Salt Water and Song

by Dawn Christine Jonckowski

“If your mer loves you, your legs will fuse and sprout scales and fins. Your neck will split with gills.

If he doesn’t love you, you will dissolve into foam atop the ocean and disappear forever from the hearts and minds of all who truly did.”

Denmark, 1837. The circus comes to town with its trumpeting elephants and dazzling trapeze girls. Tucked away in the back, the freak tent showcases its own shocking displays, from a bearded lady to a dwarf . . . to real, live mermaids.

But the mermaids keep dying, and it is the Ringmaster’s daughter Arløgh who must bury the dead and fish for the next.

Only this time, her hook snares a merman. And his presence in the circus is about to change everything.

Genres: Fantasy

102 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2024

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost]

A monster romance without happy ending, of any sort, I liked that, a lot. I almost wished this book had been longer.

[Hayley Anderton]

Wow such gorgeous storytelling! This is a tale of love versus lust, of how greed can deep into our wants and twist us into different people. This was totally not what I expected - it was dark and lyrical and this is one fairytale where there isn’t a happily ever after. I would’ve loved even more of this story but it was pretty much perfect. I highly recommend this for a quick read, available on KU!

[Jade Ford]

Salt Water and Song is a beautifully written novella reminiscent of the Grimm's fairy tales where the characters do not necessarily all get a happy ever after.

Novellas are difficult to write in that they have to convey a whole story, get you emotionally invested in the characters and end it all by the last page - and Dawn pulls it off beautifully in this rendition of the little mermaid.

Our mermaid in this version is in fact, a merman, and his "love interest" is the Ringmaster's daughter Arlogh. There are elements of dark magic, the power of love/lust, with characters that are believable and multifacted.

Whereas the ending took me by surprise, it was one of those books that leaves you thinking, and mourning what could have been and I couldn't say that, if I wasn't as invested in the characters as I was by the last page. Definately worth a quick read!

[karla]

For a short story, this book actually had a storyline and was enjoyable to read as a pallet cleanser

[Jessica Piro]

I absolutely LOVED this gender swapped Little Mermaid retelling, but darker! I thought the MCs felt realistic and had dreams/hopes of things getting better and actually took charge on trying to get there. It has quite a heartbreaking ending because not all fairytales have happy endings.
Great for a quick read on KU!

[Michael]

I... Want... More!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and my only complaint was that I wanted the next 400 pages or so.

The author has a gift for description that just draws me into the characters. And I particularly loved the explanation of how iron affects myrfolk due to them being Fae.

[Diana]

This story was absolutely enthralling! A tale of love vs lust. What one will do for the other. And what one will do to save themself. It was a quick read, but left me crying, screaming, and wanting more.

[Jayda]

I gotta admit, though I feel really bad for Iadrick I'm glad there was a tragic ending. The real kick in the gut is that her father and brother remembered her at the end while Iadrick didn't. The father and brother are real assholes. I wonder if her mother remembered her as well or actually had some love in her heart for Arløgh.

[Marie Sinadjan]

Full review to come later, but just came here to note – saw that ending coming, hoped it wouldn't be so (Team Iandrik here 😂). Yet the best part? The implication of her father and brother REMEMBERING. Damn.

[Sarah Pina]

My only complaint was that it wasn’t longer. The tension was so good.