The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: A Princess of Wind and Wave: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid

Series: Beyond the Four Kingdoms #6

Author: Melanie Cellier

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Clean Romance

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

Isla may be a mermaid princess, but she’s never felt at home in her undersea kingdom. Instead she dreams of the day her people can return to the surface–and the boy whose life she once saved. But while Isla foresees danger for her people beneath the ocean, she has no concept of the dark forces working to keep her people submerged.

When an impetuous vow sets her on the course of the truth, Isla discovers that shadowy foes beset the kingdoms of both land and sea. And when she finally finds herself onshore, Isla realizes the fight will require not only her sword but her mind and heart as well–at least if she ever hopes to overcome her enemies and win the love of the prince of her dreams.

In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, the princess will have to grow beyond her dreams if she wants to save two kingdoms and her own heart. – summary from Goodreads

A Princess of Wind and Wave is my all time favorite retelling of The Little Mermaid!

Honestly, I have never really loved The Little Mermaid. When you share a namesake with one of the most popular Disney princesses, you chafe against it a little. I have given retellings a shot over the years, but they were never my favorite. Melanie Cellier changes that!

I loved Isla, Teddy, Millie, and Ray! They were wonderful characters and I loved their stories, and I especially loved the double romance.

One of the best parts of this story for me were the dreamer aspects. As a dreamer myself these parts spoke to me. I loved how both Teddy and Isla were dreamers, and both had to deal with that in their own ways. I am in no way saying that this book portrayed dreamers as a bad thing, but it showed the reality of being a dreamer. I loved the moment Isla realized she loved her dreamed version of Teddy and not the real Teddy. It was beautiful and realistic, and showed a real issue that often comes up when you’re a dreamer. I also really liked how both of them accepted the dreamer sides of the other and didn’t try to change it. It lent to a really sweet aspect of the story.

I also really liked how mermaids were written. They felt more real with more backstory that is typically given to the mermaid side of this story. There was a real reason why they were mermaids, which I really liked. I also really liked how they were still human; they just adopted mer-forms. This felt much more realistic to me and it addressed the inter-species relationship that has bothered me for years. (Am I a killjoy? Probably, but these are the kind of questions that plague me!) In general, I really loved the magic systems in this world. I loved how Merrita was separated from the other kingdoms, and how the people of Merrita survived under the sea. I loved how this was done, and it was really intriguing!

I actually really liked the storyline itself. It follows a similar path as other Little Mermaid retellings, but this one is more logically ordered for me. I don’t know if I have mentioned this in my previous reviews, but I love how Cellier’s retellings follow a more logical order than most other retellings and the Disney movies do. I really liked that Isla went to the surface for a specific reason, and it was to help people, not just because she was following a guy that she liked.

I also felt like Isla was actually dedicated to her people. She was rash and made some bad decisions, and sometimes she did lose sight of what she was doing, but she wanted to protect her people, and that is what guided the story.

We also got to know the sisters a little bit! I would have liked to see them a little more, but I got a nice sense of the family dynamic and social structure of Merrita. I especially liked Ray! While Isla’s whole family dynamic was a little confusing to follow at times, I loved Ray and Isla together. They were a wonderful duo, and I loved reading about them!

I will also say that I really enjoyed how Isla’s father took care of things. The more I think about it, Triton in the Disney movie was irrationally angry and didn’t really approach things with thought and calm. Isla’s dad did, though, and it was a breath of fresh air. There were more reasonable consequences for actions, and events had a more logical order.

Teddy and Isla were really adorable together! They definitely had more of a slow burn romance, and it took them quite a while to figure out how they felt about each other, but that made it all the better when they did get together! I would also like to share the joyous news that there was no love at first sight! There was attraction and a connection, but they took the time to get to know each other and then loved each other!

A Princess of Wind and Wave was a wonderful, unique Little Mermaid retelling! It had action, adventure, romance, and truly wonderful characters guiding the story! This has become my favorite Little Mermaid retelling!

Quotes:

“And in that moment, I couldn’t have told you which of us belonged to the sea and which the land- only that we both belonged to the sky and the storm.”

“‘Don’t get lost in a dream, Isla.’”