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The Dark Mermaid (Cursed Water Book 1) Kindle Edition
On the day Luna proves that she is powerful enough to be her father’s heir, she is banished for saving the life of an enchanting human boy. Her father, the king, gives her two options: kill Ian and regain her honor by the time she comes of age, or be destroyed.
Luna finds shelter in forbidden waters and comes under the protection of her father’s greatest enemy, the Sea Witch. As her ward, Luna becomes a fearsome warrior, but struggles with the fear of turning her powerful magic dark.
With only days remaining before her seventeenth birthday, Luna finds Ian sailing the seas in search of answers. Luna is determined to escape her father’s wrath, and the Sea Witch’s plot of revenge, but dark forces won’t allow her to live a human life without making an impossible sacrifice.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateSeptember 5, 2017
- File size3010 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B0757GDKT5
- Publisher : Ninja Dust; 1st edition (September 5, 2017)
- Publication date : September 5, 2017
- Language : English
- File size : 3010 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 331 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,512,272 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #5,923 in Contemporary Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #13,339 in Contemporary Fantasy (Books)
- #28,422 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Christina L. Barr began a goal some years ago to complete 30 books by her 30th Birthday. As of last year, June 2019, she was able to meet that goal.
13 of her 30 books are already published. They are Kit Lit to New Adult, in genres ranging from Historical, Fiction, Fantasy, Urban, Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age, Faith, Paranormal, and more.
Finding inspiration always came naturally for Christina. Her father is a pastor, a huge comic book nerd, and her mother is a sci-fi enthusiast. This environment created a bold imagination and a belief that all things are possible.
She's been a singer/songwriter since the age of 9. She's also a graphic designer and did the artwork for her own book covers.
Customer reviews
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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020Similar to the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the heroine in Christina L. Barr's The Dark Mermaid has no name, which is considered common for merfolk. She later adopts the name "Luna" when she decides to become human. More than half the book takes place underwater, which makes for a more fleshed out fantasy setting than many other "Little Mermaid" adaptations take the time to develop. Like its title, the The Dark Mermaid brings to life a world of deadly sirens with a tyrannical king. Luna is expected to kill mercilessly if she wants to maintain her place within her family. When she refuses to murder a human boy named Ian after his parents are brutally slaughtered by Luna's father and sisters, she is banished and must go on a journey to find her place in the world. She is taken in by the castaway Sea Witch, who trains her in the magic arts. Luna works hard under her care in the hopes that she can one day unlock the power to become human and be reunited with the boy she rescued.
"The Little Mermaid" is one of few fairy tales to introduce a love triangle. The prince in the fairy tale must choose between the mute mermaid and the princess he is betrothed to. Some adaptations, such as Dyesebel, make this romantic tension even more interesting by introducing a second potential love interest for the lovesick mermaid. The Dark Mermaid introduces a shapeshifter named Napa, who is fiercely loyal to Luna and does everything in his power to help her transition into a human and find Ian, in spite of his underlying feelings for her. Napa is such a fun and friendly sidekick that I wondered if Luna was going to fall for him instead. While struggling to regain his full powers, he spends most of the book as a seagull, crab, or fish. Napa brights light humor into an otherwise dark story. I was especially amused by his recount of when he turned into a chicken, and mother almost ate him.
Another unique quality of this book is that it takes place in modern times. Like the love interest from Dyesebel, another modern-day "Little Mermaid" story, Ian is from a wealthy family that owns a tech company, which is essentially today's equivalent to a prince. Television, the internet, and airplanes are among the many human things that Luna must learn about when she sprouts legs, even though these are things that were unheard during the time period that the original fairy tale took place. The setting allows the story to be more grounded in reality instead of a faraway land that can only exist in our imagination. Ian's girlfriend refers to Luna as his "anime fetish," a likely thing for someone to tease a modern young man about if he were obsessed with a magical girl who may or may not actually exist. It also contains descriptions of Luna's first experience using a shower and wearing contemporary clothing. As a princess fan, I prefer reading about fancy gowns, but shorts and a tank top make more sense for the time period.
I strongly recommend The Dark Mermaid for any fan of "The Little Mermaid" or the Filipino Dyesebel series. There were parallels among both that breathed new life into the story that I have not seen in any other adaptation. This book also placed heavy focus on the segment of the fairy tale in which the mermaid was propositioned to kill the prince in order to save herself, something that I have only ever seen one other adaptation do. It contains a healthy balance of dark and light story elements thanks to Napa's comedic relief along with an extremely relatable heroine who wishes to find her place in the world. There is also plenty of magic and drama for all sorts of fantasy fans to enjoy.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2019I enjoyed this story. It's an imaginative retelling of the little mermaid tale, with some unique twists. There's an awkwardness to the writing that marred my enjoyment... oddly turned sentences, misused words like sorcerous instead of sorceress, shuttered instead of shuddered. I considered not finishing it; but ultimately the storytelling and visuals drew me onward. It's imperfect, yet compelling. I look forward to more from this author!
- Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2023I love this take on the little mermaid. Can't wait to see where Lunas story goes.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2019Originally, the little mermaid is a tale of discovery and learning to accept diversity. This beautiful gem brings a whole new level to that small tale. From hideous sea witches to overpowered Atlantian kings there is someone you can relate to in this page-turner.
First off, I love the name, Luna! Surprisingly our little mermaid doesn't start the book with a name and so with the help of a friend gains one during her time away from Atlantis. I won't spoil anything, but the little mermaid turns out a disappointment to her abusive father and is cast out over saving a human. From there she is led on a long journey leading to truths revealed, true intentions, and hearts desires fulfilled.
Darkness fills this tale, sorrow and regret aplenty keep you turning the pages searching for happiness. Even in the end, the "happy ending" is tainted by the events underwater.
As first in the Cursed Water Series, it surely has a great potential for a continued storyline. I'm anxious to see what Luna and her two friends will become as the series develops! Four stars for great story content, execution, and wonderful hook! Some sentence awkwardness and could have expanded the world and descriptions a bit more, but still a wonderful read!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017A dark retelling of the modern version of The Little Mermaid.
It was really enjoyable as I followed Luna through the years. The story starts out with a different take. The mermaids are more like they are in real myth, not the Disney version. Later, I saw some fun things the author added that kept reminding me of the Disney version though.
SPOILERS NOW: There is sort of a love triangle, but it doesn't really develop until later in the book and doesn't dominate the story, which I liked. The focus of the story was always Luna and her situation. She's a 13 to 16-year-old, she was abused in her life, she learned a lot, but was obviously still learning. So I understood from the beginning that it was from the mind of that kind of lost and emotionally confused age group. It was well done. The writing style made the story pleasant to fly through, and I was always eager to see what was going to happen next. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. There were twists and turns where it was nothing like the modern Disney story we all know, and some of that was really great! I'd say the only parts I didn't like very much was the fact that it was set in present day, haha. (Some of the scenes annoyed me when she was on land, and too much modern immature drama started to get involved. Those scenes were not something I like as far as stories I like to read or watch because... well, I'm weird. Though they were well done.) It was also strange to see it in our time, but that's just because, again, I'm weird like that I guess. I also didn't really like the guy she loves. He is handsome, but I didn't like his personality too much. I like her friend better. :) Anyway, I won't ramble on any longer. This was a really interesting read and I'm happy I read it. I recommend YA lovers, Twilight (plot only) lovers, magic-action lovers, because this is the book for you.
Top reviews from other countries
- rhiannaspannaReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was dark and interesting and kept me guessing. Well written with some surprising characters, I can't wait to start book two!
- Amazon customerReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2019
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun and dark but a little bit juvenile
It was all right. I liked the first half more. The concept is brilliant but I didn't find the characters as interesting as they could be. Sea Witch was the best part.