sultrytartreviews's reviews
476 reviews

3.5 stars

After finally finishing out this series, I've come to the conclusion that I've out grown Cross's writing. I loved the first three of this series when I was new to Kindle Unlimited and reading indie romance, but I struggled through books 4,5, & 6 (with 6 being the one I enjoyed most of the three). It saddens me that I wasn't more into the story since I found Henry and Clara very adorable in the first half of the book, but by the end I was skimming because I'd lost interest. For me, the romance storylines were not balanced enough with the mystery/secondary plot line. I wish Henry's depression and anxiety hadn't been treated like something to simply spell away (literally gave it a band aid fix instead of working through any issues and how this has been a lifelong struggle for him) and I was downright angry for him that those who supposedly loved him most kept insisting he should forgive his father for his childhood trauma. I just expect more nuance from authors on these topics now and those were two glaring points that I cannot gloss over. There was no healing journey or even real attempt to make a relationship with henry and his dad, really just an attitude that Henry should 'be over it by now' and 'grow up'--which is not how trauma or mental health works. 

Perhaps if real world applications do not bother you as they do me this will be a more enjoyable read for you. I have a hard time removing myself from real world issues and applications the more contemporary a book is. 

I'll start of with the good in this book, I thought the writing was very depictive and and the storytelling was gripping. Literally all I knew about this book when I picked it up was that it was a YA with Black mermaids. So I was a little surprised with how heavy of a plot was woven in with the beginnings of the slave trade, seeing as I was mostly expecting a folktale retelling. There were some graphic depictions of abuse on page, but as a sensitive reader it did not dissuade me from continuing the book. I am a sucker for retellings, reimaginings of folktales and fairytales and I think on that front this book delivered. (Please be aware, I do not have intimate knowledge about the deities or folktales used here to declare if the representation is accurate to original stories or the cultures they come from.) 

While I did enjoy the book, I will admit it was very difficult for me to get through and I took my time listening to the audio. I wasn't pulled to keep going or listening while I was doing errands/chores like I usually do with my audio books. I had to give more concentration to the story. Part of my disconnection was how action packed this book was. There was never a rest for the main characters and never any real moments of peace or joy for them to sit in, which made it harder to power through. I am a habitual romance reader and this also made believing the romance storyline kinda far fetched. It seemed unnecessary and simply placed into the plot. I would have rather had character development than a weak romance with no backing. While our FMC is a likeable and strong character, I didn't feel much development for her occurred. Lastly, the ending seemed rather abrupt and made the last long scenes feel aimless since they were put to rest in a few lines.

For a novella, there was a lot fit into this book! I enjoyed the relationship growth between Robbie and Marigold, it was sweet and comfortable and so funny. I loved watching them open up to each other. The full cast narration was especially worth the audio listen. 

I was also impressed with all the ways this story unraveled love. What does it mean? How is it shown? How can it be sustained. And I found the insight rather impactful. True to the other audible exclusive CB books, there is no steam in this book. But I did swoon A LOT, Robbie is too cute. I was literally jumping around in excitement at the ending love declarations. 

This book has moments of beauty, tenderness, learning, understanding, and so much more. I absolutely adored reading it. I highly recommend it. As someone who accidentally skipped book 4 in this series, I wasn't lost to pick this one up (I had a general understanding of tropes for that book, so nothing was spoiled for me). I was shocked by how old Ziggy is now, though. Just like real life, ha.

I'd like to add that there are some very realistic scenes dealing with anxiety and anxiety/panic attacks. They were so realistic I started to get the anxiety chest bunches. Just a heads up if there are other readers out there who deal with this.