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The Seafarer's Kiss #1
The Seafarer's Kiss
Having long-wondered what lives beyond the ice shelf, nineteen-year-old mermaid Ersel learns of the life she wants when she rescues and befriends Ragna, a shield-maiden stranded on the mermen’s glacier. But when Ersel’s childhood friend and suitor catches them together, he gives Ersel a choice: say goodbye to Ragna or face justice at the hands of the glacier’s brutal king.
Determined to forge a different fate, Ersel seeks help from Loki. But such deals are never as one expects, and the outcome sees her exiled from the only home and protection she’s known. To save herself from perishing in the barren, underwater wasteland and be reunited with the human she’s come to love, Ersel must try to outsmart the God of Lies.
Determined to forge a different fate, Ersel seeks help from Loki. But such deals are never as one expects, and the outcome sees her exiled from the only home and protection she’s known. To save herself from perishing in the barren, underwater wasteland and be reunited with the human she’s come to love, Ersel must try to outsmart the God of Lies.
214 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2017
65 people are currently reading
8442 people want to read
About the author
Julia Ember
6 books747 followersJulia Ember is the author of The Seafarer’s Kiss duology (Interlude Press), a Norse myth inspired retelling of The Little Mermaid, and Ruinsong (FSG/Macmillan), a dark standalone sapphic fantasy set in a world where magic is sung. She was a finalist for the Bisexual Book Award, and her work has been recommended by USA Today, School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus. She is currently working on a graduate degree at Harvard.
Julia currently lives in Seattle with her wife, two cats, two dogs and two very fluffy ponies. She has previously worked as a teacher, bookseller and wedding cake decorator. She has also written for video and app games.
You can find her on Instagram.
NOTE: I no longer actively review books. If loved something, I may rate it a 5 and leave a small note, but I believe that other authors are my colleagues and I don’t leave critical reviews nor do I accept books for review purposes. I also do not read or respond to messages sent to me through Goodreads.
Julia currently lives in Seattle with her wife, two cats, two dogs and two very fluffy ponies. She has previously worked as a teacher, bookseller and wedding cake decorator. She has also written for video and app games.
You can find her on Instagram.
NOTE: I no longer actively review books. If loved something, I may rate it a 5 and leave a small note, but I believe that other authors are my colleagues and I don’t leave critical reviews nor do I accept books for review purposes. I also do not read or respond to messages sent to me through Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
August 16, 2017
3 stars! Overall, I enjoyed this read, but I have some issues. Ultimately, it had so much potential but so many aspects fell flat for me.
(I’ll be discussing this book with my book club “The Biblio Book Club” on 8/17 at 9:30 PM EST at https://youtube.com/c/biannualbibliothon, come join!)
I liked the beginning of the book the best. The first third of the book was fresh, exciting, new, and magical! I haven’t read a mermaid book since I was a kid and forgot how much fun they could be. The middle was fairly boring in my opinion, and the ending was far too fast paced and problematic in regards to the relationship for me to really enjoy it. Also, the ending felt like it was wrapped up in a bow. There’s obviously more work to be done in the world that we don’t get to see, but almost every issue seemed like it was fixed.
I thought the world was particularly controversial and interesting. It feels as if it’s a commentary on the patriarchy where a woman’s worth is reduced to their fertility, and our main character aims to break from the system and live the life she chooses. I think for the most part, this viewpoint is expressed as being degrading and damaging, but there are some lines that promote these ideals that I feel should have been more harshly denounced. For example, infertile women are referred to as “broken” throughout the story, sometimes they are mocked for having low fertility, and I think the way it was addressed sometimes contributes to this ideology as opposed to critiquing it. Overall, it was a bold risk and for the most part, it was done well, but there were absolutely areas that could have been improved on.
The story arc that really captured me was Ersel attempting to outwit Loki, to fulfill her wishes. I think they were the more clever scenes in the story, especially the final point in this plotline, and I really wanted more. I wish more of the story had been filled with quests from Loki and Ersel’s attempts to have them backfire on the god. It was fresh and unique, and I really enjoyed it.
I have to say I’m a little disappointed with it as a retelling, which may have been a result of my expectations. This was sold to me as a “Little Mermaid” retelling, but I feel there weren’t enough Little Mermaid references for me to appreciate it for that reason. Honestly, if I hadn’t been told it was a retelling, I don’t think I would have known. (Did I not pick up on things that were relevant to the story? It's possible.) Firstly, I expected it to be Ariel’s story, when it is really Ursula’s (which is fine, finding that out was actually kind of exciting!) But then, I felt it wasn’t even connected enough to Ursula. At this point, I was expecting a sort of prequel to The Little Mermaid where we follow Ursula’s story of how she became evil (Heartless may have influenced my expectations on villain retellings a little bit too much). In the end, the plots weren’t similar at all to me. There’s no mention of any characters similar to TLM other than Ursula. I wanted little bits like “a mermaid with red hair” or “a yellow and blue fish” to be thrown in here and there so it would ignite the recognition of the story, but I felt none. (This is personally how I like retellings to be, so it may very well be different for you, and that's okay!) There’s also the fact that Norse Mythology was implemented in the story, which again, was cool in theory! I don’t know much about it, but again, the only recognition was the story of Loki/Thor. I could obviously be missing references based on my lack of knowledge, but it was underwhelming as well. Additionally, I heard it was Viking inspired, which I felt played into only a small portion of the story. Ultimately, I felt there were a lot of great concepts that gave me high hopes, but almost all of them fell flat in my opinion. Had there been more development on each of these or if only one main concept had been chosen, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
I also was not a fan of the romance. I cannot tell you HOW DANG EXCITED I was for a Little Mermaid retelling that featured a romance between two girls. Fantasy with a fat bisexual main character and cutesy romance? SIGN ME UP. I really really enjoy the start of the romance. Ersel and Ragna meeting and the time they spent together in the first section of the book was so adorable and fluffy and it totally hooked me. Unfortunately, those feelings didn’t persist. Not only is Ragna not really involved for a huge portion of the story (so the romance can’t exactly grow) but when they are reunited, things have changed drastically, and for the worse. There is some really unnecessary violence that arose out of nowhere, and it goes virtually unchallenged. I found it to be very abusive and having this relationship displayed as a “great f/f romance” is very unsettling to me as I believe it normalizes unhealthy/toxic relationships. If you want to read more, my friend Trina does a fabulous job at addressing it in her review. I really wish my original feelings towards the romance would have continued throughout the story. It had so much potential, but I definitely do not think this is a good romance for teens and young adults to look up to.
There has also been some discussion as to why the trans representation in this novel is harmful. I would definitely recommend reading this review because it explains the issues SO WELL. It completely transformed my thoughts on this particular situation and I can’t recommend reading this with an open mind enough.
All and all, it was an enjoyable read. I think it had so many great concepts to work with, but the execution wasn’t up to par in my opinion. I wish I could recommend it as a good f/f romance, but I just don’t think it’s a healthy relationship. I can understand why a lot of people really loved it, so I may be the odd one out here, but I stand by my critiques.
(I’ll be discussing this book with my book club “The Biblio Book Club” on 8/17 at 9:30 PM EST at https://youtube.com/c/biannualbibliothon, come join!)
I liked the beginning of the book the best. The first third of the book was fresh, exciting, new, and magical! I haven’t read a mermaid book since I was a kid and forgot how much fun they could be. The middle was fairly boring in my opinion, and the ending was far too fast paced and problematic in regards to the relationship for me to really enjoy it. Also, the ending felt like it was wrapped up in a bow. There’s obviously more work to be done in the world that we don’t get to see, but almost every issue seemed like it was fixed.
I thought the world was particularly controversial and interesting. It feels as if it’s a commentary on the patriarchy where a woman’s worth is reduced to their fertility, and our main character aims to break from the system and live the life she chooses. I think for the most part, this viewpoint is expressed as being degrading and damaging, but there are some lines that promote these ideals that I feel should have been more harshly denounced. For example, infertile women are referred to as “broken” throughout the story, sometimes they are mocked for having low fertility, and I think the way it was addressed sometimes contributes to this ideology as opposed to critiquing it. Overall, it was a bold risk and for the most part, it was done well, but there were absolutely areas that could have been improved on.
The story arc that really captured me was Ersel attempting to outwit Loki, to fulfill her wishes. I think they were the more clever scenes in the story, especially the final point in this plotline, and I really wanted more. I wish more of the story had been filled with quests from Loki and Ersel’s attempts to have them backfire on the god. It was fresh and unique, and I really enjoyed it.
I have to say I’m a little disappointed with it as a retelling, which may have been a result of my expectations. This was sold to me as a “Little Mermaid” retelling, but I feel there weren’t enough Little Mermaid references for me to appreciate it for that reason. Honestly, if I hadn’t been told it was a retelling, I don’t think I would have known. (Did I not pick up on things that were relevant to the story? It's possible.) Firstly, I expected it to be Ariel’s story, when it is really Ursula’s (which is fine, finding that out was actually kind of exciting!) But then, I felt it wasn’t even connected enough to Ursula. At this point, I was expecting a sort of prequel to The Little Mermaid where we follow Ursula’s story of how she became evil (Heartless may have influenced my expectations on villain retellings a little bit too much). In the end, the plots weren’t similar at all to me. There’s no mention of any characters similar to TLM other than Ursula. I wanted little bits like “a mermaid with red hair” or “a yellow and blue fish” to be thrown in here and there so it would ignite the recognition of the story, but I felt none. (This is personally how I like retellings to be, so it may very well be different for you, and that's okay!) There’s also the fact that Norse Mythology was implemented in the story, which again, was cool in theory! I don’t know much about it, but again, the only recognition was the story of Loki/Thor. I could obviously be missing references based on my lack of knowledge, but it was underwhelming as well. Additionally, I heard it was Viking inspired, which I felt played into only a small portion of the story. Ultimately, I felt there were a lot of great concepts that gave me high hopes, but almost all of them fell flat in my opinion. Had there been more development on each of these or if only one main concept had been chosen, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
I also was not a fan of the romance. I cannot tell you HOW DANG EXCITED I was for a Little Mermaid retelling that featured a romance between two girls. Fantasy with a fat bisexual main character and cutesy romance? SIGN ME UP. I really really enjoy the start of the romance. Ersel and Ragna meeting and the time they spent together in the first section of the book was so adorable and fluffy and it totally hooked me. Unfortunately, those feelings didn’t persist. Not only is Ragna not really involved for a huge portion of the story (so the romance can’t exactly grow) but when they are reunited, things have changed drastically, and for the worse. There is some really unnecessary violence that arose out of nowhere, and it goes virtually unchallenged. I found it to be very abusive and having this relationship displayed as a “great f/f romance” is very unsettling to me as I believe it normalizes unhealthy/toxic relationships. If you want to read more, my friend Trina does a fabulous job at addressing it in her review. I really wish my original feelings towards the romance would have continued throughout the story. It had so much potential, but I definitely do not think this is a good romance for teens and young adults to look up to.
