Voice of the Ocean is a charming retelling of The Little Mermaid! I loved how Impicciche found ways to take a classic tale and infuse several modern twists, some the hilariously charming found family, the romance, and the tension Celeste must reconcile between honoring her duty to her people and her love.

In this re-telling of the classic fairytale, Little Mermaid, Celeste, a siren, comes across humans for the first time. When she goes against her mother’s wishes, she is banned from their kingdom and to right her wrongs.
Will Celeste be able to save herself and the kingdom?

Introduction
Let this novel be a cautionary tale on why you never publish the very first novel you write to completion.

Let this novel be a lesson on why a retelling cannot be a frame-by-frame, chapter-by-chapter rehashing of Disney’s animated classic “The Little Mermaid.” (We can’t forget about the splash of Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise as well.)

A retelling should take the pillar ideas and moments from a fairytale and put them into a new context with new characters. The story doesn’t have to be a one-to-one, story-beat-for-story-beat exploration of an older work. When it comes to retellings, originality is what makes a story shine.

Originality is what this novel lacked.

Celeste and Characterization
When it comes to Celeste, her characterization carries a strong “I’m not like other girls (sirens?)” energy with a strong side of empathy. In many ways, her characterization reminds me of Hiccup from the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise. Only in that movie, Hiccup uses his empathy as a strength and generates positive change for his community and dragons alike. Here? Celeste spends a lot of time crying over things, claims she has knowledge she wouldn’t have (based on how oppressive her community is), and consistently makes foolish decisions. I can’t name a single moment where I was rooting for Celeste, which was a huge narrative problem.

As I reached the story’s end, I realized what bothered me so much about Celeste. Celeste had no agency. When your main character consistently and actively chooses not to make decisions, to not chase after their goals (in this case, the goal to kill the prince), you have written yourself a passive narrator. And passivity does not propel the plot or characterization. (Don’t get me started on the narrative choice to have Celeste not speak because it would expose her “siren accent.” Last I checked, sirens didn’t go around talking to people, but preferred singing to them . . .)

I argue Celeste did not have much of a character arc, either. By the end, sure, we learned that humans weren’t as bad as Celeste was led to believe. She learned to defend herself with weapons beyond a spear, too. But that was about it? She was still prone to cry, prone to long, introspective paragraphs where nothing was shared with the reader.

(Sidebar: Why was the opening epitaph the Hans Christian Anderson quote “mermaids don’t cry,” when we proceed to spend chapters of the book with Celeste while she cries?)

World Building—Or Lack of It
The world-building was poorly executed from the jump. I often found the details weren’t explained at all, or they were explained conveniently. Celeste, despite living amongst sirens all her life and being taught how horrible humans were, knew information about humans that she should have never known. For example, the sirens lived in the “middle of the ocean,” which was akin to living in the middle of nowhere. Yet, Celeste has absolutely no problem navigating herself to human ports to save Raiden and Bastien within the opening chapters. She also had knowledge on what human objects were properly named, what their body parts were—for a society that shunned anything human, she was aware of far too much.

Outside of the human details, a strange thing I struggled with was the detailing of time. The sirens followed cycles (it wasn’t until page 232 that I saw confirmation that a cycle was the equivalent of a year), but also moon phases? Neither was explained, which led to general world-building confusion as I read.

Story Execution and Writing Style
Beyond the potential plagiarism, the poor characterization, and the confusing world-building, this novel had a greater problem yet: Impicciche not trusting her audience enough while trusting her audience too much.

What do I mean by that? Well, as outlined by the world-building paragraph above, the audience was not presented with enough details to make heads or tails of the world, the magic system, and how any institutional systems worked. The audience was dumped into the world and left to flounder. Yet, when it came to descriptions of anything human-adjacent, we would fall into painful detail about these things. While also talking around what things were. I recall chapter five or six hosting descriptions, which were written around what a violin was, what the music sounded like, all without clearly describing what Celeste was experiencing.

