The Surface Breaks: A Reimagining of The Little Mermaid

Nicht so ganz das, was ich erwartet habe… Ich mochte das Ende. Die kleine Meerjungfrau hat endlich ihre innere Stärke gefunden und Ihre Meinung, Bedürfnisse und Grenzen klar geäußert. Leider kam es für mich sehr plötzlich. Ich konnte ihre Entwicklung und den Wachstum dahin nicht klar nachvollziehen. Die Männer in dieser Geschichte sind alle furchtbar. Sie haben alle eine sehr narzisstische Persönlichkeit und wirkten sehr eindimensional. Mir fehlte leider etwas die Tiefe bei den Charakteren. Die Handlungen der Männer in dieser Geschichte stehen stellvertretend für die Misshandlungen und Unterdrückung der Frauen, aber irgendwie wirkte es auf mich leider sehr steif und unrealistisch.

nice feminist take on the little mermaid but sometimes the language was a little simple, too simple. i also found some of the references a little cringe…

I didn’t really wann get another one of O’Neills books, not because they aren’t amazing pieces of literature, but because they always left me with this extreme feeling of emptiness and definitely not the good kind. I do prefer a bittersweet ending to an over the top happy one, but O’Neill has this talent for life destroying, gut-wrenching unsatisfactory endings. When I saw that she wrote a little mermaid retelling, I was intrigued though. Also it looked very beautiful and I decided I’d give her books another try. This one was definitely worth it. When I started reading this book, I had an intense feeling of deja-vu and I quickly noticed why. This book feels so much like her older one Only Ever Yours. SO SO MUCH! I devoured Only Ever Yours last year and it left me completely torn. I loved the world-building,but it was so sad and almost unfair. This book follows very similar paths. It starts out with one girl, more beautiful than her sisters, but this beauty isn’t something that makes her happy, men assault her, her sisters start to despise her, the whole thing. And then she finds a boy she falls in love with and thinks he can save her. Very, very similar to Only Ever Yours. Even the two love interest in the books felt super similar, especially by the looks. Maybe I don’t remember it properly, but who knows. Anyway, I liked this book a lot more than Only Ever Yours. There are some plot-twists in the end, that really made it worth while for me and catapulted my rating from a three star to a four star. It’s definitely my favourite book of hers, even though I still wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for a fluffy, fun read. It’s very dark and has lots of disturbing content from extreme injury to sexual assault. I still think this is a very important book and a lovely reimagining of the Little Mermaid. Definitely recommend it, if you’re a fan of darker fairytale retellings.