Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid"

This is my second foray into the 'Once Upon a Time' series of retellings, and after Belle, this one had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it didn't quite make it for me. I realize that the original story had few details and could be easily re-imagined in a variety of ways, but I thought Viguie took it too far and was unable to capture the magic and tragedy of the original fairy tale. Too many secondary characters who seemed forced into place, combined with a happy ending that felt far too Disney-esque (in fact, there were many occasions when I wondered whether she was retelling the original version or the Disney version, which was frustrating), made this one less than outstanding for me. I would have liked to see an element of the show more original tragic ending, but somehow refined to be wondrous and optimistic... oh well. show less

I love all things Little Mermaid (except maybe the traditional tragic ending) and I was eager to read Midnight Pearls, a retelling of the story. I've read a couple other books in the "Once Upon A Time" series so I knew to expect only the unexpected in these fairy tales. In this particular story, a fisherman catches a young girl in his net during a terrible storm. The child looks different but they raise and love her as their own. But Pearl is avoided and whispered about because she is so different. Her skin is so pale its nearly see through, her hair is silver, and her legs are much longer than other girls. But she has secret friend she met on the beach as a child. He is James, the royal prince and heir to throne. He sneaks away to meet show more her at the beach for years. When Pearl's peasant parents try to find her a fiancé and James father tries to force him to find a bride, their lives will forever change. The book offers plenty of turns and I figured a few of them out before their conclusion but it was still so charming and fun that it didn't detract from the story at all. I have read some reviews that say the book feels rushed toward the end. I didn't feel that it was rushed as in missing parts or that the author was just trying to get it over with. The story is complete and I was satisfied after the final page. However, I was disappointed at the short length. I feel the author missed an opportunity to flesh out the characters more thoroughly. They deserved it. Still this was a really good book. Read it and embrace the similarities AND differences from the version we all know and love. show less

Honestly, at first I wanted to give it 5 stars because I really enjoyed this book. The matter is that I still have to understand if I like what happened in the second half, 'cause it kinda disappointed me the fact that the main characters didn't end up together and live happily ever after and blah blah blah. But beyond that, I appreciated the plot twist (?) so it isn't a big issue.
The real problem is the ending that, imho, was too fast. And I don't want to talk about how they easily fell in love together. Like, UGH DAFUQ?
In any case, as I said, I really enjoyed this book so I think that it deserves 4 stars :)

Midnight Pearls by Debbie Viguie is a “happy ever after” story based on the Little Mermaid fairytale. While it was a quick. light read, I’m afraid I will remember this one more for it’s pretty cover than for it’s story content.

A fisherman pulls a child from the sea, he and his wife call her Pearl and raise her as their own. She never fits in and always wonders where she came from. Meanwhile her best friend is Prince James who sneaks away from the castle to be with the fisherman’s daughter. As they reach marriage age, their parents are urging them to find someone, and just as it looks like they will turn to each other, two more people enter the story and add complications. This along with a murder plot by James’s evil show more uncle and cousin in their bid to overtake the throne, leads the four young people to eventually discover who they are meant to be with and where they belong.

I enjoy these reworked fairytales, they are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and I’m always hoping to find one like Cinder that breathes fresh air and originality into these old stories but Midnight Pearls with it’s unsatisfactory conclusion, undeveloped characters and rather bland story didn’t work for me. show less

This is part of the Once Upon A Time series, each book retelling a classic fairy tale. This was a clever reworking of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. It has all the base plot points of the original fairy tale, a mermaid who falls in love with a human, a sea witch who grants a human form to the mermaid in exchange for her voice, etc. However, Viguié creates a much more involved story, including a love triangle of sorts, and plenty of court intrigue and conspiracy.

Finneas is a fisherman, and one night he discovers a child floating in the water. He and his wife Mary raise the child, whom they name Pearl, as their own, even though she is clearly not quite human. As Pearl grows up, her family overlooks the things that make show more her different, but the villagers are always leery of her. Unbeknownst to everyone, over the years Pearl has become best friends with Prince James, and their friendship may be growing into something more. However, on a boating trip out to sea, an accident occurs, and Prince James is saved from drowning, not by Pearl, but by a mysterious girl in the ocean. What is the mysterious girl's connection with Pearl? What lengths will the mysterious girl go to find her true love? Read the book and find out!

A fun retelling that keeps enough of the essence of the original story to make it recognizable but still creates a new, fresh story. I might pick up another of the Once Upon a Time series someday. show less

This was a quick read, but a good one. I liked the re-take on an old tale, enough that I think I'll check out a few more stories from this author. Very creative and worth a look.

Let me start by saying that The Little Mermaid is one of my all time favorite fairy tales (and Disney movies). I love it-- even the super sad ending. That story started my obsession with all things mermaid. A few years ago I picked up some other books in the "Once Upon a Time" series at a local library book sale. I read through them before I put them in my classroom library and thought that they were fun versions of many of my favorite fairy tales. I had no idea there was TLM book in the seriess (although it makes perfect sense). So, obviously, when I discovered this book did exist, I made it one of my summer goals to obtain a copy to read. My local book stores disappointed me with their lack of availability, but the library came show more through for me! I sat down a few days ago to start this book and fell head first into the "new" plot.

There are a few major differences in this version of TLM than other retellings I have found. First of all, Pearl is a mermaid living on land with no knowledge of her true identity. Add that to her relationship with her best friend (the Prince) and you already have a new tale. But it doesn't stop there... Other merfolk appear throughout the plot to really make this version do a tail-spin (pun intended).

When things started to get complicated, I realized that this would be a pretty straight forward read. I knew instantly when a few new characters appeared how things would play out. That disappointed me a bit because I had high hopes for this story, but then I realized this entire series is pretty predictable. Once I made up my mind to just read to enjoy the story, I found myself pretty happy with how things turned out. In the end, everything fit into a nice little box with a shiny bow.

Of course, making everything fit in said box made the plot a little transparent. There were so many loose ends that were quickly tied up (and in a somewhat unsatisfying way). But again, I reminded myself that I was reading this just for the new twist on a classic tale. I wasn't looking for an award winner or a new favorite mermaid book. In the end, I did manage to get a fun story (although a slightly rushed ending) that didn't take long to read. There was no deep thought or characters involved. Just a simple summer read.

If you enjoy mermaid stories, read this one for fun while you sit pool side or at the beach. You'll speed through it with ease. Do not read this book if you're looking for a break out mermaid novel that is beyond anything you've ever read before. You will be disappointed. I can safely say, however, that I enjoyed it-- but I'm glad I didn't buy the book. Another plus for the local public library! show less