I was sent an eARC of Between the Sea and Stars by Chantal Gadoury in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb from parliament publishing house website:
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?
Published by: Parliament Publishing House
Release date: 19th June
Rating: 4/5
If you love mermaids then I am sure you will enjoy this book! I really enjoyed it and actually read the whole book in one evening! I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
The story is somewhat inspired by The Little Mermaid but is much darker and the twists that the author used made the story really interesting and unique to other mermaid retellings.
The story follows the mermaid, Lena, who always dreams of going to the surface even though it has been forbidden to do so by Poseidon. And as we all know this means that of course Lena finds a way to get to the surface however it is not without disastrous consequences and leaves her stranded on the shore. She then has to figure out a way of surviving there without letting the humans know who she really is.
The author builds up a lot of suspense and gives us a little information of the backstory of why mermaids are forbidden to go to the surface and what this means for Lena, which will keep you wanting to read one more chapter.
I really liked Lena, she was strong, hardworking, independent but also a young woman who is still unsure of her own ability and shows her vulnerability. It made her relatable as a character and made me root for her. She struggles with some unwanted attention from a certain creepy character and although I wish she had been a little more assertive, it was also a very real way of how showing how difficult it can be for women to tell a man no.
There are several male characters who all have secrets and it leaves us, as the reader, guessing who will be the hero and who is the villain. This made the story more interesting, though by the end I had already decided who I was rooting for!
There were a few things which I made me feeling like I just want a bit more, the world building although was great to build the story, felt a little narrow. It showed only a small section of both the life Lena has as a mermaid and as a human. We don’t really get to see much more than what Lena sees. So I hope we get to see more in the next book.
This book does end on a cliffhanger and I really need the next book asap to know what happens next!
So if you like dark mermaid retellings then this book is a great read! If you have read this book let me know what you thought!
The Tsundoku Chronicles 
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