Prince of Song and Sea by Linsey Miller
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Web ID: 17689085Disney fan
Love Prince Eric’s version of events, the details were great and love getting to know better my favorite princess’s prince. Hope they come out with more version of the Disney princes
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would
*Minor spoilers mentioned. Please be mindful when reading* Don't let the title fool you. I didn't go into this book with dread. The truth is when it comes to Disney retelling and redoing things in general, I'm not super ecstatic about it but I'm willing to give it a try. THIS BOOK, however? I enjoyed it so much! Before going into it I thought it was going to be a sort of one-off narrative from the movie that takes place before, or maybe had no ties to the movie at all. But this story ties in very well and expands upon the narrative in a really fun and engaging way. The strongest part in my opinion is how it expands upon Ariel and Eric and the nature of the relationship more so than the curse plot. I love what they do with Eric's character in this book. There's a lot of internal struggle that he has to face while uncovering the nature of his curse and it's really interesting to get into his head space. You get to see his interactions with friends as well as the other suitors he has to meet prior to meeting Ariel. When he finally does meet Ariel, it's such a good time! The two of them have wonderful chemistry and it's really fun to see how they work together to communicate with one another while she's on land. This story also does a really good job of tying in Ursula. How not only is she a problem in the sea but dare I say she's more of a menace on land. The general consensus when reading this book is that you've already seen The Little Mermaid movie. Once you get deeper into this book you'll start to see the foreshadowing of how it'll morph into the film's narrative and where Ursula plays a part in it all. I also want to add that I listened to this book, and I think the vocal delivery helped me feel more connected to Eric's character in this story. If you like audiobooks, try it out and see how you feel. OBVIOUSLY, it's not a canon story. It's a retelling for a reason. So in that regard, I like the way the author played with the characters. If you're open to the idea of changing up the characters a bit, you may like it too. Overall it was a fun little read!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Warning! This book is woke!
I was looking forward to getting this book for Christmas. It was the gift I wanted most, and the first book I tackled of all the books I received. I was quickly disappointed in it before I even got very far. It was so very, very woke. Unrelentlessly, ridiculously, in-your-face woke. You thought Disney’s animated movies were getting bad, you should see what they’re doing with their YA books! I would have given up on it early, but like I said, it was a gift, so I felt I had to finish it. The author should know that her preaching of so-called woke values doesn’t make me want to embrace them; it repulses me against them even more than I was before. Her giving as many characters as possible woke lifestyles isn’t even believable. Three times she mentioned a woman having a wife. Same sex marriage wasn’t legalized all that long ago, so it’s hard to believe that in the day and age of “The Little Mermaid”, such practices wouldn’t even cause people to raise an eyebrow. The only explanation I can think of is that this story doesn’t even take place on Earth. With all the fictional countries they mention without mentioning one real life example, that seems the most likely explanation. Yet the “Little Mermaid” movie definitely took place on Earth, what with the French chef and all. If this were a fanfic or something non-Disney, like anime, I could stand the woke elements more, but this isn’t supposed to happen with Disney stories. Disney used to be reliable for good, clean fun. This book doesn’t provide it but glorifies adult sexual lifestyles. True that it’s a book for young adults and not for toddlers, but still, even older Disney fans like myself felt comfort in being able to retreat into Disney’s squeaky clean worlds. Now that’s been taken away from us and I feel betrayed and disillusioned. In trying to be inclusive, the author has excluded faithful Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and perhaps members of other world religions whose Scriptures teach against woke lifestyles. As for the story itself beyond the woke elements, it’s hard to tell how much I would’ve liked it. Eric is one of my favorite Disney heroes but he has been maligned as being selfish for waiting to settle down until he finds true love or being a dunderhead for not realizing sooner that Ariel was his true love. This book provides fodder for those who wish to defend Eric against these attacks, but it does so by retconning. For example, you have to believe that two new characters, Eric’s peers and friends Vanni and Gabriella, were there on his birthday cruise and at both of his wedding scenes, when they’re not seen in the original movie. All in all, although there are some elements I might accept, such as that Eric has a mother called Eleanora, I won’t be adopting this as headcanon.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A fantastic story for LITTLE MERMAID fans
I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved PRINCW OF SONG & SEA. I practically devoured it, only forcing myself to slow down so as to enjoy it longer. This retelling of the classic Disney movie is from Eric’s perspective, yes. But it doesn’t rehash old ground. Instead it fills in gaps of logic, time, and faltering feminism with more context, story beats, and moments of strength for Ariel. It’s the story I now wish would’ve made it to the screen because Ariel is not at all a passive figure in her own life. Not only that, but she goes on adventures and shows what she’s really made of. And Eric becomes more solid and well-rounded. He has moments of airheadedness and stupid decisions, sure, but he also has so much more weight given to him and importance to the overall story. I especially love the way all of the new elements are intertwined with the old. Movie dialog and certain scenes are recreated beat-for-beat here, and yet there’s so much new injected between the seams. It’s masterfully done. This is a story of love of all kinds, not just romantic, and it’s beautiful. I’ll be thinking about this book every time I watch The Little Mermaid from here on out. Absolutely excellent.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
engaging retelling of The Little Mermaid
PRINCE OF SONG AND SEA is an engaging retelling of The Little Mermaid from the perspective of Prince Eric. Eric was cursed before he was born to die if he kisses anyone other than his true love. This has made the politics of marriage difficult, and though his advisors would like to craft a union with neighboring kingdoms or nobility, he cannot risk getting too close to anyone. The only way to break the curse would be to destroy the witch who placed it. Before his mother disappeared, she left a clue about where the witch is located, and he travels with his friends to find her. However, their journey is dangerous and their ship is wrecked. This wreck is where he is saved by Ariel, and he feels a connection with her that leads him to believe she might be his true love. However, she disappears before he can even be sure of what he saw. When she washes up on shore the next day, she is unable to talk and he thinks she could not be the one who saved him. As the story continues according to the movie we all know, Eric gets to know Ariel more while also worrying about the curse that threatens his life. What I loved: This was such an engaging retelling of the story that breathes new life into it. The characters really come to life in the telling, and Eric in particular becomes more complex as he struggles with his curse and ruling his kingdom. The story is a little darker than the original, particularly with the Blood Tide and the arrival of ghosts cursed by the sea witch. These ghosts function like sirens trying to make bargains with the living ships by using the voices and appearances of their loved ones. These darker elements make it a really compelling read. The story really adds a lot to the original, and it was great to have some new characters for additional context in this world. Eric has some close friends and advisors that really help to flesh out the story as well as the pirates they meet on their journey. These characters were really compelling, and although Ariel takes a backseat, readers will recognize her story throughout as well. Final verdict: With ghosts, pirates, and an evil witch, PRINCE OF SONG AND SEA delivers an enthralling and darker retelling of The Little Mermaid from Eric's perspective. Highly recommend for people who love reading twists on Disney classics. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com