The Seamaiden's Odyssey

by Berlie Doherty, Tamsin Rosewell

A strange and beautiful sea-creature is brought into the marine sanctuary where Sasha works. The sea-girl is kept as an exhibit and for scientific research. But Sasha wants to know more about her – are there more of her kind? What sort of community does she come from? Does she have a family?

There is a story to be told, in exchange for a promise. It is a story of cruelty and grief, of love and longing and pride; the story of Merryn, who makes a traumatic journey from sea and to land, from defiance to finding her true self and the power of sisterhood.

This new fable is from twice Carnegie Medal-winning author, Berlie Doherty. She draws on the folklore of ocean and landscape and, in the language of our oldest tales, weaves the traditional into our modern preoccupations.

Powerful ink and silhouette illustrations by Tamsin Rosewell brighten the tale with a vibrant but classical language of visual storytelling. Rosewell draws on the long heritage of silhouette and paper-cut work for her inspiration and adds it to her well-known boldness with colour and structure.

176 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2024

About the author

Berlie Doherty née Hollingsworth is an English novelist, poet, playwright and screenwriter. She is best known for children's books, for which she has twice won the Carnegie Medal.She has also written novels for adults, plays for theatre and radio, television series and libretti for children's opera.

Reviews

[Angie]

i know its a children's book but forgive your abusers to show them you're strong(er) is not a message that i can get behind

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a book that you will fall in love with and it is one I will treasure. The descriptive, lyrical writing is what we have come to expect from Berlie Doherty but when paired with Tamsin Rosewell's evocative, stunning illustrations the story becomes even more meaningful. The images seem to glow off of the page, perfectly evoking a watery world under the sea and the way the colours change as the story progresses is masterful. The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a coming of age tale with female empowerment at its heart and it draws you in right from the first page. You need this book!

[Colleen Kristinsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a beautifully illustrated story about mermaids, the sea, and a young seamaiden named Merryn. The story follows Merryn as she becomes caught up in events within the mermaid world, encountering dangers and mysteries along the way. I also liked that the story incorporates the folklore of Jenny Greenteeth, which added an interesting darker element to the story.

One of the things I really liked about this book was how beautiful it is. It has a pretty cover and there is lovely artwork throughout, which really adds to the overall charm of the book. I also love mermaids and the sea, so the premise immediately appealed to me. Unfortunately, though, the actual story didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I wasn't particularly interested in the plot or the characters, even though they were mermaids! I really wanted to become absorbed in Merryn's story, and while I did like Merryn as a character, I never felt particularly attached to her. The story just didn't draw me in as much as I had hoped.
I was also really hoping that, because this is a book about mermaids, there would be some glorious descriptions of the underwater world. I wanted to feel transported beneath the sea and really experience this magical underwater setting, but sadly that didn't quite happen for me.

The ending was probably my biggest disappointment. Without going into spoilers, I didn't like the way cruelty was handled and felt that the story made something cruel seem almost acceptable. That didn't sit well with me and left me feeling disappointed by the conclusion.
Overall, this was just an okay book for me. I loved the beautiful artwork, the mermaid and sea theme, and the inclusion of the Jenny Greenteeth folklore, but the plot and characters didn't really capture my attention. There were some lovely elements here, but also quite a few disappointments along the way.

Beautiful artwork and an appealing premise, but unfortunately the story itself didn't quite enchant me as much as I had hoped.

[Ben Gilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a truly bewitching fantasy novella. Across its 173 pages, The Seamaiden's Odyssey tells a captivating story of grief, responsibility, and overcoming trauma that sparkles with magic and life throughout. Despite the short amount of pages, the world of the Seamaidens, their culture, traditions, and lives feel real, the world under the sea feels truly alive. Additionally, the humans in the book feel like a world ending threat from the very beginning, an idea that is debunked and confirmed in equal measure through the book. The best part of the book, however, is the artwork inside. Beautiful illustrations litter the pages, providing the reader with clear depictions of important parts of the story, the sea borders the text beautifully, making The Seamaiden's Odyssey a uniquely satisfying and calming experience for anyone who wants to read a short, fulfilling read.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stunning cover lead me to a wonderful read. You are never too old for a fairytale read.

[Maria Dellaporta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a wonderful story and pretty illustrations. I picked it up from Richmond library and read it in a day.

#bc24hrreadathon

I highly recommend it.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://sarahreads4.wordpress.com/202...

[Emma Rosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

About 3 people have read this which is a damn shame because this was cute!!! The edition I own is beautiful as well