Ooh, Elodie of the Sea was adorable! I’m so glad I loved it, especially after the middle offerings in the Eldentimber series were rather disappointing reads for me. Before reading this, I’d only loved the first book in this series, Pippa of Lauramore, and while I also enjoyed Grace of Vernow, the novella that came after it, I didn’t like the others as much as I’d hoped, so I was worried that this book would follow a similar pattern and I wouldn’t like it. But I not only liked it, I loved it!
I adore mermaid stories, and this one was not only thoroughly charming but such a fantastic and creative take on mermaids, who in this world are shapeshifters, with a fascinating (albeit heartbreaking in many aspects) mythology. The story also had a Little Mermaid feel, but rather than the heroine losing her voice, she loses her memory, which provided an interesting twist.
Elodie was such a wonderful character, both because of her mermaid abilities and because of her delightful personality, but I especially loved sweet Bran; after Archer, he’s my favorite hero in this fun series. I loved watching him not only grow into his role as king but find the love he’d been waiting for. It was such a pleasure getting to read so many chapters from his perspective. He and Elodie not only were adorable together, but their romance was so beautiful, especially with how often they sacrificed for one another.
In addition to the cute and utterly sweet romance, the plot was thoroughly engaging with some fun twists. I especially loved seeing a return of the characters from the previous books, especially Pippa, Archer, and their four boys. It was also so satisfying seeing what had become of Lionel; I love when characters are redeemed.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Elodie of the Sea. It along with Pippa of Lauramore are two books I’ll definitely reread many times in the future whenever I feel the need to escape into Shari Tapscott’s enchanting fairytale world.