[[full review will be up on my blog as per usual. but i wanted to put that here too because this review is a mess because i was a total mess when i wrote it.]]

UPDATE (5/10/18):

After further consideration I had to lower the rating of this book to a 4.5/5 because there are a lot of things I wish were explained further, especially for a fantasy book. I blame all the other fantasy books I've read who have raised the bar :')

It was still really good and I would super recommend this. I wish we had more books like this <3

---

I was going to give this 4 stars. . . but then I don't think I would ever forgive myself.

"Homes are hard to find."

I don't know where to start.

At first this just seemed to be some dark little-mermaid retelling. But then it became more than that ?!?!

Gosh, the story telling was so enchanting and dark at the same time. It got a bit startled at first because of some of the gruesome details but then at the same time it got me dreaming of the things that could be in a world of sirens. I'm so speechless because this is one of those books that isn't perfect but YOU JUST NEED TO GIVE 5 STARS. I do not want to raise anyone's expectations but this just really blew me away.

I also achieved some realisations here between Lira and Elian's dynamic (LOVE them btw). These two are already so beautiful as individuals but put them together and they can change the world. A prince of the land and the princess of the ocean. This is exactly like the little mermaid story that we never had. It also came to me that one of the reasons they understand each other so much is that they KNOW the weight that comes with being royalty. It was mentioned numerous times in the book and when you think about it, who else can really understand a prince of land that belongs in the ocean than the princess of the ocean? And who else to understand a princess who only wants to please her mother than the prince who's father has never understand his need to belong in the ocean.

Speaking of which, I love both of their characters because they were both shown as fierce characters, the fiercest of each of their own kinds even. But even thought they were presented as such, it was also written out how they have their own weaknesses, and how they aren't invincible. As this is a fantasy book, I expected a bit more show of their magic though. But anyhow, I melted with their romance and their dynamic. UGH! I want a prince.

"Everything is murkier now. And Elian made it that way in a single second.
In an action as easy as breathing: He smiled."

I am saying again that there are some more things that I wanted to see in this story, since I have very high standards when it comes to fantasy, but then this is written as a standalone and is not a series which I already appreciate on its own. So I am not complaining that much with the lack of some details. The world building is already great as it is.


Okay here we go: the main reason I gave this story 5 stars is actually because of the world it conjured up in my head and the way that it was not exactly one vibe the whole book. It was pretty diverse when it comes to the mood of the story that one description is not enough. It is not just dark, not just romantic, not just fantasy. It's all three with a twist. Which was amazing. It shows true loyalty and friendship, how it cannot just be taken with magic. It can make you feel that dreamy, floating, kind of love. This review is a bit messed up due to me just finishing this book as I type this down. IT MAKES YOU FEEL WHAT IT WANTS YOU TO FEEL.

“In my heart, I’m as wild as the ocean that raised me.”

This is literally the break down of how I would describe what the book was talking about in different parts and what it made me feel (this is in the order of how you read it):

PHASE 1: Dark, Mysterious, What does it mean to be royalty

I was like, if this is suppose to be some kind of little mermaid retelling, is it suppose to be so dark? there were so many discussions about our two main characters on the demands of royalty and price that has to be paid to rule a kingdom. This was just an essential part of the book for me because it showed that even our all powerful, fierce MCs have just as much on their shoulders, more, as the other characters.


PHASE 2: Magic, Family, Friendship, Family

This was very different from the first part and I was thrown off at first. In the end I embraced it and, oh, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. This was the lighter side of the book but it still created just as much as impact. The fact that these four topics were very evident throughout the whole of the book but focused more on the middle. . . it was a very right choice for the author to pace the book like this.


PHASE 3: the Dream of what could be

I was shookt when they started mentioning about dreams and dreaming of what the world could be. I never expected the book to go down that path because it started pretty dark. But wow did it give the book the balance it needed to earn the 5 stars that so many readers have been praising it with.



I needed to do that short list because I think it is one of the most accurate ways I could have expressed just how much my feelings for this book changed as i went on reading. I wanna keep this dream and fantasy of a story. It was romantic just as it was magical just as it was dark. It really is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas. This book could have been told in a trilogy of some sort if the author wanted it to last that long, but it was perfect as a single story and I am happy that the she did not drag it because if it were to have been longer than a single book, I'm afraid that it might be pushing the story.


Thank you for getting this far into my review. The meaning of this book grows more for me each second it stays with me from the moment I finished reading it.