A review by theaceofpages
Our Vengeful Souls by Kristi McManus

adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

After being cursed by and being forced out of the ocean by her brother, Sereia finds herself in Atlantis, surrounded by the humans she has been warned about her whole life. She quickly starts forming connections and even finds love as she searches Atlantean knowledge to find a way home so that she can get her revenge. But the longer she stays, the more she wishes that she can keep the parts of her human life she has come to love.

I found myself hesitating between a 3.5 and a 3.75 for this one. Although I had a great time with this, I think it had a few issues that didn't quite make it a four star read, although I was leaning somewhat towards it for a good portion of the book. It was definitely an interesting story! Although it did contain mermaids, which usually does draw me in because I always find underwater cultures interesting to learn about (especially when they are fiercer, which this one seems to be!) I loved seeing Sereia grow into herself when she was finally taken seriously. The way her father treated her and dismissed her talents was rather sad to read about. I'm glad she was finally given the opportunity to thrive. I wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Valeria, but exploring Atlantis through a newcomer's eyes was also a wonderful experience. I'd love to see that library! The writing kept my attention well and I found myself wanting to keep going (although the Netgalley shelf app didn't always cooperate - very frustrating since I wanted to know what was going to happen next!)

I usually enjoy it when books don't focus on the romance so it feels strange saying that this one should have given more attention to it. It just kind of exists occasionally, almost feeling like an afterthought, between Sereia doing all these other awesome things and forming what feel like stronger and more important bonds with other characters. And then becomes this big, important thing that plays a massive role in where the book goes towards the end. There is such a massive character pivot and I don't fully believe it  I don't quite see how we got there,.
It makes her decisions feel like more of an overreaction than they already were - I really don't see her acting in such an extreme way given how targeted her previously shown more violent tendencies have always been. She sacrificed herself to save a girl and then simply decides "screw it, everyone is evil, including this kid I see as a sister"
Also on the not so good side of things, although it's a pretty minor thing, is that there seem to be some inconsistency in how much knowledge she has on the human world. She  knows nothing of things like chickens, bread and horse, and yet she knows the smell of mildew (okay, maybe this was explained to her at some point but I don't see how it naturally comes up?) and is familiar with very at least one clearly terrestrial idiom (having butterflies in ones stomach) although she usually defaults to oceanic things (like seals) to describe what she sees and experiences. This wasn't a big thing at all, but the second one in particular stood out to me.  Some points are also maybe repeated a bit too often, but that could also just be because its more common in books for the age range it is being marketed towards?

Although we ultimately know where the story goes through the epilogue
and of course her role as a villain in another story
I would definitely want to read more about her. She's an interesting character and I feel like there is so much to explore with the shift to her new identity.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings