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A review by pine_wulf
Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The main focus is the growing relationship between a siren, Perle, and a pirate, Dejean. This is a good book for anybody who likes a slow-burn romance. But not if you're expecting anything explicit. They get as far as declarations and a kiss on the forehead/cheek (don't remember exactly). I was here for the ace rep, but then thought I'd misremembered because I wasn't seeing it. It's only made clear at the end. This isn't a bad thing, as there is a very diverse cast, but it's not the focus. There are a couple things that are mentioned only in passing. Like, there was no reason for the ace character to declare such until the end, so it wasn't mentioned earlier.
I think the biggest strength in the story lies in Perle's recovery and acceptance of their disability. That's the main focus of the book for the first half, with the second half being more focused on getting rid of the antagonist. There was still the normal drama between the two leads during the climax, but it didn't feel too forced.
I also really liked how since the sirens don't really have gender, Perle defaults to referring to people as 'they' until told otherwise. At one point there is a confrontation with a big human with facial hair and this person is just referred to as 'they' during the whole scene. It's a little thing that really helps to sell that Perle just thinks differently.
The problems I had were that I had trouble visualising some of the scenes. Such as Perle transferring herself from the "clamshell" to the ground. The clamshell is some kind of elevator, but at the top, they swing it and jump off at the right time to get to the cliff and I just couldn't figure out the mechanics of this since their tail is paralyzed. Also, Dejean in no way feels like a pirate captain. It makes a good role to get him to where he needs to be, but I can not imagine him attacking merchant vessels. It's ok to attack Kian's ship at the beginning because she's doing evil, so that makes him noble, but I just can't see him making a living out of pirating if he only goes after bad guys. (Not that there is any indication that that is what he does. He could be very good at this, it's literally not mentioned at all, and attacking all sorts of hard-working folks. I just can't see it.) These are fairly minor issues and overall I would definitely recommend.
I think the biggest strength in the story lies in Perle's recovery and acceptance of their disability. That's the main focus of the book for the first half, with the second half being more focused on getting rid of the antagonist. There was still the normal drama between the two leads during the climax, but it didn't feel too forced.
I also really liked how since the sirens don't really have gender, Perle defaults to referring to people as 'they' until told otherwise. At one point there is a confrontation with a big human with facial hair and this person is just referred to as 'they' during the whole scene. It's a little thing that really helps to sell that Perle just thinks differently.
The problems I had were that I had trouble visualising some of the scenes. Such as Perle transferring herself from the "clamshell" to the ground. The clamshell is some kind of elevator, but at the top, they swing it and jump off at the right time to get to the cliff and I just couldn't figure out the mechanics of this since their tail is paralyzed. Also, Dejean in no way feels like a pirate captain. It makes a good role to get him to where he needs to be, but I can not imagine him attacking merchant vessels. It's ok to attack Kian's ship at the beginning because she's doing evil, so that makes him noble, but I just can't see him making a living out of pirating if he only goes after bad guys. (Not that there is any indication that that is what he does. He could be very good at this, it's literally not mentioned at all, and attacking all sorts of hard-working folks. I just can't see it.) These are fairly minor issues and overall I would definitely recommend.