By: Cait Marie
Blurb
Enslaved by circumstance. Doomed by fate.
Three girls were raised by the same monster. One of them will take her down.
Zaina was stolen.
Aika was chosen.
But Melodi was born to this fate.
With both of her sisters gone, the only thing to break Mel’s endless silence is the song of the sea that is slowly driving her insane. The song, and the gorgeous Mayiman man who haunts her dreams.
Ariihau has a mission, and no part of it involves a connection with the alluring girl he was sent to capture. Now, he’s bound to protect her at any cost…even if it means betraying the people he has worked his entire life to free.
Life in the undersea Kingdom of Mayim is even more brutal than the one Mel has lived on land. Worse yet, her sisters are still at the mercy of Madame while she is trapped a world away. Helpless.
Ari may be her only hope, if she can get past the lies he tells and the secrets he keeps.
Meanwhile, Aika and Zaina are headed to take down the monster who raised them, but there are no good choices where Madame is concerned. They might be able to plan the perfect attack, but not without a price.
After all, can you really slay a beast without becoming one yourself?
Loyalties will be tested and lines will be crossed in this stunning conclusion to the Twisted Pages Series.
Review
Since the moment Elle and Robin told me the last book in this series would be inspired by The Little Mermaid, I have been looking forward to it.
A little sappy background… I was born with spinal muscular atrophy. I’ve never been able to walk, so I connected to The Little Mermaid from a very early age. When she sang about wanting legs to fit in with the humans and experience the different things they do, I felt that deep in my soul. Even before I could really understand why.
It still means so much to me. I mean, I have Ariel decor in my bedroom, and I’m almost 32 years old. It’s still one of my top comfort movies, and it’s the soundtrack I play when having a panic or anxiety attack.
My point is, I’m kind of an expert when it comes to all things The Little Mermaid. I watched the VHS so much as a child that it stopped working. I ended up getting two copies for my next birthday so I could have one at each parent’s house. My birthday parties were almost always The Little Mermaid themed. I had all the toys, the clothes, the bed set, the wallpaper, the actual CD soundtrack, everything. It was my entire life for a very long time.
It was even the theme for my 30th surprise birthday party. Pictures below.
Therefore, I was super excited about this book, and I had high hopes because I adore everything these authors release.
And it did NOT disappoint.
As soon as I started reading, I was sucked in. I read it in less than a week, and the only reason it took me that long was because I was super busy editing my next book. I could’ve read the whole thing in a day or two. I wanted to.
The entire premise was so intriguing. And while it had the bits and pieces of inspiration from the story we all know, it was also extremely original. It was something totally new and uniquely Elle and Robin.
This series has taken a dark twist on each retelling, and this was no exception. It was grim and somewhat gruesome, definitely intense, and I loved every single second of it.
Literally my only complaint is that there isn’t more because I could read about these characters and this world forever.
That being said, I do see why the authors ended it here, rather than drag it out for a sixth book, as was originally planned. This ending was the finale the series and readers deserved. There were a couple minor things that I think could’ve been expanded or fleshed out a little bit more, but overall, it was just fantastic.
It was really interesting to finally get the whys behind the main villain’s actions. It was heartbreaking too. Seeing all the characters come together for one last hurrah was great. The book was well written and easy to get lost in. I very much enjoyed it.
I will absolutely be re-reading this series in the future.
Pictures from my 30th birthday (June 2021):
Functionally Fictional 