There has also been some discussion as to why the trans representation in this novel is harmful. I would definitely recommend reading this review because it explains the issues SO WELL. It completely transformed my thoughts on this particular situation and I can’t recommend reading this with an open mind enough.
All and all, it was an enjoyable read. I think it had so many great concepts to work with, but the execution wasn’t up to par in my opinion. I wish I could recommend it as a good f/f romance, but I just don’t think it’s a healthy relationship. I can understand why a lot of people really loved it, so I may be the odd one out here, but I stand by my critiques.
July 12, 2017
Video review (spoiler free) - https://youtu.be/v3tP4j2w95I
Trigger warnings for this book if you need them:
-Violence in the romantic relationship (goes unchallenged)
-Infertile women referred to as "broken" and "damaged" (this idea is challenged, but still giving you a heads up since it's a sensitive topic)
I was sent an early copy of this book by the author for review. All opinions are my own.
My real rating of this book is 3.5 stars. I loved a lot about it, but had to lower my rating because the one thing I disliked was that it portrays violence in the romance we are supposed to support without ever showing it as wrong, and strengthening the relationship afterward. I'll talk more about this in detail in a minute, but first let me tell you what this book does well.
Retelling
This is probably my favorite retelling of The Little Mermaid that I have ever read, as far as the story goes. It's told from a different angle and the world is inspired by Norse mythology, both of which allow the story to have room for surprises. Even though it's very different, you can see how major plot points line up with the original tale. It's one of the better done retellings I've ever read because it's both loyal to the original but still feels new.
I also adored the mermaid setting. So many TLM retellings turn the story into a contemporary and that usually loses me. I love mermaids and loved seeing this underwater world.
Plot
The story was fast paced. It's a short book but a lot happens. It took me a few chapters to adjust to the underwater world (mermaids swim instead of walk places, which my brain was not used to) but once I did, I was hooked. It was very engaging and exciting.
The setting has a dystopian theme based around the mermaids being valued for their fertility. As I mentioned above, I think some triggering language is used in showing this society, but I did enjoy that the story was challenging this sexist culture.
Diversity
This is #ownvoices bi representation. I can't personally speak to whether it's good representation or not, but other early reviews seem to be saying it's great. There's also fat rep, though as a fat girl, one line bothered me and I keep forgetting this rep was present because it was rarely mentioned. There's also a side character who uses they/them pronouns
Violent Relationship
Back to this. As I haven't seen any other reviews point this out yet, this will be a bit long. Since I had an early copy of the book, this quote is subject to change, but here is the main scene I took issue with.
Ersel and Ragna punch each other in the face:
Further down the same page, this is the only discussion of the violence we get.
Ragna's only sorry she drew blood. Ersel's more concerned that she doesn't punch as well as Ragna. No one acknowledges it as having been wrong, and the violence is excused away as a character flaw. This was not enough of a discussion about physical abuse for me because in real life habitual abusers promise to never do it again, and yet they are repeat offenders. A few pages later, Ersel intentionally causes pain for Ragna again, though it wasn't through punching.
Physical abuse in the main ship is brushed aside quickly and the relationship deepens afterward, which you could argue romanticizes it. This is a harmful portrayal of romance, especially in a book marketed toward a young adult audience.
I was sensitive to this because I have experienced an abusive relationship in my past (I really hate that I have to keep mentioning this and reliving it due to YOUNG ADULT books). If you don't think this was an abusive act, I ask you to picture either of the characters as male. Would you be upset then? There are so many other ways to show that characters are hot headed or show them having conflict without making them punch their romantic partner in the face. These lines could have been cut out and the scene, plot, and characters wouldn't have changed in any way. So why perpetuate an unhealthy ideal?
I'm so irritated by this because I was REALLY shipping these characters together at first! And there are so few #ownvoices bi romances out there and many people are anticipating this book and some will pick it up already shipping this couple. There is definitely room for books to discuss abuse in relationships, but it deserves a much more nuanced examination than was included in The Seafarer's Kiss.
Would I recommend it?
I would highly recommend this as a Little Mermaid retelling. If you like The Little Mermaid, Norse mythology, or are looking for an #ownvoices bi main character, then you will probably like this.
Sadly, I cannot recommend this as a romance, which is its main genre. It portrays an unhealthy relationship. If you are looking for a YA fantasy with a fairy tale feel that has an #ownvoices f/f romance that does not involve abuse, I would recommend Of Fire and Stars.
Tropes used include the love triangle (which I felt was only built up on one side), and the not-like-other-girls trope (which was challenged). Even if you hate these tropes, I do not think you'd hate their use in this book.
Very mixed thoughts on this book. It had good and bad things, but unfortunately the bad thing was quite damaging and really lowered my rating.
Trigger warnings for this book if you need them:
-Violence in the romantic relationship (goes unchallenged)
-Infertile women referred to as "broken" and "damaged" (this idea is challenged, but still giving you a heads up since it's a sensitive topic)
I was sent an early copy of this book by the author for review. All opinions are my own.
My real rating of this book is 3.5 stars. I loved a lot about it, but had to lower my rating because the one thing I disliked was that it portrays violence in the romance we are supposed to support without ever showing it as wrong, and strengthening the relationship afterward. I'll talk more about this in detail in a minute, but first let me tell you what this book does well.
Retelling
This is probably my favorite retelling of The Little Mermaid that I have ever read, as far as the story goes. It's told from a different angle and the world is inspired by Norse mythology, both of which allow the story to have room for surprises. Even though it's very different, you can see how major plot points line up with the original tale. It's one of the better done retellings I've ever read because it's both loyal to the original but still feels new.
I also adored the mermaid setting. So many TLM retellings turn the story into a contemporary and that usually loses me. I love mermaids and loved seeing this underwater world.
Plot
The story was fast paced. It's a short book but a lot happens. It took me a few chapters to adjust to the underwater world (mermaids swim instead of walk places, which my brain was not used to) but once I did, I was hooked. It was very engaging and exciting.
The setting has a dystopian theme based around the mermaids being valued for their fertility. As I mentioned above, I think some triggering language is used in showing this society, but I did enjoy that the story was challenging this sexist culture.
Diversity
This is #ownvoices bi representation. I can't personally speak to whether it's good representation or not, but other early reviews seem to be saying it's great. There's also fat rep, though as a fat girl, one line bothered me and I keep forgetting this rep was present because it was rarely mentioned. There's also a side character who uses they/them pronouns
Violent Relationship
Back to this. As I haven't seen any other reviews point this out yet, this will be a bit long. Since I had an early copy of the book, this quote is subject to change, but here is the main scene I took issue with.
Ersel and Ragna punch each other in the face:
Further down the same page, this is the only discussion of the violence we get.
Ragna's only sorry she drew blood. Ersel's more concerned that she doesn't punch as well as Ragna. No one acknowledges it as having been wrong, and the violence is excused away as a character flaw. This was not enough of a discussion about physical abuse for me because in real life habitual abusers promise to never do it again, and yet they are repeat offenders. A few pages later, Ersel intentionally causes pain for Ragna again, though it wasn't through punching.
Physical abuse in the main ship is brushed aside quickly and the relationship deepens afterward, which you could argue romanticizes it. This is a harmful portrayal of romance, especially in a book marketed toward a young adult audience.
I was sensitive to this because I have experienced an abusive relationship in my past (I really hate that I have to keep mentioning this and reliving it due to YOUNG ADULT books). If you don't think this was an abusive act, I ask you to picture either of the characters as male. Would you be upset then? There are so many other ways to show that characters are hot headed or show them having conflict without making them punch their romantic partner in the face. These lines could have been cut out and the scene, plot, and characters wouldn't have changed in any way. So why perpetuate an unhealthy ideal?
I'm so irritated by this because I was REALLY shipping these characters together at first! And there are so few #ownvoices bi romances out there and many people are anticipating this book and some will pick it up already shipping this couple. There is definitely room for books to discuss abuse in relationships, but it deserves a much more nuanced examination than was included in The Seafarer's Kiss.
Would I recommend it?
I would highly recommend this as a Little Mermaid retelling. If you like The Little Mermaid, Norse mythology, or are looking for an #ownvoices bi main character, then you will probably like this.
Sadly, I cannot recommend this as a romance, which is its main genre. It portrays an unhealthy relationship. If you are looking for a YA fantasy with a fairy tale feel that has an #ownvoices f/f romance that does not involve abuse, I would recommend Of Fire and Stars.
Tropes used include the love triangle (which I felt was only built up on one side), and the not-like-other-girls trope (which was challenged). Even if you hate these tropes, I do not think you'd hate their use in this book.
Very mixed thoughts on this book. It had good and bad things, but unfortunately the bad thing was quite damaging and really lowered my rating.
August 2, 2017
“A single twist of white-blonde hair blew across her face and stuck to her half-frozen lips. When she noticed me, the edges of her eyes crinkled as though she were smiling, as if she had been waiting.”
She was a bisexual mermaid, she was a lesbian ice-maiden, can I make it anymore obvious?
I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS BOOK FOR A LONG, LONG TIME It's a retelling of The Little Mermaid, and also an Ursula origin story, featuring an f/f romance at the core between a mermaid girl and a human girl. If this synopsis doesn't immediately interest you ... i dont know what will
As soon as I started this I knew I'd like it. The pacing is really really good, with fun action scenes and a plot thats always moving. Never does this book seem to stagnate or lose itself and that made it go by really fast. Its short anyway, but it still felt like it went by so fast.
but despite the really good plot, pacing and relationship there was some things that really put me off. I was unsatisfied with how some of the tropes and themes were explored, and some rep concerns.
THE GOOD
the setting and worldbuilding was really fun. I love mermaids, but don't actually read that many mermaid books so this felt like something new and exciting. The descriptions of the mermaids, with their coral hair or blue bodies, as well as where they lived and what they ate gave it all a kind of fantasy flair. But the world is also very much grounded in reality, and it's clear that the mermaids exist in our world. Inclusion of sea creatures like beluga whales and orcas also fleshed out the cute underwater feel. The inclusion of norse mythology, including having Loki play a large role in this book was also fun, and I liked how the Gods and mythology mingled with the plot.
the romance was so cute I loved that the main character was bisexual, and her relationship with Ragna, the human girl she falls for, was so cute. The two slowly develop a relationship, as Ersel asks for her help identifying the human trinkets she collects in exchange for thinks Ragna needs to survive, like wood and food. But then it all went bad. There was unchallenged physical violence which really really concerned me, and I'll get more into that soon.
