The Little Mermaid

Faerie Tale Collection

by Jenni James

Is grass truly greener than ocean blue?

Pearl has always dreamed of visiting the land of humans, to walk with them, eat with them, and learn everything she can from them. But no one in the North Seas agrees with her. In fact, they are all convinced that the landfolk are a dangerous, scary group of people who would harm the mermaid if they could.

Keel, the great merprince of the North Seas, has never loved anyone as much as he loves Pearl. He knows of her fascination with mankind and realizes she will never be truly settled until she has walked among the humans. So he finally relents, giving her a potion to grow legs of her own so she can experience the world above the water. He vows to come on land and protect her, as he doesn't trust humans and never will.

Join us in this unique twist of a tale about a princess determined to find a world and life better than her own, and the prince who is willing to risk it all to guarantee that she finds her own happiness.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Romance, Retellings, Mermaids, Young Adult, Fairy Tale Retellings

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2014

About the author

CLEAN ROMANCE FOR TEENS:

*The Jane Austen Diaries*
Pride & Popularity (Aug 2011)
Persuaded (Aug. 2012)
Emmalee (Jan 2013)
Mansfield Ranch (Dec 2013)
Northanger Alibi (Feb. 2012)
Sensible & Sensational (July 2015)
Sand & Sun (2016)
The Wilsons
Queen Sydney

*Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection*
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
Snow White
The Frog Prince
Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rapunzel
The Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Return to Neverland
The Forgotten Princess
The Princess With the Golden Touch
Little Red Riding Hood
(and more...)

MIDDLE GRADE READERS:
Prince Tennyson (May 2012)

EARLY READERS:

*Andy & Annie Collection*
A Ghost Story
Greeny Meany

WOMEN'S FICTION:

*Revitalizing Jane Series*
Drowning
Swimming
Crawling
Walking
Running
Soaring


CLEAN ROMANCE FOR ADULTS:

*Eternal Realm Series*
Eternity
Destiny
Divinity

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different take on The Little Mermaid. A quick read but that meant things felt a little rushed. I really like Keel. 3.5 Stars

Content: Clean
Source: Kindle Unlimited

[Jenni James · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I wrote this I wanted to provide a unique twist to a very, very twisted and dark story. (Hans Christian Andersen version) Each fairy tale I write I try and find a moral to write about--what is this story really saying? And too many times we believe the grass will be greener on the other side, yet if we only took a moment to embrace the world around us we'd see it was perfect just as it is.

As I began writing, I actually believed her journey would be much more positive than it ended up being. And it wasn't until they got to the land I saw how quickly they needed to leave, because humans would always treat what they don't understand unkindly. They would kill them both eventually. Ironically it ended up keeping a bit of that darker aspect of the story after all.

I honestly think this will be my most unloved story of the fairy tales, but I love it. I feel it's something that needed to be said. And hopefully pondered and questioned. Especially in today's world full of belittling, hate, and *still* race issues. May we all remember to be a little kinder. And give those we don't understand the benefit of doubt. Forgive me and may you take a piece of this story with you to enjoy. :)

Love, Jenni :) PS Peter Pan goes live MAY 26th! (he's already up for pre-order!)

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

Not my favorite of Jenni James' fairytales, but an interesting take on the Little Mermaid story. I wanted to shake Pearl (the little mermaid) for being so stubborn, but I loved her prince! I also love that these stories are short enough to read in one sitting.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun story by Jenni.

[Tristine Fjerstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really dumb. If it wasn't so short I probably wouldn't have read the whole thing. I was quite disappointed with this one, especially when comparing it to all of her other books. I didn't really see how this was a remake of the little mermaid, it seemed like a completely separate story about a different mermaid.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual this book was a quick read. It took me a little over an hour to read over a three day period. I know this because I started using the new Bookout app that tracks reading time. As with all of Jenni James books she just scrapes the surface. I no longer expect her to create complex characters. She tells the story as it is. She does put some twist on the original fairy tale and there were a number of interesting changes made to The Little Mermaid. It was a lot different from Hans Christian Andersen's tale. The princess' name is Pearl and she wants to go to the land to be a human. There is no bargaining with an evil sea witch this time. Her handsome prince knows a way to get to the shore. But will the land be everything she ever dreamed of or does Pearl's heart belong in the sea? Pearl and her prince go on a journey for Pearl to find herself and although she believes that she is not meant to be a mermaid the land might prove to be different than she ever dreamed. But life is to short to never try to find your destiny. I enjoyed Pearl's story and I believe you would too. Every single Jenni James book is a quick read and as usual my goal is to read two books every year. Don't go in expecting a complex fairy tale retelling. Jenni James tells a good story.

