I really enjoyed this audiobook! I thought the narration was done very well, and I really enjoyed the story. I appreciate the nods to the mermaid stories/lore that were familiar with, while also making something entirely new!

There’s nothing like falling in love with a book only for the ending to be wholly unsatisfying. To be clear (since it’s not made clear by the blurb from the publisher): this is NOT a standalone. The ending brought this potential 5 star book down for me.

This is a Little Mermaid retelling with teeth. It follows the initial storyline of the Little Mermaid until it veers way off course- in the best of ways. Gritty pirates, ruthless sirens, gods and goddesses, and a completely different dynamic between the FMC and MMC make this entirely different and better than the traditional Little Mermaid story. The story building highlighted a beautiful underwater kingdom and the not so lovely details of life aboard a ship. The true hate between the FMC and MMC was refreshing break from the typical “enemies to lovers” formula.

The ending is where it all fell apart. So much happened, which isn’t necessarily a bad way to end a story, but I felt a true lack of resolution. Celeste had so much character growth but spiraled right back to where she was at the start. Raiden also pulled an about face in terms of development. I don’t know how else to say it. The found family aspect was beautiful, but it felt like a long journey just for the main characters to switch back to their original ways.

TO BE CLEAR: I really enjoyed the book. I can’t wait for the next one. But the ending really left a sour taste in my mouth.

The narrator is perfect and can do no wrong. There’s a reason Natalie Naudus has won so many awards for voice acting. She did an excellent job with the narration.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC.

This book really took me by surprise! I mean, I was instantly intrigued once I saw the STUNNING cover, but my expectations were not filled...because it took my expectations and basically said "oh you thought you knew how this story was going to go, but you are so so so wrong and you're going to love it".

I thought I was going to get a straight up little mermaid retelling, and that aspect is present but it definitely leans more towards an even mix with Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides. I found the beginning to be a little slow and that part was definitely more predictable as it followed the little mermaid pretty closely, but once Celeste made that deal I knew it was off to the races.

I never really found her motivation to return back to her kingdom/families good graces that believable, as I felt like Celeste had already shown how against violence and killing she was, but I was okay with that as I knew it was going to be a rather small element. The relationship Celeste and the prince had was really interesting, and by the end I REALLY felt that enemies vibe. I even had moments of "oh shitttt how do they come back from this", which was amazing cause not a lot of enemies to lovers really commit to the enemies portion.

The narrator was really good too, and she actually sang the siren song portions and sounded so haunting and ✨ ethereal ✨

Voice of the Ocean is a fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid. I knew I had to read this as I adored The Little Mermaid and this was such a fun and more mature take. I loved the coming of age plot line. We really see the FMC grow and develop her magic, which was also developed alongside her emotional intelligence and knowledge of the world. Talking of the world - there’s siren warriors, pirates, dangerous romance and adventure. The sea 🌊 is well described and vivid, at points I was in the storm with the characters. The narrator has such a smooth voice as well that literally pulls you in. Definitely recommend the audiobook version over reading to get that full immersion!
The story importantly has an amazing animal companion 🐶, which I loved (probably my favourite character). I also really enjoyed the morally grey characters and the romance. This is a fun fantasy debut with an epic sea adventure. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

There were many things I enjoyed about "Voice of the Ocean", but overall, it fell a bit short of my expectations. The pacing felt off—while the beginning dragged with extensive world-building, the climax was rushed, leaving little time to fully immerse in the most exciting moments. At times, the book focused too much on minor details, while major plot points were glossed over. The fact that the title’s significance was only introduced in the last third of the story was also somewhat confusing.

That being said, the world-building was well done, especially for a debut fantasy novel. Celeste was a compelling protagonist, and I enjoyed following her journey. The side characters added charm, and the writing had a light, immersive quality that made the story easy to fall into. The humor sprinkled throughout added warmth, and the found family dynamic was a nice touch.

However, despite these strengths, the inconsistencies in pacing made it difficult to stay fully engaged. The first third of the book felt slow, with too much time spent on setup before the actual plot kicked in. Once Celeste finally reached the ship, the story got more interesting, but then it lingered too long on pirate adventures that didn’t contribute much to the overall narrative. Meanwhile, the most exciting moments in the final stretch felt rushed and underdeveloped. I also wish the concept of the "Voice of the Ocean" had been introduced and foreshadowed earlier rather than appearing so late in the story.

