Official Review: Mystic Tides by C.J.Godwin

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Heidi M Simone
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Official Review: Mystic Tides by C.J.Godwin

Post by Heidi M Simone »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mystic Tides" by C.J.Godwin.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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If you have ever heard of the original version of the “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen, then you know that is not as fluffy and sweet as the Disney version. It is full of pain, deceit, and death in such a disturbing way that you would not want to share with your child right before bedtime. In Mystic Tides, author C.J. Godwin takes Andersen’s tale and brings it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Aden Wilder moves from his home in Alaska to Florida with his aunt when his father relocates to a new job. Unsure of this change, he finds the transition fairly easy. The ocean is peaceful, the animals are sweet, but most importantly Kailani is enticing. When he first hears this beautiful girl’s angelic voice, he finds it impossible to not think about her. Things begin to look up when Kailani finally looks in his direction. However, a secret she has kept from all begins to surface and Aden only begins to scratch the surface of this new world.

Told in alternating perspectives, the author presents a very creative tale that bounces off “The Little Mermaid”. I found myself flipping through pages and never realizing how much I read in one sitting in this quick read. Most characters are likable, and overall, as a reader, I was rooting for everything to work out. Themes of love, honesty, persistence, and there are two sides to every story can be found within these pages.

Being a young adult read, I can see many people in this age range fall in love with Aden’s and Kailani’s relationship and the way they care for each other. This is mainly because the story has that “love at first sight” fairy tale kind of feeling that teenagers dream about. Though this is a somewhat unrealistic love, it is not as unrealistic as “The Little Mermaid” and has more depth than that of the original tale.

It is clear the author put forth much effort in connecting pieces of how the original tale and the mythical creatures in the story connect. However, I felt there were perhaps too many pieces to the puzzle here. Sometimes I had to reread sections to try to fully understand the new pieces of information given. Without giving too much away, the readers learn or read about mermaids, Greek mythology gods/creatures, fairies, a magical ritual, some Pagan beliefs, and more in merely 200 pages. At the end especially, I felt overwhelmed because I was ready to have the story come to a close, but then I was given a slew of other new information.

Overall, the story was inventive and a fun one to get into. With perhaps saving some of the new information for its subsequent book, I feel many will enjoy this one. I give Mystic Tides a 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it to those who want to explore more of “The Little Mermaid” tale and enjoy reading about young love.

******
Mystic Tides
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Post by Insightsintobooks »

Thank you for your review. I must admit I read the review based upon the cover. I think that a retelling of "The Little Mermaid" sounds interesting, especially, since I like retellings of classics. Thank you for your review.
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Post by Gravy »

I like mermaid fiction, though I've regretfully never gotten around to reading The Little Mermaid. I really need to rectify that.

This sounds like a fun read, and the cover is gorgeous.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Insightsintobooks wrote:Thank you for your review. I must admit I read the review based upon the cover. I think that a retelling of "The Little Mermaid" sounds interesting, especially, since I like retellings of classics. Thank you for your review.
Thank you, Insightsintobooks! The cover is what caught my attention too when I chose this book. I like retellings too. :)

-- 10 Jan 2017, 10:34 --
Gravy wrote:I like mermaid fiction, though I've regretfully never gotten around to reading The Little Mermaid. I really need to rectify that.

This sounds like a fun read, and the cover is gorgeous.
I actually had found a podcast of the original "The Little Mermaid" and I loved how it was presented, but to be frank it was quite disturbing, but interesting. I don't know if the actual tale/book is long, but the podcast wasn't very lengthy.

It was definitely a fun read, and I absolutely love the cover as well.
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Post by gali »

I have heard of the original "The Little Mermaid" tale, but prefer the Disney version. Sounds like a cute tale, though I am not sure it is for me. Thank you for the great review!
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Thank you, gali! I also prefer the Disney version; it's more of an upper than the original. This was a pretty cute tale, and I can definitely see many young adult fans enjoying this one!
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

Sounds like a great read. I've read Hans Christian Andersen's version of 'The Little Mermaid' and so did my kids when they've grown up. We never thought of Ariel the same way again :) By the way, the 'too many pieces to the puzzle' may be a bit too much for me. Still, it sounds like a very enjoyable book. Great job on the review.
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Post by Rachaelamb1 »

Gorgeous cover and I like the premise. I'm not a fan of love at first sight though!
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

kimmyschemy06 wrote:Sounds like a great read. I've read Hans Christian Andersen's version of 'The Little Mermaid' and so did my kids when they've grown up. We never thought of Ariel the same way again :) By the way, the 'too many pieces to the puzzle' may be a bit too much for me. Still, it sounds like a very enjoyable book. Great job on the review.
:lol2: Me neither! Very understandable about the too many pieces to the puzzle; it was a bit too much for me, too. Although, like you said, it was very enjoyable. Thank you, kimmyschemy06!
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Post by Acwoolet »

Great review! I am definitely adding this one to my to read list. I love retellings of old fairy tales and this one sounds very interesting. It's always nice to have a quick read now and then.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Rachaelamb1 wrote:Gorgeous cover and I like the premise. I'm not a fan of love at first sight though!
The cover definitely drew me in! I know, the love at first sight thing can be a bit much. But, like I said it wasn't as bad as The Little Mermaid. Now that one was extremely quick! :lol2:

-- 17 Jan 2017, 00:42 --
Acwoolet wrote:Great review! I am definitely adding this one to my to read list. I love retellings of old fairy tales and this one sounds very interesting. It's always nice to have a quick read now and then.
Thank you, Acwoolet! Cool, when you get the chance to read it, I hope you enjoy! :)
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Post by bookowlie »

Another great review! The story seems to have too many puzzle pieces for my taste, but I am glad you were able to enjoy it. I never knew there was an original tale of The Little Mermaid other than the Disney one!
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Post by Zohaib Ahmed »

Sounds like a really interesting book. Great review. And Congratulations to the author for getting such a great review.
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Seems like a great read. I may give it a try. Fantastic Review, by the way.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

bookowlie wrote:Another great review! The story seems to have too many puzzle pieces for my taste, but I am glad you were able to enjoy it. I never knew there was an original tale of The Little Mermaid other than the Disney one!
Thank you, bookowlie! Yes, there is a slew of creatures and information here, so I understand. The original version is quite horrifying, actually! My hubby and I couldn't get over how Disney interrupted the story. :lol:

-- 06 Feb 2017, 14:13 --
Zohaib Ahmed wrote:Sounds like a really interesting book. Great review. And Congratulations to the author for getting such a great review.
Thank you, Zohaib Ahmed! It was interesting, and I definitely liked how it revolved around the ocean. It seems like a pretty strong start to a new series!

-- 06 Feb 2017, 14:14 --
Wasif Ahmed wrote:Seems like a great read. I may give it a try. Fantastic Review, by the way.
Thank you, Wasif Ahmed! It was a fun read. If you do get to read it, hope you enjoy it as well!
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