OMG guys! You know how much of a mermaid I am, and now I get to be on a blog tour for a book about a mermaid?!?! It’s seriously a dream come true! Thank you so, so, so, SO much to Fantastic Flying Book Club for having me on this tour. When I got the email, I was so happy and it totally made my stressful day so much better. Remember to click on the banner to see the rest of the stops on the tour!
Multiple award-winning young adult author Sara Ella reimagines The Little Mermaid in a powerful and unexpected way.
Sixteen-year-old mermaid Coral has always been different, standing out from her stoic sisters in a society where blending in is key. Worse yet, she fears she has been afflicted with the dreaded Disease. Said to be carried by humans, the Disease imposes emotions on its victims, causing them to commit unspeakable acts. The growing illness inside her, while terrifying, fascinates her very core. Where others see danger, Coral sees life. Could it be the colorless merfolk who are truly ill?
Above the sea, seventeen-year-old Brooke Jordan has nothing left to give. A homeless girl abandoned and forgotten, the only thing Brooke can rely on is the ocean. Her aching feet find refuge within the cool and comforting waves, while her broken heart grows harder with each passing day. When Brooke’s and Coral’s worlds collide, everything alters in an instant. From learning to stand alone, to discovering the strength it takes to rely on another, the girls find that living requires taking that first painful breath. Each must make sacrifices, and when it comes to finding true love? Let’s just say the boys in their lives must learn to swim if they’re ever going to survive the storms.
Battling the odds against them, the girls will do whatever it takes to survive. But what must end for love and life to finally begin?
Taking a new twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale, this modern-day story explores mental health from several perspectives, questioning what it means to be human in a world where humanity often seems lost.
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Once upon a time, Sara Ella dreamed she would marry a prince and live in a Disney castle. Today, she spends her days throwing living room dance parties for her two princesses, raising her little prince to be a king, and conquering realms of her own imaginings. Oh, and her husband is definitely more swoon-worthy than any Prince Charming.
Sara’s UNBLEMISHED trilogy has received high praise and multiple awards, but none as rewarding as the love and support she receives from her readers every day. Her new story CORAL, a reimagining of THE LITTLE MERMAID, releases in the fall of 2019.
When she’s not on deadline, Sara Ella can most often be found fangirling on Twitter, Instagram, or her YouTube channel. She may or may not be obsessed with #Bookstagram, and she has a serious condition known as “Coffee Snob-itis.” She believes “Happily Ever After is Never Far Away.”
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, and Thomas Nelson for this free copy.
Suicide, self-harm, emotional abuse,
anxiety, depression, eating disorders,
PTSD, unwanted advances
First, I’d like to point out that Ella had a very beautiful and concise letter to her readers in the beginning of the novel spelling out the above potential triggers. I know that some people are still in the middle of the whole “the real word doesn’t come with trigger warnings so don’t be a sensitive snowflake” argument but when authors do things like this to let their readers know ahead of time what to expect, it makes them so much better in my eyes. I truly respect authors that think about their readers that may potentially be triggered by their book’s content, and rather than not being dismissive of that fact, take the time to write something like this to them so they know. Seeing this letter before you read/buy/borrow this book can help a lot of people from getting into something they didn’t realize they were getting into.
So thank you again for that. Small things like that have a lasting impact.
Second, I didn’t think that I could read a Little Mermaid retelling that deals with the very real effects of depression, suicide, and still bring this kind of magic that I always look for under the sea. I really like that Ella made this more than about a mermaid trying to find her legs, because while I love what Disney did to the story – mostly because of Sebastian and Flounder, let’s be real here – I wanted to see some sort of human aspect to a mermaid that isn’t just about falling in love with a handsome dude.
Nothing wrong with that of course, but I like variety.
Depression is such a real thing, and I know that people don’t always understand it.
- “Get out of your funk.”
- “Just be happy.”
- “Things could be worse, you know.”
- “Just stop being depressed.”
Do you know how annoying that shit is?
It’s like people don’t get it because they can’t physically see something wrong with your body, like that’s the only qualifier for having an illness. So when Ella showed mermaids falling victim to this Disease called Red Tide, I thought that was extremely clever. Although, it sucks that it only affects women.
The cringe I’m giving to that line right now. Thanks mer-granny.
I just couldn’t help but relate to Coral, Brooke, and even Merrick throughout my time reading this novel. Sure, I wasn’t secretly a mermaid – I’m still salty about that one – and I never watched a sister get Diseased by Red Tide, but best believe that I have been there myself. Sure, I never actually wound up in a facility due to a suicide attempt, but best believe I could have been. And sure, I have not had a sibling commit suicide, but I’ve had one that thought about it. This whole book screams reality to me in almost the worst way, but in a way that reinforces the fact that I am not alone in these feelings, and I don’t have to go through any of this alone. None of us do if we actually allow ourselves to open our hearts, let down our walls, and allow someone to help us. It’s part of it, not all of it, but it’s a start.
So yeah I felt a certain type of way when I was reading this, and honestly I did not think I would, but a part of me is glad that I did. And a part of me will constantly revisit this story in the back of my mind, think about what Coral, Brooke and Merrick went through, the strength that they had to have throughout this novel that they probably didn’t even know they possessed. And I’ll keep going, one step at a time.
I think you should read this. I think you should digest this story, really think about what Ella is trying to tell you, and just keep that in your mind and heart for as long as you can.
Again I totally didn’t add my artwork to the playlist like I meant to, so you’ll have to wait for it until Monday or something. But at least you can see the photo in this post, right? That’s the important part. I think.
Once again, a short one but hey, sometimes I don’t need things to be drawn out in order to get my point across, right? Plus, sometimes it’s hard finding someone you think would match a character. It’s fun though, and that’s why I keep signing up for them. Gimme all the dream casts!
So this one gets a little emotional guys. Be on the lookout for that and please mind your mental health when you read this novel. Again, Ella spells it out to us in her author’s note at the beginning of the novel, and I have included the warnings here for you ahead of time. Let me know what you think, and how you feel about books that deal with heavy topics like depression or suicide.
Until next time, fam.
Sometimes Leelynn Reads 
This book sounds very good! Great review!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Great review. I hope you’re okay, considering what you mentioned about depression, and I agree that it’s lovely that the author took the time to include a note like that at the start of her book.
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