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A Sea of Blood and Sapphire
As long as mermaids live, the sea will fill with blood.
On the night of Amaris' eighteenth birthday, she is finally free to surface from the depths of the Sapphire Sea, but when she joins her pack, she’s horrified by the barbaric hunt. She knows the cost of saving her mortal enemy's life, but she can’t bring herself to join in on the bloodshed.
Amaris is left with no choice but to consult the sea witch in order to escape from her father’s wrath. She soon finds that there are worse things than being the predator, gambling her soul and becoming the prey.
Hans Christian Andersen’s story of The Little Mermaid with a dark and compelling twist, this new adult fantasy novel will leave every reader swept away in the tides of magic, mermaids, and romance.
On the night of Amaris' eighteenth birthday, she is finally free to surface from the depths of the Sapphire Sea, but when she joins her pack, she’s horrified by the barbaric hunt. She knows the cost of saving her mortal enemy's life, but she can’t bring herself to join in on the bloodshed.
Amaris is left with no choice but to consult the sea witch in order to escape from her father’s wrath. She soon finds that there are worse things than being the predator, gambling her soul and becoming the prey.
Hans Christian Andersen’s story of The Little Mermaid with a dark and compelling twist, this new adult fantasy novel will leave every reader swept away in the tides of magic, mermaids, and romance.
479 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2024
100 people are currently reading
7718 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
April 11, 2023
4 Bacon Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️/5
Have you ever read a book and felt like this book was made specifically for you? Like the author knew exactly what you wanted, your loves, everything... and just wrote the book FOR YOU??? That's how I felt reading this book! I absolutely adored this from start to finish.
This has such a flavour of the original The Little Mermaid, but also felt elevated that it had so many unique aspects that inherently made this its very own story, that plays homage to an amazing inspiration. If like me you grew up watching and loving The Little Mermaid and wanted to be Ariel. you need to experience this story. It was like taking our girl Ariel and making her a little more grown up and sassy but she still doesn't know what to do with adinglehopper fork.
This is a Dual POV story that follows Amaris, the sixth daughter of the King of the Six Seas, and it immediately starts on her "claiming day" where she is finally allowed to go to the surface with the expectation that she is going to kill a human as part of a rite of passage into becoming an "adult". She doesn't do it, though. Instead, she rescues Ezra and OBVIOUSLY her family find out and so she is brutally tortured and left as shark bait. (great family values this....). She is rescued by a Sea Witch and takes on the chance to be human on the condition she can find love in 3 months or like the truetail tale - will turn into Sea Foam... When she rocks up in the human world, the same Ezra she saved happens to also be THE PRINCE..... (dum dum dum - didn't see that coming) BUT he KNOWS exactly who and WHAT she is...and he wants nothing to do with her...
The tropes in this are AMAZING!
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Slow burn
▶ "Who did this to you"
▶ Found Family
▶ Marriage of Convenience
I think I fall in love with any book that happens to do a proper progression from Enemies to Lovers and the banter between Ezra and Amaris was just perfect, sharp, and witty and makes me almost hate them cause I could never be that sharp with comebacks 😭😭😭
Amaris was a beautiful character that I think was both well-formed but also lacking. I think however the lack of depth was actually a conscious decision as that was who she was brought up to be as a mermaid - someone who didn't show compassion and emotion and that is why when she sees it, it makes such an impact on her. I loved that she stood up for what she believed in, even in difficult situations and wasn't afraid to challenge when she didn't agree with something.
Ezra carries a lot of baggage. He is traumatized, and this book doesn't shy away from showing that he is going through quite a lot mentally while he deals with the death of all of his friends, past trauma, and all the responsibility that is thrust on him being a prince in a struggling kingdom.
Lets us not forget Solana who is the bestest best best friend a girl could ever have. A true Flounder to her Ariel! She was so wholesome and self-caring and just a girl after my own heart because she reads smutty romance novels and isn't ashamed of it.
The world-building was compelling and unique and there are hints of aspects that could come into play in future books. There were also aspects in this that I had never seen before in retellings or fantasy books so to see it in a debut was refreshing!
As much as I loved it to bits, this book is not perfect and there was one thing that did bring it down...the plot hopping or it felt like the plot had constantly shifting goalposts. The story was about 80% done and I still wasn't entirely sure about what the MAIN target objective was with all the mini subplots. As a result, things felt rushed or not fully explored. I also felt that aspects were squeezed in for the sake of adding them, but then these "things" weren't fully elaborated on or explained to the reader.
Ultimately though this felt like a coming-of-age story, which is why I think I loved it so much. Amaris is exposed to this new world and in it finds love, family and herself.
I see so much promise and potential in Florence Gray's writing, this didn't read like a debut, it captivated me and kept me drawn in, so that I could not stop reading ! It was a beautifully written story with really wonderful characters and I highly recommend if you love an Enemies to Lovers book, that you pick this up!
I received this eARC in exchange for a review!
All thoughts and feelings are my own
Spicy Level: 🌶️/5
Have you ever read a book and felt like this book was made specifically for you? Like the author knew exactly what you wanted, your loves, everything... and just wrote the book FOR YOU??? That's how I felt reading this book! I absolutely adored this from start to finish.