Another issue was the emotional conflicts, which often felt repetitive rather than progressing in a meaningful way. Celeste’s struggles with her identity and emotions were interesting at first, but they were brought up so frequently in similar ways that they started to lose impact. The romance, too, was a bit hit-or-miss—while I liked the idea of it, it didn't deliver what I was hoping for. I also found the chemistry between Celeste and Raiden somewhat lacking, and their relationship didn’t fully convince me.

Overall, I really wanted to love "Voice of the Ocean"—the premise of sirens, assassins, and forbidden romance at sea was intriguing—but the execution didn’t quite work for me. That said, I do think fans of The Little Mermaid and Pirates of the Caribbean might enjoy this book, especially those who appreciate immersive world-building and a slower-paced fantasy adventure. I'm giving this book decent 3 ⭐.

As an all things Disney lover! This book felt like a beautiful Little Mermaid retelling! With a sprinkle of Pirates of the Caribbean tossed in.

Rating; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
Spice; 🌶️/ 5

We are introduced to Celeste. A siren with more compassion than murderous tendency expected from this folk creature. Who ends up saving a sailor entering into her realms waters.

This leads to Celeste being shunned from her palace with the goal to earn her way back in… only way to earn it. By killing the one she saved.

It was adventures and thrilling from start to finish! And the narrator did a beautiful job. Captivating the FMC, her emotions, thoughts and secrets. On top of vocalizing all other characters aboard. Giving them gust and angst and a distinctive characteristic voice!

Troupes include;

🧜🏼‍♀️- forced proximity
🐚- enemies to lovers
🏴‍☠️- slow burn
🧜🏼‍♀️- mystical creatures

I hope so badly there will be a book two in this series because it is better than I could’ve imagined!

This Little Mermaid retelling starts off strong but quickly feels too familiar, sticking closely to the Disney version in ways that made me lose interest early on. The pacing drags in the middle, though it does pick up toward the end with a refreshing twist. Unfortunately, the romance falls flat and Celeste’s infatuation often feels more like imagination than genuine connection. While the story has its moments, it struggles to carve out its own identity.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the Advance Listeners Copy!

This story was a great take on a Little Mermaid retelling! I enjoyed revisiting my childhood in this fresh way.

I was surprised to learn this was a debut as it was so well written. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

The narrator fit well with the book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced audio copy.

This book has been on my TBR and I was elated to get an audio copy. The narration was great and I really loved the narrator's take on Celeste.

We follow Celeste, a siren princess disgraced for rescuing a human man, and it starts out very much like The Little Mermaid. There are clear comparisons to the Disney version, which I ultimately didn't mind. We got invested in this crew that is on a mission to get to a siren island that was thought to be lost. These lovable misfits help bring Celeste a new sense of self and confidence in who she is as a being. She... finds her voice... (Forgive me. Couldn't resist.) We get some intrigue in the last several chapters that I need to go back and physically read to make sure I fully comprehend all of the things!

This was definitely an enjoyable time and I will be owning the physical copy soon.

Real rating: 3.75, but that will likely be bumped up to a 4 when I read the physical copy.

While I adore Kelsey Impicciche, I wasn't the biggest fan of this audiobook. The first third of the book felt like I watching Disney's 'The Little Mermaid" from the tension between the main character and her father to the siren finding a love interest. The audiobook narrator makes this worth it, though. There's a section with a siren song that made me emotional to hear in audio format. If you can make it past the first third of the book, the characters become more distinct, and it's worth reading. A definite must-have for libraries with a strong YA Fantasy readership.

Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

Take The Little Mermaid and imagine if Ariel was a Siren Warrior Princess and Eric was a Morally Ambiguous Pirate… and now you’ve got the foundation for Voice of the Ocean!

Readers follow the story of Celeste, the youngest daughter of the siren queen. Desperate to prove her worth and find her purpose in life, Celeste trains to join the Chorus, an elite group of siren warriors. During her final test, she encounters a human ship led by Prince Raiden Sharp.

