Anger. Betrayal. Exile.Isla always knew she would be queen. One day. But after the death of her mother, matriarch of the Southern Pacific merfolk kingdom, that day grew much closer than she was prepared for. Worse, to become a mermaid queen, she must marry. It is the only way to protect her kingdom.Forcibly betrothed to her childhood friend and father’s fiercest warrior, Isla is desperate for an … warrior, Isla is desperate for an escape—no matter the cost. But until she marries, her father is filled with a power his body cannot handle, and his control is steadily slipping.
After an explosive fight with her father, Isla flees to the surface, only to find herself in the middle of a violent storm with two choices: swim to safety or save the human man she sees drowning in the tumultuous waves.
Her decision will change her life, as well as her kingdom, forever.
A story inspired by “The Little Mermaid” like you’ve never seen before.
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Excellent …
Loosely based on the tale of The Little Mermaid, this book follows the journey of Isla, a young mermaid who is banished from her kingdom but instead ends up saving it from an evil plot.
My first thought on this book is that it should be a film. I’m serious. A full length feature film with big Hollywood actors and the whole caboodle. It is rare that I come across books like this but when it does happen I like to say so. The author should definitely think about turning this into a script and selling it.
The only problem that I had with this book was I wanted to see a little bit more of the worlds. Everything else was very well described and very well put together but both the human world and the merfolk world seemed to be lacking in description. Other than that everything else was amazing.
The writing was descriptive enough to make it interesting but blunt enough to get the point across without having to repeat scenes over and over again. The story line was very well-thought-out and very well put together. The characters were very well developed and by the end of the book you find yourself cheering for the victors.
Speaking of the ending, I thought it was particularly lovely the way the author decided to tie everything up in a neat little bow. And I mean that truly. The ending was perfectly sweet and also very well done.
This is definitely a book that I would recommend to others.
Isla Emerged is excellent! I love the characters and the detail put into the story. Isla is totally relatable! I love her world! I am definitely reading it again! Love, love, love this story!
OMG!! This is so much more than a simple retelling of the Little Mermaid as it goes beyond the scope of a mermaid who wants to be a part of the human world. This well paced, beautiful story introduces us to Isla and we get to bear witness to her growth from a young girl with a lot of attitude to a woman who does what needs to be done to save her people.
The characters and storyline are impeccably done and the author’s storytelling immediately captivated me. I did not want this story to end and I am beyond thrilled that I was able to read an advance readers copy. As soon as this is available in paperback, I will be purchasing it to add it to my bookshelf as I will be delving into this story again and again.
Isla Emerged by Deidre Sequeira is a well written tale inspired by The Little Mermaid. The story crafted within these pages is full of amazing imagery, intriguing characters and emotional themes that keep the reader engaged and invested in the story. Anger, betrayal and suspense, I was on edge of my seat to know how it all would play out. I am excited to read more.
Wow, When I first picked up this book, I was immediately drawn in by the “Little Mermaid” of it all, but as the writer took me on a journey much more in depth and intriguing, I found myself not wanting to put the book down. It’s a new spin on an old favorite that makes you fall in love with the characters and their world.
Wow, this is a unique telling of a love story, mermaids, trials and tribulations. Well written story that sucks you in and keeps you on edge.
Isla is supposed to take over as queen of her kingdom, but she has to get married. She may love her friend, but not that way. She doesn’t want to marry without love. Spotting a drowning man, she saves him but doesn’t know how it will affect her or her kingdom’s future.
First thing first, this cover is so beautiful
It’s been a while since I read a little mermaid and really enjoy it. From the very beginning I can just see the world and characters just ahh!!. Isle remind me of myself just want to live her life and find love alone the way, but that not going to happen when her father force her into a marriage to make sure child. She ready to make her escape plan even if it means risking it all. Quick read under 200 pgs, before I knew it I was half way threw the book. Isla’s father is one hard headed/ stubborn men who’s really not trying to listen to his daughter and her feels but only in his head. That make me so frustrating and just wanted to scream. I love seeing Isla grow along the way from being a “child” ( as her father say) I need more can’t wait for the second book.