BUT HERE IS WHERE WE GET INTO THE BAD
Despite all the good things The Seafarer's Kiss had going for it, thematically it just fell down to me. First of all, there is a lot of girl hating and general ugliness. I think it was supposed to be an exploration of the effect of patriarchy (they live in an intensely patriarchal society) but it didn't stick to me. The way that the main character thought about other girls was never really challenged or addressed adequately and I hated that
When the main character finds out a girl who has teased her in the past can't have children she thinks this.
“Even though I knew what kind of person it made me, my heart soared. All those years of enduring Vigdis’s teasing and veiled insults, and, it turned out, she was the one who was broken!”
Referring to women who can't have children as "broken" is not only pretty sexist and cruel, but also really trans-exclusionary and implies childbirth = womanhood which it doesnt.
This is then followed up by this quote, where one of the main characters friends explains Vigdis only has two eggs (very low).
“He nodded emphatically. “Just two. She’s beside herself.”
I covered my mouth, stifling a giggle. I knew I shouldn’t laugh, but I couldn’t help it.”
Like, you're laughing at a woman who just really wanted to be a mother ? can you fucking not?
I also found a scene between the two love interests kind of troubling - the two punch eachother toward the end of the book, which is never addressed, and it was just really unnecessary and added nothing to the plot or their storyline. Can't you just show a healthy f/f ship aaaah. You can read the scene in the spoilers section.
LET ME REITERATE THIS IS NEVER CHALLENGED.
REP CONCERNS: Loki is gender-fluid and a shapeshifter which has raised some concern with the community so I'm attaching this review that explained it.
“But that was before I’d met a human: before I’d seen the depth, intelligence, even empathy, in Ragna’s eyes; before I knew that humans spoke the godstongue and smiled like starfish.”
I really wanted to like this book, and don't get me wrong there are many good elements hence my 3 star rating. As norse based Little Mermaid retelling, I recommend. It has many unique elements built into it's worldbuilding and the pacing is really good.
But some of the tropes and themes really didn't work for me, and I think they needed to be developed much further then they were. Thematically it seemed superficial and weak, and I hated the turn the romance took at the end. I cannot recommend this for a healthy f/f romance because of the ending scenes, and that is such a shame because prior to that I loved Ersel and Ragna.
I wouldn't tell people not to read it, maybe you'll think the themes worked better, and the main character is good bi representation despite her relationship, but I do think some caution is needed and this is not perfect
But it was still a really fun and unique mermaid story, with an interesting and immersive setting. It has it's issues, but it was fun at the time.
Thankyou to Julia Ember for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review!
November 7, 2017
“But that was before I’d met a human: before I’d seen the depth, intelligence, even empathy, in Ragna’s eyes; before I knew that humans spoke the godstongue and smiled like starfish.”
First of all, we've got a chubby, bisexual cross between the little mermaid and Ursula, who falls in love with a badass lesbian viking, and has to face down the tricks and scheming of a gender-queer Loki (proper "they" pronouns and all). Julia Ember can just keep on keepin' on with this awesomeness, because I lived for the rep and diversity in this book!
The plot itself was never anything particularly mind-blowing, nor were the world-building or character development. I wished there was more back story to go off of in a few spots, too (such as in the case of Ersel's relationship with Havamal, which sometimes felt like it was more of a prop than a legitimate plot point). Ersel is a really delightful character, albeit simple. She felt very one-dimensional to me at times. She's a genuinely good character who wants to do the right thing and take care of the people she cares for. Her "goodness" was even frustrating at times, because she seemed to view things in such a black-and-white manner that I had to roll my eyes at a few of the remarks she made and assumptions she jumped to.
I also was mildly annoyed with her behavior towards Loki; she was fully aware that Loki is the god of tricks and lies, yet she was somehow shocked and dismayed at Loki's trickery? Even when Loki eventually did good things for her (that I won't divulge, due to spoilers and all that), she refused to give the god any credit, and I kept thinking, "Is spitting in the face of a god really a smart move?" and kind of expecting her to get the crap slapped out of her for doing it. I dunno, suspension of disbelief and all that.
Ragna is a pretty awesome character, or so we're told, but again, there just wasn't a ton of character development to prove it. We really don't see a lot of Ragna, and when she is "on screen", so to speak, we're mostly just stuck listening to Ersel think to herself about how much she likes her, or how intrigued she is. This was the biggest point in the book that I would use as an example for why I would say that this book would have benefited tremendously from a lot less internal monologue, and a lot more actions and external dialogue.
As far as other characters go, they were all pretty "meh". Honestly, I think my favorite side characters were the beluga whales, who, coincidentally, received more development and attention than any other side characters in the book, I think (no, I'm not joking, and I'm also not really complaining, because come on, BELUGA WHALES? They're adorable!).
Despite the fact that it may sound like I have a bunch of complaints about this book, they're all honestly fairly minor. All in all, I really did enjoy this story a lot. I went into it expecting some LGBT retelling of the Disney version of the story, but instead was greeted with something that was much more true to the original Anderson tale, with a healthy dose of Nordic mythology that was so enjoyable. I always love reading about mythology, and the Norse gods in particular seem to be neglected in most of the fiction that I read, so that was refreshing! It was an easy, short read (I finished it in a day), and left me with that warm, fuzzy feeling of a fully satisfying ending.
The single biggest "pro" for this book, for me, wasn't even the bi rep (though that was close!)... it was the fact that this book heartily addressed the outdated societal expectations of women to become mothers at all costs. I loved the fact that Julia was willing to tackle that topic head-on by breaking it down to its smallest pieces: some women do not want to be mothers, and that does not make them broken, or incomplete, or "less than". It simply means that their wants are different from what society primarily expects of them, and that is more than okay. Ersel doesn't want to be shoved in a hole to spend the rest of her life breeding, and says more than once that she may never want any children at all. She is judged and chastised for her wishes, and even faces the very real fear that she may be forced into motherhood against her will. I saw so many of my dearest friends in Ersel's thoughts on the matter, and my heart ached for any woman who has suffered through similar problems, so I would call this a potential trigger warning for anyone who's been through that pain.
At the end of the day, I would be more than willing to read future endeavors from Julia. I think once she nails down the whole character development aspect a little further, she's going to knock my socks off. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good LGBTQ+ story or retelling, or is just looking for a nice, heartwarming story to read.
Thank you so much to Julia's publicist for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review (and more) on my blog here!
First of all, we've got a chubby, bisexual cross between the little mermaid and Ursula, who falls in love with a badass lesbian viking, and has to face down the tricks and scheming of a gender-queer Loki (proper "they" pronouns and all). Julia Ember can just keep on keepin' on with this awesomeness, because I lived for the rep and diversity in this book!
The plot itself was never anything particularly mind-blowing, nor were the world-building or character development. I wished there was more back story to go off of in a few spots, too (such as in the case of Ersel's relationship with Havamal, which sometimes felt like it was more of a prop than a legitimate plot point). Ersel is a really delightful character, albeit simple. She felt very one-dimensional to me at times. She's a genuinely good character who wants to do the right thing and take care of the people she cares for. Her "goodness" was even frustrating at times, because she seemed to view things in such a black-and-white manner that I had to roll my eyes at a few of the remarks she made and assumptions she jumped to.
I also was mildly annoyed with her behavior towards Loki; she was fully aware that Loki is the god of tricks and lies, yet she was somehow shocked and dismayed at Loki's trickery? Even when Loki eventually did good things for her (that I won't divulge, due to spoilers and all that), she refused to give the god any credit, and I kept thinking, "Is spitting in the face of a god really a smart move?" and kind of expecting her to get the crap slapped out of her for doing it. I dunno, suspension of disbelief and all that.
Ragna is a pretty awesome character, or so we're told, but again, there just wasn't a ton of character development to prove it. We really don't see a lot of Ragna, and when she is "on screen", so to speak, we're mostly just stuck listening to Ersel think to herself about how much she likes her, or how intrigued she is. This was the biggest point in the book that I would use as an example for why I would say that this book would have benefited tremendously from a lot less internal monologue, and a lot more actions and external dialogue.
As far as other characters go, they were all pretty "meh". Honestly, I think my favorite side characters were the beluga whales, who, coincidentally, received more development and attention than any other side characters in the book, I think (no, I'm not joking, and I'm also not really complaining, because come on, BELUGA WHALES? They're adorable!).
Despite the fact that it may sound like I have a bunch of complaints about this book, they're all honestly fairly minor. All in all, I really did enjoy this story a lot. I went into it expecting some LGBT retelling of the Disney version of the story, but instead was greeted with something that was much more true to the original Anderson tale, with a healthy dose of Nordic mythology that was so enjoyable. I always love reading about mythology, and the Norse gods in particular seem to be neglected in most of the fiction that I read, so that was refreshing! It was an easy, short read (I finished it in a day), and left me with that warm, fuzzy feeling of a fully satisfying ending.
The single biggest "pro" for this book, for me, wasn't even the bi rep (though that was close!)... it was the fact that this book heartily addressed the outdated societal expectations of women to become mothers at all costs. I loved the fact that Julia was willing to tackle that topic head-on by breaking it down to its smallest pieces: some women do not want to be mothers, and that does not make them broken, or incomplete, or "less than". It simply means that their wants are different from what society primarily expects of them, and that is more than okay. Ersel doesn't want to be shoved in a hole to spend the rest of her life breeding, and says more than once that she may never want any children at all. She is judged and chastised for her wishes, and even faces the very real fear that she may be forced into motherhood against her will. I saw so many of my dearest friends in Ersel's thoughts on the matter, and my heart ached for any woman who has suffered through similar problems, so I would call this a potential trigger warning for anyone who's been through that pain.
At the end of the day, I would be more than willing to read future endeavors from Julia. I think once she nails down the whole character development aspect a little further, she's going to knock my socks off. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good LGBTQ+ story or retelling, or is just looking for a nice, heartwarming story to read.
Thank you so much to Julia's publicist for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review (and more) on my blog here!
ebooks-tbr
May 8, 2017"a retelling of the little mermaid"
oh for god's sake. i'm sick of the deluge of YA fairy tale retellings invading everywhe-
"featuring ursula outwitting loki to save the woman she loves"
GIVE. ME. IT. NOW
oh for god's sake. i'm sick of the deluge of YA fairy tale retellings invading everywhe-
"featuring ursula outwitting loki to save the woman she loves"
GIVE. ME. IT. NOW
August 5, 2017
It was definitely a quick and fun read, but I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if this had been a longer book. There were some scenes and character development I would have liked to have been more fleshed out.