Which brings me to my next point: the concept of show, don’t tell. Telling is when summary or exposition is used to tell the reader what is happening in a story. Showing uses descriptions and actions to paint the story onto the page. Telling provides clunky, often shorter sentences and a fast pace. Showing draws out more emotionality, paints stronger imagery for the reader.

It goes without saying that this story relied heavily on telling over showing. The novel carried a strong feeling of “this, and then this happened, and then this,” which makes for clunky pacing and poor execution. There were a few decent lines, but, for the most part, the descriptions skirted across showing the reader anything. Honestly? I would have welcomed more purple prose in the novel. Maybe then the prose would have made me feel or see something.

I want to touch on another writing concept: introspection vs planning vs action. These are the three main modes that story beats often fall into. Introspection is a moment in which the narrator and/or main character are thinking things through, reflecting on events, or are working through an emotional moment. Planning moments are where readers see characters interacting with each other, having conversations, and actively working toward the next step in their goal(s). Action moments are plot pieces that drive the story forward, that push characters forward or farther away from their goals. This novel leaned heavily on introspection, which was a symptom of Celeste’s decision not to speak for most of the story. The issue with introspection is that it slows down the overall pace of a story and grows tedious to read after a while. Especially when paired with Celeste’s passivity and reluctance to kill the prince.

The Book Deal
I want to take a moment to touch on Impicciche’s book deal and why she was published. It’s easy to understand why her story was picked up and got the deal. It’s written all over her bios, her synopsis, and marketing packages. Kelsey Impicciche has 1.5 million followers, subscribers, etc., across the internet, which means she has a pre-built audience for this novel to reach. Impicciche herself has stated on social media and on YouTube that the only reason why she got this book deal was because she has a giant following online.

Having that knowledge tucked in the back of my mind made reading this novel incredibly frustrating. As outlined above, the story execution was incredibly poor. I could rattle off half a dozen comp titles that this novel took details or concepts from (“The Little Mermaid,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” literally any other romantasy out on the market . . . ). I struggled with this book because it’s incredibly obvious this was not picked up because of its story quality—it was picked up because of Kelsey’s following. It was picked up because of its potential to sell well, to be a bestseller because of Kelsey’s following.

This is something I struggle with a lot when it comes to celebrity, YouTuber, BookToker, etc., book deals. There is this romantic notion that publishing, while an industry that needs to make money, also wants to uplift and support talented writers. There’s a notion that publishing is seeking out new, groundbreaking stories. I can’t label this book as being any of those things. This book needed heavy developmental and grammatical editing (don’t get me started on how many sentences started with conjunctions), and, frankly, a plagiarism check.

Yet, when it’s obvious a story was given a publishing deal because of its potential for making money, not because of its story potential . . .

Well, I can’t help but disagree with that on principle.

Conclusion
I was not a huge fan of this novel. It took me over a month to read it from start to finish (and I did read it cover to cover, acknowledgments and all), and I required many reading breaks to help me get through it. While I do hope Impicciche learned from this initial novel and seeks improvement in future works, whatever those may be, I do not see myself continuing with her stories in the future. There were too many errors and not enough compelling content in this debut.

A Post-Script Note on the Novel’s Packaging
I am a fan of Frostbite Studio’s art style, but this cover did not fit the story. It made the book look like a graphic novel when it is a prose novel. However, I did enjoy the design of the book’s interior. It was nice to see a sans serif font being used; the decals for the scene breaks were pretty, as was the art at the start of the chapters. It’s a shame the story itself lacked quality.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

As a long-time fan of Kelsey Impicciche, I was really excited to hear she was releasing a book. I knew she was an avid reader so I knew she would want to one day write her own novel. Voice of the Ocean is her debut young adult fantasy that follows Celeste, a siren princess, who is curious about humans, even though they are mortal enemies of the sirens. Throughout this novel, we follow her as she unwillingly teams up with a pirate prince and their ragtag team of sailors to find hidden treasure on a lost island.

The first half of this book is exactly like The Little Mermaid from how the main leads meet to the sea witch to even the dog. It felt unoriginal at times but since I was a fan of The Little Mermaid, I wasn’t too upset about it.