This has such a flavour of the original The Little Mermaid, but also felt elevated that it had so many unique aspects that inherently made this its very own story, that plays homage to an amazing inspiration. If like me you grew up watching and loving The Little Mermaid and wanted to be Ariel. you need to experience this story. It was like taking our girl Ariel and making her a little more grown up and sassy but she still doesn't know what to do with a
This is a Dual POV story that follows Amaris, the sixth daughter of the King of the Six Seas, and it immediately starts on her "claiming day" where she is finally allowed to go to the surface with the expectation that she is going to kill a human as part of a rite of passage into becoming an "adult". She doesn't do it, though. Instead, she rescues Ezra and OBVIOUSLY her family find out and so she is brutally tortured and left as shark bait. (great family values this....). She is rescued by a Sea Witch and takes on the chance to be human on the condition she can find love in 3 months or like the true
The tropes in this are AMAZING!
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Slow burn
▶ "Who did this to you"
▶ Found Family
▶ Marriage of Convenience
I think I fall in love with any book that happens to do a proper progression from Enemies to Lovers and the banter between Ezra and Amaris was just perfect, sharp, and witty and makes me almost hate them cause I could never be that sharp with comebacks 😭😭😭
Amaris was a beautiful character that I think was both well-formed but also lacking. I think however the lack of depth was actually a conscious decision as that was who she was brought up to be as a mermaid - someone who didn't show compassion and emotion and that is why when she sees it, it makes such an impact on her. I loved that she stood up for what she believed in, even in difficult situations and wasn't afraid to challenge when she didn't agree with something.
Ezra carries a lot of baggage. He is traumatized, and this book doesn't shy away from showing that he is going through quite a lot mentally while he deals with the death of all of his friends, past trauma, and all the responsibility that is thrust on him being a prince in a struggling kingdom.
Lets us not forget Solana who is the bestest best best friend a girl could ever have. A true Flounder to her Ariel! She was so wholesome and self-caring and just a girl after my own heart because she reads smutty romance novels and isn't ashamed of it.
The world-building was compelling and unique and there are hints of aspects that could come into play in future books. There were also aspects in this that I had never seen before in retellings or fantasy books so to see it in a debut was refreshing!
As much as I loved it to bits, this book is not perfect and there was one thing that did bring it down...the plot hopping or it felt like the plot had constantly shifting goalposts. The story was about 80% done and I still wasn't entirely sure about what the MAIN target objective was with all the mini subplots. As a result, things felt rushed or not fully explored. I also felt that aspects were squeezed in for the sake of adding them, but then these "things" weren't fully elaborated on or explained to the reader.
Ultimately though this felt like a coming-of-age story, which is why I think I loved it so much. Amaris is exposed to this new world and in it finds love, family and herself.
I see so much promise and potential in Florence Gray's writing, this didn't read like a debut, it captivated me and kept me drawn in, so that I could not stop reading ! It was a beautifully written story with really wonderful characters and I highly recommend if you love an Enemies to Lovers book, that you pick this up!
I received this eARC in exchange for a review!
All thoughts and feelings are my own
Read
June 4, 2023eh dnf
May 24, 2023
this felt more like a fan fiction. i really made a mistake seeing this on tiktok when i looked up little mermaid retellings. i guess if you're looking for a SUPER EASY READ it's not horrible but in general it could use a lot more work
April 12, 2023
⭐️Rating 3.5/5
🌶 Rating 1/5
I was super lucky to get an ARC copy of this book to read and review. I was so so so excited for a Little Mermaid retelling. Growing up Ariel was my absolute favorite and I had yet to read a retelling until now.
Overall, I think the book was well written and the story well thought out. It was so lovely reading and making little connections to the original characters and story of The Little Mermaid. The author did a wonderful job tying together all the moving pieces and details to create an entertaining story that kept me invested. I did feel like the plot took some time to develop. It was off to slower start than I would’ve liked and it took me a while to really get into it, but once I was I wanted to keep reading.
As far as the romance, I was left wanting more. Every time our MMC and FMC had a moment together I was left feeling like it ended too soon or not enough was said or the exchange wasn’t very meaningful. Spice was also a minimum and going into the book I had expected a little more. I can absolutely love and appreciate a slow burn but this was the slowest of burns with what felt like very little payoff. And I’m not talking explicitly about the smutty type of spice but any sort of intimacy between our characters was lacking. For me, this was teetering on being YA with the exception of a few choice words and I don’t think that was the intention. I could’ve gone for more tension build-up throughout the story if the burn was going to be so slow.
I also think our FMC could’ve had a little more character development. In my opinion, Amaris just didn’t seem very deep. I didn’t feel like there was much to connect with.
In the end, I enjoyed the book but would not go for a re-read, though I would definitely read any follow-ups to the story if any were to come. 😊
🌶 Rating 1/5
I was super lucky to get an ARC copy of this book to read and review. I was so so so excited for a Little Mermaid retelling. Growing up Ariel was my absolute favorite and I had yet to read a retelling until now.
Overall, I think the book was well written and the story well thought out. It was so lovely reading and making little connections to the original characters and story of The Little Mermaid. The author did a wonderful job tying together all the moving pieces and details to create an entertaining story that kept me invested. I did feel like the plot took some time to develop. It was off to slower start than I would’ve liked and it took me a while to really get into it, but once I was I wanted to keep reading.
As far as the romance, I was left wanting more. Every time our MMC and FMC had a moment together I was left feeling like it ended too soon or not enough was said or the exchange wasn’t very meaningful. Spice was also a minimum and going into the book I had expected a little more. I can absolutely love and appreciate a slow burn but this was the slowest of burns with what felt like very little payoff. And I’m not talking explicitly about the smutty type of spice but any sort of intimacy between our characters was lacking. For me, this was teetering on being YA with the exception of a few choice words and I don’t think that was the intention. I could’ve gone for more tension build-up throughout the story if the burn was going to be so slow.
I also think our FMC could’ve had a little more character development. In my opinion, Amaris just didn’t seem very deep. I didn’t feel like there was much to connect with.
In the end, I enjoyed the book but would not go for a re-read, though I would definitely read any follow-ups to the story if any were to come. 😊
June 22, 2023
Spicy Little Mermaid Retelling? Sign me up.
However, while I signed up this book didn’t deliver. Yes it was a Little Mermaid retelling and it was spicy, but good? I would argue no.
My biggest gripe stems from the lack of world building. Fantastical concepts were inserted without any build up or explanation. The whole subplot about the Lost Queen of the Sea felt very rushed and unexplained but at the same time incredibly predictable. A combination that shouldn’t be likely but somehow this book manages to do it. Also people can live to be 500 years old and almost everyone has magic? Like if you’re going to have a fish out of water scenario at least use it to the benefit of the reader. Amaris just accepts the new world around her with little to no curiosity. It’s like she absorbed all the worlds information through osmosis but forgot to fill the rest of us in.
Ironically, I liked the build up of Ezra and Amaris’s relationship, but the actual tension was lacking. The spice itself wasn’t anything special or revolutionary nor did it really help to consummate the relationship.
All-in-all a very lackluster romantasy.
However, while I signed up this book didn’t deliver. Yes it was a Little Mermaid retelling and it was spicy, but good? I would argue no.
My biggest gripe stems from the lack of world building. Fantastical concepts were inserted without any build up or explanation. The whole subplot about the Lost Queen of the Sea felt very rushed and unexplained but at the same time incredibly predictable. A combination that shouldn’t be likely but somehow this book manages to do it. Also people can live to be 500 years old and almost everyone has magic? Like if you’re going to have a fish out of water scenario at least use it to the benefit of the reader. Amaris just accepts the new world around her with little to no curiosity. It’s like she absorbed all the worlds information through osmosis but forgot to fill the rest of us in.
Ironically, I liked the build up of Ezra and Amaris’s relationship, but the actual tension was lacking. The spice itself wasn’t anything special or revolutionary nor did it really help to consummate the relationship.
All-in-all a very lackluster romantasy.
April 9, 2023
2.5 stars
Writing a book is incredibly difficult so this is an amazing first effort. I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with in the coming years.
At first I wasn’t into how much it almost EXACTLY paralleled the little mermaid. After more reading however I realized that the author definitely took a fork in the road and created her own story out of it. While the little mermaid is a simple story, this one is much more complex than that.
As far as writing style goes - it’s alright. I’ve read worse… I’ve also read better. I found the emotions to be quite simplified. There is a rule to good writing: “show, don’t tell”. I found this author to TELL the audience everything instead of showing them, which gives it a more childish penmanship. In the end, the story was intriguing enough to keep me going, though a bit rushed.
Writing a book is incredibly difficult so this is an amazing first effort. I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with in the coming years.
At first I wasn’t into how much it almost EXACTLY paralleled the little mermaid. After more reading however I realized that the author definitely took a fork in the road and created her own story out of it. While the little mermaid is a simple story, this one is much more complex than that.
As far as writing style goes - it’s alright. I’ve read worse… I’ve also read better. I found the emotions to be quite simplified. There is a rule to good writing: “show, don’t tell”. I found this author to TELL the audience everything instead of showing them, which gives it a more childish penmanship. In the end, the story was intriguing enough to keep me going, though a bit rushed.
May 4, 2023
Thank you very much to the author for the ARC. This review is entirely my own thoughts.
I enjoyed this retelling, and it was a pleasure to read. The last 50% really hooked me into the story. I liked the darker adult twist to a fairytale story. The enemies to lovers banter and slow burn was written very well and my favorite part of the book since it's my favorite trope to read. I enjoyed the story and plot line. For a retelling, it was a good blend of the story we all know and the author's own unique twist. Her writing is very good and enjoyable to read. Some of the wording may have been too modern for fantasy, and that is only my preference as a reader. But it's a very good debut book. If you love these troops, I recommend this book for you. Oh, and one more thing, I loved the pet name he gave her.
