I started reading, I got similar vibes as The Little Mermaid, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Inuyasha and Indiana Jones. The way that Baxter is introduced to us reminded me of Indiana and Giles. I love a story of reincarnation so this was right up my alley.

Around chapter 5, Zoe and Baxter start their journey to find the missing pendant shards. Pretty quickly we are introduced to more mermaids (or Tails as they like to be called) and learn more about the different types that exist. Giving each tail a different colour and the meaning behind that colour was genius. Tails (mermaids) have different coloured tails like pink, aquamarine or purple, which represents where that Tail is from and what kind of powers they have.

The slow burn romance is perfect too! Usually, I don’t read slow burn but I loved it here. Zoe and Baxter’s attraction makes sense because they are friends and have known each other for years. It’s not like the romance is coming out of nowhere so it was much easier to believe.

Despite the length of this book, it’s pretty fast-paced. There is always something happening, even from the beginning of the book so you don’t have to worry about slowly making your way through hundreds of pages of worldbuilding. It’s perfect because you can dive straight into the plot.

Check this book out if you are a fan of fantasy, adventure, road trips, slow burns, found family, mermaids and magic. This is the first of a duology and there were hints of other magical creatures like fairies, witches and vampires in this book; so, if you’re interested in mythology and fantasy, this might be for you.

[Aylin (nilyareads)]

⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Chosen one
Mermaid lore
Dual POV
Slow burn
Friends-to-lovers
Found family
Murder mystery
Myth-based magic
Riddles
Guardian
Urban fantasy
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I instantly requested this ARC after reading the blurb and I’m so happy that I did! It was extremely hard to put it down and kept me on the edge most of the time. There is only one plot flaw that confused me but it might be due I’m being tired -it happened around 3 AM so 😅-. I love reading about mermaid lore SO MUCH! Its connection with well-known myths is a chefs kiss for me. If it wasn’t lack the effect of ‘you are living in the story’, it’d be an easy five star read. Although I LOVE it and all, it didn’t gave me that feeling. The story follows Zoe an ordinary college student who loves myths. While she was visiting her professors office she learned the life changing truth about herself. She is the reincarnation of a murdered Mermaid queen and her professor Baxter is her guardian whose responsibility is to help her find the pieces of the queens necklace to gain her full power and save her kingdom from dry out of magic. If they couldn’t find all the pieces in time, they both will die. Plus, the killer of the previous queen is still unknown so they have to be alert all the time and choose who to trust carefully.
I’m grateful for the author and BookSirens for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review!
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“I won’t have others suffer because denying reality is the easy thing to do, or because I failed to act on their behalf.”

“Apologies. I am used to handling situations on my own.”
“Well, not anymore. We’re partners.”

What am I doing? Embrace who you are now, not the person you were. Confidence was not some magical power to gain. It was a state of mind.

“Loving a woman like her will wreck your soul, but for all the best reasons possible.”

“We either win together, or we die fighting together.”

“I know I didn’t ask your permission first, but I couldn’t risk losing you to her. Besides, I had to do it for myself. I can’t live this life without you in. And I think you feel the same.”
“Indeed. You are my world.”

[Aylin (nilyareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐
.
Chosen one
Mermaid lore
Dual POV
Slow burn
Friends-to-lovers
Found family
Murder mystery
Myth-based magic
Riddles
GuardianXRoyal
Urban fantasy
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I instantly requested this ARC after reading the blurb and I’m so happy that I did! It was extremely hard to put it down and kept me on the edge most of the time. There is only one plot flaw that confused me but it might be due I’m being tired -it happened around 3 AM so 😅-. I love reading about mermaid lore SO MUCH! Its connection with well-known myths is a chefs kiss for me. If it wasn’t lack the effect of ‘you are living in the story’, it’d be an easy five star read. Although I LOVE it and all, it didn’t gave me that feeling. The story follows Zoe an ordinary college student who loves myths. While she was visiting her professors office she learned the life changing truth about herself. She is the reincarnation of a murdered Mermaid queen and her professor Baxter is her guardian whose responsibility is to help her find the pieces of the queens necklace to gain her full power and save her kingdom from dry out of magic. If they couldn’t find all the pieces in time, they both will die. Plus, the killer of the previous queen is still unknown so they have to be alert all the time and choose who to trust carefully.
I’m grateful for the author and BookSirens for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review!
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“I won’t have others suffer because denying reality is the easy thing to do, or because I failed to act on their behalf.”

“Apologies. I am used to handling situations on my own.”
“Well, not anymore. We’re partners.”


What am I doing? Embrace who you are now, not the person you were. Confidence was not some magical power to gain. It was a state of mind.

“Loving a woman like her will wreck your soul, but for all the best reasons possible.”

 
“We either win together, or we die fighting together.”
 

“I know I didn’t ask your permission first, but I couldn’t risk losing you to her. Besides, I had to do it for myself. I can’t live this life without you in. And I think you feel the same.”
“Indeed. You are my world.”

[BlaireReadsTheThings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mermaids, murder, mayhem. Oh my! Zoe has found her way from college athletic drama straight into chaos among immortal beings in a magical realm. And I'm here for it! Using mythology from all around the world as the foundation, Michelle Sauer has created a unique world that I hope we get to explore again.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. I really wanted to give the book 2.5 stars even though I wanted to love it so much! The characters were well-developed and really likeable. We had friends to lovers, friends to enemies, enemies to friends, all of it. We went all over the world. There was "magical technology". There were ghosts, demons, lycans. You name it. It was fun to read and the overall idea is there! I hope this is the first book of a series.

