I absolutely adored this book!

“Coral” adds a twist to the classic fairytale as a little mermaid named Coral watches her older sister succumb to what is known as the Red Tide, and in her grief she meets a sea witch and the promise of human legs so she can find the prince who broke her sisters heart and find a way to save her own.

This was one that I kept going back and forth on if I figured it out and I was right for a good portion which makes me a giant nerd but also super happy.

I’ll start by saying I don’t know the plan for trigger warnings so I’ll include them here, the major theme of this book is centered around mental illness with a focus on depression, self harm and suicide. All three of these play out heavily with our characters and though it’s written in a way that has this artistic poetry it’s still contains scenes that depict acts concerning the final two I listed above so if that is something that would be difficult to read I would suggest not reading the book at this time despite the lasting message of hope and that while someone is going through this they are not nothing which I found to be very powerful.

The story does a good job of weaving together the fairytale we all know and love while mirroring it to real life and the struggle one faces when mental health is something that is frowned upon or just not talked about and the guilt or shame that the person dealing with it is left with as they try to put on a brave face to avoid the stigma.

I really enjoyed the journey this book takes us on and how just about every character has these shades of grey moments that help make them fully formed whether they are the main cast or the side characters it really helps to show that everyone is dealing with something and though you may not see it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

I really loved this and I hope others do too and it can open a dialogue about mental health and what it means to be someone going through this and perhaps even help those who aren’t to be the person who reaches out to offer support.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**