Little mermaid retelling
Slow burn
Enemies to lovers
Perfect banter
Found Family
Dual POV
He falls first
Who did this to you?
All the best tropes, in my opinion.
"It does matter, Ezra." I turned now to face him. "You made me realize what it meant to be compassionate. Sacrificial. You showed me what it meant to be human..."
I enjoyed this retelling, and it was a pleasure to read. The last 50% really hooked me into the story. I liked the darker adult twist to a fairytale story. The enemies to lovers banter and slow burn was written very well and my favorite part of the book since it's my favorite trope to read. I enjoyed the story and plot line. For a retelling, it was a good blend of the story we all know and the author's own unique twist. Her writing is very good and enjoyable to read. Some of the wording may have been too modern for fantasy, and that is only my preference as a reader. But it's a very good debut book. If you love these troops, I recommend this book for you. Oh, and one more thing, I loved the pet name he gave her.
Little mermaid retelling
Slow burn
Enemies to lovers
Perfect banter
Found Family
Dual POV
He falls first
Who did this to you?
All the best tropes, in my opinion.
"It does matter, Ezra." I turned now to face him. "You made me realize what it meant to be compassionate. Sacrificial. You showed me what it meant to be human..."
May 16, 2023
This book has everything I want in a romantasy.
- fated mates
- who did this to you?
- enemies to lovers
- marriage of convience
- banter between characters
- amazing friendship
I love the writing style, I literally just could not put it down easily. Every time I got the chance to continue reading it, I took it!
I love Ezra he is such the dream man! He even knocked off my number one fictional boyfriend and put himself there as number 1. And I loved the development of Amaris, she’s sassy and knows how to swear like a sailor! But she was also naïve but I’m glad she has grown so much since the beginning.
And I went through all the emotions!! I laughed so hard because of the banter between Amaris and Solana and I cried for every loss they had to go through and sacrifice they had to make.
I definitely recommend this for every romantasy lover out there!
Spice level
🌶️🌶️
(meaning one scene but multiple teasing moments 😏)
- fated mates
- who did this to you?
- enemies to lovers
- marriage of convience
- banter between characters
- amazing friendship
I love the writing style, I literally just could not put it down easily. Every time I got the chance to continue reading it, I took it!
I love Ezra he is such the dream man! He even knocked off my number one fictional boyfriend and put himself there as number 1. And I loved the development of Amaris, she’s sassy and knows how to swear like a sailor! But she was also naïve but I’m glad she has grown so much since the beginning.
And I went through all the emotions!! I laughed so hard because of the banter between Amaris and Solana and I cried for every loss they had to go through and sacrifice they had to make.
I definitely recommend this for every romantasy lover out there!
Spice level
🌶️🌶️
(meaning one scene but multiple teasing moments 😏)
June 19, 2024
LET DOWN.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
I was really excited for this release when I saw it floating around and now I’m here to say that it wasn’t worth it. This is clearly a The Little Mermaid retelling but attempting to make it adult with little success. I know others might enjoy more of these aspects, so take my thoughts how you will.
For one, I wish it had eventually turned into its own story. I didn’t feel like anything really new was added to the retelling. Every direct component was there and more or less like the original. Just add in awkward innuendo and romance book tangents that didn’t fit the plot and you’re there. Along with that was the heavy use of modern language that took me out of the book. I’m in a fantasy world and too often these small things kept adding up adding to my displeasure overall. I thought some of the world building pieces were cool, and I wish those had been fleshed out more for a more complete story.
Different parts of the romance worked for me. There’s decent banter and I understood the enemies to lovers. For a standalone the pacing and slow burn nature did fit well. But I officially do not like epilogues that are there only to add another *love* scene, it’s just not necessary.
Meh. I’m bummed. Moving on.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance Retelling
- Language: some strong
- Romance: innuendo, 2-3 almost scenes, 2 open door; low – med. explicit
- Violence: moderate-high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, whipping, near death experiences, murder, small battle themes
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
I was really excited for this release when I saw it floating around and now I’m here to say that it wasn’t worth it. This is clearly a The Little Mermaid retelling but attempting to make it adult with little success. I know others might enjoy more of these aspects, so take my thoughts how you will.
For one, I wish it had eventually turned into its own story. I didn’t feel like anything really new was added to the retelling. Every direct component was there and more or less like the original. Just add in awkward innuendo and romance book tangents that didn’t fit the plot and you’re there. Along with that was the heavy use of modern language that took me out of the book. I’m in a fantasy world and too often these small things kept adding up adding to my displeasure overall. I thought some of the world building pieces were cool, and I wish those had been fleshed out more for a more complete story.
Different parts of the romance worked for me. There’s decent banter and I understood the enemies to lovers. For a standalone the pacing and slow burn nature did fit well. But I officially do not like epilogues that are there only to add another *love* scene, it’s just not necessary.
