...(book review) the surface breaks by louise o'neill

Deep beneath the cold, stormy sea, Gaia is a mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. On her first swim to the surface, she is drawn towards a human boy. Gaia longs to join his carefree world, but how much will she have to sacrifice? 

What will it take for the little mermaid to find her voice?

THE SURFACE BREAKS by Louise O'Neill
Published: 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy Fiction, Fairy Tale Reimagining
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a fantastical, dark, feminist, and at times angry reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. The original story comes with its own streak of darkness: a mermaid who exchanges her voice for legs, upon which each step she takes feels like she walking on broken glass. But The Surface Breaks delves deeper, making the original concept seem mild by comparison. It painfully highlights what a women is capable of enduring, and pushing herself through. Gaia does not simply trade her voice, but consents to having her tongue grotesquely cut from her mouth, forever and irreversibly losing her means of speech, and song.

She trades her most treasured possession for a chance to escape her fathers tyranny, and live on land where she can be with the boy she assumes to be her true love. But as any non-fairytale dweller knows, love is tainted and imperfect and sometimes unrequited. Sometimes you can see a person through rose coloured glasses for so long that it blinds you to their true nature, disguising their many flaws.

"Do you know what it feels like to be comfortable in your own skin? Have you ever known?"

The blatant feminism in this book grabbed me by the throat and made me sit up and pay attention. I quickly realised that for Gaia, the tragedy of this story is not only losing her voice, but not feeling able to use it in a way that mattered when she still had it in her possession. Her world is controlled my men and their whims, both beneath the ocean and on land it seems. She doesn't stand up to them because she doesn't know she can. And when the realisation occurs, she no longer has the voice to do so.

It takes the juxtaposition of the Sea Witch to show her that there's another way to live. That a woman exists who isn't thin, silent or obedient to the will of men. She belongs to no one but herself. And she will rely on no one else to save her.

Living true is the most important things any woman can do.

It wasn't the writing or the characters that endeared me to the story. It was solely the message it sends. I encourage women and men alike to read this book. I think there is something to be gleamed from it, no matter who you are. It's thought provoking beyond words.

Let me know your thoughts if you do read The Surface Breaks, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks as always for reading. You can find me in between blogs on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Zuzu 🖋

...(book review) the witch hunt by alexander lound

Two months on from the tragedy of the Burned House, and Jonny has spent most of the long summer days in bed, hiding from the miserable rain. Ghost-hunting is in his past. After all, it has proved to be little more than a curse. 

However, when his dad reaches out to him after an eighteen-month absence, Jonny can't hide his fury. He also can't say no after his father asks him to stay at his new home in the quaint, little village of Peene. Maybe it will heal the hurt between them. At the very least it will take his mind of Grantford, and his haunting nightmares. 

But when he realises - feels - that all isn't quite right with his dad's new partner, Bella, he has no choice but to turn back to his ability. To uncover a grisly murder of years past. Even if it means risking another date with death...

THE WITCH HUNT by Alexander Lound [Jonny Roberts: Book Three]

Published: Feb 2021

Genre: YA Paranormal 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Here it is, the 3rd book in the Jonny Roberts series. I've been privileged enough to receive a digital copy of this book to read and review in advance of release, so here's a little bit about what you can expect from the third instalment of this chilling YA Paranormal series:

Jonny can speak to the dead, an ability that has thus far only caused him heart ache. Having lost his best friend in his last encounter with a dangerous poltergeist, Jonny is newly bereaved and alone. His girlfriend deemed him too dangerous to be around, and perhaps she's right. He's given up mediumship for good.

Or so he thinks...

When his estranged father gets in touch and asks Jonny for a second chance, Jonny decides to allow him to reconnect. Going to stay with his dad means a temporary refuge and distraction from recent events. But, upon meeting his father's new family, Jonny soon realises that all is not as perfect in his dad's new life as it may seem.

As fatal as his previous encounters with ghosts have been, Jonny soon sees that without his intervention, the people he still has left to love could be in great danger! 

When beginning this book, I was worried that it would be filled with the moping teenage angst of Jonny, alone after losing his best friend and girlfriend. But the author surprised me and took the story to a new location, introduced new characters, and created a situation that I certainly hadn't expected.

The ghost in this book is an intriguing one, and I found myself gripped by her story as Jonny and his medium friend, Aaron, unravelled her history with gripping pace.

There are some pretty chilling moments, and I'd say that this is probably the darkest of the three books so far. Also, my favourite of the three.

I don't know if there's another instalment for Jonny Roberts, but I look forward to reading it if there is. There's a lot that Jonny lays bare in this book, and I would be interested to read how his character develops without the burden of so many secrets!

If you're interested in reading the Jonny Roberts series, it's available to buy on Amazon.

Check out all links from the authors website: alexanderlound.com/books/

And follow him here on Instagram for more updates @aloundauthor