36341006-2

My Rating ~ Four stars

4-gold-stars copy

DUE FOR RELEASE: 19 June 2018

Publisher: Parliament House Press

Format: E-ARC

Source: Received from Parliament House Press

Blurb

A Legend,
A Magical Shell
A Girl Who Dreamed Of Something More…

Lena, a Merrow girl, lives in the Skagerrak sea with her father, Carrick and her brother, Javelin who tells her of the legend of the Merrow Queen murdered by her human lover when greed takes over. But what’s worth spilling the queen’s blood? Gifted from Poseidon, himself, a magic shell gives any human the ability to control both land and sea.

When Javelin is called to join a clan of Merrow soldiers bent on protecting their waters from human invasion, Lena resists Merrow law and ventures to the shore with no choice but to swim to land.

With newfound legs, Lena is whisked away on a new adventure with new friends and new trouble. Everyone seems to want something from her as intrigue lurks around every corner.

Trying her best to hide who she is and remain safe from the dangers of the human world, will Lena finally find where she belongs, or will she be swept into a strong and stormy current by lust, greed, and jealousy?

Review

Thank you to Parliament House Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Between the Sea and Stars is based on a Little Mermaid retelling, with Lena as our main character. Lena is a Merrow (mermaid) who dreams of taking a glimpse of the human world. She gets her chance when her brother joins a clan of mermen, called Fosse-Søfolk, who lure shipwrecked humans to their death. At her insistence, he takes her to the surface, but an unexpected turn of events forces Lena to leave the sea and enter the human world. Once ashore, Lena must try and navigate the strange land (literally, with her new legs) and human customs. Taken in by an inkeeper’s son, she soon meets his grandfather and friend, Soren – two people who believe the legend of the Merrow’s may not be the myth everyone else assumes it to be.

All of the characters in this book made me feel something strongly about them, which I find so important in a book. Even if the characters make me want to strangle them, that keeps me engaged in the story!
If I could have reached through the book and punched the innkeeper’s son, Jace, right in the nose, I would have. He was immature, pompous and chauvinistic. Lord Jarl, the evil landlord, made my skin crawl and I could almost feel the tiredness coming through the page from the innkeeper herself, Mrs Wyatt.

Lena’s brother, Javelin, Soren Emil and grandfather Edwin were by far my favourite characters in the book. They were such three dimensional and complex characters and Lena’s different relationship with each of them was special. I really enjoyed them all and am particularly looking forward to seeing more of Soren in the next book.

I understand Lena’s submissiveness went towards showing her naivety, under the sea and about the human world, but I would have liked to see her with a bit more sass. I mean, she was constantly made to feel uncomfortable by many of the men in the story and she just stood back and let it happen. I am hoping in the next book she can start to stand up for herself a whole lot more.
Speaking of the second book, you know those books where you read the last page, turn for the next page and there just isn’t one? When you flick back and forwards saying “Wait, What? Its ending there?!” this book was one of those books! Not at all in a ‘left me disappointed’ way, but in an ‘I need the next book now!’ way.