A lighthearted novel that simultaneously features heavy environmental themes, multifaceted characters, and lots of charm.
Holman weaves elements of humor, magic, romance, and environmental activism in a quirky ocean-set romantasy.
Jelly, a mermaid warrior native to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the North Pacific, assumes the role of unlikely eco-hero. Pollution, especially plastic waste, has devastated marine life and rendered mermaids infertile. To preserve their species, they’re sent on missions to conceive children with human men. Jelly, however, has been using these missions to investigate the sources of pollution. As a result, the ruling council, the Trident, arrests Jelly and puts her in a solitary magical prison. While locked away, an enchanted pearl, a family heirloom, forces Jelly to watch a horrifying tableau of nuclear bombs detonating in the ocean, destroying marine ecosystems, and mutating sea life over generations. Despite the grim subject, the author sets the scene with surprising levity, sprinkling aquatic puns throughout: “We were currently on the rocks”; “I floundered between hurt and anger”; and “I found her a little…salty.” The mermaid convinces the Trident to approve one more procreation mission, and she uses the expedition to ask the Serfecti (a powerful and secretive magical group of surface-dwelling beings) to help her convince humanity to stop contaminating the planet. Along with the Surfecti, she meets Mako, who is half mer and half fae; he trains Jelly to control her magical powers, which have been further enhanced by the pearl, and is the lead love interest. Romantasy tropes abound, like handsome cast members (sexy wizards Roan and Gray), and a well-endowed villainous prince and villain, Terrun (“His tight trousers left little to the imagination, especially as his excitement strained the fabric”).
Holman conveys her message of environmental conservation and protection throughout the novel. For example, after Jelly regroups with allies, including pal Simmi, they form a plan to confront ocean pollution. And Terrun’s attempts to capture Simmi, using magic that lets him possess marine animals, allows the author to highlight various forms of ocean life, including sharks. The author also uses solid storytelling and dramatic tension to keep the pages turning: In order to enhance her power and take on Terrun, save Simmi, and rescue all of humanity (which Terrun has targeted as irredeemable for the environmental damage they’ve already caused), Jelly performs a Coactus Fusionem, a dangerous ritual that could be fatal (which, of course, involves becoming physically intimate with Mako). This storyline ramps up the stakes and adds to the fun. With her newfound strength, will Jelly defeat Terrun, and subsequently use her influence to guide humanity in the right direction? As the story concludes, she even pitches an eco-friendly detergent to the local superstore. Overall, Holman (despite the whimsical premise and humorous voice) excels in giving the protagonist depth and motivation for her environmental activism, which is rooted in her mother’s early demise from cancer caused by plastic exposure. The adventure is also brought together with a well-rounded cast of side characters, such as a toxic ex and a loyal best friend.
A lighthearted novel that simultaneously features heavy environmental themes, multifaceted characters, and lots of charm.Pub Date: Nov. 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780998426464
Page Count: 442
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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