Defying siren law, Celeste saves Raiden's life, even though he is the son of a king who has killed many sirens. Her betrayal is punishable by death, but the queen offers her an alternative: assassinate the prince. Determined to uncover the truth behind Raiden's mission, Celeste makes a dangerous deal with a Sea Witch to become human and carry out the queen’s orders.

Disguised among his crew, Celeste searches for answers, but as she finds her place on the ship, friendships and an undeniable attraction to Raiden begin to blossom. Celeste must decide if she can carry out her mission or if her choices will lead to the unraveling of both the siren and human kingdoms.

As a certified Disney Kid, the foundational setup for this story felt so nostalgic and fun. The story does veer into its own space after the preliminary setup, but by that point, I was already hooked.

The writing sometimes felt overly simplistic and a bit choppy, especially when Celeste is experiencing things as a human for the first time (first time walking, first time writing, first time drinking etc.). I found this to be a bit difficult to read, but this is a debut novel written for a YA audience, so some of this could be my preference.

I also felt like the found family relationships between Celeste and members of the crew were the real stars of the show – for all the time spent on the ship, it seemed to me like Celeste and Raiden spent little meaningful time together to grow their romantic connection enough to be believable.

However, the ending was fantastic! We are introduced to more dimensions of the magic system, given context into some of the lore of the world, and are taken through multiple action-heavy scenes to get the perfect setup to book two. Excited to continue in the series!

Thanks to Black Stone Publishing for providing me with an early copy for review. All opinions are my own.

First off - Narrator Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrators and does not disappoint with this title! The characters feel fully realized through the narration and really made this a great reading experiance.

The book itself? Such a fun and feisty Little Mermaid retelling. If you loved the Daughter of the Pirate King series then this is a perfect read-a-like. Many elements felt familiar but having our main character be a princess of the sirens was extremely refreshing. I think I would have liked a little more grit to the main characters but as a debut novelist I know Kelsey Impicciche has so much room to explore and grow in her writing and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Voice of the Ocean is a solid 3 for me. I’m not super huge on retelling or reimagining. This is one being a very YA reimagining of the little mermaid. Although I liked parts of this books I think it has a lot that pulls in down for me. It’s a very “ok” book.

Starting off with the things I liked.

I really enjoyed the setting. I really loved the world that it’s set in. I enjoyed the whole vibe of being on a ship in the ocean. All of that was great. Has that sea adventure feel to it.

For the most part I did enjoy the characters. I liked our main character Celeste, for at least part of the story. I enjoyed the crew’s interactions with one another. Although most of the characters felt a bit flat for me.

I also enjoyed Celeste inner conflict, of being a siren, but almost wanting to help the humans. I really like her trying to figure out her place between both of her worlds.

I also did enjoy the sirens. Them being able to control humans and all sorts of creatures with their voices I thought was really cool. And that intro with the ship and the whole crew I thought was great.

Now for the cons.

First of the pacing. Pacing is what really hurt my enjoyment. It starts off super slow, lots of info dumps here and there. Then super fast at the end. And it ends on a cliffhanger. Which was also a big surprise cause I didn’t know there would be more books. But pretty much none of the plots were resolved. That and it was a bit difficult to get a sense of time. Some parts felt like it was weeks but sometimes months.

I’m not a big fan of reimaginings and this one I feel is way to close to the little mermaid. I wish she would have tried to make it more her own.

Celeste. I really enjoyed her character in the first half. Her not speaking I thought was a good dynamic between her and the crew. But somehow she becomes WAY more annoying and insufferable when she finally reveals she can speak.

And lastly the Plot armor. Literally every time she finds her self in a bind something random always happens to help her out. Like the random sea horse creature that is never once mentioned showing up to help

Overall this is an ok book. It’s a very YA reimagining of the little mermaid but not as good. And while I did enjoy some parts I had a hard time being fully immersed with it.

This is such a hard book for me to rate. Because on one hand, I did enjoy the story. It was fun, easy to follow, and the prince was so charming! But on the other... I had Deja Vu the whole time I was listening to this audio book. For the first quarter of the book, it felt like almost a direct play by play of the Disney movie "Little Mermaid". The other 75% of it felt like a knock off of "To Kill A Kingdom". I understand that both books are based off The Little Mermaid, but at least TKAK had a more original plot to it. This one seems to have just copied Christo's formula, and married it to the Disney movie.

