Excellent story! It was everything I always wanted the little mermaid story to be and more. A light read but definitly fun. Loved it!

lukz lik a gud read.........

Interesting read, though I never really thought of the princess or the sea witch in that way. confusing at parts--for example, what was Agnes' story? Was she really Sybil in disguise? And if she was, how come Lenia couldn't 'sense' her like Sybil said all humans coud? Did that mean Lenia wasn't completely human until she and Christopher got married? I need more on this! It gives you the ORIGINAL story, not the rainbows-and-butterflies Disney version, with a bit of a twist. A real tear-jerker at the end. :(

Be warned, this isn't a "fairy tale," this is a romance novel with a heavy dose of Christianity thrown in. Compelling writing - I did read the whole thing, but I'm a little embarrassed that I did. To any teenage girls who are reading this, you deserve better from sex, love, and literature.

loved it <3

I fell in love. And in the end, I was left wanting more. I recommend this for anyone who wishes they were a little girl again and wants to be swept away in a great fairy tale!

This was such a great book! I was absolutely glued to this book, wondering what would become of this love triangle. It all came together beautifully in the end, and I really enjoyed it. I also liked the change of mythical creature - mermaids - instead of vampires. I've never read a book about mermaids before, and this book will definitely not be the last! I do not recommend this book for younger readers due to some morbid events and sexual nature of the story.

<p>If you're a girl who grew up in the 80s and 90s, brace yourself. Chances are, you loved Disney's <i>The Little Mermaid</i> growing up. If you did, you were likely disappointed when you picked up the original tale and discovered the mermaid dies and the Prince is a fickle toad of a man. So, what if I told you that there's just been a book released that tells the story better than both the versions you know?</p> </p>Of all who've approached folktales and myths, only Carolyn Turgeon, Neil Gaiman and Angela Carter can really sustain the visceral, archetypal force of the oral tales in their new, print versions. Turgeon is in fine form, here.</p> <p>The mermaid Lenia has come of age, and wants more than anything to experience the world of humans. But, on her visit to the surface, she witnesses a terrible shipwreck. Struck by the beauty of one of the victims, she decides to save him. Unable to live on land and obligated to return to her people, she leaves the Prince in the care of a woman at a convent on a cold, northern shore. Fascinated by the lore of the soul and the warm fragility of human life, Lenia is captivated by the man she leaves behind, and falls in love.</p> <p>This is where Turgeon's tale diverges, and becomes something more richly alchemical within the imagination than previous versions. The woman at the convent turns out to be Margrethe, the daughter of the warlike Northern King. The Prince is the son of the rival Southern King. Margrethe, of course, only realizes this after she has fallen in love. With the two kingdoms poised to enter a war that could finish them both, Margrethe hatches a plan to marry the Prince and unite the kingdoms. Meanwhile, Lenia has taken the potion that split her tail, and has reunited with the Prince. But, she must convince him to marry her, or she will die a death of pure oblivion - without her family, and without having obtained a soul.</p> <p>Turgeon's chapters focus alternately on each woman, and the reader can hardly decide for whom to cheer before the next chapter forces her to change sides. Turgeon deftly weaves the simple awe of the natural world into the magic of folktales so that they become seamless, and the folktale's domain expands. By the end, the reader is so ensnared in the plot and atmosphere that the twist ending's catharsis is devoured in one gulp. This is where Turgeon's real skill lies - her nuanced understanding of pace and archetype force us to process written words in the same part of us as spoken words and imagination have always met in myth. Readers who enjoy fast-paced gothic romances will love <i>Mermaid</i>, as will fans of fractured fairy tales and myths. And those of you who've craved a grown-up version of Ariel's story will find something grittier and more surreal than you'd dare hope.</p>