Book Blurb:
A timeless classic heads under the sea…
A retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, Little Women: Mermaid Edition takes the story of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy, and spins it into a fantastical story of merfolk under the sea. Follow the young mergirls as they grow up in a world of talking walruses, seahorse rides, and the mysterious merboy next door.
Will the four mermaid sisters find everything they aspire to in the Deep Ocean? Or will poverty and shabby shell corsets keep them from their dreams?
True to the beloved classic, the Mermaid Edition tackles complex themes of growing up, social pressure, falling in love for the first time, and embracing sisterly love.
Complete with original illustrations, this retelling is perfect for longtime lovers of Little Women and new readers alike. It’s a thoughtful gift idea for mermaid enthusiasts and Louisa May Alcott fans ages 11 and up.
I received this book from the author for free via BookSirens. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
Rayleigh’s Review:
I want to preface this review by saying that the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! And the concept of my favorite Little Women being mermaids is the sole reason that this book caught my attention.
While the book is well written and the concept is very unique, it’s not what I look for in a retelling. Little Women: Mermaid Edition is almost an exact copy and paste of Little Women; which, some readers may like. But there is almost nothing original in this book other than changing the wording about the girls’ descriptions and their world being underwater. Even as mermaids, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are the same characters, with the same hobbies and same personalities. The storyline is an exact duplicate, again with the only differences being that it takes place underwater. Like I said, some readers may like that, but when I read retellings, I want a different story with occasional similarities that tie back to the original – almost like Easter eggs. I might as well have just read Louisa May Alcott’s book at this point, especially since the mermaid world didn’t make sense to me.
The girls’ father was off fighting in a war that wasn’t explained. The opening scene of Christmas was identical to Little Women, but it didn’t make sense to me that the mermaids wore winter attire. It felt like mermaids put on a play of Little Women and followed the book to a T –again, some readers may really like that, but the whole book felt copy and pasted and then the few things that were changed were never explained in this fantasy world, so it just didn’t appease my appetite for a retelling.
But it is a clean read and a cute concept so I’ll give it 3 stars. Some readers may really enjoy this, but definitely go into it knowing that it’s the same story.
Rated:
