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Sirens & Blades: A Little Mermaid Fairy Tale Retelling
Bound to defend the man her family swore to destroy.
When her first mission as an assassin ends in disaster, Marina finds herself stuck protecting the prince she was going to kill. And they both hate it. Sebastian’s busy fighting to save his kingdom, he can't afford to be distracted by the beautiful red-head with a mysterious past.
To Marina’s amazement, spending time with the charming prince-turned-pirate isn’t the punishment she thought it would be. Soon, she’s more concerned about Sebastian stealing her heart than keeping him alive. But when tragedy strikes and the Sea Witch attacks, Marina finds herself trapped by her web of lies.
Can Marina save Sebastian from the Sea Witch, or will her secrets destroy them both?
Sirens & Blades is a clean, stand-alone fairytale retelling based on the classic story of The Little Mermaid. If you enjoy snarky banter, thrilling sea battles, and swoony kisses in a sweet romance, grab Sirens & Blades to find your happily ever after!
To Marina’s amazement, spending time with the charming prince-turned-pirate isn’t the punishment she thought it would be. Soon, she’s more concerned about Sebastian stealing her heart than keeping him alive. But when tragedy strikes and the Sea Witch attacks, Marina finds herself trapped by her web of lies.
Can Marina save Sebastian from the Sea Witch, or will her secrets destroy them both?
Sirens & Blades is a clean, stand-alone fairytale retelling based on the classic story of The Little Mermaid. If you enjoy snarky banter, thrilling sea battles, and swoony kisses in a sweet romance, grab Sirens & Blades to find your happily ever after!
281 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2024
4 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 25, 2024
Right off the top, I’m not that familiar with the Little Mermaid story, and this isn’t a genre I’m that well-read in. However, I like the author and have read several of her other stories and have enjoyed all of them. I think her best writing skill is the banter between the leading characters, and this story doesn’t disappoint.
We get to know a lot about the main characters through the eyes of Marina, an aspiring assassin, from a family of assassins. Sadly, for her professional career choice, she has a strong moral compass and a dedication to tradition. This leads her to be forced to make a few awkward life choices. Her counterpart, the prince, might be a little too ‘princely’. The remainder of the cast suffers from the first-person point of view because we don’t really get to know the depth of what we should love or hate about them as the story develops. They seem to come in and out of scenes, so it’s difficult to get a good handle on their personalities.
The plot is fairly standard, with lots of twists and turns along the way. There is plenty of intrigue to go around as the leading couple navigate the issues of the kingdom. Speaking of which, the world might be just a little too perfect, without any real internal challenges. It doesn’t affect the story in any way, but it isn’t built up that much either.
I thought the themes of duty, honour, and tough choices played well. As a reader, you can feel the difficult decisions Marina must go through to live up to her expectations of herself. Overall, I enjoyed Sirens & Blades. It’s a fun journey through the life-changing incidents of our heroine. I give it four of five stars on Goodreads.
We get to know a lot about the main characters through the eyes of Marina, an aspiring assassin, from a family of assassins. Sadly, for her professional career choice, she has a strong moral compass and a dedication to tradition. This leads her to be forced to make a few awkward life choices. Her counterpart, the prince, might be a little too ‘princely’. The remainder of the cast suffers from the first-person point of view because we don’t really get to know the depth of what we should love or hate about them as the story develops. They seem to come in and out of scenes, so it’s difficult to get a good handle on their personalities.
The plot is fairly standard, with lots of twists and turns along the way. There is plenty of intrigue to go around as the leading couple navigate the issues of the kingdom. Speaking of which, the world might be just a little too perfect, without any real internal challenges. It doesn’t affect the story in any way, but it isn’t built up that much either.
I thought the themes of duty, honour, and tough choices played well. As a reader, you can feel the difficult decisions Marina must go through to live up to her expectations of herself. Overall, I enjoyed Sirens & Blades. It’s a fun journey through the life-changing incidents of our heroine. I give it four of five stars on Goodreads.
June 9, 2025
🗡️Review🗡️
Why did I wait so long to read this story?! I kept telling myself that I had to and kept putting it off. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I finally did it! I’m so incredibly happy that I did. Sirens & Blades is a fantastic addition to Kaye’s fairytale retellings. It’s a mixture of assassins, pirates, and royalty. There’s also a tropical yet Denmark-esque (yes, I made that up) feel to it.
