Thank you Netgally for this arc.
In all honesty, I love kelsey and have followed her journey the whole time. I love pirates of the Caribbean,not so much the little mermaid so that could be why this book didnt connect with me as much I would think it should. I did think the pacing was off especially in the second half. There is sadly the case of over describing literally everything. This is an interesting book, but in all honestly, not my personal favorite,
So I believe just a solid 2.5 ⭐️

Voice of the Ocean is a Little Mermaid reimagining, where the main character is a siren, rather than a mermaid. The book follows Celeste, a young and extremely naive siren who longs to find her place in the world.

I found the descriptions in the books quite intense, and they sometimes took me out of what I was reading (because it was distracting). Some of the language was weirdly formal. The line “I need help that only you can provide” just made me think of “my tummy was making the rumblies that only hands would satisfy” (and you’ll only get that if you’re an OG 🤣).

The book finds its stride about 60% of the way in, and is quite exciting from there. It improved significantly because there was more focus on the plot rather than flowery writing.

You’ll like this book if you also like:
🌸The Little Mermaid
🌸Retellings/reimaginings
🌸 Flowery writing style (you don’t mind a bit of purple prose)
🌸A swashbuckling adventure on the ocean, that includes pirates!

I gave this book 3.75⭐️ thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette ANZ for this early reader copy in exchange for honest review!

Desperate to prove her worth, Celeste - the youngest daughter of the Siren queen - wants to join the Chorus, a group of siren warriors. But she needs to pass the final test, when Celeste encounters a ship helmed by the intriguing Prince Raiden Sharp - and saves his life, defying her people. To right her wrong and save her own life, Celeste needs to assassinate the prince - but he's nothing like she anticipated.

I love this Little Mermaid-inspiredstory. Impicciche's writing is descriptive and beautiful, creating a likable character like Celeste to root for. She has a lot more agency and self preservation than in the story that inspired this book, and she's very endearing.

The cover is gorgeous, and the world building is beautiful. Overall a really lovely read!

Thank you to Hachette AU for an e-arc of this one! All opinions are my own.

Voice of the Ocean is an entertaining retelling of The Little Mermaid. Impicciche creates an immersive world through her descriptive writing that sets itself apart from the original story.

Our main character, Celeste, is quite likeable. She's daring and curious which lends to some unpredictability to her choices. She's also raw and relatable as a young siren finding her purpose in life.

The beginning chapters were a little jouncing, as though the introduction of the world and its characters was trying to be told in too few words. This created some odd pacing, however as the novel progressed it certainly found its feet.

Once the narrative started to pick up, this book became difficult to put down. The relationships and situations are addictive, the book daring you to read just one more chapter. In some instances, the pacing felt a little hot and cold, but overall this didn't diminish the reading experience.

An incredible debut filled with heartwarming, thrilling and awe inspiring moments, Voice of the Ocean has left a lasting impression. I'm excited to read more of Impicciche's work!

4.5 stars!!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette for access to this early reader copy.

Ok so I need the second book now! Please! PLEASE! This was awesome, I enjoyed everything about this book. I 100% recommend if you like fantasy romance and love a retelling.

I love that this was its own story despite being a retelling, and I fell in love with so many of these characters <3

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Voice of the Ocean
💫💫💫💫

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started slow and then built so well to a climax that had me reeling.

Think Pirates of the Caribbean met The Little Mermaid and you have this book. The world building was amazing and it has lined everything up to be a successful series.

The trope of found family really hit home too.

My only little tiff with it, the ancient magic system that you could feel was there wasn't really discussed till the final third of the book and therefore felt a little 'slapped on'.

The story being told from Celeste's POV is perfect, especially when she needs to learn to walk and the humour associated with it.

Overall, a great debut novel.

This was a great debut. I loved the vibes of this book. It is a good YA read, but I did struggle with the pacing and found it quite slow at times. I feel it was a little too young for me but if it came out a few years ago I feel I would have loved it more! It will definitely be a hit for the younger crowd and i hope people enjoy

I don't think the elements that makes this book great for others is the ones I enjoy. I also had really high hopes for this book cause I loved the author, the premise was interesting and the cover is GORGEOUS.

However, the way Celeste discovers humans and all of a sudden sympathizes with them after years of indoctrination from her community was just not very believable to me. Cause what do you meannnn a dude singing and seeing a dog already makes you believe that humans aren't all bad?? Art can be made by bad people and they, as a person, can still harm others. I would assume that sirens have told her that and if that's everything she's been told, what would make her believe otherwise? Seeing a ship and hearing a human sing? I guess so.

Another thing is how she cries uncontrollably over a conversation with her mother about how humans aren't great. The type of crying she can't control and I just couldn't. I'm sounding a bit of hater right now over the little things and I am. Low-key!!! Like!!

I couldn't get into this book. I wish I could. But I couldn't but the description of the world was pretty solid and I genuinely like that.

4.25⭐️

[a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher from netgalley. thank you!]

first of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. zero notes. loved the characters and the story, the water atmosphere was poetic. the world building was also interesting & well-developed, something i find lacking in fantasy these days. overall, a solid fantasy pick for fans of mermaids & pirates.