The story really picked up in the last 25% of the book. It felt like the beginning was moving slowly until you reached the climax and it felt like everything was happening at once.
Also, I would rate this book higher, but I can’t stand Raiden. I felt what he did was pretty inexcusable and messed up to Celeste.

With that said, the book was pretty enjoyable. If you are a fan of pirates, sirens, The Little Mermaid, or found family, I think you should give this one a try.

I was very skeptical for the first 30%. It felt very cut and paste of the Little Mermaid and it made it slow to get into. But, it proved to be a good remainder of the book including a good deviation to something much more unique. Cute and would read the next book.

DNF'd at the 40% mark.

Unfortunately, this debut novel didn’t work for me. While the premise was intriguing, the execution fell short. The story read like an unpolished first draft and could have greatly benefited from stronger editing and tighter pacing. It also felt too long for the plot it aimed to tell, with extended descriptions and scenes that didn’t seem to serve the narrative. Too many unnecessary details that I didn’t care about.

Although marketed as a Little Mermaid retelling, it lacked the originality I was hoping for. The early chapters felt like a near scene-for-scene replication rather than a fresh twist on the classic tale. I was expecting a more unique interpretation, but it never really diverged from the familiar beats.

Another element that didn’t work for me was the wokeness that felt heavy-handed. Certain elements felt really forced and unnatural, like a feminist angle and many gay characters. It felt more like they were included to check off woke boxes rather than organically woven into the story.

One highlight for me was the audiobook narration. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life with distinct voices, making it easier to stay engaged. I especially enjoyed her performance of the siren songs—those musical moments added a fun and immersive touch to the listening experience.

Ultimately, I struggled to connect with the characters and found the pacing too slow to stay engaged. I can see the potential in the concept, but it just didn’t come together for me. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this one. There are other Little Mermaid retellings that offer a more compelling and polished experience.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Thank you Blackstone for the eARC! I wanted to like this so much because I love Kelsey. I had trouble getting into this novel and found it to be nothing new or all that intriguing. The writing seemed a bit flat and I felt that the re-telling was a bit too similar to the inspiration for the first 25%. Maybe it's the YA aspect, maybe it was the writing just not being my style - this wasn't for me.

Voice of the Ocean hooked me from the start with its fresh take on siren mythology and didn’t let go. Kelsey Impicciche weaves a richly imagined underwater world full of political tension, ancient magic, and a heroine who refuses to be silenced—literally and figuratively.

Celeste is a compelling protagonist: bold, impulsive, and driven by a need to prove herself outside of the suffocating expectations placed on her as the siren queen’s daughter. Her desire to join the elite Chorus is a great setup, but it’s the fateful meeting with Prince Raiden that pushes the story into deeper, more emotionally complex territory. The stakes are high, the danger feels real, and Celeste’s moral dilemma—save a human who might be a monster or carry out her orders and protect her people—is layered with nuance.

The slow-burn romance between Celeste and Raiden is just the right amount of swoony and suspicious. I especially loved how the book didn’t lean too hard into tropes but instead gave room for trust to build in a believable way. The ship crew is also a standout — charming, distinct, and surprisingly wholesome for a band of potential enemies.

Impicciche’s writing balances action, introspection, and worldbuilding without getting bogged down in lore. That said, a few parts of the human-world storyline moved a bit quickly for me, and I wouldn’t have minded a deeper dive into the Chorus or more time spent with Celeste’s siren sisters. But these are minor ripples in what is otherwise a wonderfully executed fantasy debut.

Final verdict: If you love high-stakes sea magic, forbidden romance, and fiercely emotional heroines, Voice of the Ocean is well worth the voyage.

Voice of the Ocean follows Celeste - a siren who wears her emotions on her sleeves, desperate to prove who is desperate to prove her worth. One night, when going to the surface of the ocean, she comes across a human ship in Starla’s waters, where she encounters Raiden and saves him from danger, we are thrust into a fantastic journey!