I would also like to direct you to Trina's review, with trigger warnings for violence in a relationship and harmful attitudes towards infertile women: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I would also like to direct you to Trina's review, with trigger warnings for violence in a relationship and harmful attitudes towards infertile women: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 30, 2017
The Little Mermaid meets Norse mythology with a bisexual protagonist - The Seafarer's Kiss is every geek's dream.
August 27, 2017
See this review and others like it on www.bookbastion.net!
___________
I've had this strange desire all year long to read a story about mermaids, and this was the first I had the chance to crack into. I'd love to say that it met all of my expectations and blew me out of the water, but unfortunately I just wasn't entirely hooked. Something about it didn't quite reel me in. From subplots that just didn't float my boat, to aspects of the story that moved like they were caught in a riptide, this story was equal parts awesome and disappointing at the same time.
Lets start with what I liked and move into what I had some issues with.
The setting was surprisingly creative! Normally when you think Mermaid, you think tropical setting with singing crabs and festively colored fish. I actually really love that the author subverted that trope here by placing Ersel and the community of mermaids (school of mermaids?) that she lived with in the artic north. They live inside a hollowed out glacial fortress instead of within great coral palaces that are so commonly associated with the mermaid trope.
The setting also informs on the plot and cultural beliefs in the story - which is an unexpected bonus. We learn that the mermaids have been displaced by war and forced into this exile in the frigid north, and that the colder waters have disrupted their ability to breed future generations. It was a really great idea, to tie the setting so directly into the fate of the mermaids in the story. It generates its own inherent conflict as the females in the kingdom become valued solely by their breeding capabilities, a system that Ersel becomes desperate to escape.
I'm torn by the f/f relationship in this book. It was in a way the thing I enjoyed the most, while also being the thing I was most disappointed by. I really enjoyed the theme of self-discovery that Ersel and Ragna's relationship invoked in Ersel, but I think my main issue here stems from the fact that this book was just too short. Clocking in at under 230 pages, much of their relationship seemed to be on fast-forward which made it difficult for me to truly become emotionally connected by their dynamic. This is one case where I wish the book had been 100 pages longer, as it would have allowed for their relationship to unfold in more natural ways. As it stands in the final draft, it feels a bit like they meet, fall too quickly for each other, and then their relationship is dropped for over 50 pages as the author turns back to plot points taking place under the sea due to the length of the story and need to resolve other subplots.
My biggest gripe with this book stems from how short it is. There's so much going on in this book that feels halfway developed or rushed because there was no time to explain things in more depth. For example: the mermaids worship Norse Gods, (Odin, Thor and Loki specifically) but given that they were in fact a southern species displaced into the north, it was unclear why they held these beliefs in the first place, or how much power the Gods actually held, or the way that they are actually worshiped by the mermaids in the first place. We know that they have statues of them, but why is never explained.
It's difficult to discuss the subplots in the story without spoiling anything, but the way they all resolve fell flat, or worse, made Ersel look selfish and uncaring.
One subplot is particularly cruel and involves the death of a minor character, and Ersel sort of just... moves on from it after it happens and it's never mentioned again. Because of page constraint the story had to move rather quickly from moment to moment, but more care needed to paid to this plot in particular, because the way it stands leaves Ersel bearing the responsibility and very little guilt or growth that she should have been burdened with after it.
Similarly under-developed were Ragna's magical tattoos, and the malicious King merman's respective plots. I get that in Ragna's case, her tattoos are what allow her to navigate the ice, but we never really know why or how she came about these powers. In a way, it feels like an abandoned (perhaps forgotten) plot point, but it also could be a poorly developed method of making the character special, which felt unnecessary. She was cool enough just being a badass swashbuckling viking warrior.
The plot involving the king is equally under-utilized and tied up much too neatly in the last chapter, which left me underwhelmed.
As rushed as it felt, I did enjoy the overarching story. I stand by the opinion that had this book been 100 pages longer, I probably would have loved it, rather than just liked it. I'll be interested to see what Julia Ember comes up with in the future, especially if she gives herself more time and pages to really develop her world, plots and characters.
★★★= 3/5 starfish
___________
I've had this strange desire all year long to read a story about mermaids, and this was the first I had the chance to crack into. I'd love to say that it met all of my expectations and blew me out of the water, but unfortunately I just wasn't entirely hooked. Something about it didn't quite reel me in. From subplots that just didn't float my boat, to aspects of the story that moved like they were caught in a riptide, this story was equal parts awesome and disappointing at the same time.
Lets start with what I liked and move into what I had some issues with.
The setting was surprisingly creative! Normally when you think Mermaid, you think tropical setting with singing crabs and festively colored fish. I actually really love that the author subverted that trope here by placing Ersel and the community of mermaids (school of mermaids?) that she lived with in the artic north. They live inside a hollowed out glacial fortress instead of within great coral palaces that are so commonly associated with the mermaid trope.
The setting also informs on the plot and cultural beliefs in the story - which is an unexpected bonus. We learn that the mermaids have been displaced by war and forced into this exile in the frigid north, and that the colder waters have disrupted their ability to breed future generations. It was a really great idea, to tie the setting so directly into the fate of the mermaids in the story. It generates its own inherent conflict as the females in the kingdom become valued solely by their breeding capabilities, a system that Ersel becomes desperate to escape.
I'm torn by the f/f relationship in this book. It was in a way the thing I enjoyed the most, while also being the thing I was most disappointed by. I really enjoyed the theme of self-discovery that Ersel and Ragna's relationship invoked in Ersel, but I think my main issue here stems from the fact that this book was just too short. Clocking in at under 230 pages, much of their relationship seemed to be on fast-forward which made it difficult for me to truly become emotionally connected by their dynamic. This is one case where I wish the book had been 100 pages longer, as it would have allowed for their relationship to unfold in more natural ways. As it stands in the final draft, it feels a bit like they meet, fall too quickly for each other, and then their relationship is dropped for over 50 pages as the author turns back to plot points taking place under the sea due to the length of the story and need to resolve other subplots.
My biggest gripe with this book stems from how short it is. There's so much going on in this book that feels halfway developed or rushed because there was no time to explain things in more depth. For example: the mermaids worship Norse Gods, (Odin, Thor and Loki specifically) but given that they were in fact a southern species displaced into the north, it was unclear why they held these beliefs in the first place, or how much power the Gods actually held, or the way that they are actually worshiped by the mermaids in the first place. We know that they have statues of them, but why is never explained.
It's difficult to discuss the subplots in the story without spoiling anything, but the way they all resolve fell flat, or worse, made Ersel look selfish and uncaring.
One subplot is particularly cruel and involves the death of a minor character, and Ersel sort of just... moves on from it after it happens and it's never mentioned again. Because of page constraint the story had to move rather quickly from moment to moment, but more care needed to paid to this plot in particular, because the way it stands leaves Ersel bearing the responsibility and very little guilt or growth that she should have been burdened with after it.
Similarly under-developed were Ragna's magical tattoos, and the malicious King merman's respective plots. I get that in Ragna's case, her tattoos are what allow her to navigate the ice, but we never really know why or how she came about these powers. In a way, it feels like an abandoned (perhaps forgotten) plot point, but it also could be a poorly developed method of making the character special, which felt unnecessary. She was cool enough just being a badass swashbuckling viking warrior.
The plot involving the king is equally under-utilized and tied up much too neatly in the last chapter, which left me underwhelmed.
As rushed as it felt, I did enjoy the overarching story. I stand by the opinion that had this book been 100 pages longer, I probably would have loved it, rather than just liked it. I'll be interested to see what Julia Ember comes up with in the future, especially if she gives herself more time and pages to really develop her world, plots and characters.
★★★= 3/5 starfish
February 10, 2017
A viking F/F Little Mermaid retelling? Oh my.
Brutal and fierce, THE SEAFARER'S KISS transports you to a frozen northern sea where a shipwrecked shieldmaiden tempts one mermaid to the surface. Under the ice, her people fight to survive the dangerous waters, but a jealous best friend, a wicked king, and a trickster god are even more deadly than the shifting currents. This lush, original retelling will take your breath away.
Inclusivity: The love story is f/f, the MC is fat, Loki is genderqueer.
Brutal and fierce, THE SEAFARER'S KISS transports you to a frozen northern sea where a shipwrecked shieldmaiden tempts one mermaid to the surface. Under the ice, her people fight to survive the dangerous waters, but a jealous best friend, a wicked king, and a trickster god are even more deadly than the shifting currents. This lush, original retelling will take your breath away.
Inclusivity: The love story is f/f, the MC is fat, Loki is genderqueer.
November 7, 2016
F/F retelling of The Little Mermaid told from the point of view of Ursula (Ersel) with a Viking shield maiden and Loki causing trouble.
YEAH. YOU READ THAT RIGHT.
YEAH. YOU READ THAT RIGHT.
November 18, 2017
I finished this book nearly 2 weeks ago and have struggled to write my review since. My review will never be perfect and there will be others who have already reviewed this better than I could, but here are my jumbled thoughts on this book.
The retelling aspect was great! An underwater mermaid world set against the Artic North with belugas hanging around! This book perfectly combines all the aspects of The Little Mermaid with a Norse influence in very clever ways!
The MC Ersel is bi and there is a f/f relationship.
Loki, the Trickster God, shows up and is genderqueer, nonbinary, genderfluid and uses they/them pronouns. I was incorrect in previous updates when I said they were trans, and I apologize for that.
My issues stemmed from the way fertility is highly prized in the mermaid culture. The author does have a trigger warning on her website referencing these issues and that this is an own voices book in that regard. The trigger warning is thus
The phrasing used like "broken" and "frozen" hit me like a punch in the gut, both in aspects of conversations I've heard and witnessed about fertility, but also that it was coded in the same way that many amisic and aphobic conversations and thoughts are. It just didn't sit right with me, although the patriarchal society and this viewpoint are challenged in the book.
Additionally, I'd like to link to some reviews that cover in-depth other aspects of this book.
This ownvoices review from Dax a bi, nonbinary reviewer was extremely helpful for me to make sense of the issues around this book.
Additionally, Trina's (Between Chapters) review speaks to the unchallenged violence in the romantic relationship.
The retelling aspect was great! An underwater mermaid world set against the Artic North with belugas hanging around! This book perfectly combines all the aspects of The Little Mermaid with a Norse influence in very clever ways!
The MC Ersel is bi and there is a f/f relationship.
Loki, the Trickster God, shows up and is genderqueer, nonbinary, genderfluid and uses they/them pronouns. I was incorrect in previous updates when I said they were trans, and I apologize for that.
My issues stemmed from the way fertility is highly prized in the mermaid culture. The author does have a trigger warning on her website referencing these issues and that this is an own voices book in that regard. The trigger warning is thus
Trigger Warnings: Misogyny in a dystopian society, discussions of infertility/worth (#ownvoices: the author has an hormonal condition/fertility disorder, but the discussion in the book may be heavy for some), non-binary character is a villain.
