A siren princess whose life is controlled by others, she can’t help but question why all humans are enemies, defying her people when she saves a human prince and leading her to embark on an adventure of grand proportions in Voice of the Ocean by Kelsey Impicciche.
Celeste, the youngest daughter of the Siren Queen, has led a life that’s been strictly controlled while she struggles with control over her emotions and her Song unlike the other sirens; determined to prove her worth, Celeste has been training to join the elite group of warriors known as the Chorus. With the final test suddenly near, Celeste has been tasked with aiding the Chorus in killing the humans on the ship in their territory, but she sees the human she was entranced by on a previous secret trip to the surface; defying her orders she saves him, unleashing her unpredictable Song and knocking everyone else unconscious. Though her betrayal should mean death, Celeste is offered a chance to redeem herself by assassinating the prince. Undergoing this mission, Celeste becomes human and is determined to discover the truth behind the prince’s, Raiden’s, mission that has repeatedly drawn him into siren waters. As Celeste learns more about the human world as she navigates the new experiences of being on land, as well as the people who inhabit it, it’s a far cry from what she’s been taught, but the friendships she gains and the betrayals she encounters build as the truth of the ancient magic being sought is exposed.
In a story built from a familiar base narrative, which included a few recognizable scenes from The Little Mermaid, and embellished with additional bits and bobs of pirates, musical magic of sirens, and mythical lore that proves to be more than just stories, a sweeping adventure takes shape across the vast seas. Celeste’s heightened emotional state in comparison to other sirens puts her at odds with her family and community, but she comes to realize that her emotions provide her with a commonality with the humans and is perhaps why she feels compelled to risk herself to save them time and time again. The relationships and found family dynamics between the various characters were entertaining as they developed with the witty one-sided remarks of the human crew and internal comments and facial expressions of Celeste’s until she was confident enough, or provoked far enough, to finally give her voice to her opinionated nature. With an exploration of living up to familial expectations, despite personal convictions or beliefs, as a driver for behavior for both Celeste and Raiden, it leads to a slowly brewing conflict between them in the simmering romantic tension amid the ramping up of the larger plot afoot regarding the Pirate King’s search for a treasure that will motivate Celeste to pursue him and prevent him from completely fulfilling his destructive plans; as the truth of this treasure is revealed in the last portion of the novel, the pacing ramps up considerably, rushing to wrap up with major aspects being revealed but not explained, likely with the aim of a sequel to manage the particulars, whereas the world and other smaller details in earlier parts of the novel were expounded upon in far greater detail.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm been a longtime viewer of Kelsey's YouTube channel and was thrilled when she announced that her debut YA novel had finally found a home (and doubly thrilled when I received an advanced reader copy!) It was well worth the wait. Voice of the Ocean is such a fun and fresh take on the current trend of fairy tale retellings, and I loved how organic Celeste's character growth felt from start to finish (I'm so unbelievably here for badass female characters having big feelings!)

4.5 stars, but rounding up ♥️

Thank you to Blackstone and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for honest feedback!

I have followed Kelsey’s journey from Buzzfeed to YouTube and I was thrilled when I saw that she was writing a book because she is truly such a fantasy girl and has a clear heart for literature. Her acknowledgements about writing stories as a child tugged at my heart because SAME.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and it was a SOLID debut. Celeste really had my heart, and I am a sucker for found family, which this story certainly had.

My only issue, truly, was how much exposition suddenly got dumped into the book at around the 90% mark. I found myself getting lost in all of the brand new information, and quickly began to realize that this was, in fact, not the standalone novel I had sort of hoped it would be.

HOWEVER, I am excited that there will be more to expand upon with these characters, and I will happily follow this ragtag crew into their next adventure.

Thank you again for the opportunity to read

3.5 stars rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy of book in exchange for an honest review of the book.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. The pacing was a bit strange, it felt like that the first part of the novel really dragged only for the climax of the novel be rushed in the last few chapters. At points it felt that there were too much description of insignificant information but major plot points were glossed over. The fact that the title of the novel was a major aspect of the plot that wasn't introduced until the last 30% of the novel was very confusing to me.

The setting and world building were done well for a debut fantasy novel. The main character, Celeste, was a good narrator and I loved a lot of the side characters. I think this was a solid debut novel and I'm really looking forward to the sequel. I do think there is a lot of potential of this to be a strong series and it was a strong debut.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I was sucked in immediately and could not stop until the book was over. The plot was interesting and kept a good pace which is something I really look for in a book. Also the characters were unique and there journey kept me enticed the entire time. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

“She was tired of ruining things. She was tired of everyone treating her as if she were some problem to solve.” 🤍

As a long time subscriber and follower of @kelseydangerous, it’s the biggest honor to finally see Voice of The Ocean come to life. 🤍😭 I can recall all the way back to a few years ago, in streams and videos where Kelsey talked about her book, finding a publishing house, the characters, their story, etc. and waiting for updates on this story. The second Kelsey announced she found a publishing house, I literally was over the moon. Much like Kelsey, my two biggest passions are reading and video games, and I’ve always known Kelsey would be an insanely talented story teller. Solely based on the narrative she creates for the characters she brings to life in the Sims. So the moment I was this on Netgalley, I applied and hoped for the best. When this hit my Kindle I quite literally did a little internal scream because I don’t know if I was capable of waiting for my preorder to be delivered in April.

Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean? Yes please. Voice of The Ocean follows Celeste, and Raiden. Celeste has always been too much. Too silly, too loud, too emotional, too quick to cry, and everyone tries to fix her rather than validating her emotions. I felt her on such an emotional level, as someone who’s always been too much. Especially someone who’s always crying. The only place she felt safe and at peace is at the surface, where she wasn’t allowed to be. Until one night when she’s breaching the surface and spots a ship in Staria’s waters. A human ship - with a human man. Raiden. Devastatingly handsome, and definitely forbidden. But she couldn’t help but be intrigued by him, and his furry friend, Admiral.

I absolutely flew through this book, and am finding it hard to not leave a trail of spoilers behind because I have so many things to say but I’ll leave it at this. I typically don’t read much YA, or fantasy but love a retelling. This scratched the itch and will live rent free in my mind for a while. I cannot wait for the next book which is inevitably going to happen, and to see where Celeste and Raiden pickup after the way they left off. I also couldn’t help but giggle at the cute interactions the two hard, especially the “I can think of other ways you can thank me.” 🫠😮‍💨 But daddy, I love Raiden.

Thank you so much Kelsey Impicciche, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for allowing me to fall in love with Celeste and Raiden, and Voice of The Ocean ahead of release day. Congratulations Kelsey, on your debut into the author space. I am so proud of you as someone who’s known you could do it for years, and cheers on every little victory of yours. 🤍 I cannot wait to see what comes next for you, and to receive my preorder in April.

Voice of The Ocean by Kelsey Impicciche releases April 22, 2025 and is now available for preorder anywhere you buy books! 🤍🌙

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This fairytale retelling, Pirates of the Caribbean and Little Mermaid mash up is quiet the adventure! We follow Celeste a siren who just wants to show her family what she is capable of, but when a ship with a human prince shows up in her kingdoms waters Celeste realizes maybe she wants more.

Wow! For an authors debut this was perfect to me. It was adventurous and nostalgic but completely original. I am a huge mermaid and pirate fan so I knew this was something I had to read and I was not disappointed. I was captivated the whole time and could not wait to read more about Celeste and Raiden along with the rest of the crew. I am now anxiously awaiting the next book! If you were thinking about reading this book take the plunge. Dive in the waters great! ;)