Well, hello everyone! I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog, and a long while since I’ve been a part of a book tour. Thank you to Hear Our Voices for including me in this tour for Oceansong by C.W. Rose. Click on the banner above to check out the rest of the spots on the tour, spread out on different platforms.
Today is the last day of the tour, and being here in Hawaii, I’m probably one of the last posts for this tour. Be sure to check out all of the other hosts and see all of the other tours that HOV has been hosting lately!
I’m also dusting off my book tags since I haven’t made an original one in… I want to say a couple of years, to be honest with you. I may do a mini one again since it’s been a while, but we will see!
Okay, enough talk. Let’s get to it!
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Hear Our Voices, C.W. Rose, and Hey Hey Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
I feel like from the moment I started reading, I was already enamored by the storyline. Things started moving fairly quickly for me, as the very first chapter told us that things were wrong in this fishing town in Alaska. Reminiscent of Happy Feet, we find that the fish are missing. Or at least, the fish that this town survives on, are missing. The catch is getting smaller and smaller as the days go by, and they can’t figure out why.
Our main character, Angie Song, is studying to be a marine biologist and has been in love with the ocean for pretty much all of her life. A pivotal moment in her life led her to the career path of marine biology, and yet another moment made her stop her ocean dives. Now that she’s back in Alaska, she’s going on another dive to find out whether her fellow villagers are telling the truth when they report sighting of creatures that are half fish, half human. Come to find out, they’re correct. During Angie’s dive, she finds that somehow, the merfolk are hoarding the fish, and this doesn’t sit well with any of the humans that are directly affected by this development.
When I was reading this story, it felt like something that could have been a movie or a TV show – and while the premise of Siren’s first season is pretty close to the plot, it’s not exactly the same. I could see Oceansong becoming its own adaptation on the screen, and I would love to watch it. I was reminded of stories like The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez, and how the devastating effects of human beings on nature can lead to our destruction. In this case, we aren’t only destroying the world for ourselves, but the world for those that share this world with us, albeit in the depths of the ocean hidden away from humans.
While I could totally appreciate it if Kaden didn’t decide to talk things over with Angie and the humans, I’m glad that he made that choice. It’s hard to be the bigger person in a situation like this and try to do what is best for both parties. Maybe it helped that Angie wasn’t able to kill him when they first meet? Would I be able to kill a the mythical creature of my dreams if I were to come upon them? I don’t think so. Even if the rest of my people were out looking for blood. Especially since Kaden is the Prince of his kingdom and is in this leadership role, there’s a lot of weight on his shoulders and he needs to ensure that any action that he does take is in the best interest of his people, and looks at the bigger picture. So I’m proud of him for that, and I’m also proud of Angie for not killing him when they first meet.
I also enjoyed this take on a mermaid/merfolk story, since it dealt with humans’ impact on their lives and their history. I also like that we got to see a merman instead of a mermaid, since sometimes I think I forget that there are men in this world. Yep, I normally think of only the mermaids in the underwater world, so getting to see Kaden as one of the main characters was fun.
Since this is supposed to be the first book in this series, I am very excited to see how the story continues. I hope to be able to share a bit more of my thoughts when I get the chance to sit through them again.
THE RULES
- Thank the person who tagged you and link to their post.
- Link to the original creator: Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads! Please note that she created the artwork/graphics if you use them.
- Answer the questions to the best of your ability. No wrong answers here!
- Tag some people you think would have fun doing this tag.
- Copy-paste the rules and prompts.
I would have to say the same as Angie’s: mermaids. I’ve always loved mermaids and I always wanted to be a mermaid. Sometimes I wish I could still be a mermaid. I don’t know how, and it would have to be a real mermaid that doesn’t turn into a human after the rain stops, but yeah. Mermaids all the way.
Even though it wasn’t very safe, I would love to visit the realm of the Dokkaebi in Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim. I also need to reread this because I didn’t end up writing a review for it when I should have and for the life of me, I don’t have a good idea of what I want to say about it. But this world was intriguing and dangerous and oh, so beautiful.
Definitely Japan. Ever since I went there at the end of high school, there was something about it that made me want to figure out how to spend the rest of my life there. Not only have I always wanted to go and find my family’s history and where in Japan we came from, but I just loved being there. Out of all of the places that I’ve traveled, Japan was the one that I felt like I should be there permanently. One day, I’ll live there. One day I’ll make a life out there. And hopefully one day I can find where my family came from.
I would love to learn Korean one day. While I do know a bit of Japanese and Mandarin, I’m not completely fluent. But I can read, write, and understand a little bit of both, and I’d like to have some knowledge of Korean as well. Maybe one day I’ll also be semi-fluent in Japanese and Mandarin! I need to still practice though.
Oh dear. I don’t even know why I picked this question!! Do I even have a favorite?! Oh, you know what? Yes, I do. And it’s from this year too, so it’s pretty recent.
Marcela and Theo from The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez! Oh, baby what a hot ass couple right there. And Theo was such an amazing and mature guy when he was with Marcela. I was so for it.
“…This a brilliant and moving addition to the fantasy genre, each page brimming with all the rhythm and depth of the Bering Sea.”
– Thea Guanzon, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE HURRICANE WARS
“…making Oceansong a must-read for those who enjoy a blend of romance, mystery, and fantasy.” – Readers Favorite (5 star review)
Fish are mysteriously disappearing, starving the people in Angie Song’s Alaskan hometown. Angie, a snarky, guarded aspiring marine biologist and dock worker, enthusiastically joins the hunt to find out where the fish are gathering. When her family and the villagers discover that merfolk are responsible, they vow to destroy every last one. In the midst of the conflict, Angie faces off with a merman and fails to pull the trigger.
Inquisitive Mer-Prince Kaden is just as snarky as Angie, but he’s willing to talk and stop the brutal massacring of his people. The two form a cautious alliance to broker peace between the humans and mer before any more of them die.
Angie’s family becomes suspicious of her time near the water and threatens her future career. If the Mer-King and Queen learn of Kaden fleeing to the surface from an engagement he doesn’t want and falling for a landwalker, he’ll be exiled.
As tensions clash in this modern-day Romeo and Juliet meets The Little Mermaid, no one is safe in the desperate fight to control the sea’s resources. Despite the risks, Angie and Kaden’s forbidden relationship ignites. And as she learns about the mer’s mysterious world and the reason why the fish are gone, Angie starts to question who the true monster is, and where her loyalties lie. Taking the wrong side means choosing between family and her job, or the man she’s fallen for and the merfolk she’s come to respect—or losing it all.
CWs: Blood, Violence, Imprisonment and Torture (off screen) of mythical creatures, Parental Death (mentioned), non-consensual kiss (off screen, not involving main couple)
Hi there! My name is Christine, but I write under the pen name C.W. Rose. I’m a Physical Therapist by day and Fantasy and Romance author by night, writing about ordinary Asian women in extraordinary situations, and find themselves and sometimes (okay, usually) love along the way. I’m also a certified scuba diver and lifeguard and live and work in New York City. Outside of writing and rehabilitating patients, I spend my free time devouring great books, singing karaoke, serving the whims of my Pekingese dog, giving into my insatiable wanderlust, and endlessly searching for new teas and recipes to whip up.
Sometimes Leelynn Reads 
Thank you so much for reading and writing such a thoughtful, thorough review!
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