The phrasing used like "broken" and "frozen" hit me like a punch in the gut, both in aspects of conversations I've heard and witnessed about fertility, but also that it was coded in the same way that many amisic and aphobic conversations and thoughts are. It just didn't sit right with me, although the patriarchal society and this viewpoint are challenged in the book.
Additionally, I'd like to link to some reviews that cover in-depth other aspects of this book.
This ownvoices review from Dax a bi, nonbinary reviewer was extremely helpful for me to make sense of the issues around this book.
Additionally, Trina's (Between Chapters) review speaks to the unchallenged violence in the romantic relationship.
July 1, 2017
"The Seafarer's Kiss" is an immersive fantasy world steeped in Norse mythology and written from the perspective of Ersel, an independent, strong spirited nineteen-year-old mermaid.
The mer-people have come under the rule of a harsh and patriarchal king who only sees the mermaids' (vs mermen's) value in how many offspring she can produce for the clan. At Ersel's age she should be settling in to be selected by a mate and push out as many mer-babies as possible but instead she only dreams of being her own person having adventures far away from her mer-people.
Ersel's in a bad enough position as it is, being the only female in her clan to voice opposition, when she meets a stranded human woman, Ragna, whom she falls for, making her life all the more complicated.
The novel follows the choices Ersel makes and the fallout from those decisions.
From a female perspective, I think the pressure and expectation of domesticity and value coming from beauty/children is fairly universal and I know is something that I struggled with as a young girl. Because of that, the story resonated in particular with me and I could really relate to Ersel.
On a side note, though, not all mermen are cast as evil, either. Havamal is Ersel's best friend from childhood, clearly in love with her, and completely conflicted on his own duty and desires vs the love and respect he has for Ersel. In many ways, he's as trapped as she is.
On the whole, I thought this was a really well written fantasy novel with a strong and interesting narrator. I liked Ersel quite a bit as she was intelligent, introspective, and brave. The story took a lot of turns that were great twists and completely unexpected. Many times I found it to be downright clever. Its pacing is good, writing is strong, and the story held my interest.
"The Seafarer's Kiss" is more of an adventure, personal growth story than a romance. It has a bit of a love story but it's not that developed and is a happy-for-now rather than a happily-ever-after...which is completely fine, to me.
I've seen this book get flack for how it portrays a non-binary/transgendered character. For myself, though, I had no issue with the book here.
The non-binary/transgendered person is Loki, a shapeshifter trickster God who is a sinister ego-maniac...and, from my familiarity with any Gods, they all kind of suck...yes? Even when good, they're still killing off, tricking, being vengeful and selfish, raping, toying with people...If you're wanting to read representation of a good nonbinary person, read "Under My Skin" by A.E. Dooland, Sam Farren's "Dragonoak" series, "Tengoku" by Rae D. Magdon or look elsewhere. This book isn't for that but I didn't think it was going out of its way to have a nonbinary representative character, either.
What I did have issue with was a physical violence episode between the love interests Ersel and Ragna. It seemed to come from nowhere and didn't really fit. I got that the author was stating they both had an animal side but still...I didn't like it. If I could erase that part from my mind and pretend it didn't happen, my rating would increase.
For diversity, non-white ethnic diversity doesn't really exist but I took Ersel to be bisexual and on the plus size side. She was described as having blubber and mermaids burn through weight like a yo-yo. (Blubber/weight = good, no blubber = unhealthy). Also characters later in the story are considered to have disabilities so there's that.
Whatever issues the book had, I still recommend it and found a lot of good in it it to be enjoyed.
The mer-people have come under the rule of a harsh and patriarchal king who only sees the mermaids' (vs mermen's) value in how many offspring she can produce for the clan. At Ersel's age she should be settling in to be selected by a mate and push out as many mer-babies as possible but instead she only dreams of being her own person having adventures far away from her mer-people.
Ersel's in a bad enough position as it is, being the only female in her clan to voice opposition, when she meets a stranded human woman, Ragna, whom she falls for, making her life all the more complicated.
The novel follows the choices Ersel makes and the fallout from those decisions.
From a female perspective, I think the pressure and expectation of domesticity and value coming from beauty/children is fairly universal and I know is something that I struggled with as a young girl. Because of that, the story resonated in particular with me and I could really relate to Ersel.
On a side note, though, not all mermen are cast as evil, either. Havamal is Ersel's best friend from childhood, clearly in love with her, and completely conflicted on his own duty and desires vs the love and respect he has for Ersel. In many ways, he's as trapped as she is.
On the whole, I thought this was a really well written fantasy novel with a strong and interesting narrator. I liked Ersel quite a bit as she was intelligent, introspective, and brave. The story took a lot of turns that were great twists and completely unexpected. Many times I found it to be downright clever. Its pacing is good, writing is strong, and the story held my interest.
"The Seafarer's Kiss" is more of an adventure, personal growth story than a romance. It has a bit of a love story but it's not that developed and is a happy-for-now rather than a happily-ever-after...which is completely fine, to me.
I've seen this book get flack for how it portrays a non-binary/transgendered character. For myself, though, I had no issue with the book here.
The non-binary/transgendered person is Loki, a shapeshifter trickster God who is a sinister ego-maniac...and, from my familiarity with any Gods, they all kind of suck...yes? Even when good, they're still killing off, tricking, being vengeful and selfish, raping, toying with people...If you're wanting to read representation of a good nonbinary person, read "Under My Skin" by A.E. Dooland, Sam Farren's "Dragonoak" series, "Tengoku" by Rae D. Magdon or look elsewhere. This book isn't for that but I didn't think it was going out of its way to have a nonbinary representative character, either.
What I did have issue with was a physical violence episode between the love interests Ersel and Ragna. It seemed to come from nowhere and didn't really fit. I got that the author was stating they both had an animal side but still...I didn't like it. If I could erase that part from my mind and pretend it didn't happen, my rating would increase.
For diversity, non-white ethnic diversity doesn't really exist but I took Ersel to be bisexual and on the plus size side. She was described as having blubber and mermaids burn through weight like a yo-yo. (Blubber/weight = good, no blubber = unhealthy). Also characters later in the story are considered to have disabilities so there's that.
Whatever issues the book had, I still recommend it and found a lot of good in it it to be enjoyed.
June 20, 2017
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders
*I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review*
Thinking about The Seafarer’s Kiss makes my heart swell, swell, swell, that’s how much I loved it. IT IS SO AMAZING, GUYS. This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017 and it didn’t disappoint, not at all. In fact, it was different in more ways than one and better than what I expected. I think it is scientifically proven (ok maybe not) that it’s impossible not to be excited about this gem. Little Mermaid retelling? Bisexual MC? Norse Mythology? My answer was automatically GIMME.
The writing is absolutely stunning. It is soft and lyrical, and I didn’t expect anything short of that coming from Julia, she’s a word whisperer, she wields them to her will and does beautiful things with them. My favorite part about it has to be the descriptions, they were mesmerizing and set a whimsical tone to the story, the magic seeps through them especially when it comes to the mermaids, I was all heart eyes.
The world building is seamless, it’s so well weaved into the story that i didn’t realize how much I knew about the world the author created until I knew it all, it wasn’t overwhelming in any way. This being a retelling, I was afraid it would be predictable in some way but the author was inspired by the original tale only lightly, she took “staple” pieces from it, twisted them and put them to a different use to be able to bring in the Norse mythology element. And it was a very successful mix.
Now, this was darker than I expected. It started off slow (not the bad kind) and things escalated progressively until the pace picked up and kept me on my toes for the rest of the novel, it even managed to surprise me with some minor twists a few times. You know how I have a soft spot for morally grey characters, right? Well this one hit all the marks with me in that area. I absolutely adored how the lines between evil and good were blurred and everything and -almost- everyone was in the middle, much more complex than the black and white default settings.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is written in first person from Ersel‘s POV and she has my heart. Like most characters in this book, she’s flawed and selfish. But also gorgeous, clever and resourceful. She doesn’t give up on her goals no matter what challenges are thrown at her. Although she did some questionnable things for questionnable reasons, the fact that she tried to make it all right made me love her even more. Special mention to her mom who is a total badass, super supportive and loving.
Next comes Ragna, the human girl and love interest. She’s confident and absolutely stabtastic but I also felt like I had to protect her at all costs even though I was fully aware that of the two of us, I’m the one in need of protection heh. Here comes a confession and the reason for no giving this book a full 5 stars, a completely selfish reason but you know. I WANTED MORE ERSEL/RAGNA PAGE SPACE. I shipped them so hard that I just wanted way more of them than I got (which wasn’t a lot to be honest).
Havamal. is. a. mess. He acts out on impulse and regrets it afterwards but he is so endearing and I’m total trash for him. There it is, I said it. I ADORED Havamal no matter how much I wanted to smack him because of his choices, it just is what it is. Last but not least is Loki, they took the gold for my favorite villainous characters of all times, THEY WERE AMAZING, smart, sneaky, ruthless and quite funny. I love the original Loki but the way Julia wrote them here is just fantastic. That being said the fact that Loki is the only non binary character and them being a villain has gotten very mixed responses from NB folks, some loved it and felt empowered, some hated it and were hurt because of the deceiving aspect and both are valid. So I would be very cautious about recommending this one to non-cis readers who I think should be made aware of this fact prior to reading.
I think this will be it for this review. Oh, nope, one last thing, IT HAS THE CUTEST BELUGAS EEEEEVER. So if all of this doesn’t make you want to pick The Seafarer’s Kiss as soon as it is out, I don’t know what will. Seriously though, preorder it NOW, you don’t want to miss out.
Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders
*I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review*
Thinking about The Seafarer’s Kiss makes my heart swell, swell, swell, that’s how much I loved it. IT IS SO AMAZING, GUYS. This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017 and it didn’t disappoint, not at all. In fact, it was different in more ways than one and better than what I expected. I think it is scientifically proven (ok maybe not) that it’s impossible not to be excited about this gem. Little Mermaid retelling? Bisexual MC? Norse Mythology? My answer was automatically GIMME.
The writing is absolutely stunning. It is soft and lyrical, and I didn’t expect anything short of that coming from Julia, she’s a word whisperer, she wields them to her will and does beautiful things with them. My favorite part about it has to be the descriptions, they were mesmerizing and set a whimsical tone to the story, the magic seeps through them especially when it comes to the mermaids, I was all heart eyes.
The world building is seamless, it’s so well weaved into the story that i didn’t realize how much I knew about the world the author created until I knew it all, it wasn’t overwhelming in any way. This being a retelling, I was afraid it would be predictable in some way but the author was inspired by the original tale only lightly, she took “staple” pieces from it, twisted them and put them to a different use to be able to bring in the Norse mythology element. And it was a very successful mix.
