An enemies to lovers fantasy book inspired by the little mermaid? Well you have me there and I genuinly couldn't put the book down! I loved everything about this book and had such a fun time reading (also this is the debut novel of the author, which surprised me in a positive way)

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Voice of the Ocean
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Kelsey Impicciche
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 + 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: Ebook, 448 pages by Atom

★★★

💌 First of all, I would like to thank @NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for a honest review. I requested this ebook because I tend to really enjoy The Little Mermaid’s retellings, and the cover of this book is really pretty.

📖 Voice of the Ocean is a young adult book in which we follow Celeste, the youngest daughter of the Siren Queen, as she agrees to become human to discover the truth behind Prince Raiden Sharp’s clandestine mission.

🐚 I went into this book thinking it was a standalone, because it is not advertised as a series, and let me tell you one thing: it is not. The beginning was a bit slow and just felt predictable, but as you move forward into the book, you get more and more caught up in the book.
I do not have much to say about the plot, because it is exactly what you think it is going to be when it comes to a young adult fantasy novel: adventure, a bit of romance, and magic.
The characters are also what you would expect: Celeste, who is a young girl who feels as though she doesn’t belong, but has all the traits of a regular siren (I mean, she could have had pink hair and green skin for all I care, but no, she just looks like a regular person) ; Raiden, a morally gray pirate who has his own agenda ; and of course, they fall in love even though their romance is forbidden. But, there is a very good dog named Admiral, whose presence always brightened up my reading because he is so cute.
The novel is fairly easy to read, and the worldbuilding is really simple to understand.
The book ends with a cliffhanger, so be prepared for book 2! (I kind of hope this is a duology and not a trilogy.)

I love fairytale retellings and this one did not disappoint!

Voice of the Ocean is a retelling of The Little Mermaid with a piratey twist!

The beginning started off a little slow, but the pacing picked up a lot by the end and I couldn’t put it down.

The characters were so fun and Celeste and The Prince had a fantastic dynamic.

A really enjoyable debut and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

THIS BOOK IS SO FUN!!

If you want to read a Disney movie with 100x more tension I recommend this book! The plot is very fun and well-paced and the romance is super cute. I can't say the characters are super fleshed out but I think the author did good on creating a diverse cast.

Thank you for my eArc!

This book was exactly the little mermaid, siren, pirate book I needed! I had a fantastic time reading it. It’s a little mermaid retelling, but with enough changes that it still feels original.

Celeste is a Siren. Sirens and Humans are at war. When the siren warrior group that Celeste is a part of is tasked with sinking a human ship, she defies her superiors, family and kingdom by saving the mysterious prince on board. When she returns from taking the prince to safety, she is given a choice. Kill the prince she saved and bring back his head, or be banished. Seeking to redeem herself, Celeste embarks on a journey to do just that. What she doesn’t predict is how much she starts to like him….

It starts off with Celeste in the underwater siren kingdom and I absolutely loved every minute of it. It’s a fantastic world with great world building. It then passes onto land and then becomes more piratey, which I also enjoyed! Though I do think I preferred the underwater siren kingdom bits.

Celeste is a brilliant main character. I loved being in her head. I really enjoyed the focus on Celeste and her emotions and how she is perceived in the siren kingdom because of them. I also loved how she grows along the book.

I loved the tension and romance between the two main characters. The love/hate definitely came through. I could really feel how Celeste both liked and disliked Raiden. And sometimes in books the characters are meant to be enemies/have dislike towards each other, but the dislike is just not there. I could feel it in this book which was good.

There was a point in the middle where I felt something was missing. However, this was quickly resolved by introducing BACKSTABBING I DID NOT PREDICT. I was on the lookout for it and knew something would happen and yet I did not see it coming! I HAD TO STAY UP TILL 5 AM TO FINISH IT ONCE THE TWISTS STARTED. There were twists and turns galore, but it was done in such a good way! Not too many, not too overloaded. It was just right. KELSEY WHERE IS THE REST. I NEED IT. When the backstabbing happened I was genuinely heartbroken.

