I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review. I was immediately enticed by the pretty tail on the cover. I have always loved the variety of stories about what might live in the unexplored portions of the vast waters of Earth. This tale hooked me easily. A combination of mermaids and PT Barnum?! A perfect almost historical fiction.

I was going down the shore one weekend, and I was interested in a quick, easy read that I could sit on the beach with. The Mermaid seemed like that kind of book, and it appeared short enough for me to get through in a day or two. I didn’t get to read the whole thing while down the shore, but I did manage to get it read rather quickly, and it was such an interesting story!

The mermaid is caught in a fisherman’s net, but instead of taking advantage of the miraculous find, he lets her go. She is immediately intrigued by him and follows him home, forsaking her mermaid life for a life as a human and the man’s wife. They live happily ever after, until her husband dies, and she’s left all alone. Her character is intriguing, as she has become a part of two very different worlds. As a mermaid, she looks nothing like we would imagine, and she is strong and powerful. As a human, she is a woman who longs for the love of a family, but that comes to an end.

Her desire now is to travel the world and see the wonders of humans, but she’s practical and realizes that in order to do that, she needs money. From her cottage in Maine, she travels all the way to New York City after meeting with a man about becoming a part of the American Museum. She wants to show the world her kind and make money so she can live comfortably the way she wants. She is strong-willed and understands her value, but she is also cautious about those around her, unsure if she will ever be able to love or trust another human again.

And then there’s P.T. Barnum. There are so many aspects of this novel that are from history, and this man is one of them. One if his most popular attractions was the Feejee Mermaid, which was essentially the body of a dead monkey sewn onto the tail of a fish. It was grotesque, but it traveled the country as one of Barnum’s famous attractions. Henry takes this historical event and places a real mermaid in its stead, and she did it extremely well.

But P.T. Barnum wasn’t known as a kind man, and he always put money before everything else, even the comfort of his exhibits. This is touched upon quite a bit in the story, as Amelia has many demands that would protect her own interests. Even in the end, despite his change in attitude a bit, Barnum is still a man who loves money and will do what it takes to make his name famous.

I really enjoyed this book, but I wish it was a bit longer. There were many aspects of the plot that could have been expanded a bit more, but other than that, this is a quick read that is light-hearted and fun. It even reads more like a fairy tale than a novel of this time. And the cover is simply GORGEOUS, so it will be welcome on my shelf! Definitely pick this book up if you’re into fairy tale-inspired stories!

This is more historical fiction than fantasy. I enjoyed it and appreciated that it wasn't "silly" as so many mermaid books are. However, I wanted a little bit more description, I didn't feel like I understood the characters well. I would have enjoyed more of a look into Amelia's life before Barnum's show, that section was too short for me! Overall I recommend if it sounds like your cup of tea.

Fantastical page turner. I enjoyed this one immensely.

Part love story and part women’s empowerment. I really enjoyed this tale of a real mermaid who decides to try to make a go of if in a human world.

She challenges barriers for women in society in the 1800s by speaking her mind honestly. I loved her measured responses throughout the book. She was a very thoughtful character. I enjoyed how she helped Barnum’s wife, Charity, discover her own power.

The love story is wonderfully realistic, too, how they have to learn and grow with each other. Well told!

Audible reader was good.

This started off nicely with a lot of potential ahead, but it later became very repetitive and ultimately not that exciting.

Having read Henry's "Alice" series, my expectations of this may have been influenced, but even when I realised it wasn't going to be that kind of story, I still had to push myself just to finish it.

Perhaps a younger mind would appreciate it more, I can see some teens liking this sort of thing, as for adults, I'd recommend going to the "Alice" series instead.

Decent but not great.

For as much as I read, I can confidently say that I have never read a book quite like this. Not only is it historical fiction about mermaids, but it is also a bit about P.T. Barnum and the Fiji "Feejee" Mermaid retelling.
For those who don't know who P.T. Barnum is, he was a founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, you know, the guy The Greatest Showman is based on. The legendary P.T. Barnum in this version of events is a lot more corrupt than the movie musical one. I honestly was just tolerant towards his character. He wasn't a greatly written character, but he wasn't a poorly written one either.
I was more into the book for Amelia. She was a strong female character who had many beautifully crafted insights on humans and their world. Her story is about grief, freedom/independence, and autonomy.
As you may have been able to guess from my short description of Amelia, this story has a lot of social commentary for the Victorian Era. I'd say around 95% of the comments made in the book still hold up about today's society. Because there is loads of social commentary, that may turn people away from the book because they don't want something so in your face. I can assure you that it may be obvious the author or character is critiquing a worldly or American issue, it is not being forced down your throat every other line.
A few short things I liked are: fast pacing, easily mixing fairytale and history, depictions of grief after suddenly losing a loved one, each character POV had a unique voice.
I feel like I've said it already, but I'll say it again, this book was absolutely beautiful. No matter what was being said, Christina Henry made it sound gorgeous:
"He knew then, without any other proof, that she was a mermaid, a real mermaid, and far from wanting her in Barnum’s tank, he wanted her to return to the ocean or to her cottage on the rocks or just go anywhere but there, for Barnum would take all of her magic and twist it out of her until the enchantment was gone, and Levi was afraid for her, so afraid."
"Freedom was far more intoxicating than safety could ever be.”
“The ocean has a rhythm, but it has no heart.”
“Women who did what they liked instead of what other people wished were often accused of witchcraft, because only a witch would be so defiant, or so it was thought.”