Rounded down from roughly 4.5 stars ⭐️ Going into this book I never expected I would love it as much as I did.

The Mermaid of Black Conch tells the story of Aycayia, a young woman who was cursed to be a mermaid because of her beauty. She is captured by American tourists one day, looking to make money from their find. David, a local sailor, finds her and rescues her. But none of them could have guessed what would happen next.

It took me a little while to get used to the style of this book. Some parts are poems and much of it is written in dialect which always takes me a while to get used to. However, once I’d got the hang of it I fell completely in love. I honestly did not want to put this book down and found myself staying up late to read it. The chapters are longer than I usually like, although they were broken into sections which helped. The sections jump between different points of view which helped to tell the tale from different perspectives.

I truly did not feel like I was reading fiction, it was written in a way that made it all feel completely real. My heart ached when I came to the last few pages, I just did not want it to end. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters or the small island. There are some inconsistencies within the book, but I didn’t mind them. I just found myself completely lost within the pages. This is a true gem of a book and is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The kindness shown by the characters for the mermaid, someone very different from themselves, has wormed its way into my soul. Kindness is so important.

I recommend this to anyone who fancies trying a fairytale/mythological tale with a focus on the present day.