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anabel_unker 's review for:
The Voice of the Ocean
by Kelsey Impicciche
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
As the youngest daughter of the siren queen, Celeste has struggled her entire life to find where she belongs. She's too emotional and stubborn for the taxing scrutiny of public life as a royal, and now that her favorite sister is gone, the young princess finds herself drifting farther and farther away from her family. For a while, she'd hoped a role in the Chorus, the prestigious army that protects the waters of her kingdom from humans, would fill the void in her life, but even after several rigorous cycles of training instilling routine and order, Celeste finds herself unable to quiet the discontent in her heart.
A chance encounter with a boat of humans, ,Celeste discovers she doesn't believe the teachings of the Chorus and her people fully-- the humans she observed didn't seem as one-dimension as she'd been led to believe. They danced and sang, the same as her kind; they cared for each other and bonded with other animals; they seemed... kind.
But an impulsive decision marks Celeste as a traitor to her kingdom, with only a single chance for redemption: to assassinate Prince Raiden Sharpe, the same man she saved from the Chorus and has her questioning the teachings of her kind. Will Celeste be strong enough to kill the charming man who easily envelopes her into his life? Will she find a way to stay true to her own heart, while finding her way back home?
.
VOICE OF THE OCEAN was a strong debut by Impicciche, it's a fun and fresh re-imagining of The Little Mermaid with the adventure and romance of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Geared toward younger young adult readers, I think this book will be successful; it's got pirates and romance, found family and an intriguing new fantasy world to explore. As a middle schooler, I would have <I>loved</I> this book.
However, as an adult, I can't help but notice a few glaring issues: the first, and most troublesome for me, was the pacing. As several other reviewers have pointed it-- the first half of this book dragged due to the sheer amount of world building and character development; but then, it felt like the entire climax took place in a few chapters and left the readers on a cliffhanger. I also found myself struggling with Raiden as a character. His personality was very hot-and-cold, and it felt like he had two distinct personalities-- the cold and strict captain, and then the kind and warm love interest; and while this kind of shift in personality can work, it's only believable (to me) if you can see glimmers of each personality in the other.
While VOICE OF THE OCEAN wasn't a slam dunk for me personally, I can tell that Impicciche will only improve as a writer and storyteller, and I look forward to reading her future books.
As the youngest daughter of the siren queen, Celeste has struggled her entire life to find where she belongs. She's too emotional and stubborn for the taxing scrutiny of public life as a royal, and now that her favorite sister is gone, the young princess finds herself drifting farther and farther away from her family. For a while, she'd hoped a role in the Chorus, the prestigious army that protects the waters of her kingdom from humans, would fill the void in her life, but even after several rigorous cycles of training instilling routine and order, Celeste finds herself unable to quiet the discontent in her heart.
A chance encounter with a boat of humans, ,Celeste discovers she doesn't believe the teachings of the Chorus and her people fully-- the humans she observed didn't seem as one-dimension as she'd been led to believe. They danced and sang, the same as her kind; they cared for each other and bonded with other animals; they seemed... kind.
But an impulsive decision marks Celeste as a traitor to her kingdom, with only a single chance for redemption: to assassinate Prince Raiden Sharpe, the same man she saved from the Chorus and has her questioning the teachings of her kind. Will Celeste be strong enough to kill the charming man who easily envelopes her into his life? Will she find a way to stay true to her own heart, while finding her way back home?
.
VOICE OF THE OCEAN was a strong debut by Impicciche, it's a fun and fresh re-imagining of The Little Mermaid with the adventure and romance of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Geared toward younger young adult readers, I think this book will be successful; it's got pirates and romance, found family and an intriguing new fantasy world to explore. As a middle schooler, I would have <I>loved</I> this book.
However, as an adult, I can't help but notice a few glaring issues: the first, and most troublesome for me, was the pacing. As several other reviewers have pointed it-- the first half of this book dragged due to the sheer amount of world building and character development; but then, it felt like the entire climax took place in a few chapters and left the readers on a cliffhanger. I also found myself struggling with Raiden as a character. His personality was very hot-and-cold, and it felt like he had two distinct personalities-- the cold and strict captain, and then the kind and warm love interest; and while this kind of shift in personality can work, it's only believable (to me) if you can see glimmers of each personality in the other.
While VOICE OF THE OCEAN wasn't a slam dunk for me personally, I can tell that Impicciche will only improve as a writer and storyteller, and I look forward to reading her future books.