Audiobook Review – Silverswift by Natalie Lloyd, Narrated by Holly Palance, Imani Parks (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
Publisher: Audible Original
Release Date: July 2, 2020
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Free Audible Original audiobook through Audible membership
Rating: 4/5 stars
“On a dark, wintry day, Eliza Grey receives a mysterious letter from her ailing Nana Mora begging her to come for a visit. This is an easy YES. Eliza has always preferred Nana Mora’s beach cottage on St. Simons Island to the apartment she and her mom call home in the city. The island is a magical place where stories and legends grow as thick as the Spanish moss dangling in the trees. Now, Nana Mora’s eyesight is fading and there’s something she wants to show Eliza before it’s totally gone: a mythical place locals refer to as Sirens Harbor. Supposedly hidden somewhere on the island, it’s a place where all the mermaids in the world congregate once a year to sing their Winter Song. It’s all fairy-tale silliness, according to Eliza’s mom. But Nana Mora is convinced it’s real.
With the help of an eccentric lighthouse keeper, Nana and Eliza pack up their gear and set out on their journey. As they travel, Eliza hears the real story of Sirens Harbor…along with the story of a fearsome mermaid named Silverswift, a warrior-princess rumored to have walked on the islands. Challenges abound for the adventurers: old maps are hard to read and treacherous trails spiral through the woods. And there’s a strange storm spinning all around them. It’s almost as if some things are meant to stay secret. As if the harbor doesn’t want to be found. Or as if, maybe, someone doesn’t want them to find it…
One thing is for sure: what Eliza and her grandmother actually discover on the night of the winter solstice will be better than any fairytale.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this audiobook as a free Audible Originals through my Audible membership.
Audiobook Quality (4/5): This was a high quality audiobook that was well done and easy to listen to. It’s narrated by two people, one follows Eliza’s story and one follows Silverswift’s story.
Story (4/5): This was a sweet and well done audiobook. It’s a fantasy mixed with a lot about coming of age and family issues. The book jumps between the story of Eliza and her grandmother and the story of Silverswift (a fierce mermaid who protected her people against humans). I thought this was well done but did have a couple issues with it. The first is that this story is really predictable, the big twist is pretty apparent right from the beginning. The second is that Eliza writes her letters in a way that is completely unrealistic for an eleven year old, unless she’s some kind of genius. Aside from those issues I thought this was a sweet and magical story and I enjoyed it.
Characters (4/5): I enjoyed the characters in here. Eliza and her grandmother have a wonderful relationship and the people that they encounter on the island during their adventure to find the mermaids are very charming as well.
Setting (4/5): Most of the story takes place on a couple of small islands and I enjoyed this setting. The descriptions were beautiful and the settings really came alive.
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): Despite the predictability of this story it was beautifully written. It does get a bit overly preachy at points about the importance of family and history, but it was an easy listen and for the most part I enjoyed it. The story is subtly magical and for most of the book you don’t know if the mermaids exist or not. I would probably classify this more as magical realism. Although there is a bit of adventure feel to it as well.
My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I enjoyed this story and thought it was cute. I liked the relationships between the characters and the quirkiness of the characters. The island setting was enchanting and the mystery around the mermaids was intriguing. I did think the story was too predictable and also thought that Eliza’s character wasn’t very realistic, but aside from those issues this was pretty good.
