"Mermaid"

by Carolyn Turgeon, AF, 2011, 240p, rating=2.5

"Princess Margrethe has been hidden away while her kingdom is at war. One gloomy, windswept morning as she stands in a convent garden overlooking the icy sea, she witnesses a miracle: a glittering mermaid emerging from the waves, a nearly drowned man in her arms. By the time Margrethe reaches the shore, the mermaid has disappeared into the sea. As Margrethe nurses the handsome stranger back to health, she learns that not only is he a prince, he is also the son of her father's greatest rival. Sure that the mermaid brought this man to her for a reason, Margrethe devises a plan to bring peace to her kingdom.  Meanwhile, the mermaid princess Lenia longs to return to the human man she carried to safety. She is willing to trade her home, her voice, and even her health for legs and the chance to win his heart…" (book's blurb)

The beginning was interesting, the middle sensual with a little bit of darkness, and the end was a sappy twist!  I like this kind of fantasy/supernatural character oppose to demons, werewolves, vampires and such... for now.  Mermaids are softer and I could use a bit of fluffy read right now. 

I understand that this is a modern twist on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.  I haven't read that book yet but from Googling, I see the twists.  Generally, Turgeon's mermaid is older (18yo, oppose to 15yo) so she did adult things, hence this book has adult content.  In movie talk, I'd say a rated PG13 as written but with imagination it could be rated R.  I guess I do have some imagination so this read got pretty edgy for me!  And oh, of course this version is a far cry from Disney's animation adaptation.

The fairy tale story was interesting but I can't help but feel that this was like a film adaptation of the original Andersen book and the book version of course was much better.