Rating: 
Summary: Promises much, delivers little halfway through
Review: Based on the Little Mermaid, as everyone probably know. The introduction in the back - jealoused young mermaid...tidal force that could keep James and Pearl apart... - is entirely rubbish and has nearly no connection to the book. Reading it, you would think that after everything Pearl and her prince would be happily ever after despite the so-called "lovestruck merman" and "jealoused mermaid," being a YA romance book and all. Right? Wrong! All the intensity built up in the front between James and Pearl was promising, but the ending that each went off their own way with a pretty prince and princess just rubbed me the wrong way. The characterization is decent in the beginning - believable, clear, and nicely written - but things started to go downhill when a mermaid saved James and his feelings for Pearl just evaporated in his determination to marry the pretty girl who saved him. I thought this was unlikely of a thoughtful prince who often escaped the palace to talk to think and talk with Pearl to throw away his best friend (whom he was about to propose to before he fell into the water) in favor of the girl who saved him. I mean, where had all those years they shared went? Pearl's personality, on the other hand, was about as bland as her hair. Her attraction to James faded promptly when a merman who claimed to be her betrothed appeared - without any hints of jealousy, upset, or shock. Their encounter with the antagonist, Sea Witch, was unbelievably short and unfortunately, not sweet. The king's assassination was very simple, straightforward, and explained, and I don't mean that in a good way. The ending was just so, blah. The second half of the book lacked the emotional play and complications that the first half promised, making the conclusion extremely predictable and yet, you couldn't feel any feelings for the characters. To sum it up, it's not the best book I've read, nor is it bad. I read the others in the series and I liked "The Storyteller's Daughter" better by far, perhaps because I'm rather unfamiliar with the original tale. Also, if one liked YA fantasy, I recommend John Peel's "The Secret of Dragonhome" - a pity it isn't more known. Also, Gail Carson Levine's humorous reworks of fairytales are also worth a read.
Rating: 
Summary: It could have been so good!!
Review: But the author, as the title suggests, "screwed it up". The first half of the book is very, very good. But as soon as the two other mermaids come in, the book goes in a completely different direction. One that I didn't exactly like. Both Pearl and Prince James do things that are completely out of character, and it left my head spinning, and swimming with angry thoughts. I could see that the author wanted to have a "happy" ending, with everyone left alive; but honestly, I think it would have been better, and more BELIEVABLE if it had been done differently. It could have been very emotional, and powerful; and more satisfying.
So, read this with caution. I'm happy that I read it, yes, but ultimately, I'm disappointed in the waste of talent.
(edited)
Rating: 
Summary: Free At Last!
Review: Debbie Viguie has escaped from the shadow of Nancy Holder's mediocre tv-serial writing and produced something that is imaginative, original, and fun. Turning the fairytale on it's head is always entertaining, but this one is much more than the usual deconstructionist reinterpretation. Keep your eyes on this one folks. The only thing that disappoints me is that this has be classified as a kids book. It isn't Just a kids book (just because there's no profanity or baudy harlequin-romance sex doesn't mean the book is only for children).
Rating: 
Summary: A Different Type of Tale
Review: Definately not your average Little Mermaid story. Basic story setting is the kingdom of Aster. Characters are Pearl, a mermaid who was taken in by a human family, James, Prince of Aster and looking for a wife, Kale, Pearl's or Adriana as we come to know her, betrothed, and Faye, the mermaid who falls in love with James. The entire book was well written, but my only complaint was that everything seemed to be rushed. Other than that, I would reccomend this book to anyone who loves a good fairy tale, or in this case a mermaid tale.
