Review – Between the Sea and Stars
Here’s my review for Between the Sea and Stars! I hope you enjoy it.
Title: Between the Sea and Stars
Author: Chantal Gadoury
Rating: 3 Stars
Publishing Date: 19 June 2018
I received this e-ARC from Parliament House Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
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?
Spoiler Free
This is my first undersea adventure book and I truly enjoyed it. The way the merrow world is built is so natural, it makes it seem as if the undersea kingdom could actually exist in our world. It’s a wonderful spin on the classic Little Mermaid, edging closer to the original Anderson. It’s a darker tale filled with loss, sorrow and wonder. Lena, the main protagonist, dreams of a world above the sea, desperate to see it. One fateful evening her dream comes true, but not in the way she expected.
Lena is a literal fish out of water in the human world. She’s like all of us, dreaming of something more than what society wants to give her. The merrow society, much like the human society, expects women to stay at home and raise the kids. I had hoped the merrows would be more progressive than humans since it’s the women who feature in all the legends and stories.
I enjoyed Lena’s time in both the human world and under the sea. Gadoury creates beautiful and believable interactions between the merrow people and sea creatures. However, the story was too slow. I kept waiting for it to pick up and gain speed, but then it was over. I also wasn’t a big fan of the ending, I felt like the book ended where the halfway point should have been. All in all, it wasn’t a bad read, the world building was great and Gadoury has a fresh and clean writing style, but the story lacked intrigue and more diverse characters.
Characters
Lena is a very relatable character. She deals with an incredible amount of loss and sorrow but still remains strong. She’s a strong female character, but not in a kickass way, and I love diverse strong female characters. At times Lena can be very naive and rash. Her actions have steep consequences and I didn’t always like how she dealt with those consequences.
Javelin, Lena’s older brother, was by far my favourite character. I was unfortunately too annoyed and angry at Lena to feel something over his fate. I loved the relationship between him and Lena, he’s the big brother every girl wants.
Asger, Lena’s childhood crush, wasn’t a favourite either. He wanted Lena to play housewife for him and have his kids, and there’s nothing I dislike more than a man who thinks he can dictate what a woman does with her life.
I hated Jace. I don’t think I’ve ever hated a character that much. He’s just so entitled and has a large chip on his shoulder. I wanted to slap him most of the time. He treats Lena like his property and he acts like he’s entitled to her and her body. It makes my blood boil.
Soren Emil was probably the best out of the three possible love interests for Lena. I don’t know why, but he still gave me a slightly uneasy feeling. At first, I thought he was way older than Lena, which is probably why I thought he was creepy. I do hope we see more of him in the second book.
Lord Jarl is a truly scary villain, but he’s 2D. There’s no depth to him, yet. Here’s hoping we get to know more of him in the next book.
Spoilers
As established I’m angry at Lena for causing her brother’s death. I know it wasn’t her fault, but her reckless actions led to the circumstances of his death. All of the men in this book gave me a really uneasy feeling, which is a testament to how good of a writer Gadoury is since Lena’s the one who feels uneasy all the time. It’s been a while since I could physically feel a character’s feelings, and I love that about this book. It just draws you in and doesn’t let go.
I also felt like the story of Lena’s mother could have played a more central part. Lena’s mother was human turned merrow, and Lena doesn’t even attempt to find out more about her mother after she joins the human world. I would have been all over that. This story also lacked a strong female character, besides Lena. The cast is mostly comprised of men, all with questionable intentions toward Lena. She needed a human, female friend to show her the ropes in the human world. Sometimes Lena was frustratingly naive and I felt like the story needed someone to just shake some sense into her. I truly hope Lena makes some female friends in the future.
The ending of this story also bummed me out. I felt like Edwin’s death was unnecessary, and Lena should have just run when she had the chance. I find it strange that Jarl could sneak into the inn without notice, and that no one could hear Lena’s scream. Maybe Jarl has some weird power, and I can’t wait to read the second book.
Story and Plot
Like I said, the story was a little slow and lacked action. I hope some of the characters (Jace) get a redemption arc and a deeper look at their stories. I can’t wait for the second book. Gadoury has a really clean and fresh writing style and I enjoyed this book.
General Thoughts
Between the Sea and Stars comes out the 19th of June. Let me know if/when you’ve read this book!
Рretty! This was a rеally wߋnderful aｒticle. Μany thanks for supplying this information.