There was found family which I loved - the characters we meet are varied and all brilliant. I loved them all and enjoyed their own personal developments.

The writing style was very good, easy to read, fun and enjoyable.

If you like ocean themed books with mermaid/sirens and pirates this is DEFINITELY the book for you!

Thank you so much to Kelsey Impicciche, Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for an ocean themed tale of mermaids and sirens, with shades of The Little Mermaid; then The Voice of the Ocean is the one for you. The cover art alone is so stunning, and the story is well-written. I’m not usually a huge fan of retellings, but this is really easy to get lost in.
It is left on a a cliffhanger, honestly I hope there will be a second book as this very much just felt like an introduction.

Celeste is a rebellious, siren, princess who feels as though she doesn’t belong amongst her people. She betrays her underwater kind by saving a human Prince, Raiden Sharp’s, life. Instead of sentencing her to death, they give her a mission; to assassinate the very same human that she saved. To do this, she must be transformed into a human. But is the foreign world, on land, everything she expects it to be? Is her true home above, or below, the sea?

*Gets ‘Part Of Your World’ stuck in my head* 😆 although this is obviously based more upon the original fairytale.

Thank you to Netgalley/ the publisher for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. ✨🫶🧜‍♀️💖

I enjoyed this! I'm a huge fan of The Little Mermaid so maybe I'm biased but the chemistry and banter between Celeste and the Prince was so endearing, and I can't wait for book 2

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Voice of the Ocean is a fresh reimagining of the classic The Little Mermaid tale—and a strong debut overall!

Celeste makes for a compelling narrator and a solid female lead, even if her naivety shows at times. But at 17, who hasn't made questionable choices for love—human or siren? The supporting cast adds depth to the story, and the twists toward the end were genuinely surprising.

That said, I did find the pacing a bit slow at the beginning, and personally, I think the story might have been stronger as a standalone rather than part of a series.

A really promising debut with a unique turn of the well known Little Mermaid tale.
It was interesting to see it more in a romantasy setting, giving room to the characters for growth and exploration.

EN | First of all, I would like to thank Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

I had been keeping an eye on this book since the beginning of the year, but it was only after I started reading it that I realized it was a retelling of The Little Mermaid. This is the third retelling of this story I have read, but it may be my favorite. This book was extremely nostalgic, in the sense that it took me back to my childhood, reminding me of the Disney classic, as well as the anime “Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.”

This book has many of the classic elements of the original story, the deal with the sea witch, the rescue of the prince, but it is also original enough to stand on its own, both in terms of mythology and world-building, as well as in terms of storytelling.

I really liked the relationship between Celeste and Raiden, who were excellent enemies to lovers, from beginning to end, where the two things get a little mixed up, but not in the way that many romantasys do, which is “enemies with lust.”

About the story itself, how come this isn't a stand-alone? I need the sequel urgently. Okay, but seriously, I was completely immersed in the story and the characters. The story is fast-paced and there are no dull moments.

It's a book about family, generational trauma, parenting issues, and foster care. I definitely recommend it. I would like to see it translated in my country and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

"Come rest your weary bones, love. Come join us in the sea."

GENRE: Romantasy Retelling
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc

Long Review:
Voice of the Ocean is the second book I read this year that is focusing on The Mermaid Retelling with its own twists. This was a lovely read that I quite enjoyed and was entrapped in the tale of it. I enjoyed the found family trope and the character development of Celeste. I also quite enjoyed learning about the different kingdoms and Goddess, the history of sirens and how they came to be from the different Goddess.

This is a tale of Celeste, who is an emotional siren, where emotions are not cherished, treasured or encouraged. And as she is a princess, she is shielded from many things in life and comes off as naive. I like to think that The Little Mermaid is a story of an FMC that is naive and develops across the story (not that being naive is a bad thing per say). In Voice of the Ocean, it is very much a story of someone who does not know where she stands in society and tries to find her own place in it. She feels like she fits in the places that she shouldn't
"Unfortunately, the surface was where the young princess felt most at peace."

