Book Review | Our Bloody Pearl @WriteReadsTours @BBNYA

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a story about sirens so I was excited for this one.

Our Bloody Pearl
D.N. Bryn

The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.

That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.

Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?

Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.

This adult fantasy novel featuring an nonbinary disabled protagonist is a voyage of laughter and danger where friendships and love abound and sirens are sure to steal—or eat—your heart.

Trigger warnings: mild gore due to carnivorous sirens and sensations of drowning.

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I was excited for a change of pace with my reading genre and I haven’t read a fantasy for a while especially one with this particular setting so I was looking forward to diving in.

I loved the underwater world of the sirens and getting to know their customs, and how the sirens and humans have ended up at odds with each other. The author’s writing style is very clear so it was easy to picture the settings and characters and I enjoyed that it was a mix of the things I would enjoy in a typical pirate story but with some fun added extras.

It would be hard not to love Perle and Dejean, their mistrust of each other at the beginning makes their blossoming relationship even more magical to read, Dejean is such a considerate character that you know it is not going to take Perle too long to warm up to him. I love that they find a way to communicate with each other, through hand signs and body language, and that as they get to know each other they can pick up on each other’s meaning a lot more easily.

Perle’s voice is brilliant, it was great that it was written from their perspective as you could really see the struggle to trust but then got to see how they were starting to accept that Dejean, Simone, and Murielle were not as bad as they always believed humans to be. I liked how the author handled Perle’s conflict of being a siren who finds themselves in a pod with humans and trying to balance the two without losing themselves in the process.

There is a lot that happens in this book, I won’t go into too much detail but it can be very tense and exciting, although there is a section in the middle that doesn’t quite have the same pace. It’s not necessarily a bad thing because Perle and Dejean are getting to know each other a little better and I found that interesting, but when it kicks back up a notch it took me a minute to get used to it and everything felt like it was happening so fast in comparison.

Our Bloody Pearl is a very unique book and a really enjoyable read, I’m looking forward to what comes next.

I received this book to read and review as part of the 2021 BBNYA competition and the BBNYA tours organised by the TWR Tour team. All opinions are my own, unbiased and honest.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where Book Bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or twitter @bbnya_official.

The sign-ups will soon be open for the 2022 BBNYA competition, be it for authors to enter their books, or for bloggers wanting to be part of the new panel, so keep your eyes peeled!!

D.N. Bryn began writing short stories in middle school and has yet to stop. They received their bachelors degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UCSD, and enjoy a day job involving respiratory disease research. They bring their love for animals, science, and mythology into all their writing, and are passionate about creating inclusive worlds where a diverse array of characters can go on grand adventures without being hindered by social misconceptions based on their appearance, sexuality, or gender.

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