Genre: Fantasy Age Range: Adult Star Rating: 4 stars Series: standalone
Synopsis:
For Mer handler Finn Jarvis, the feral mermaid performers at Oceanica Marine Park are nothing more than ruthless aquatic predators, violent and unpredictable. That doesn’t stop the public from flocking to one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. To them, the Mer are magical entertainment, too beautiful to be dangerous. They don’t see what happens to the ones who dare swim out of line.
Newly caught Erie doesn’t know what the evil landfolk want from her. Alone and voiceless, she watches the other merfolk from the confines of her tank. Broken into submission, they’ve become shells of the once vibrant creatures she knew. But Erie refuses to be subjugated. She’ll get the crowds to see her as something more than simple entertainment—starting with her captor, Finn.
While Finn trains Erie in her routine, she secretly teaches herself the air-words he and the other trainers speak. And when the language barrier falls, Finn starts to realize that the gap between human and Mer is smaller than he thought, and maybe it’s not the Mer who are monsters, after all.
Synopsis taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Thoughts:
SPEAK THE OCEAN hooked me right from the first page. The story twists and turns, the world so like our own that I wanted to check it wasn’t. I wanted to know how Erie and Finn could grow to like each other – let along love – and how Erie would escape her situation. The story was fast paced and compelling, tightly woven to pull you along step by step.
Erie was my favourite, by far. She is so stubborn, but also very compassionate and curious. Her observations about humans and their lifestyles are hilarious (her reactions to changes of clothes are the best!)
I really liked Niku, Erie dolphin guard and friend, because it gave Erie more people to interact with, and showed another side of her. Their relationship went through so many ups and downs, which was fascinating to watch. Plus an angry dolphin plotting to kill people – what’s not to like?
Finn is not the nicest of characters, relationship wise. Watching his relationships – very casual and dismissive of the women he was with while using them -made me rather angry at times. Which I guess was the point? He then falls in love with Jen, but at the same time comes to like Erie – and occasionally uses Jen to stop thinking about Erie.
He doesn’t really seem to realise he’s in love with Erie until the end, after a massive fight with Jen (which is messy and complicated), and even then, he doesn’t admit what sort of love he feels for her for a significant chunk.
In short, he’s complicated and messy – like normal humans – but I got so frustrated at him (and they way it wasn’t always his mind thinking).
The ending came as a real surprise, and felt a little un-set up, a tad last minute. It solves the major problem at the end of the book, though, even if it leaves me with a lot of questions.
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 