She basically battles with the concept that Humans are ALL meant to be the enemy of her kind and no one explains to her why this is the case. She is curious and wonders why they must consider everyone who is human as an enemy. She battles with the idea of what is evil when she sees humans for the first time in a ship. I think alot of the issues that Celeste struggles with could have been helped if her parents, friends or anyone in her surrounding addresses her questions instead of ignoring them.
"Protecting the innocent and punishing the evil. But evil didn't look the way she had imagined."

And alas, never having any of her questions answered, never getting anything addressed and everyone trying to change Celeste obviously leads to two things: Celeste always struggling with internal conflicts AND Celeste struggling to accept the decisions she makes throughout the story
"She was tired of ruining things. She was tired of everyone treating her as if she were some problem to solve."

"Celeste found herself crying whenever she was overwhelmed, or angry, or sad. Her family had teased her for it growing up. Told her to calm down. Be less human. That no one would take her seriously if she cried."

Then, she does a bunch of things that get her banned from the chorus and sirens, even though she is a princess. She receives a bit of help from her mother, the queen, and escapes to become human through the Sea Witch. She is meant to have one mission: Kill the Prince and then, come back to re-join the siren and ask for forgiveness for all her actions.

Of course, she ends up going on an adventure, learns a lot of things about Humans, herself and the voyage she joins. She discovers that they are pirates, rather than the sailors she thought they were and the Prince? He is the Prince of the Pirates. She learns, grows and develops throughout the story and her journey is a lovely one. She learns more about life and slowly peals off the layers of the shielding she grew up around. She meets new people and finds a new family in her crewmates
"Most of the time, I find life doesn't go the way you want it to," Nasir said, his dark brown eyes creasing at the corners. "But most of the time, things turn out the way they should."

And you know what? Despite growing and developing, she maintains some of that naivety, which makes her kind and a good person. It is what makes her, her and while she maintains this hope I never could as a pessimistic, it might just be what helps her unite sirens and humans in the end of it all
"As she took in the city around her, she realised that humans made all this. If she could just show her mother these things, maybe she, too, would see that humans couldn't all be bad."

This is a story of Celeste learning to accept herself and when we reach the ending, we don't really see her ending her internal conflicts. However, isn't this true in life? We dont end our internal conflict as soon as we start to learn. Its a process and we grow through the journey
"She felt foolish now. It had all been a lie. She knew nothing about this war. About the humans. About herself. And it had cost everything."

I hope book two continues Celeste's journey and we get to see what happens next, how she changes and grows and what becomes of her, her Pirate Prince and her found family + her siren family.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for my eArc copy in exchange for my honest review. The quotes are taken from the eArc copy of the book and might not reflect the final copy.

3.5 Stars

A splashy debut with heart, twists, and room to grow

Voice of the Ocean is a dark, dramatic, and emotional retelling of The Little Mermaid that dives into themes of betrayal, identity, and found family. Celeste, the youngest siren princess, makes some wildly questionable decisions—but her journey is compelling, and the story delivers plenty of tension and action, especially in the back half.

The worldbuilding is rich and imaginative, especially for a debut, and fans of sea lore, pirates, and secret kingdoms will find plenty to enjoy. However, the pacing feels uneven: the beginning drags a bit while the ending rushes through major revelations, including the titular "Voice of the Ocean" concept, which doesn’t show up until very late in the book.

Still, the emotional stakes, dramatic twists, and cliffhanger ending make it a fun, if flawed, start to what could be a promising series. If you're into sirens, morally gray love interests, and high-stakes fantasy with a nostalgic fairy tale base—this one’s worth a read.

