Drown by Esther Dalseno

"SUCH a lyrical and beautiful yet DARK read." ~ Benjaminoftomes, booktuber & founder of Oftomes publishing

~About the Book~

Title: Drown

Author: Esther Dalseno

Publication Date: October 31st, 2015

Publisher: 3 Little Birds Books

Length: 260 pages

Source: **Recieved in the mail from a friend as a gift**

Description: Seven emotionless princesses.
Three ghostly sirens.
A beautiful, malicious witch haunted by memories.
A handsome, self-mutilating prince.

Belonging to a race that is mostly animal with little humanity, a world obsessed with beauty where morality holds no sway, a little mermaid escapes to the ocean’s surface. Discovering music, a magnificent palace of glass and limestone, and a troubled human prince, she is driven by love to consult the elusive sea-witch who secretly dominates the entire species of merfolk. Upon paying an enormous price for her humanity, the little mermaid begins a new life, uncovering secrets of sexuality and the Immortal Soul. As a deadly virus threatens to contaminate the bloodstreams of the whole merfolk race, the little mermaid must choose between the lives of her people, the man she loves, or herself.

A complete reinvention of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale, this is a magical-realist fable that captures the essence of sacrifice and the price of humanity.

~Review~

I would give this book a 10 out of 10 star rating.

I was so very lucky to receive this in the mail for Christmas from my very close book blogging friend, Alexis over at Mad for Books, Luv. I was totally stoked to crack into this novel because everything about it enticed. She had read it and absolutely loved it. So I knew I had to check out what all the hype was about. SO I must say a very special thanks to her.

Just wow. Drown by Esther Dalseno was such a dark, beautiful and riveting retelling of The Little Mermaid.

The story was dark and mesmerizing, and everything about it was so well planned out. I enjoyed the switched from third person to then second person at random times. Especially when it involved addressing the audience and or readers of the book. It kept the mind thinking while enjoying a Little Mermaid retelling. The story was laid out perfectly so that from start to finsih it enticed and never stopped. Of course the story was darker then your modern day Little Mermaid, but I believe that is what made it so unique. 

I need to honestly stop and give an applaud to Esther Dalseno, the way she created and described the merfolk was absolutely amazing. They were so eerie that it made them so beautiful. From the beat-less hearts, to the emotionless souls. The images that were painted in my mind will forever be implanted there. They were haunting, and yet so beautiful all at the same time. 

Each of the characters were also crafted with such care. I really enjoyed reading about each and every single one.

My most favored character would have to have been the uncle. At first I was so wary of him and his intentions, but that however changed a lot. He grew before my eyes into such a sweet and honest character. I won't relieve TO TO much, but I do believe that all will enjoy him as a character. 

My next favored character was obviously the Little Mermaid. From the moment she was introduced in the story I knew that there was going to be something a little different about her and her presence. Seeing her character develop was extraordinary and I did quite enjoy it. 

One character who I didn't particularly enjoy was the prince himself. There were so many incidents were I wanted redemption for him because he was the prince, and at times I thought things were looking up. BUT nope, not at all. Okay, to be fair, he was written like that. So in all honestly Esther did such a wonderful job portraying his character, I just didn't enjoy the outcome for his incompetence..poor Little Mermaid. 

In Conclusion, Drown by Esther Dalseno was such an amazing Little Mermaid retelling, and I HIGHLY recommend it to those who enjoy dark twists on classic fairy tales. If you pick up Drown, I hope you enjoy!