Meh. I’m bummed. Moving on.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance Retelling
- Language: some strong
- Romance: innuendo, 2-3 almost scenes, 2 open door; low – med. explicit
- Violence: moderate-high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, whipping, near death experiences, murder, small battle themes
April 11, 2023
Wow, speechless about this story. From start to finish, the story has kept me in a hold and hasn't let go. A dark romance retelling of the little mermaid. In the beginning you can still experience this, but after a few chapters the story takes a great turn of its own. Love for the slow burn love between Ezra and Amaris. A dark romance with a great exciting plot. An unstopstopable story and as a mermaid fan certainly an indispensable story in your reading list! Greatly put together Florence! I'm curious what other beautiful stories you will come up with. Looking forward to it!
May 12, 2023
If you like mermaids, the little mermaid, romance, enemies to lovers, but a bit darker and full of twists, this is definitely a story you want to read!
I loved this intake of the Little Mermaid so much, I couldn't put it down. The author has a way of writing that really wants you to keep reading 'till the book is done. She has done an amazing job with the worldbuilding, I could see the places before me while reading it.
And then the dual-POV, you'll get to read not only as Amaris but also Ezra, and it's just soo wel done. I liked getting an inside in both their minds. I have been laughing out loud so many times because of the banter between Amaris and Ezra, but also Solana was such an amazing character in the story. She's just hilarious!
Thank you so much author for the change to read this ARC. I really enjoyed every second of it.
I loved this intake of the Little Mermaid so much, I couldn't put it down. The author has a way of writing that really wants you to keep reading 'till the book is done. She has done an amazing job with the worldbuilding, I could see the places before me while reading it.
And then the dual-POV, you'll get to read not only as Amaris but also Ezra, and it's just soo wel done. I liked getting an inside in both their minds. I have been laughing out loud so many times because of the banter between Amaris and Ezra, but also Solana was such an amazing character in the story. She's just hilarious!
Thank you so much author for the change to read this ARC. I really enjoyed every second of it.
April 6, 2023
Wow, I don’t even know where to start. First off I was extremely excited to read a little mermaid type story, I love most iterations of the story and was excited to read a darker/not Disney-esque version. The story of Amaris and Ezra is so good and it’s got a great combination of some of my favorite tropes such as enemies to lovers with a great slow burn that makes the confession of love and final twist/reveal just perfect. I loved the side characters too, the story portrayed genuine friendships and family disputes and fight for power in a natural, again not Disney exaggerated way. I’m very excited to see what happens next if there is to be more to this story and I was very quickly drawn into the story and characters.
May 12, 2024
it was very good. i think it could have more development but that’s probably just my perfectionist ass, but her innocence was annoying sometimes, but plotting was great.
April 6, 2023
ARC Review 3.75
I just want say I LOVE THE COVER.
When I found out this was a little mermaid retelling, I had to read it. The plot is easy to follow and it’s really creative how the author retold this story, especially making the mermaids evil. I enjoyed the side characters almost more than our main FMC, Amaris. I really think if the FMC, had been more likable and just very childish. Then again, she did just turn 18, but I didn’t feel like her character development really grew. Overall, I recommend this book, and I would reread this again.
- Little mermaid retelling
-TW: suicide talk, violence
-🔥 2/5
-HEA
I just want say I LOVE THE COVER.
When I found out this was a little mermaid retelling, I had to read it. The plot is easy to follow and it’s really creative how the author retold this story, especially making the mermaids evil. I enjoyed the side characters almost more than our main FMC, Amaris. I really think if the FMC, had been more likable and just very childish. Then again, she did just turn 18, but I didn’t feel like her character development really grew. Overall, I recommend this book, and I would reread this again.
- Little mermaid retelling
-TW: suicide talk, violence
-🔥 2/5
-HEA
May 30, 2023
I've decided this is the canon version of Disney's The Little Mermaid. To me. Of course it had to be an enemies-to-lovers story. It only makes sense if you think about it. Although, I want almost every story to be an enemies-to-lovers, so perhaps I'm a bit biased.
Amaris is a mermaid princess. Ezra is a human prince. Mermaids have been killing humans for decades, but our story begins when, one night, Amaris makes the decision to save the human prince at the expense of her own future in Mermaid's Cove.
Faced with certain death, Amaris makes a bargain with the sea witch so that she may grow legs and live among humans. The catch is that she must love her mortal enemy and he must love her in return.
Who could that be? Oh, I wonder.
The issue, of course, is that despite Amaris saving Ezra that night, Ezra is still bitter about the fact that she's a mermaid and he freaking hates mermaids.
Another bargain is struck. Ezra won't out Amaris's true identity, in honor of Amaris having saved him. A marriage of convenience soon presents itself as the solution to both their problems, if only they can learn to get along.
Sprinkle a little om and ow drama, some fighting laced with sexual tension, and a whole lack of communication...
And then the angst and tension suddenly disappears.
My toxic trait is that I quickly grow disinterested in love stories once the enemies become lovers if the banter/fun dynamic goes away. Unfortunately for me, this happened around the 50% mark. I'm not even sure these two know each other well enough to call it love, but whatevs. I spent another 30% pushing through until I started skimming in earnest.