Now, this was darker than I expected. It started off slow (not the bad kind) and things escalated progressively until the pace picked up and kept me on my toes for the rest of the novel, it even managed to surprise me with some minor twists a few times. You know how I have a soft spot for morally grey characters, right? Well this one hit all the marks with me in that area. I absolutely adored how the lines between evil and good were blurred and everything and -almost- everyone was in the middle, much more complex than the black and white default settings.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is written in first person from Ersel‘s POV and she has my heart. Like most characters in this book, she’s flawed and selfish. But also gorgeous, clever and resourceful. She doesn’t give up on her goals no matter what challenges are thrown at her. Although she did some questionnable things for questionnable reasons, the fact that she tried to make it all right made me love her even more. Special mention to her mom who is a total badass, super supportive and loving.
Next comes Ragna, the human girl and love interest. She’s confident and absolutely stabtastic but I also felt like I had to protect her at all costs even though I was fully aware that of the two of us, I’m the one in need of protection heh. Here comes a confession and the reason for no giving this book a full 5 stars, a completely selfish reason but you know. I WANTED MORE ERSEL/RAGNA PAGE SPACE. I shipped them so hard that I just wanted way more of them than I got (which wasn’t a lot to be honest).
Havamal. is. a. mess. He acts out on impulse and regrets it afterwards but he is so endearing and I’m total trash for him. There it is, I said it. I ADORED Havamal no matter how much I wanted to smack him because of his choices, it just is what it is. Last but not least is Loki, they took the gold for my favorite villainous characters of all times, THEY WERE AMAZING, smart, sneaky, ruthless and quite funny. I love the original Loki but the way Julia wrote them here is just fantastic. That being said the fact that Loki is the only non binary character and them being a villain has gotten very mixed responses from NB folks, some loved it and felt empowered, some hated it and were hurt because of the deceiving aspect and both are valid. So I would be very cautious about recommending this one to non-cis readers who I think should be made aware of this fact prior to reading.
I think this will be it for this review. Oh, nope, one last thing, IT HAS THE CUTEST BELUGAS EEEEEVER. So if all of this doesn’t make you want to pick The Seafarer’s Kiss as soon as it is out, I don’t know what will. Seriously though, preorder it NOW, you don’t want to miss out.
August 27, 2017
A retelling of The Little Mermaid - but with a twist. Overall, it was a decent read, but, similarly to The Tiger's Watch, the lack of character and plot development left me wanting more.
- I liked the protagonist, Ersel. She's a bisexual mermaid, a little selfish, but her growth in the book was a pleasure to read. In the end, I was pleased to see that she tried her best to make things right.
- Honestly, the sweet and goodnatured beluga whales were the best part of the book. They were so precious.
- I enjoyed the twists in the book - and didn't see them coming - and the story wins points for being fresh and original.
- However, the romance between Ersel and Ragna was so underdeveloped. There wasn't enough development between them that convinced me of the latter scenes in the book. I would have liked to see more scenes between them, learning more about each other rather than about each other's worlds.
- Overall, the whole book has an array of excellent and exciting ideas, but nothing really was developed. I didn't - couldn't - feel invested in anything in the story. So maybe that is on me.
Full review to come, maybe.
- I liked the protagonist, Ersel. She's a bisexual mermaid, a little selfish, but her growth in the book was a pleasure to read. In the end, I was pleased to see that she tried her best to make things right.
- Honestly, the sweet and goodnatured beluga whales were the best part of the book. They were so precious.
- I enjoyed the twists in the book - and didn't see them coming - and the story wins points for being fresh and original.
- However, the romance between Ersel and Ragna was so underdeveloped. There wasn't enough development between them that convinced me of the latter scenes in the book. I would have liked to see more scenes between them, learning more about each other rather than about each other's worlds.
- Overall, the whole book has an array of excellent and exciting ideas, but nothing really was developed. I didn't - couldn't - feel invested in anything in the story. So maybe that is on me.
Full review to come, maybe.
February 26, 2017
Thank you, Julia Ember, for my advanced reader copy of The Seafarer’s Kiss. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is a breathtaking story about a mermaid and a human with Norse mythology and unforeseen plot twists woven into their story. This book will move readers that cannot get enough of magical, beautiful worlds and characters that are relatable in the way they are flawed and the way they grow. This is a book you need on your radar, as even though it has an incredible f/f love story the book focuses heavily on personal growth. The main character, Ersel, is a fat bisexual mermaid who goes through a lot of character development throughout the book and by the end of it still isn’t perfect (like none of us are). That is what makes her such a compelling character, and a protagonist you can truly feel for.
The world in The Seafarer’s Kiss is one that will mesmerize you, and how the mermaid culture and human culture is woven into the story will have you enjoying every single moment. We see the power balance between the mermaids, mermen, their leader, and the gods. Loki, the trickster god, plays a large part in the story, is genderfluid and uses they/them pronouns. Even though they are the villain in a lot of ways, you will still find yourself truly liking them for their unique personality and scheming ways. I also fell in love with the belugas, they were such a beautiful part of Ersel’s life and I just really enjoyed reading their interactions with the other characters. This book is based on Norse mythology and is also a retelling of the Little Mermaid and the entire concept of the story makes you want it to never end in order to stay in the world forever.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is a story about breaking free, creating your own path and deciding who you want to be and what you are willing to do to get there. It explores how easy it is to make rash and irreversible decisions that can have catastrophic consequences, and how to deal with that afterward. Both Ersel, Havamal, and Ragna all made mistakes that they have to live with, at times they are selfish and mean, but that is what makes you truly remember these characters. They are flawed, and they fuck it up like the rest of us, but we see their journey of growing and dealing with their mistakes. This book and its characters show readers that making mistakes is okay, and though we cannot undo them, we can move forward and do differently next time.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is filled with strong and flawed women, who are so much more than just their love interest, and are all about personal growth and finding their own path in life. Throughout this book you will be rooting for the characters, hoping they are safe and that no harm is done to them as they fight their way through unforeseen obstacles. Reading the Seafarer’s Kiss felt a lot like being on a rollercoaster. I was screaming at some parts out of fear for the characters, and squealing out of joy at other parts where everything was just right. This is a book every reader needs on their radar this spring. Explore the world and its complexities with Ersel, Ragna, and Havamal and never look back.
____
Original thoughts:
Once again Julia Ember has done it. This book truly was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I'm just in love with the entire concept of this story. The Seafarer's Kiss has a flawed yet amazing main character, her name is Ersel, and you'll fall in love with her for sure. There's great bisexual rep, and though the love story in this book will have you swooning I love how the personal growth of the characters was the most important part of the story.
Review to come, while you wait, go pre-order this book on Amazon, The Book Depository or any other book store.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is a breathtaking story about a mermaid and a human with Norse mythology and unforeseen plot twists woven into their story. This book will move readers that cannot get enough of magical, beautiful worlds and characters that are relatable in the way they are flawed and the way they grow. This is a book you need on your radar, as even though it has an incredible f/f love story the book focuses heavily on personal growth. The main character, Ersel, is a fat bisexual mermaid who goes through a lot of character development throughout the book and by the end of it still isn’t perfect (like none of us are). That is what makes her such a compelling character, and a protagonist you can truly feel for.
The world in The Seafarer’s Kiss is one that will mesmerize you, and how the mermaid culture and human culture is woven into the story will have you enjoying every single moment. We see the power balance between the mermaids, mermen, their leader, and the gods. Loki, the trickster god, plays a large part in the story, is genderfluid and uses they/them pronouns. Even though they are the villain in a lot of ways, you will still find yourself truly liking them for their unique personality and scheming ways. I also fell in love with the belugas, they were such a beautiful part of Ersel’s life and I just really enjoyed reading their interactions with the other characters. This book is based on Norse mythology and is also a retelling of the Little Mermaid and the entire concept of the story makes you want it to never end in order to stay in the world forever.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is a story about breaking free, creating your own path and deciding who you want to be and what you are willing to do to get there. It explores how easy it is to make rash and irreversible decisions that can have catastrophic consequences, and how to deal with that afterward. Both Ersel, Havamal, and Ragna all made mistakes that they have to live with, at times they are selfish and mean, but that is what makes you truly remember these characters. They are flawed, and they fuck it up like the rest of us, but we see their journey of growing and dealing with their mistakes. This book and its characters show readers that making mistakes is okay, and though we cannot undo them, we can move forward and do differently next time.
The Seafarer’s Kiss is filled with strong and flawed women, who are so much more than just their love interest, and are all about personal growth and finding their own path in life. Throughout this book you will be rooting for the characters, hoping they are safe and that no harm is done to them as they fight their way through unforeseen obstacles. Reading the Seafarer’s Kiss felt a lot like being on a rollercoaster. I was screaming at some parts out of fear for the characters, and squealing out of joy at other parts where everything was just right. This is a book every reader needs on their radar this spring. Explore the world and its complexities with Ersel, Ragna, and Havamal and never look back.
____
Original thoughts:
Once again Julia Ember has done it. This book truly was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I'm just in love with the entire concept of this story. The Seafarer's Kiss has a flawed yet amazing main character, her name is Ersel, and you'll fall in love with her for sure. There's great bisexual rep, and though the love story in this book will have you swooning I love how the personal growth of the characters was the most important part of the story.
Review to come, while you wait, go pre-order this book on Amazon, The Book Depository or any other book store.
May 15, 2017
Read a few months ago as an ARC from the publisher and rated it when I read it, but have seen some controversy on twitter over the genderfluid character being a villain, so adding my quick note as a genderfluid reader. I liked Loki a lot. I loved how they were able to change forms and how clever they were. I thought their backstory was really sad and that they did get a kind of redemption in the end when they gave Ersel the information she needed to save her merclan. It's not a clear cut between who is good and who is bad in this story (even the narrator does some horrible things), but if anyone is the true villain, it's King Calder, who does nothing but evil through the entire book and is a straight male.
Read
April 23, 2017It's so nice when a book sounds really creative and cool and ambitious and then, like, yup! it's actually what it advertises to be and people who are super excited for that premise are totally gonna love it. If you think this book sounds excellent then do yourself a favor and preorder it now.
February 11, 2017
The Seafarer's Kiss was an underwater adventure that filled my insides with so much joy. A retelling of The Little Mermaid with some Norse mythology in the mix, we have the story of a young mermaid trying to find freedom inside her frozen kingdom.
Full review soon.
Full review soon.