It is clear that Kelsey poured her heart and soul into her debut novel. I really enjoyed the lore that was incorporated into the world-building and the interesting magic system. I did go into this book thinking that it was going to be a standalone, but once I got to the last 25% of the book, it was clear that was not the case. I am very excited to jump back into the world once book 2 comes out!

Read if you enjoy:

Found Family
Slow Burn → Enemies to Lovers
Fairytale Retelling
Touch Her and You Die

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone for this arc!
This was an absolutely wonderful book!
It's a mix of the Brother's Grimm Mermaid meets pirate adventure with a dash of romance and whimsy. A young siren named Celeste is trying to reclaim her place in world of the sirens and will need the help of pirates to do just that. It was an amazing adventure and the romance that bloomed between Raiden was so cute and added a perfect balance to the story. I am usually very critical of Youtuber books because they are often money grabs and half done. This is a Youtuber I've been following for awhile and it makes me so happy to see that she put so much into this book. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to read more from her!

I’m a tad disappointed by this book. I was super excited for it and I felt it fell a bit short. I think it’s maybe that’s she’s a new author, but I think she’ll progress with time and more work on her craft! I don’t believe this should be YA (I think it was labels YA?), I think some of the themes/scenes are a bit much for YA. I loved the characters. I’ll be excited to read the next and excited to see how she grows as a writer!

Little Mermaid re-telling! Pirates! Tell me less! The Voice of the Ocean got me hooked. I will not lie, I was worried in the beginning, but once we start going, it POPS off.
I have loved Kelsey from her BuzzFeed days. She has such a skill for fleshing out characters and stories in the Sims, I was so excited to see what she would do with a novel. It means the world to me that she always makes sure to a variety of queer rep in her background characters. Kelsey did not disappoint!
It starts of VERY Little Mermaid, but once they started assembling the crew I got sucked in. I have a weakness for ragtag crews that become a family! It was fun and the slow burn! Throw in one very good dog and lore that just kept building, and now I'm awaiting the next book!!

I was very excited for Kelsey's debut novel as a long time follower of her, however I feel like the writing was written in a style more intended for middle schoolers. Due to that, I really had a hard time keeping myself engaged throughout the book. There were some moments that were pretty obvious rip-offs of a very well-known mermaid movie (y'all know which one) in a way that was more than just a "re-telling" and to me felt like borderline plagiarism.

Although, despite all of that I did in the end wind up enjoying myself. The pace picked up so much in the last 30 or so percent and that helped tremendously.

I loved this book way more than I expected to. It’s a beautifully written, emotional fantasy that totally swept me away. If you're into stories with morally gray heroines, forbidden romance, and a rich magical world, this is 100% for you.

Celeste was such a relatable main character—strong-willed, stubborn, and just trying to find her place in a world that keeps trying to box her in. The whole dynamic between her and Prince Raiden was so well done. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could trust him (and neither was she!), but watching their connection grow was such a treat. The chemistry! The tension! The banter! It had everything I want in a fantasy romance.

I also really appreciated that this wasn’t just about the romance. There’s real depth to the story—questions of loyalty, identity, justice, and sacrifice. The world-building was immersive without being overwhelming, and the twist on siren lore felt fresh and exciting.

By the end, I was fully invested and already hoping for a sequel. I laughed, I teared up a little, and I definitely stayed up way too late finishing it. Totally worth it.

If you like stories that blend magic, danger, and romance in all the right ways—Voice of the Ocean should be on your TBR immediately

Took a bit to get through, but I enjoyed it! EVEN THOUGH there is a cliffhanger! LOL I guess I should've known, but I went into it pretty blind so I didn't really know.

Like the description says, if you like the Little Mermaid and the Pirates of the Caribbean then you'll love this!

I'm excited to see what the series holds!

Thanks NetGalley for this copy!

