This was an interesting story that brought forward sadness, hope, and mystery. The characters were all interesting and fun to follow. The ending left you wanting more, but not too much more. Overall I enjoyed it. ( )

Truly a beautiful story of love, family, betrayal and friendship. I came across this book while looking for adult mermaid stories and this was recommended to me. Im only surprised I didn’t find it earlier!

So, where to begin? It’s the story of David Baptiste, a young fisherman who rescues a mermaid off the coast of Black Conch, a Caribbean island. She was about to be sold off by American tourists, and he brings her into hiding, and they fall in love in the process. There’s also a sideplot with a friend who helps him and befriends the mermaid, and is part of a second love story with her estranged husband and father of her son. That’s the very basics of this story.

This is told in 4 POVs, with David (in the form of journal entries), Arcadia (the main supporting character), the mermaid Aycayia (told in verse), and a few POV scenes with the American tourists.

This story was so compelling. The writing style is a bit different from what I was used to (in Caribbean-style English), but I didn’t have any trouble understanding it. It was always clear whose head we were in. Omniscient POV with all but Aycayia’s scenes. At the same time, it was heartbreaking, with the way the tourists treated Aycayia, and feeling her despair that she may never become a full woman again since she was cursed by her people centuries ago, because they were jealous of her beauty. I felt her initial mistrust toward the islanders, David in particular. And my heart warmed when she started warming to them.

And that ending tugged at my heartstrings! Not everyone gets a happy ending here, but it does give you hope that there might be one in the future.

Plus, this is quite short at about 240 pages for the e-book. Recommended if you like mermaid stories, don’t mind trying out a different writing style, and want to feel the feels. ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2023/09/2023138-mermaid-of-black-conch-monique.ht... ( )

Magical story, beautifully written ( )

Okay, anyone who knows me as a reader knows this book isn't going to be my cup of tea. I really don't like magical realism no matter how many awards the book has won.

However, with the exception of two rainstorms (fish and like, jellyfish, raining down from the sky), Roffey manages to make this story of a mermaid believable. So it wasn't my skepticism that kept me from fully embracing this story.

In fact, chapter 2, entitled "Dauntless" was one incredible piece of writing. In it, Roffey really shows her strengths which I would characterize as terrific descriptions coupled with the ability to escalate tension. If I were teaching a writing class, I would use this chapter. If the whole book echoed this chapter, it would be certainly been five stars for me.

Unfortunately, these strengths seem to be offset by dialogue that just didn't work for me. The mermaid's dialogue was especially grating because it was in poetry form. Bad poetry. Maybe I'm not a person who really has the background to be a judge of poems, but I really did not find it lyrical, nor did it help create the character or add anything to the story. It's a out of the box structure that has no real purpose, and I was not a fan.

The plot and themes of the book were interesting enough, weaving in criminal behavior, love stories, and historical racism in a unique Caribbean setting.

I think fans of magical realism might really find the book worthwhile, but all in all, not my type of book, so hard for me to be too judgmental in either direction. ( )