April 9, 2017
Review to come, but let's just say that I loved this one a lot
December 25, 2017
Ugh, what a slog. The idea (a bisexual retelling of The Little Mermaid infused with Norse mythology set in the Arctic) has definite potential but the execution was terrible. Flat, undeveloped characters (god, the main character was somehow incredibly annoying and insipid at the same time); a plot fuelled by one-dimensional patriarchal villains; writing full of telling instead of showing. I hate to give an #ownvoices bi book a bad review, but...
June 10, 2017
"Forgiveness wasn't necessary, we couldn't change what we'd done, but I hoped that today we'd create something new, something good."
I think bisexual fat mermaids are my new favourite thing to read about. This book was an absolutely gorgeous, fun and adventurous read that introduced a lot of morally grey characters who didn't always make the best choices but who always grew and learned and were willing to sacrifice themselves for the people they loved. The writing was so innovative and unique and I didn't want this to finish. I've seen a lot of reviews that say that they don't like the 'I'm not like other girls' trope here and although the main character constantly differentiated herself from other girls, it wasn't romanticised, it was clearly challenged constantly. I fell in love with the complexity of all the characters from Ersel to Loki and all of the side characters. The dichotomy and contrast that was constantly presented was incredible. For example, the main character is super fertile but she doesn't want kids and I love the breaking down of the idea of society's mandate of having children as a duty even if it is for survival.
I have to say that this is a very tentative rating because I knew this book was called out for a lot of transphobic content but I read the finished copy and couldn't find the things that were talked about so I think the author changed it? The link is here if you want to read it. I'm going to wait for trans own voices reviews of the finished copy. Let me know if you read any, please. This is concerning Loki, who was non-binary/genderfluid and used them/they pronouns. I thought it was such an important thing to talk about the gods like that because gender is a social and human construct and wouldn't work for gods if they existed. I know that review said that Loki was portrayed as a villain but I saw them as flawed character between all the other ones because this book talked about the complexity of making decisions or thinking that you know everything when you don't. For me, everything that happened at the end made me think, who was the real villain? I mean, I'm obviously not going to dismiss any hurt caused by this book and I really hope that the final copy I read was better than the ARC and that no one else gets hurt by this. This is not a dismissive review, it's a hopeful review. I hope Julia Ember changed those things and I hope I didn't miss anything while reading this.
Talking about representation, I adored that Ersel was bi and fat. I thought it was done with such care and respect and it was just accepted, no one questioned her or asked her if she was sure, if she was just experimenting, if she only liked girls. I loved that her fat came from the sun and that made her healthy and helpful and beautiful and that it didn't change when she transformed. The relationship that she had with Ragna was absolutely adorable and I loved seeing them grow together as well. I wasn't too keen on Havamal just because I didn't trust him and I don't really know why, because he did a lot of good things for Ersel and her family but I don't know, I just didn't have a connection with him. This book challenged a lot of the sexist system and the institutional misogyny and the last part of the book is basically them going on a quest to dismantle the patriarchy and I really enjoyed those moments. It was dark and intense but it still had some lighthearted moments. On the other hand, there were parts that felt kind of long for this short book and I just wanted to get to the action faster. But at the end, it was a book I enjoyed very much.
January 15, 2018
This book is overwhelmingly mediocre. I had issues with how several things were handled. Infertility is often equated with being broken and this idea isn't really refuted, and at one point the main couple exchange punches and it brings them closer together that they hit each other in anger?? Which is weird and an unhealthy behavior to be supporting. You shouldn't have to hit your SO to solve a fight or issue.
A lot of people have also told me the non-binary representation isn't handled well. I believe the author is revising to improve the non-binary representation but I didn't know that and ordered this earlier edition. :/ I'm not nb so I can't speak for the rep but I saw enough talk about its poor handling in the book that I take that as a notable flag.
The protagonist is also suffering from a powerful case of "I'm not like those other girls" and while it was almost dealt with it felt more like the ball was dropped. There's almost understanding of the other girls but it sort of gets waylaid by the plot.
Overall, this book just didn't click with me personally and I'm surprised by the rave reviews. Maybe it's just me? So take this review with a grain of salt.
Also, there's totally a slightly sexual scene with tentacles and it was weird and I almost quit right there because I was afraid it was about to get graphic. o__o It didn't but it still made me feel uncomfortable haha
A lot of people have also told me the non-binary representation isn't handled well. I believe the author is revising to improve the non-binary representation but I didn't know that and ordered this earlier edition. :/ I'm not nb so I can't speak for the rep but I saw enough talk about its poor handling in the book that I take that as a notable flag.
The protagonist is also suffering from a powerful case of "I'm not like those other girls" and while it was almost dealt with it felt more like the ball was dropped. There's almost understanding of the other girls but it sort of gets waylaid by the plot.
Overall, this book just didn't click with me personally and I'm surprised by the rave reviews. Maybe it's just me? So take this review with a grain of salt.
Also, there's totally a slightly sexual scene with tentacles and it was weird and I almost quit right there because I was afraid it was about to get graphic. o__o It didn't but it still made me feel uncomfortable haha
May 5, 2017
this book was so much fun to read. it wasn't particularly long either. the writing style is so easy to follow and fast paced. there were few moments when i was bored, but for the most part i couldn't put the book down!
i absolutely adored ragna. i found her so relatable (and cool?). ersel was (almost) as cool, even though she was the main character.
i found this a very interesting and unique take on the little mermaid. i love the incorporation of norse mythology and vikings. i've never thought of the little mermaid from ursula's pov (at least, i'm assuming it is). there was so many amazing parts to this book, from the lgbt+ rep to the under represented body type.
the seafarer's kiss hasn't been getting much hype and i wish it had! it's so well written and deserves it (unlike a certain other book that recently came out).
okay but seriously, if you haven't heard of or read the seafarer's kiss, go buy it now. you've got to. i promise you won't regret it.
i absolutely adored ragna. i found her so relatable (and cool?). ersel was (almost) as cool, even though she was the main character.
i found this a very interesting and unique take on the little mermaid. i love the incorporation of norse mythology and vikings. i've never thought of the little mermaid from ursula's pov (at least, i'm assuming it is). there was so many amazing parts to this book, from the lgbt+ rep to the under represented body type.
the seafarer's kiss hasn't been getting much hype and i wish it had! it's so well written and deserves it (unlike a certain other book that recently came out).
okay but seriously, if you haven't heard of or read the seafarer's kiss, go buy it now. you've got to. i promise you won't regret it.
May 22, 2017
I loved this book and not just because The Little Mermaid used to be my favorite Disney movie and I'm kind of obsessed with anything related to mer folk to this day. This book is The Little Mermaid but it's also Ursula's story with plenty of really cool Norse Mythology thrown in. Oh, and did I mention that the main character is a fat, bi Mermaid? Seriously, love. Pick this up now. You're welcome.
May 6, 2017
Faerie tale retellings have long been a favourite of mine, the more subversive the better, and Julia Ember’s masterful reimagining of The Little Mermaid is one of the most clever and unique interpretations I’ve ever read.
Inspired both by the original Hans Christian Anderson literary tale and Disney’s now famous animated version, The Seafarer’s Kiss is narrated by Ersel, our ‘Ursula’, a chubby, adventurous mermaid frustrated by the claustrophobic and oppressive misogynist regime that is her home. Like the little mermaid we are familiar with, she longs to explore the ocean, and has a scientific curiosity about human technology, if not so much with humans themselves. She is ostracised by society and her former best friend now sees her only as a potential mate. Her entire world is changed when meets Ragna, a human stranded on an iceberg, and discovers she speaks the ‘god-tongue’ so they can communicate. The development of their relationship is fantastically engaging, and nicely averts several standard faerie tale romance tropes. Also, there are whales. And you will love them.
I adore the merpeople worshipping Norse gods – of course it makes sense, if you’re God of the Sea surely all who dwell in your domain would believe in you too, not just those on the land – and the way Ersel speaks of, and to them is just excellent worldbuilding. Which brings me to one of my favourite things in the book – LOKI. I was immediately impressed that Loki is presented as genderfluid and referred to as ‘they’ throughout, in both internal narration and spoken dialogue. (I did count three instances where they are accidentally misgendered, but since I read an ARC I hope this was corrected in the finished copy.) Every aspect they appear as is viewed as no more or less than another, they always remain, simply, Loki. This particular iteration of the trickster god may seem slightly more malevolent than most people are used to, but their devious, capricious amoral nature is still very much evident here.
One thing that did catch me off guard was the mermaid society, which is basically an underwater Handmaid’s Tale nightmare of female oppression, with women used as tools to repopulate their declining species. Nothing in the promotional material prepared me for the level of potentially upsetting content, so please be careful when reading if this subject may be triggering for you. The way it was handled was well done however, and have no reservations recommending it.
Another aspect I appreciated was while the story was both a standard faerie tale in terms of plot and structure, the fact it was told from the ‘villain’s’ perspective allowed for a much more morally ambiguous tone, and even though there is a redemption narrative both Ersel and Ragna are allowed to be often unpleasant, occasionally even downright ‘bad’ people. Ragna is brutalistic, Ersel thoughtless and indifferent; they are flawed, and that’s okay. We can still want for them a happy ending. Ersel is a magnificently atypical protagonist – not exactly an anti-hero, but not a compassionate saint either – and she gives me hope that everyone, no matter what mistakes they may have made, can carry on, learn from their painful past, and thrive.
Inspired both by the original Hans Christian Anderson literary tale and Disney’s now famous animated version, The Seafarer’s Kiss is narrated by Ersel, our ‘Ursula’, a chubby, adventurous mermaid frustrated by the claustrophobic and oppressive misogynist regime that is her home. Like the little mermaid we are familiar with, she longs to explore the ocean, and has a scientific curiosity about human technology, if not so much with humans themselves. She is ostracised by society and her former best friend now sees her only as a potential mate. Her entire world is changed when meets Ragna, a human stranded on an iceberg, and discovers she speaks the ‘god-tongue’ so they can communicate. The development of their relationship is fantastically engaging, and nicely averts several standard faerie tale romance tropes. Also, there are whales. And you will love them.
I adore the merpeople worshipping Norse gods – of course it makes sense, if you’re God of the Sea surely all who dwell in your domain would believe in you too, not just those on the land – and the way Ersel speaks of, and to them is just excellent worldbuilding. Which brings me to one of my favourite things in the book – LOKI. I was immediately impressed that Loki is presented as genderfluid and referred to as ‘they’ throughout, in both internal narration and spoken dialogue. (I did count three instances where they are accidentally misgendered, but since I read an ARC I hope this was corrected in the finished copy.) Every aspect they appear as is viewed as no more or less than another, they always remain, simply, Loki. This particular iteration of the trickster god may seem slightly more malevolent than most people are used to, but their devious, capricious amoral nature is still very much evident here.