4 out of 5 stars
Isla always knew that she would be queen but when her mother dies that day comes closer and closer . With an arranged marriage to her childhood friend who really doesn’t want to marry her but will out of duty . Isla is desperate to escape the clutches of her father. She heads to the surface where she saves a drowning man but that man is not as good as everyone thinks . This changes her life and the lives of her friends forever .
This story is based on the little mermaid story but there are things that are totally different . The main characters are well written . Isla at first comes of kind of like a spoiled brat . She is just is doing everything in her power to prove her point to her dad . As we see her through out the book we really get to see her grow and become a strong woman doing what needs to be done to help her friends and save them . Allister is the young man who is fierce and will do what needs to be done even marry the princess even though he is in love with Isla’s best friend . There are so many diverse characters that keep Isla busy fighting for her kingdom.
This story is a good twist on the little mermaid story, the characters are well written and you tend to get sucked into them and like them . The author has a way of writing that can suck you in and then keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the story. The only thing that kind of had me stop it just seemed a little bit slow at the beginning and I didn’t connect with Isla but as i was reading more into the story I got into the characters and really started to care for Isla and the rest of them . Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read book 2 . This would be a great book to read by the pool or at the beach . So check it out
Perfect for fans of Siren and The Lunar Chronicles.
Such a unique reshaping of The Little Mermaid! Isla’s character arc was handled perfectly, all of the characters were engaging, and the plot was well thought out. Definitely recommend.
#amreading #readingcommunity #bookstagram #fairytale
Little Mermaid with a twist but this was not the twist I was expecting. Not going to lie, it’s hard for me to express how much I enjoyed this book without giving away any spoilers.
Isla is 17 and the only daughter to the king, he is trying to have her marry but Isla wants to marry for love, just like he and her mother did. That being said the book isn’t all about a romance like I was expecting. Since her and her father can’t come to an agreement Isla runs away a couple times. One of those times she saves a man, Barron, although he’s not in the book much he still has a big impact on it all.
Before running away Isla isn’t exactly spoiled but she’s also not thinking of her people like she should have. Once Isla is betrayed she become a total badass, I loved her growth, she becomes the person that her people need. I can’t wait to see what happens next and I hope we get to see more of Kaya and Anita.
I thought this was not only a good book for teens but for adults too.
3.5 stars.
An interesting twist on the Little Mermaid. I enjoyed the overall concept and liked this new underwater world full of mermaids and madmen.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is all my own thoughts and honest opinions.
When I first started this book I got complete Little Mermaid vibes from it. There is a mermaid princess who doesn’t want the responsibilities of ruling her kingdom as she is just a 17-year old. Her father wants her to get married to her best friend, and the General of the Army so that she can take the throne. She is against this arranged marriage so she escapes to the land where she meets a human boy. But then, things take a turn and it b
When an attack on her kingdom happens when she has run away, she is blamed and exiled for being a traitor. During this attack majority of the non-warrior mermaids are kidnapped by the Hunters, and brought on land. During Isla’s exile, she must find her inner strength and become the Queen she is meant to be, or let the mermaids of her kingdom suffer and be tortured.
I absolutely loved the writing style of Deidre, it had a really great flow to it. I had read over half of the book and still felt like I had barely grasped the storyline but it wasn’t dragging along as some other stories do. This is a book that you could easily read in one sitting. I wasn’t able to since I had to go to work, but it was something that stuck in my mind when I could pick it back up again. There were a few things that I wish were different. Like I wish we got to learn more about Anita and Kaya. They were really cool characters and played such a critical role in the development of Isla but we really don’t learn a ton about them. We get a slight backstory for Anita but that’s it.
Based on the synopsis I thought this might have some romance or some sort of love interest as she is required to marry to get the throne. However, after about 50% of this book, I was wondering if there was going to be any romance at all. But there is NONE. If you are looking for a romance with a HEA, you will not find it here. This is an independent female strength book.
Also, by the end of the book, I was so over the men in her life. Her father, best friend and “love interest” are absolutely horrible people and I hate them all. None of them deserves sympathy, love, or compassion. They abandoned, betrayed, and broke Isla.
Overall it was a really good book and I will be continuing with the story for as long as Deidre decides to write Isla’s story. I would recommend for fans of fresh, new mermaid tales. I gave this book 4 stars since we don’t get to know Anita or Kaya as much as I wish we had, as well as it is portrayed as a romance when it is not.
ARC received from the author and I am reviewing it voluntarily and objectively.
Mermaids. Need I say more? Why would you not read this book? The world needs more books about mermaids.
I’ll admit I picked this up for its synopsis and I was slightly under the impression it would be a romance. Although my romance-loving reading brain was a bit let down, the rest of me was not. The book starts out in one direction, and then veers hard right and gets dark!
I can see how this loosely follows The Little Mermaid for the first part. The theme is there, even down to Isla missing the party. (Think in the Disney movie when she missed her solo), but I did not feel that this was a copy or anything. Just a very well-thought out reflection of it. Once the book takes that veer hard right is really where the similarities end.
Isla is a princess mermaid, set to marry a man of her father’s choosing, his army general. Neither love each other more than just friendship. Isla leaves home entirely and saves a human man. She later spends some more time with him, before running away altogether. She is found and brought back to find her home in chaos and needs to save them all.
All in all, it’s a good book. A tad short, which I think took a hit on the development of it all. It all just felt a bit rushed in my opinion. Considering the ending, I wish there was more development on her friends. I would be interested in seeing where Isla’s story ends up though.
Mermaids are a matriarchal society and powers are only possessed by the females. With her mother’s passing that means the kingdom only has a year before they will be left unprotected.
Cue the stubborn, selfish Princess Isla. She believes in marrying for love, and at 17 is being forced to marry in order to protect her kingdom. She has other plans.
She escapes the palace, saves a human, reveals the secrets of her people and unknowingly helps the capture of the merwomen in her kingdom.
She is banished and left on an island to live as a human. She meets Anita and Kaya and learns what has become of the captured mermaids and the plans The Order has for them. Now it’s up to her to become the Queen she’s always been and with the help of her new allies, save her people.
For anyone who loves The Little Mermaid, or fairy tale retellings in general, this one is for you. You will laugh (a lot) and if you’re a sap like me you will also tear up. I appreciate the author giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. The views expressed here are mine and mine alone.
Before I get into it. How amazing it this book cover? It drew me in immediately.
This book is a sort-of retelling to one of my favorite Disney stories “The Little Mermaid” and I liked it very very much.
It starts off with Isla wanting to take her own path despite her father’s insistence that she get married, coincidentally to her best friend, and take the throne.
Through fighting with her father about being forced into marriage Isla decides to run for it and that’s where she things go wrong.
After a betrayal, Isla has to learn the hard life lessons quickly in order to save her people and herself.
This is a coming of age story that allows you to see glimpses of the maturation which is all well and good in the long run but I do wish there was more opportunity to see her growth.
All in all this was a fun spin on nostalgia and freshness that brings the nest of both worlds and make you want more.
Long live Queen Isla.
4.5/5
This is an amazing book to read. Once I started I could not stop until I finished. I recommend this is you like Merfolk fantasy and something that will keep you on edge. The ending was not what I expected and I hope to read more!
After losing her mom, Isla is suddenly thrust into an engagement with her friend and she does not want this. So like any young girl she starts to rebel. Finding herself in a position to rescue a man, she does.
That action alone causes a series of consequences that leads to a bittersweet happy ending.