Review – The Mermaid by Christina Henry (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-0399584046
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Once there was a mermaid called Amelia who could never be content in the sea, a mermaid who longed to know all the world and all its wonders, and so she came to live on land.

Once there was a man called P. T. Barnum, a man who longed to make his fortune by selling the wondrous and miraculous, and there is nothing more miraculous than a real mermaid.

Amelia agrees to play the mermaid for Barnum and walk among men in their world, believing she can leave anytime she likes. But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he’s determined to hold on to his mermaid.”

I have read and loved many of Henry’s books. I loved her Madeline Black UF series and have really been enjoying all the fairy tale retellings she’s been doing as well (Alice, Red Queen, and Hook). This book was very well done and is a retelling of The Little Mermaid with some alternate history blended in.

In this book Amelia seeks to learn more about humans and the land. Originally she falls in love with a sailor and spends a long life with him but after he passes away she remains alone for many years. That is until she is invited to join P.T. Barnum’s Museum and be one of his exhibits. As you can imagine what at first looks like an amazing adventure ends up being much more perilous for Amelia.

This book wasn’t as dark as Henry’s previous fairy tale retellings and as a result I didn’t like it quite as much. I found the story a bit predictable and could have probably told you how events would play out right from the moment Amelia stepped foot in Barnum’s Museum.

This is definitely not in the same tone as the recently released “The Greatest Showman” movie. In this book Barnum is a money grubbing jerk and he thinks of nothing but how to make another dime. His wife and daughter are by far the more interesting characters. Aside from Amelia, Levi is the other main character…he works for Barnum and is also an interesting character to read about.

The book is beautifully written and was very engaging. I had a hard time putting it down and whipped right through it. The story is tied up nicely if a bit bittersweet.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I would recommend to those who like dark fairytale reimaginings set in historical settings. While this isn’t as dark as Henry’s previous books, it is not the happy go lucky feel story that The Greatest Showman is. I can’t wait to see what project Henry tackles next!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– New Release Reading Challenge
– Goodreads Reading Challenge