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ceruleanshelves's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I killed the first boy I kissed, and if I ever press my lips to another’s, he won’t be the last. And I do very much hope he’s the last. Not because I dislike kissing....
Kissing is fine. It’s the killing I’m not so fond of.
little mermaid retelling where she's a kleptomaniac selkie cursed to kill with her kiss. after a run-in with the sea witch, she makes a reluctant deal to forever remove the curse and save herself - she must win a bridal pageant and kiss the groom-to-be. he's got his own dark past, but when push comes to shove will she be able to do the deed?
i had fun with this one. sometimes there was a bit of info dumping but i thought this was a cute take. i love odette's fae world with its juxtaposition of uptight regency era humans clashing with the more laidback, uninhibited fae.
i always love how her characters have interesting background stories as well, even her side characters. podaxis was a fun addition and i would love to know more what happened with him.
maisy had me cackling at her quips and though sometimes the whole "clumsy fmc" can be overdone or annoying, i thought it was utilized well here to create some tension and awkward moments. i enjoyed learning more about dorian and the growth of his character and their chemistry.
i will be using "shells" as an expletive now and "the elephant seal in the room" 🤭 and it was fun to see "the governess and the rake" play come up as an easter egg here hehe (a rivalry of hearts).
“Are we kindred spirits who understand one another? Two souls cut from the same cloth? Or are we two volatile components that should never be combined?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Death of parent
mdeochoa15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content and Murder
anniereads221's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Murder
braiths_book_thoughts's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I find it hard to believe that the person who wrote the first two books is the same person who wrote this book.
The previous books I loved, they were compelling and the twist to the retelling was amazing.
The kiss of the selkie, however?
None of these things.
It was extremely predictable. I guessed not only the twist of the retelling within a few chapters but also how it would end. It's hard to enjoy a book for the first time when you know exactly what will happen.
The characters? Completely two dimensional. They were boring, they had no personality and ultimately were dislikable or downright frustrating.
Maisie is a sheltered character, that in itself isn't irritating, when done correctly a sheltered character can be endearing. This was not true for Maisie. She had my eyes rolling more often than I could turn the page, she was a terrible character with zero personality and quite frankly I was happy when it was over.
The love interest. Oft. Brother Dorian was so bland eating the pages of the book would have been more enticing. We had zero insight to his character which made him very limiting but maybe that was a blessing as from what we did see of him, I can't image his thoughts would have been anything I would want to suffer through.
The chemistry between Maisie and Dorian? Well. I didn't find it in this book. Maybe Tessonja forgot to put it in because these two had nothing going for them. They went from hating each other to loving each other in a blink of an eye, Maisie claims that getting to know Dorian changes how she see's him, but this all happens before the reveal dark secrets conversation even occurs. She claims to know him so deeply but they barely do anything but argue until the end.
Maisie's mother is narcissistic and toxic. She gaslights Maisie throughout the book and there is forced forgiveness at end. This book also has a church setting so the religious overtones are very heavy.
The only reason this book got two stars was because of Podaxis. He was a treasure and the star of this book and Maisie did not deserve him as a friend.
The previous books I loved, they were compelling and the twist to the retelling was amazing.
The kiss of the selkie, however?
None of these things.
It was extremely predictable. I guessed not only the twist of the retelling within a few chapters but also how it would end. It's hard to enjoy a book for the first time when you know exactly what will happen.
The characters? Completely two dimensional. They were boring, they had no personality and ultimately were dislikable or downright frustrating.
Maisie is a sheltered character, that in itself isn't irritating, when done correctly a sheltered character can be endearing. This was not true for Maisie. She had my eyes rolling more often than I could turn the page, she was a terrible character with zero personality and quite frankly I was happy when it was over.
The love interest. Oft. Brother Dorian was so bland eating the pages of the book would have been more enticing. We had zero insight to his character which made him very limiting but maybe that was a blessing as from what we did see of him, I can't image his thoughts would have been anything I would want to suffer through.
The chemistry between Maisie and Dorian? Well. I didn't find it in this book. Maybe Tessonja forgot to put it in because these two had nothing going for them. They went from hating each other to loving each other in a blink of an eye, Maisie claims that getting to know Dorian changes how she see's him, but this all happens before the reveal dark secrets conversation even occurs. She claims to know him so deeply but they barely do anything but argue until the end.
Maisie's mother is narcissistic and toxic. She gaslights Maisie throughout the book and there is forced forgiveness at end. This book also has a church setting so the religious overtones are very heavy.
The only reason this book got two stars was because of Podaxis. He was a treasure and the star of this book and Maisie did not deserve him as a friend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Gaslighting