I really really loved this book. The characters are well thought out and I love the relationship dynamic between all of them. I didn’t expect this book to be as good as it was but now I’m so excited to read the next book in the series when It comes out!

I have read sooo.many gd ocean/mermaid books this year but I am in loveeee with this one!!

Its fun and flirt and fast paced. I adored our main two characters!!

I want to start by saying thank you for the ARC!
I feel awful giving this 2 ⭐️, but I think a lot of what I’ve seen other people enjoying, I wasn’t a big fan of. The book felt extremely long for what it was and I would have been much happier with the book being 100 pages shorter. I feel like a lot of the lore was only included because of things that we are going to be seeing in the next book and I think there was a lot of space towards the beginning of the book to include things regarding lore, in places like lessons and conversations with other sirens. I was also getting a little confused in some scenes, where things where changing but not mentioned so I struggled to keep up at times. It was a good story, and I’d be excited to read the next book I just don’t think this one was for me.

For the first 30-40% of this book I struggled. For retelling, I wanted it to be more unique but once I hit that 40% mark it definitely followed through on what I wanted out of this book. I’m absolutely looking forward to reading the next one in the series!

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher/author for accepting my request to read and review this one early

I have weakness for books related to mermaids and sirens and ocean settings, probably since I fell in love with Pirates of the Caribbean and the movie with the sirens <3

This book was described as YA romantasy with enemies to lovers retelling of The Little Mermaid and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Ill start by saying that I really appreciated the world building and the descriptions of places and people. Kelsey Impicciche definitely had a way with words, I appreciated the writing, some lyrical prose here and there, I think this author has written an excellent debut.

I also really enjoyed Celeste as a protagonist, and even when she was unable to speak I felt she had a lot of character and her interactions with Prince Raiden were entertaining.

I do wish the romance had a bit more OOMPH to it, not necessarily spice as I know its a YA, but I want a bit more pining and longing.

Overall, highly enjoyable, I think were I of a YA age this would have been an absolute 5 star for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Children's Fiction | Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA for providing me with this e-book in exchange for an honest review*

Little Mermaid has been my favorite fairytale growing up and Kelsey Impicciche didn't fail to deliver. Even though Celeste seemed to be the typical heroine who's badass and at the same time vulnerable, traits that are opposed to each other, the book kept me up at night. The world building was really good and the magic system was really interesting. I want to see how the story will progress in the future.

As soon as Kelsey announced she was going to publish a book, I knew I had to read it!

When it comes to the reading experience, I must say that I found the start to be a bit slow, and that some of the themes were quite close to the Little Mermaid tale by HC Andersen. Still, as we got further into the story, I found it compelling and the main characters' morality was increadably interesting to read about.

I did not know, when I incially picked up the book, that it was going to be the first in a series, but holy damn!!! What a cliffhanger! What am I supposed to do now? Just read other books? Nope, I will just read this one again and again until the next book is available

This book surprised me in a good way. I first heard about it when i saw amazing artwork of Celeste and Raiden by frostbite.studios. The synopsis sounded really interesting so of course i had to request an e-arc of it. The story was a re-telling of "The Little Mermaid" with fresh new twists and amazing characters.

Celeste is someone who feels like she doesn't quite fit in with her people. She cares a lot more and seeks adventure. She's a curious soul which leads her to bump into Raiden. Their path leads them into dangerous situations and everything they knew about themselves and each other changes. I really loved both of these characters, each of them shining in their own way. Celeste is strong and always fought for what she thought was right. Raiden is humorous and secretive (may i just add, VERY handsome too 😂). He sees through Celeste which built a lot more on their connection.

Even though the beginning felt a tiny bit slow to me, once it kicked into the action, the pacing was great for the rest of the book. I just kept turning the pages and reading on for hours. It was fun and each chapter had me hooked. I could tune out the world and get lost in its' pages. I cannot wait for book two! I'll definitely be reading it to see what happens next in the story.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for allowing me to read this for an honest review.