However, some of the writing was so darn confusing! I don't like to discuss things that could potentially be cleaned up in editing when I read an ARC, but it was impossible to ignore. Pretty much any scene that should have been fast-paced was absolute WORK to follow. I would have to reread passages multiple times trying to understand what was happening. Even then, I just had to move on and accept being clueless at times. I hope that there will be some edits made before publication so that this is corrected. It would be unfortunate for a great story to fall flat because of something that could be pretty easily remedied.

Another issue that I had was the lack of tension and magnetism between the main love interests. I know that when reading YA there will be less "spicy". But when reading love scenes between Zoe and Baxter, it all seemed forced and just slapped together. I want the scenes to build and naturally progress. I want them to suffer for each other and then get that release when they are together. I didn't get that from these two. It doesn't have to dirty to be hot.

Overall, I liked the book. I want more. But I want it to be better.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was great and it kept me interested. The female main character -Zoe- finds out she is the reincarnation of a mermaid queen that was murdered 100 years prior. She goes on a quest with her friend/professor -Baxter- who she finds out is part of the mythical world and is her guardian. He's been searching for her for the past 100 years and they have 30 days to find the broken necklace pieces or they both die. This necklace belonged to the queen and holds the power of the royals and only once it's put together will Zoe gain her full royal powers/gifts/magic. Whatever you want to call it.

The writing was a bit frustrating. Each chapter is titled to either Zoe or Baxter and is written to be in one or the other's POV, but the book was written in 3rd person. This was frustrating to get into the flow of the book.

There are quite a bit of grammatical errors. Including an instance of eye color mix ups.
Chapter 1 describes Baxter's eyes as green.

Chapter 38 - describing Sterling and comparing him to Baxter "...and had dark, blazing blue eyes instead of green"
Sterling had blue eyes
Baxter had green

Chapter 45
"Sterling lifted his chin. His GREEN eyes were lifeless"

It may sound like a complaint of something so little, but when there is a specific comparison, it irks me to see it fumbled up.

Better editing and deciding if the POV should be 1st person or 3rd would have made this a 4 star book.

Zoe also irrationally gets mad at Baxter and wastes a week of the limited 4 weeks they have to go and throw a fit and be a petulant child.

The ending was frustrating and it was left open for a series. If Zoe loved Baxter so much she would have offered to change him so they could be together either on land or in the ocean. But noooo Zoe gets to go off and do her mermaid thing and Baxter is left at home waiting for her. Seriously?!

[Zuzka •sueisreading• · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the origin of mermaids (Tails) little bit confusing and overwhelming. We got a lot of information in probably one chapter. There were so many of Tails with different origin and different powers. I understand that author wanted to make this world diverse but I believe it would be better to give us these information in more chapters in smaller amounts.
Author gives us more information later in the book and that was totally fine but I just wish the first amount of info was smaller as I had to read this part twice to take it all in.

Plot of this book was unfortunately predictable. I knew who murdered the queen when we met this person, I knew who our FMC would fall in love and end up with (and I’m happy I predicted this as I wanted them together)…

Also the romance in this book seemed a little bit forced at the beginning. I understand that Zoe and Baxter had know each other for some time but everything was a little bit to rushed (first 1/5 of book). It just seemed like they fell for each other in one or two days.

But I don’t want to give you only negatives so here are things I found positive.
The idea of mermaids and other magical creatures living in our world was great. It’s true that the oceans are big unknown to us so maybe there are mermaids somewhere! Author described the world so well and I was able to imagine everything. I liked the characters, their dynamic. The story flows and has good pace and I wasn’t bored while reading it. I also enjoyed dual POV and different locations in the story.

Still deciding if it was 3.5⭐️ or more to 4⭐️.

Definitely will read next book if I’ll have a chance as I’m interested in Zoe’s story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need a second part because this book leaves you wanting more. Wanting more Tails, more action, more magic, more pages to lose yourself in for hours.
This is the first story I read in wich the main caracters are mermaids, and it's an amazing first time.I thought the magic system was great, and that's because of its simplicity: the colour of the tail determines the magic the mermaid possesses. Added to this is the appearance of other supernatural beings such as werewolves, demons, or witches, who don't steal the spotlight from our Tails. But the icing on the cake is the amount of legends and folklore montioned in this book. That's a 100/10.
The plot has also obsessed me. We have a murdered mermaid queen who is reincarnated as a young girl, a man become the guardian of this reincarnated queen who must help her restore her magic and her kingdom in less than a hundred years or both will die, deceptions, treasons, and a great unknown. Who, and why, murdered the queen? If this doesn't convince you to read this book, the prologue sure it gets.
Zoe and Baxter are incredible characters, who make mistakes and repair them, with firm convictions, and ready to do anything to protect those who they love. They felt very real, and I enjoyed accompaning them throughout their adventure across the seas.
I wish I had more time to read because I didn't want to stop, although I had to, and that has taken me so long to finish it. But it was worth it, and I need more people to read it so I can discuss it with someone.