However, I simply could not stop listening to this audio book PURELY for the narrator! Natalie Naudus does an incredible job bringing these characters to life. And when she sings the siren song??? CHILLS! This is my first time listening to her, but she will now be an instant listen for me.

Voice of the Ocean is a Little Mermaid-esque tale full of twists and betrayals that will engage the reader from start to finish. Celeste is a washed-up siren princess who feels like a constant disappointment in her own realm. When she makes a grave peace-endangering mistake, she sets out on a quest away from her kingdom and into the great wide world on her own to remedy this error. On this journey, she learns lessons about friendship, trust, love, family, sacrifice, and vulnerability. She is forced to question both her old beliefs and the new answers that are brought before her throughout her quest.

This book is well-paced and plotted. I was enthralled from cover to cover. There was definitely a miscommunication trope, which I generally do not enjoy, but it served the plot well. The characters felt real yet simplistic. Essentially, Voice of the Ocean sits well in the YA genre: fun, engaging, romantic, and dramatic. Its exploration of greater themes was somewhat limited in depth and extremely direct.

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job bringing this tale to life with intonation, accents, and emotion.

Give me sirens, give me princes, give me fantasy, give me all of it!

This book was so much fun to jump into purely based on the summary alone. The world and setting was written perfectly that you feel so immersed in it as a reader that you can't help but not want to put this book down. I ate up this book & Celeste as the narrator was the perfect choice for it. Seeing everything through her eyes and feeling her emotions made me love this book so very much.

This was a FANTASTIC first book & I cannot wait to see where the author takes the next book. Definitely a book series I would pick up in a heartbeat.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

At first I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book because it was too close to the little mermaid besides the fact that she had to kill the prince but ends up saving him instead.

But then the ball got rolling and I was deeply involved with all the side characters along with the main character's relationship. There is always something so thrilling about pirates and sirens.

Lots of fun action kept this book intriguing while the plot twists towards the end had my mouth agape! OH MY GOODNESS!!! The DILEMA!!!
Just WOW! It you couldn't tell, I loved the ending.

What was a slow start turned into a crazy ending that I will be thinking about for weeks!

I got this book as an ALC on NetGalley
I went in completely blind, having read no spoilers.
From the cover, I thought it might be a really cut and dry YA book about mermaids.
And I was 100% wrong.

The cover looks sweet and innocent, and it is anything but that. If you judge this book by its cover, you are gonna be shocked too!

It is not a Disney retelling or even a brother‘s grim retelling .
I’ve been leaning into my username here and reading as many mermaid/siren/silkie books that I can get my hands on.
This one wasn’t dark like they’ve usually, but do not misunderstand and think that does not mean it isn’t deep. It is full of longing, yearning, and hope.
My heart literally hurt through each twist and turn for the main character, you want all of her hopes and dreams to come to pass, you want good for the people and for the sirens around her.
All of the wrongs and the betrayals that happened to her, cut to the bone. This is so much more than a pirate or a siren book. The characters feel real, their pain feels real.

I love the narrator and the songs were haunting! I can’t get them out of my head!

I really struggled with this story. I loved the narrator, I found the beginning of the story really engaging but once the FMC was turned into a human, I lost interest. I struggled with the FMC pretending she couldn’t talk and struggled to pay attention without dialogue from her.

A Thrilling, Addictive Listen—But Beware the Cliffhanger!

This story starts with deep, rich character building, but once the action hits—it hits. Pirates, sirens, and a clever twist on a classic tale, all wrapped in Kelsey Josund's vivid world-building. I was hooked and couldn’t wait to get back to it every time I paused.

The characters are unforgettable, the twists keep coming, and the crew? I need more of them in my life. But fair warning: this book ends on a major cliffhanger. I thought I was safe since I couldn’t find confirmation of a sequel... now I’m devastated it’s over and desperate for book two.

📖 “You don’t run from the sea. You either ride the waves or drown in them.”
Yeah—it’s that kind of story. Bold, beautiful, and impossible to forget.

If you’re okay with an emotional “to be continued,” dive in—you won’t regret it. Just… brace yourself.