Personally, though the setting was interesting, it wasn't enough to hold the story up on its own. The plot outside of the romance was a bit simplistic and formulaic, seemingly with tropes thrown in for the heck of it. Fae. Fated mates. A king with shadowy powers. It began to feel like I was reading an accumulation of every other fantasy romance, especially since none of the characters felt dear or nuanced to me. Amaris wasn't the brightest fish in the sea. Ezra was pretty one-dimensional. Solana is the typical best friend of the MC. For those reasons, this is a 4-star instead of 5-star read.
Overall:
Enjoyable. This is the version of The Little Mermaid that I wish Disney could get away with. It's a pretty simple story and a quick read. I'd recommend to anyone who loves retellings.
Amaris is a mermaid princess. Ezra is a human prince. Mermaids have been killing humans for decades, but our story begins when, one night, Amaris makes the decision to save the human prince at the expense of her own future in Mermaid's Cove.
Faced with certain death, Amaris makes a bargain with the sea witch so that she may grow legs and live among humans. The catch is that she must love her mortal enemy and he must love her in return.
Who could that be? Oh, I wonder.
The issue, of course, is that despite Amaris saving Ezra that night, Ezra is still bitter about the fact that she's a mermaid and he freaking hates mermaids.
Another bargain is struck. Ezra won't out Amaris's true identity, in honor of Amaris having saved him. A marriage of convenience soon presents itself as the solution to both their problems, if only they can learn to get along.
Sprinkle a little om and ow drama, some fighting laced with sexual tension, and a whole lack of communication...
And then the angst and tension suddenly disappears.
My toxic trait is that I quickly grow disinterested in love stories once the enemies become lovers if the banter/fun dynamic goes away. Unfortunately for me, this happened around the 50% mark. I'm not even sure these two know each other well enough to call it love, but whatevs. I spent another 30% pushing through until I started skimming in earnest.
Personally, though the setting was interesting, it wasn't enough to hold the story up on its own. The plot outside of the romance was a bit simplistic and formulaic, seemingly with tropes thrown in for the heck of it. Fae. Fated mates. A king with shadowy powers. It began to feel like I was reading an accumulation of every other fantasy romance, especially since none of the characters felt dear or nuanced to me. Amaris wasn't the brightest fish in the sea. Ezra was pretty one-dimensional. Solana is the typical best friend of the MC. For those reasons, this is a 4-star instead of 5-star read.
Overall:
Enjoyable. This is the version of The Little Mermaid that I wish Disney could get away with. It's a pretty simple story and a quick read. I'd recommend to anyone who loves retellings.
July 3, 2023
dnf at 34%. god this was terrible. the use of 21st century terms and the paradoxical idea that mermaids could cry or drink alcohol underwater. this author clearly didnt put enough thought into the actual logistics of this book and just thought "oh mermaids cool theyre gonna be like humans and act like humans even though theyre supposed to be a whole different species." this was so cringe too like what the hell ezra and amaris are so boring. went into this thinking it was gonna be a good little mermaid retelling but NO. for the love of god do not read this book what a complete waste of time
May 1, 2023
4.75 ⭐️
I LOVE Disney retellings and this was my first one based on the little mermaid - and can I just say this felt like a warm hug! It followed the story loosely in some of the best aspects of the story YET it was its own thing in thee best ways.
Since anyone can remember mermaids and humans have hated each other. Mermaids haunted the waters and wrecked any ship that dared and sailed through the Mermaid Cove. On a voyage through the Sapphire sea and the Mermaid infested waters, Ezra and his ship didn't stand a chance. Amaris is daughter to the king of the sea - but on her claiming day, the same day Ezra's ship is passing through, she has to claim the life of a human as a rite of passage now that she is of age. She has always been different, wanting to learn about the humans and wondering how life above the surface was. Amari's has never agreed with the ways of her people and the killings against the innocent humans, so on her claiming day she spares the life of the ship captain not knowing the consequences from making that choice. This decision goes against EVERYTHING her family stands for. She is exiled and left for dead by her father.
She is found on the brink of death and saved by a sea witch who she makes a deal with - if she can get the mermaids enemy [a human] to fall in love with her in THREE months she can remain human... but if she cant she has a lot to lose. Within days of resurfacing she sees someone she NEVER thought she would see again - Ezra! Ezra isn't just a ship captain he is the PRINCE of the bordering land that her entire family haunts and he isn't happy to see her. He knows her secret and hates EVERYTHING she is - shes the reason an entire ship of men is now dead and he wants nothing to do with her. Regardless that he hated Amaris he just couldn't stay away. She was NOTHING like he thought at all....
The banter was *chefs kiss* and every time he called her by his nickname I was
S-W-O-O-N-I-N-G! This was such a fun read, that had pretty much all of my favorite tropes with magic and mermaids added!
The authors writing style did such a good job at just pulling you into the story and weaving in very unpredictable events - which I LOVED! Not only was the romance great but the plot twists and the supporting characters made it that much better. and I CANNOT finish my review without mentioning how much I adored Lana! She was one of my favorite characters after Amaris and Ezra! Definitely recommend.
Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Marriage of convivence
- slow burn
- found family
- crossed lovers
Thank you to Florence Gray for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVE Disney retellings and this was my first one based on the little mermaid - and can I just say this felt like a warm hug! It followed the story loosely in some of the best aspects of the story YET it was its own thing in thee best ways.
Since anyone can remember mermaids and humans have hated each other. Mermaids haunted the waters and wrecked any ship that dared and sailed through the Mermaid Cove. On a voyage through the Sapphire sea and the Mermaid infested waters, Ezra and his ship didn't stand a chance. Amaris is daughter to the king of the sea - but on her claiming day, the same day Ezra's ship is passing through, she has to claim the life of a human as a rite of passage now that she is of age. She has always been different, wanting to learn about the humans and wondering how life above the surface was. Amari's has never agreed with the ways of her people and the killings against the innocent humans, so on her claiming day she spares the life of the ship captain not knowing the consequences from making that choice. This decision goes against EVERYTHING her family stands for. She is exiled and left for dead by her father.
She is found on the brink of death and saved by a sea witch who she makes a deal with - if she can get the mermaids enemy [a human] to fall in love with her in THREE months she can remain human... but if she cant she has a lot to lose. Within days of resurfacing she sees someone she NEVER thought she would see again - Ezra! Ezra isn't just a ship captain he is the PRINCE of the bordering land that her entire family haunts and he isn't happy to see her. He knows her secret and hates EVERYTHING she is - shes the reason an entire ship of men is now dead and he wants nothing to do with her. Regardless that he hated Amaris he just couldn't stay away. She was NOTHING like he thought at all....
The banter was *chefs kiss* and every time he called her by his nickname I was
S-W-O-O-N-I-N-G! This was such a fun read, that had pretty much all of my favorite tropes with magic and mermaids added!
The authors writing style did such a good job at just pulling you into the story and weaving in very unpredictable events - which I LOVED! Not only was the romance great but the plot twists and the supporting characters made it that much better. and I CANNOT finish my review without mentioning how much I adored Lana! She was one of my favorite characters after Amaris and Ezra! Definitely recommend.
Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Marriage of convivence
- slow burn
- found family
- crossed lovers
Thank you to Florence Gray for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2023
Glorious reimagining of a classic fairy tale
Instead of the beautiful, kind mermaids we have grown to think of (hello, Little Mermaid), Florence Gray takes pieces from the original fairy tale and mixes traits of mermaids and sirens. Amaris is the youngest mermaid daughter of 6, and her evil father rules the seas, killing any human and destroying any ship that passes through the Sapphire Sea.
On Amaris’s 18th birthday, she’s allowed on the surface for the first time for one of these battles and she’s appalled by the brutality of her people. Instead of killing humans, she saves one man, Ezra. When her people find out, she’s tortured and left to die.
A sea witch and sea serpent find her and Amaris makes a deal: she will have 3 months as a human to get someone to love her, knowing she’s a mermaid. If she fails, she will turn into sea foam (OG fairy tale right there). The price isn’t her voice…. Read to find out what it is and if she succeeds.
This was a glorious reimagining of a classic fairy tale. It was exciting, moving, and had enough freshness to keep you entertained. It is geared towards adults so I would advise that teenagers not read this unless you are okay with mature language and open door spice. I highly recommend this to fans of fairy tale reimagining’s, fantasies, and mermaids!
Instead of the beautiful, kind mermaids we have grown to think of (hello, Little Mermaid), Florence Gray takes pieces from the original fairy tale and mixes traits of mermaids and sirens. Amaris is the youngest mermaid daughter of 6, and her evil father rules the seas, killing any human and destroying any ship that passes through the Sapphire Sea.
On Amaris’s 18th birthday, she’s allowed on the surface for the first time for one of these battles and she’s appalled by the brutality of her people. Instead of killing humans, she saves one man, Ezra. When her people find out, she’s tortured and left to die.
A sea witch and sea serpent find her and Amaris makes a deal: she will have 3 months as a human to get someone to love her, knowing she’s a mermaid. If she fails, she will turn into sea foam (OG fairy tale right there). The price isn’t her voice…. Read to find out what it is and if she succeeds.
This was a glorious reimagining of a classic fairy tale. It was exciting, moving, and had enough freshness to keep you entertained. It is geared towards adults so I would advise that teenagers not read this unless you are okay with mature language and open door spice. I highly recommend this to fans of fairy tale reimagining’s, fantasies, and mermaids!
August 11, 2023
DNF at almost 60% of the way through, I just DONT WANT TO FINISH.
Guys, little mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies. Literally any mermaid book I’m going to pick up because I need to read it to see if it has the vibes I love to escape into, ya know?
This book was not it. I did not care for the male pov. It felt too similar to the girl pov. He kept making random horny comments - which sure, you’re a dude, you can think that, but it would always be so out of left field my eyebrow was arching and I was side eyeing real hard. “Bombastic side. Criminal offensive side eye”
I will say, the plot itself has promise. I didn’t hate the FMC. I didn’t quite like the amount of f bombs, only because it really took me out of the story which is supposed to feel like a different world, not a present one.