[Ayden · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair I read the rough draft on wattpad
Great moral but super boring
I don't like that no one help them I mean humans are that bad again I heard she changed that in her actual book so....
This felt like keels story more than pearls

[Jalissa Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, readers need to be prepared and know that this book does not paint a very pretty picture of humans. It’s not like the movie at all. It’s a good love story but not what you are expecting. Definitely not what I was expecting.

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than Disney

I liked this version a lot more than Disney's and the original. I loved Pearl's love for life and Karl's all knowingness. It was a beautiful retelling.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little twist on the classic little mermaid story but I liked it. Quick read, rushed sort of storyline as usual but so far one of the best by Jenni James.

[Shauna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to finish this-- but the writing was so poor (just because you can use the phrase "so very much" in every other paragraph, doesn't mean you should) I didn't make it past page 20.

[Rmsooon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ive read " the little mermaid " ,, it was pointless i guess i wanted more depth ,, i gave it 1.5 out of 5

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, quick read.

[Ri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different from the classic Disney Little Mermaid and gruesome original tale. Instead shows how love is strengthened by supporting dreams and sometimes you do need to see things first hand.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ik vond dit boek té voorspelbaar en weinig origineel. Daarnaast spraken de personages me niet aan... De één was storend egoïstisch, de ander te volgzaam. Hoewel ik hoopte op ontspannende en breinloze lectuur, bestond mijn leeservaring uit heel wat ooggedraai en gezucht...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This retelling of The Little Mermaid had a lot of the hallmarks of the original tale with a few twists. And isn't that just a beautiful cover? Keel, the leading merman, is a real prince in shinning... ah... scales, while Pearl's curiosity tends to get the better of them. While Pearl is curious and determined to live her dream of visiting land, there was one moment in the story I thought she was kinda dumb but don't want to go into details because of spoilers. Mostly, this story is well told and well built but I did have a couple of things that I wish had been different. This book had a lot of kissing and cuddling and it seemed over kill. It also took long time for them to get on land, like half the book. The people were presented as cruel and the reader doesn't get to know what the people are saying (because Pearl and Keel can't understand their language and vice versa) which can be good but it makes me wonder what was said and if there was a miss communication that blew out of proportion. I wish there had been more on land time and mix of people and maybe a point of view of someone who knew what was going on that the merfolk didn't. For a lot of the book, the world is full of terrible people who only look out for themselves. But, at the end, there was some hope when one character showed kindness. This was close to the end with very little time to get to know that character and have hope that there is some good. I like Jenni Jame's writing, this being the third book of hers I've read, and I will read more but this one is not my favorite and could have been better.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel wasn't bad, it was just kind of cheesy. This is another retelling of The Little Mermaid, but it is definitely a unique story where there's no evil sea queen or anything like that, just a mermaid that wants to explore the human world. The interesting difference between this story is that the enemy/villain is human beings. I do appreciate that the author used the original name of Pearl for the mermaid though. It was a super quick read and cheesy, but not bad. I would call this more of youth book rather than young adult though.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a lot shorter than I expected, but despite that I found myself skimming towards the end.
I thought that the twist on the original fairytale was good and I liked some of the world-building/concepts, but I just couldn't seem to get into the story.
Overall, I think it's only really suited to young teens.

[Sami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I liked the twist on the story, i could tell from the beginning that i wanted her to choose her merman. I was a little bugged with the assumptions that almost no humans are compassionate and are savage...

[Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book... although I found it to be a little predictable with where it was headed. I've also taken the time to add all the others to my reading list - so I have plenty of company to see me through those sleepless nights.

[Jamie Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet retelling of the story! Having read one of her books before I knew it would be short, so where I thought the story could have done better - I thought it was done nicely for the expected length of the story.

[david dodson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Immature

Disappointing. The story is interesting, but the characters are sentimental and predictable. They behave like children. And the dialog is tortuous to read. I will not be reading anymore of this series.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I just say how much I enjoy Jenni James's writing style? Her hero, Keel, is just what a girl would desire--a man who would make any sacrifice for the woman he loves. 'Sigh'

[Dawn Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Books Review

I loved this wonderful version of The Little Mermaid. Even though I wish it was a bit longer. Pearl was the perfect name for our little mermaid.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting twist to the tale. It seemed rushed. Not my favorite of Jenni's Fairie Tale Collection which I love. The cover is not appealing to me not enough contrast of color.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best work. Cute story but could have done so much with the plot! I felt it was lacking! And I couldn't connect to the main character Pearl. She didn't seem real...

[Kelli Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. A whole different take on the Little Mermaid....

[Jacklynn Pragosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little mermaid is one of my favorite books, and being able to read it again was definitely worth it. Revisiting Pearl and Keel’s happily was an adventure worth taking again.

[luiloth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nook

[Anna Kopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a tale as old as time, this was a totally different take. Fresh and unique, I loved it. The story is definitely geared towards a younger audience, I'd say 10+.