I enjoyed this quite a bit. At the very start, it feels like this book is a YA re-spinning of the Little Mermaid, and in some ways that kind of holds true, at least at the very beginning of the book.
Celeste, our main character, is a third daughter and siren princess. She's training to become part of the Chorus (a siren attack/defense force) and is known to be quite emotional (which is bad to sirens? There's lore behind this, but still, idk feels weird.) and a crybaby. In order to become a full-fledged member of the Chorus, she must attack a human ship. The problem is, she was above water earlier that day and saw this exact ship, becoming infatuated with a man on the boat. As you would expect, this complicates things, and leads to the beginning of a wild adventure for our heroine.
I enjoyed the supporting characters of this book a lot, they fleshed out the group of adventurers that Celeste finds herself with. Raiden, the male lead, is also interesting. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about him, but I think that's kind of the point by the end of it all.
I will say, while I did love all the world-building in this first book, the pacing of it was very strange. You g0t some at the beginning, very scarce info for a big chunk of the story, and a WHOLE LOT at the very end, leaving the book on a cliffhanger. While I don't mind the cliffhanger, I do think the middle of the book would have dragged less if some of this super important and interesting lore saved for the very end was sprinkled in earlier. But, I am excited to see where this series goes, so I anticipate the next book!

Thanks for the ARC!

Seriously, is there anything Kelsey can't do? She acts, sings, raises a hundred babies, and now she's written a book!

I was surprised at how much I loved this story. Honestly, I was sold with the retelling of The Little Mermaid, and then the writing and the emotional ups and downs kept me hooked.

The story follows Celeste, the Siren Queen's youngest daughter, who wants to prove herself by joining this elite warrior group called the Chorus. But when she saves Prince Raiden Sharp—a human royal who's tied to her people’s enemies—she breaks Siren law and is facing death. She gets one shot to redeem herself: she has to bring back the prince's head. As she navigates a foreign world and her growing feelings for the prince, Celeste must decide where her loyalties truly lie.

Here are some key themes:
• Sirens and humans
• Slow burn
• Found family
• Ocean legends
• Pirates
• Deals
• Treasure hunting
• Oh, and a heads up: touch her and you die!

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

3.5 stars

voice of the ocean was an interesting original retelling of the little mermaid, full of betrayals and dark secrets above and below the sea.

our fmc celeste continuously makes the wrong choices as the youngest siren princess — from breaking treaties with other siren kingdoms by exposing the secret of sirens to humans, saving a prince who is actually a pirate and attacks innocent ships, and indirectly hurting her friends, celeste is extremely careless. despite celeste’s actions, i still enjoyed the overall plot and pacing of the story!

i also listened to the audio, and of course love anything narrated by natalie naudus!

I wasn’t sure going into this book whether I would love it or not because I love the little mermaid and this book I would say the first first three chapters were very nostalgic in that they were similar to how the little mermaid begins. However after that we are introduced to staria and you see just how the book will differ from the movie and I actually really enjoy that in the book they aren’t just mermaids but sirens. We see so much of their lore and why they defend themselves. But Celeste in the moment she must prove herself starts doubting herself and whether everything she’s grown up to believe is true or lies. I definitely enjoy the pirate aspect to the MMC because it brought some action to the story. I will say I didn’t know it would be a series so I’m so sad with the cliffhanger we get at the end but will read the next book in the series for sure.

This had a bit of a slow and predictable start, where I thought we were just in a not-so-creative retelling of The Little Mermaid. About a quarter of the way in, the story shifted and things got a lot more interesting! I loved the found family element and I thought the side characters were well-developed and interesting, which is something that can fall by the wayside in fantasy adventure novels. I was admittedly also a little swoony over the love interest. The relationship progression between the Celeste and her man was slow but I felt it was realistic and it still held my attention as a significant subplot.

Three stars for the slow beginning and pretty standard writing style, but I could see myself continuing what I assume will be a series. As a disclaimer, I probably would not have picked this up if the author was not a YouTuber I have been following for a while, but I like to think that as a casual fan I didn't let me enjoyment of Kelsey Impicciche as an internet personality affect my rating. Consider this a 3.5+ with a lot of enjoyment in the second half of the book.