I wanted to love this “adult” LM retelling but I did not get that. It still read and felt a little juvenile, which sure she’s only just 18 makes a little sense but I just can’t keep forcing myself to continue. Again, too many books, too little time.
Props to the author for getting published, I hope your next books goes well
Guys, little mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies. Literally any mermaid book I’m going to pick up because I need to read it to see if it has the vibes I love to escape into, ya know?
This book was not it. I did not care for the male pov. It felt too similar to the girl pov. He kept making random horny comments - which sure, you’re a dude, you can think that, but it would always be so out of left field my eyebrow was arching and I was side eyeing real hard. “Bombastic side. Criminal offensive side eye”
I will say, the plot itself has promise. I didn’t hate the FMC. I didn’t quite like the amount of f bombs, only because it really took me out of the story which is supposed to feel like a different world, not a present one.
I wanted to love this “adult” LM retelling but I did not get that. It still read and felt a little juvenile, which sure she’s only just 18 makes a little sense but I just can’t keep forcing myself to continue. Again, too many books, too little time.
Props to the author for getting published, I hope your next books goes well
July 15, 2023
A romance book with no lying or miscommunication, it’s so refreshing. It allowed there to be so much more to the plot. I really enjoyed the story and the different take. I like that the mermaids and the humans had magic. All the characters were likable. I think the only downfall is sometimes the writing took me out of the setting. I liked the readers and readers of romance book appreciation quotes.
For those that need spice, this was like 1.5 peppers. There was a scene or two but very mild if you’re an experienced dark romance reader lol
For those that need spice, this was like 1.5 peppers. There was a scene or two but very mild if you’re an experienced dark romance reader lol
May 23, 2023
Let me just start by saying I absolutely adored this book, just oh my gosh yes! It was so well written and thought out.
🧜🏼♀️ Enemies to lovers
🧜🏼♀️ Found family
🧜🏼♀️ Marriage of convenience
🧜🏼♀️ Little Mermaid retelling
🧜🏼♀️ "Who did this to you?"
🧜🏼♀️ Slow burn
The slow burn and banter between the MMC and FMM was absolute perfection. The book has very light spice but lots of little moments that lead up and leave you wanting more in the best way.
🧜🏼♀️ Enemies to lovers
🧜🏼♀️ Found family
🧜🏼♀️ Marriage of convenience
🧜🏼♀️ Little Mermaid retelling
🧜🏼♀️ "Who did this to you?"
🧜🏼♀️ Slow burn
The slow burn and banter between the MMC and FMM was absolute perfection. The book has very light spice but lots of little moments that lead up and leave you wanting more in the best way.
June 17, 2023
This was Little Mermaid for adults! Since Ariel was one if my favorite princesses growing up (partially bc of the red hair), so i knew i had to read this! It was a very clear Ariel retelling, but also made into its own thing! It had all the tropes we love in a fantasy, including enemies-to-lovers, who did this to you, fated mates and more. There was spice, but it felt like kind of a tease because they kept getting interrupted. Overall it was a really good retelling!
June 23, 2024
Eh
This book has potential, but honestly, it just needs more. Each interaction was too sudden and not given enough time for the effect that the author was trying to portray. The characters need more development as well. I also found that there were too many "big events" or twists to the story which caused each one to not be nearly as impactful.
I know the author is currently editing it, and plans go rerelease it, so maybe these issues will be worked on.
This book has potential, but honestly, it just needs more. Each interaction was too sudden and not given enough time for the effect that the author was trying to portray. The characters need more development as well. I also found that there were too many "big events" or twists to the story which caused each one to not be nearly as impactful.
I know the author is currently editing it, and plans go rerelease it, so maybe these issues will be worked on.
May 29, 2023
3,5 ⭐️This book was fun! I liked this twist on the story of the little mermaid. It was written quite simple but that didn’t bother me much. Amaris was such a fun character and I liked how she explored ‘the world above’. I was a little pissed at Ezra in the beginning for obvious reasons. But eventually he warmed up to me and became yet another high standerd. Definitely recommend!
July 27, 2023
3.7⭐️ Really impressive for a debut book. Some of the writing is a little clunky and the plot development happens quickly without a lot of backing sometimes but the story was such a cool take on the little mermaid and the characters are interesting. The ending lost me a bit but def want to see where the world building goes.
April 17, 2023
ARC review: Absolutely love this little mermaid retelling!!! The way the characters were developed and the story kept you guessing was gracefully and beautifully done. A story of finding yourself, friendship, love and building your own family!!!! Florence Gray is one of my new favorite authors!!!
August 3, 2023
for a debut novel i think this book lives up to the expectations. it is a fun retelling and the main characters, Ezra and Amaris, are extremely likeable. some parts of it might be a little bit rushed or explained too into dept but overall it is a good book and worth reading!
May 16, 2023
Basically a dark version of the little mermaid 🖤
June 6, 2023
This book made me laugh a lot. I do not think it was supposed to. And yet! I read the whole thing. So who's laughing, really?
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