Marina is a complicated character. She is capable and wanting to prove herself. She, however, has a bit too much compassion. I honestly love how kind she is even when she’s trying to be the opposite. Sebastian is a gentleman-pirate. He’s a bit roguish and charming but he has a heart of gold. I love how he helps Marina heal from past hurts. Their interactions were both playful and heartwarming.
There were a couple of sad scenes and quite a bit of action. The ending left me with a smile on my face. The twists on the original tale were well thought out and I loved seeing hints of the original while seeing it from a fresh perspective. Overall, I really love Sirens & Blades. I can’t wait to read new fairytales by this lovely author in the future!
No-Spice Rating: milder kissing
Language: Clean
Faith Elements: None
🪼TROPES🪼
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
She’s Grumpy, He’s Sunshine
Pirates & Assassins
Only One Bed
Damsel-Causing-Distress
The Little Mermaid
Why did I wait so long to read this story?! I kept telling myself that I had to and kept putting it off. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I finally did it! I’m so incredibly happy that I did. Sirens & Blades is a fantastic addition to Kaye’s fairytale retellings. It’s a mixture of assassins, pirates, and royalty. There’s also a tropical yet Denmark-esque (yes, I made that up) feel to it.
Marina is a complicated character. She is capable and wanting to prove herself. She, however, has a bit too much compassion. I honestly love how kind she is even when she’s trying to be the opposite. Sebastian is a gentleman-pirate. He’s a bit roguish and charming but he has a heart of gold. I love how he helps Marina heal from past hurts. Their interactions were both playful and heartwarming.
There were a couple of sad scenes and quite a bit of action. The ending left me with a smile on my face. The twists on the original tale were well thought out and I loved seeing hints of the original while seeing it from a fresh perspective. Overall, I really love Sirens & Blades. I can’t wait to read new fairytales by this lovely author in the future!
No-Spice Rating: milder kissing
Language: Clean
Faith Elements: None
🪼TROPES🪼
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
She’s Grumpy, He’s Sunshine
Pirates & Assassins
Only One Bed
Damsel-Causing-Distress
The Little Mermaid
June 25, 2024
This is my second time reading something by Amanda Kaye, and I have to say that I find her writing style to be utterly swoony and adorably sweet!
“Sirens & Blades” is a Little Mermaid retelling that tells the story of how the siren assassin Marina falls in love with the man she’s supposed to kill, Prince Sebastian of Lenmark.
I thought this book was an amazing read. Sebastian and Marina were both lovable characters, plus their snarky banter was so freaking funny. I could see their sizzling chemistry from a mile away.
Sebastian. He was the epitome of a charismatic hero with a heart of gold. He was a genuinely loyal person who cared about his family and the people in his kingdom. Yes, he joked around at times, but I never doubted his sincerity.
Marina. I thought she was a very dedicated, tenacious, and intelligent heroine who was determined to prove herself. Marina spent a huge part of the book trying to act cold and ruthless, but I thought her kind heart and selfless nature were some of her best qualities. I would definitely recommend!
“Sirens & Blades” is a Little Mermaid retelling that tells the story of how the siren assassin Marina falls in love with the man she’s supposed to kill, Prince Sebastian of Lenmark.
I thought this book was an amazing read. Sebastian and Marina were both lovable characters, plus their snarky banter was so freaking funny. I could see their sizzling chemistry from a mile away.
Sebastian. He was the epitome of a charismatic hero with a heart of gold. He was a genuinely loyal person who cared about his family and the people in his kingdom. Yes, he joked around at times, but I never doubted his sincerity.
Marina. I thought she was a very dedicated, tenacious, and intelligent heroine who was determined to prove herself. Marina spent a huge part of the book trying to act cold and ruthless, but I thought her kind heart and selfless nature were some of her best qualities. I would definitely recommend!
November 29, 2024
Having read Kaye’s work before, I saw this one and had to read it. Kaye has a way of pulling you into the story, while sprinkling worlds that seem so very real and characters that are completely relatable. I adored Marina and Sebastian and I loved the way their story twisted and turned and left you guessing and hoping for that sweet happy ending. The whole idea of it all was perfectly crafted and it was a book I flew through because I had to know what happened next. I adored it, and it’s another one that I very much recommend!
June 3, 2024
This was such a great fantasy romantic story with little mermaid vibes. The story starts with Marina, a soft hearted mermaid who is entrusted with killing a prince to prove herself to her father. What follows makes Marina question the reality and what to really believe. A lovely fantasy story that is fast-paced with interesting characters and a touch of humour.
August 29, 2025
This was a great fantasy story! Loved it! Little mermaid vibes!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews