Voice of the Ocean

Is this the start of my mermaid phase? Yes. The answer is absolutely yes.

The Voice of the Ocean by Kelsey Impicciche is a young adult fantasy novel that is described as The Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Carribean. As the youngest daughter of the Siren queen, Celeste's life is tightly controlled. Desperate to prove her worth, she intends to join the Chorus - an elite group of siren warriors. With her final test on the horizon, Celeste must finally gain control over her temperamental Song. But when Celeste encounters a seemingly harmless ship, helmed by the intriguing Prince Raiden Sharp, her path veers towards forbidden waters. Believing the handsome sailor to be innocent of any wrongdoing, Celeste defies Siren law to save Raiden's life - despite knowing he is the son of a king who has murdered many of her kindred. The penalty for Celeste's betrayal should be death, but the queen offers her an right her wrong by assassinating the prince. Determined to first discover the truth behind the prince's clandestine mission, Celeste agrees to become human. The human world is nothing like she expected, nor is the prince the charming and noble man she assumed him to be. But as Celeste finds her place aboard the ship, friendships - and attraction - begin to grow. Will Celeste be able to save herself? Or will her choices unravel a kingdom, devastating sirens and humans alike?

First and foremost, I'm not the biggest fan of mermaid stories since reading Lost Voices by Sarah Porter in my youth. And I blame on the simple fact that I was way too young for the content of that book, and hand only picked it up because I saw a mermaid on the cover. But this one, Voice of the Ocean, is warming me back up to the genre.

What I liked best about Voice of the Ocean is the characterization we get. Celeste is nothing like the counterpart of Ariel, in that she is not naive. But still holds the characteristics of being curious and ambitious. And we can't exactly forget about Raiden, and how can I forget about Raiden. He is just *chef's kiss* of a love interest.

My only qualm with this book, is the sheer audacity it has being only one book. Come on, Impicciche, I demand more Celeste and Raiden!

Otherwise, I recommend this book, and not Porter's for anyone looking for an adorable mermaid read!