One thing that did catch me off guard was the mermaid society, which is basically an underwater Handmaid’s Tale nightmare of female oppression, with women used as tools to repopulate their declining species. Nothing in the promotional material prepared me for the level of potentially upsetting content, so please be careful when reading if this subject may be triggering for you. The way it was handled was well done however, and have no reservations recommending it.
Another aspect I appreciated was while the story was both a standard faerie tale in terms of plot and structure, the fact it was told from the ‘villain’s’ perspective allowed for a much more morally ambiguous tone, and even though there is a redemption narrative both Ersel and Ragna are allowed to be often unpleasant, occasionally even downright ‘bad’ people. Ragna is brutalistic, Ersel thoughtless and indifferent; they are flawed, and that’s okay. We can still want for them a happy ending. Ersel is a magnificently atypical protagonist – not exactly an anti-hero, but not a compassionate saint either – and she gives me hope that everyone, no matter what mistakes they may have made, can carry on, learn from their painful past, and thrive.
July 27, 2017
I loved this book so much!! Such an amazing interesting twist on the classic Little Mermaid story. I loved that it took a switch and focused more on the Ursula side of things than the Ariel perspective as well! Ersel was such a great main character, because while she was independent and smart, she also made mistakes and saw that in herself. I loved that the love interested was totally unexpected from where you would expect it to go at the beginning of the story. The feminist vibes were fantastic, and I honestly loved how everything wrapped up. One issue I had was the out of nowhere violence that happened in a certain relationship. I felt it was unneeded and not led up to well enough to make sense to the story. My only other issue and reason for docking a star is the ending was too rushed! I wanted to see a little bit more with the Loki situation, as well as see the ending expanded and a bit more detailed. It makes me wonder whether there will be a sequel or spin off to the story! Overall all, though, so fantastic, and I highly recommend!
April 21, 2020
A retelling of the Little Mermaid featuring a bisexual MC and a Norse mythology twist? Hell YES.
September 24, 2017
This just wasn't for me.
May 11, 2017
Nineteen year old mermaid Ersel just wants to be free, she longs to escape from the merfolk fortress and explore the world. For years she made plans with her childhood friend Havamal but then he betrayed her by joining the king's guard and she's now more alone than ever before. When she finds Ragna, a human girl who was stranded on the glacier after her boat sunk, Ersel's dreams begin to change but if she doesn't make her escape soon she may never get the chance.
The Seafarer's Kiss is a bisexual retelling of The Little Mermaid with added Norse mythology thrown in for good measure and I enjoyed every minute of it. I guess I should probably confess that I've never seen the Disney version of the Little Mermaid so I can't compare it to the animation but I did have a book of the story as a child and there were enough similarities in this story for me to easily see the connection. It isn't a full retelling though, it uses the original story as inspiration and then goes off in it's own direction. Adding in Norse mythology was a genius idea and I especially loved that Loki was described as having both male and female attributes - their form changes every time we see them and they are only ever described in gender neutral terms. Its so rare to come across non binary characters in YA (although if you're looking for more I'd happily recommend Laura Lam's Micha Grey series which has an intersex main character) and there is also a lesbian romance so the diversity included is brilliant.
The world Ersel lives in is very patriarchal, the king is a tyrant and due to dwindling births the women are prized mainly for their fertility. When they come of age the mermaids attend a Grading ceremony where they find out how fertile they are and then the mermen fight over who they want to mate. Once mated the mermaids are pretty much kept in seclusion while they protect the eggs and try to hatch young and Ersel can't imagine anything worse than being trapped inside the fortress forever more. I really loved Havamal's character, especially in the beginning. It's obvious that he loves Ersel and wants to protect her but their dreams are so different that they could never be happy together. I was really angry when he forced her into a horrible situation but thankfully he redeemed himself later on and I'd be quite happy to read another book set in this world so we could see him get his own happily ever after.
The world building was really well done and I enjoyed Ersel and Ragna's romance. I'll admit it all happens a little quickly because this is a fairly short novel so there were times when I think it would have been even better if the story had been expanded, especially towards the end of the book. I really wanted to know what happened at the fortress while Ersel was in seclusion but the story just jumped ahead several weeks. I also thought we could have done with seeing Ersel and Ragna spend a little more time together to make their romance fully believable. If I have one complaint it was about the physical violence between the two near the end though, I didn't think it added anything to the story, in fact it soured their romance a little because there wasn't time for the issue to be fully addressed. I get that it was only one incident but they both take a swing at each other and blood is drawn so that is a major warning sign in any relationship.
Overall I really enjoyed this story though, it was a unique spin on the Little Mermaid and it kept me interested from beginning to end. I'll definitely be watching out for more from this author in the future and I need to pick up a copy of her debut Unicorn Tracks too.
Source: Received from Interlude Press in exchange for an honest review
The Seafarer's Kiss is a bisexual retelling of The Little Mermaid with added Norse mythology thrown in for good measure and I enjoyed every minute of it. I guess I should probably confess that I've never seen the Disney version of the Little Mermaid so I can't compare it to the animation but I did have a book of the story as a child and there were enough similarities in this story for me to easily see the connection. It isn't a full retelling though, it uses the original story as inspiration and then goes off in it's own direction. Adding in Norse mythology was a genius idea and I especially loved that Loki was described as having both male and female attributes - their form changes every time we see them and they are only ever described in gender neutral terms. Its so rare to come across non binary characters in YA (although if you're looking for more I'd happily recommend Laura Lam's Micha Grey series which has an intersex main character) and there is also a lesbian romance so the diversity included is brilliant.
The world Ersel lives in is very patriarchal, the king is a tyrant and due to dwindling births the women are prized mainly for their fertility. When they come of age the mermaids attend a Grading ceremony where they find out how fertile they are and then the mermen fight over who they want to mate. Once mated the mermaids are pretty much kept in seclusion while they protect the eggs and try to hatch young and Ersel can't imagine anything worse than being trapped inside the fortress forever more. I really loved Havamal's character, especially in the beginning. It's obvious that he loves Ersel and wants to protect her but their dreams are so different that they could never be happy together. I was really angry when he forced her into a horrible situation but thankfully he redeemed himself later on and I'd be quite happy to read another book set in this world so we could see him get his own happily ever after.
The world building was really well done and I enjoyed Ersel and Ragna's romance. I'll admit it all happens a little quickly because this is a fairly short novel so there were times when I think it would have been even better if the story had been expanded, especially towards the end of the book. I really wanted to know what happened at the fortress while Ersel was in seclusion but the story just jumped ahead several weeks. I also thought we could have done with seeing Ersel and Ragna spend a little more time together to make their romance fully believable. If I have one complaint it was about the physical violence between the two near the end though, I didn't think it added anything to the story, in fact it soured their romance a little because there wasn't time for the issue to be fully addressed. I get that it was only one incident but they both take a swing at each other and blood is drawn so that is a major warning sign in any relationship.
Overall I really enjoyed this story though, it was a unique spin on the Little Mermaid and it kept me interested from beginning to end. I'll definitely be watching out for more from this author in the future and I need to pick up a copy of her debut Unicorn Tracks too.
Source: Received from Interlude Press in exchange for an honest review
June 12, 2017
If you were to combine The Littler Mermaid with The Handmaid's Tale and Norse Mythology, you might have something that looks a little like The Seafarer's Kiss. It tells the story of a young mermaid who finds a shield-maiden who's been shipwrecked near her ice craves, and their relationship as they both deal with separate objectifying societies. Ersel the Mermaid lives in a restrictive and patriarchal society, where women are valued only for their fertility due to te harsh cold of the icy northern waters. Ragna was born blessed with moving tattoos, making her a prize catch for rival clans.
The worldbuilding in this novel was exquisite. Everything was carefully thought through and relevant, managing to surprise the reader at every turn. Including Loki as a main player in the novel - who has they/them pronouns, which I thought was a nice touch - elevated the story to a complexity you don't always get to see in YA novels. This is not a simple retelling of the Little Mermaid, it's so much more than that. It's got real magic running through it.
Ember has created a society for the merpeople that makes sense in their context, something not modeled off human society as you might expect. Explaining how their biology has adapted to the cold was brilliantly done: the scales that trap the heat and keep the merpeople warm when they dive deep, or how they eat to grow their blubber. It was funny to me that Ersel's first thought when she saw Ragna was how scrawny she was.
Not only was the character development masterfully crafted (Ersel's growth was perfection) but the relationships were relatable and compelling as well. There were so many different kinds of love here: maternal love, friendship, romance... beautiful bonds that explored relationships both healthy and toxic.
If I was a little ticked off, it was by Ersel's "I'm not like other girls" mentality. She loves to explore shipwrecks, is/was best friends with a guy, and doesn't want the life of eternal motherhood that everyone else her ages does. She's sometimes cruel and mocking towards others of her age. But can we really blame her?
And if you're into YA for the romance, then you're going to love the relationship between Ersel and Ragna. Their friendship that grows into something more, their fierce independence and respect for each others worlds... and not to mention their insane cuteness. Love them!
Please read this book! If you love YA, you're going to love Ersel and Ragna. But make no mistake: this book is crazy dark. Dark, beautiful, and powerful. An instant favorite you won't be able to put down.
The worldbuilding in this novel was exquisite. Everything was carefully thought through and relevant, managing to surprise the reader at every turn. Including Loki as a main player in the novel - who has they/them pronouns, which I thought was a nice touch - elevated the story to a complexity you don't always get to see in YA novels. This is not a simple retelling of the Little Mermaid, it's so much more than that. It's got real magic running through it.
Ember has created a society for the merpeople that makes sense in their context, something not modeled off human society as you might expect. Explaining how their biology has adapted to the cold was brilliantly done: the scales that trap the heat and keep the merpeople warm when they dive deep, or how they eat to grow their blubber. It was funny to me that Ersel's first thought when she saw Ragna was how scrawny she was.
Not only was the character development masterfully crafted (Ersel's growth was perfection) but the relationships were relatable and compelling as well. There were so many different kinds of love here: maternal love, friendship, romance... beautiful bonds that explored relationships both healthy and toxic.
If I was a little ticked off, it was by Ersel's "I'm not like other girls" mentality. She loves to explore shipwrecks, is/was best friends with a guy, and doesn't want the life of eternal motherhood that everyone else her ages does. She's sometimes cruel and mocking towards others of her age. But can we really blame her?
And if you're into YA for the romance, then you're going to love the relationship between Ersel and Ragna. Their friendship that grows into something more, their fierce independence and respect for each others worlds... and not to mention their insane cuteness. Love them!
Please read this book! If you love YA, you're going to love Ersel and Ragna. But make no mistake: this book is crazy dark. Dark, beautiful, and powerful. An instant favorite you won't be able to put down.
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