Rating: 
Summary: terrible
Review: First of all this is not The Little Mermaid at all! The author just fabricated a similar story to make it look that the original but she failed miserbaly at it. This book was so dull, the plot stupid, the characters flat and overall completely predictable. You felt nothing for these people. The two main characters are so silly that they lack true personality and credibility--maiking this a book defintely to be skipped. Don't read. Just a waste of time. The two main people didn't end up together, sad to say, and they have false feelings. Teens may not stick around long enough to see it through to the end (I'm a teen and I did--which I regret)and not want to even pick this book up again to finish it. Take my advice: stick to the orginal and skip this poor excuse of a book. I borrowed this (lucky for me)and quickly returned it--never to gaze upon it again! So anyone interested in buying this dumb book--DON'T.
Rating:
Summary: the little mermaid?
Review: i enjoyed this book. the only bad thing about it was that i wished the story would have gone on longer! the reason why i gave this novel 4 stars instead of 5 was that this story was supposed to be a retelling of "the little mermaid". i didn't know that until after i read the book! my advice is, read this book if you want a cool and quick read, but if you want a true retelling of a classic fairy tale, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: well, the cover is lovely...
Review: I have to say that i was disappointed with this book. First of all, the summary on the backcover is entirely wrong (books with incorrect summaries annoy me). There is no 'disdainful king', no 'jealous young mermaid', Kale is not so lovestruck a merman, and although the sea witch is powerful... she could have been much worse. I think the novel would have turned out better if Viguie had better developed her story and characters. Pearl, the main character, struck me as an indecisive, gullible girl who spends much too long dealing with self-pity. Prince James, Pearl's best friend, I would have liked more, had he been more developed as a character. Faye the supposedly 'jealous young mermaid' wasn't jealous at any moment of the book, and she struck me as the character with most spirit of them all. Her brother Kale, I was starting to like --he seems to have an interesting personaltiy-- and yet, all his talk about "I've loved Pearl for seventeen years and have been looking for her all my life" displays him as a naive, slightly foolishly ideal young merman, and throws his credibility down the drain. The plot itself was alright (reading about the defeat of Prince James' foes was much more interesting than reading about Pearl defeating the "powerful sea witch" --who seemed too easy to defeat by half--), but i think i would have appreciated it more if its pace had slowed down a bit. The sad thing about this novel is that it is entirely too brief. Just as i was starting to get into the characters, the story was over. There wasn't enough time to get really attached to any of them, except perhaps Pearl, whom i wasn't very impressed with. When i was finished reading, i was left with the sour taste of "Well, that's it??" All in all, the book had great potential... but it needed many more pages to really make it truly shine.
Rating:
Summary: The best version yet!!!!!
Review: I loved this book! Ever since I was little, The Little Mermaid fascinated me. And this book tells the tale with so much..... pizazz! Not only does it have romance, but adventure, fantasy, and a few bad guys too! This book kept me on the edge of my chair, and I recommend it for all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Evil
Review: I loved this book! The story line was great, and there was a nice mixture emotion involved, but there were just two things i did not like. The romance was pretty bad. There weren't any develpmental signs, it was just a 'THWACK! hey, i love you' sort of thing. Really bugs me. Plus, at the end of the book, you begin to feel as if you're running a marathon with the speed things start going and falling into place,as well as the fact that the ending tie-up isn't really a tie-up at all. Rather exasperating, really.
Why am i still giving it a 5? Because it is a very addictive and pretty story, which more than makes up for it's faults. The author has a very pretty way of writing things. I highly recommend this book
Rating:
Summary: It could have been so good!!
Review: I repeat the title again and again! The first half of the book is EXCELLENT. I could read it over and over. But...as soon as the new mermaids come into the it, the author really screwed things up. Even though we don't get to know the characters too well, the two main ones, Pearl and Prince James, were doing things completely out of character. All their feelings that were previously mentioned were thrown out for no good reason. I suppose that it was nbecause it was the only way for the book to have a good ending, with everyone living-but I would have preferred it the other way. it could have been such a good, emotional book---there was so much potential. I'm still glad I read this book, however, so I could se for myself how it was. So good ahead, if you're still not convinced from the other reviews (however, I warn you, they have major spoilers!!!)
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