DNF
Thank you to the publisher for an arc.

The Kindle ebook was formatted terribly. Illustrations would be in line with text, random paragraphs would be broken up and some sentences would start with lower case letters. I gave up after a few chapters this is impossible to read.

Unfortunately this one was not my favorite. It was a very fast and quick read but I didnt care much for the story or the characters

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap was a dark, nautical story that featured a brave girl named Lampie. It initially reminded me a bit of the classic The Secret Garden. The way the two main kids’ families are set up, their backgrounds, their handicaps, kids sneaking out together, etc. I enjoyed the darker mermaid tale. So many modern mermaid tales are light and happy, but the original mermaid stories were not. I feel Of Salt and Shore really revives original folklore and Schaap’s adds her own twist to it. It is different from its contemporary counterparts.

I think the scare factour of this story is perfect for Middle Grade. I am a big scaredy cat and at no point was I scared. So, I think as long as kids do not mind darker themed books, being a little creeped, and the subject matter they should be fine. The only part I was extremely creeped out by was when a carnie asked for a kiss from Lampie. A grown adult asking a kid for a kiss is super creepy.

The plot drove Of Salt and Shore. I did have a few issues at the beginning of the plot, such as why is a child getting left when the owner of the house is not there, and the maid does not want her there. Why is the town leaving Lampie at this house for seven years and not checking on her? Is the dad telling Lampie to lie to protect her or to protect himself? These are questions that do get answered, but initially, I felt them to be farfetched. I am okay with plots being stretched, especially in a fantasy driven book. However, I do not know if a younger reader would think about these points as much or if they would just go with the flow.

Fish is our other main character. He is a merman. There was an underlying message that just because people are different does not make them weird or scary. They are humans like everyone else. Don’t fear them. Embrace them. I fully embraced that message.

Lastly, I was surprised by all the turns this book took. I could not figure out how the story was going to end. It kept me engaged and reading.

This book does deal with some domestic abuse, “foster care” if you can really call it that, by the end of the book, and alcoholism.

There are illustrations throughout the story, and they bring a great aesthetic to the book.

I did receive an Advanced Read Copy from Charlesbridge through Net Galley, at my request. The opinions are 100% my own. Thank you so much for allowing me to read this story!

Thank you to Charlesbridge on netgalley for this digital copy.

This was a cute story about friendship. I thought the style of writing was very unique. It seemed a little like it was trying to be a poem style. But other than that it wasnt very exciting to read. I liked the characters and storyline. But it didnt really pop for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of “Of Salt and Shore” by Annet Schaap. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story started off on really the wrong foot for me. Lampie is the daughter of the lighthouse keeper who had to do his job due to his injured leg and excessive drinking. One night a ship crashes and when the police come to investigate, Lampie accidentally tells the truth of her having to do her father’s job. Her father strikes her and she’s taken away. Due to their negligence, Lampie and her father have to work off the debt to pay the damages. Lampie is taken to a mysterious manor to work for a absent admiral.

The story improved as Lampie explores the sort of gothic manor and the mystery of the monster in the attic. I did feel the story got better from this point on, but the beginning was very off-putting for me. I also don’t really get the comp of ‘The Hazel Wood’ at all. I thought there were interesting moments in the story with the manor setting and the carnival, but other parts put me off.

2/5 stars

This story is such an enchanting tale of childhood innocence and friendship. Despite everything set against them, they overcame and triumphed. I really enjoyed the development of Lamour at the Admiral's house, as she came into her own power as an independent person, belonging to no one but herself, despite her young age.

This is the perfect retelling. I'm always wary of classic 'twisted' fairy tales, since they often feel too familiar to be engaging. However, Schaap totally rewrites The Little Mermaid legend into a dark, beautiful friendship between the pirate-turned-lighthouse-keeper's daughter and a sheltered half-mermaid boy.

The writing itself is stunning, with a uniquely fluctuating POV that reminded me of the tides. Lampie finds voices in everything, a clever twist on the mermaid's voicelessness, which makes the whole world feel alive and singing. To top it off, we have a cast of characters who immediately stole my heart, from Lampie to Edward/Fish to Lenny to Martha. Even the villains were perfectly dastardly; Miss Amalia gave me huge Professor Umbridge vibes. Enemies-to-friends is one of my favourite tropes, so I found it extremely enjoyable to watch the bond between Lampie and Fish grow - it manages to be both complicated and simple at the same time, as all the best children's books are.

My only complaint was the abruptness of the ending. From what I could find, there is no planned sequel, and there were so many loose ends. I don't mind a little ambiguity, but it felt like we were missing a last couple of chapters (what happens to Fish??). There are also some elements that might resonate differently with North American audiences, certain language usage around 'freaks' and 'deformities,' as well as a strangely forgiving portrayal of abuse. I'm undecided on those fronts.

But do I think this book is 'too dark' for MG readers? Oh, absolutely not. I think young readers probably have read and heard much worse, and the fantasy element adds an extra layer of removal. Schaap writes with the confidence of a classic storyteller, and I would 100% recommend to lovers of dark, atmospheric fairy tales. Just be careful - these mermaids BITE. 4/5.

Ready for a weird and harsh twist on The Little Mermaid fairytale? This twisted tale imagines the life of the offspring of the union between the mermaid and the human, told through the voice of a young, uneducated but fierce girl named Emilia.

Emilia, or Lampie as she is known, endures a hard life as a lighthouse keeper’s daughter, made more difficult by the loss of her beloved mother and her father’s subsequent drinking and depression. A horrible lapse in memory causes a terrible disaster, which separates Lampie and her father. Sent to live in the “Black House,” Lampie quickly comes to understand that there is something very wrong there. Lampie uncovers the secret of the household, the deformed son of the master who is kept locked in a tower room. Lampie finds that he is a rude little boy, but also much more. The two form an unusual friendship, which grows out of Lampie’s natural inclination to treat Edward, or Fish as she calls him, as any other person. Ultimately, they both find their ways to “home.”

This is not a sweet fairy story, but instead examines the darker side of human nature, focusing on the suspicion, fear and intolerance associated with people who are different. Beautifully written, with characters that jump off the pages and swim around in your mind long after the book is closed, Of Salt and Shore should be one of the most anticipated books of the year.

Thank you NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description
For fans of The Hazel Wood, this middle grade novel takes the dark stuff of fairytales and crafts it into a powerful story of friendship and light.

Every evening Lampie, the lighthouse keeper's daughter, must light a lantern to warn ships away from the rocks, but one stormy night disaster strikes. The lantern is not lit, a ship is wrecked, and someone must pay.

To work off her debt, Lampie is banished to the Admiral's lonely house, where a monster is rumored to live. The terrors inside the house aren't quite what she thought they would be--they are even stranger. After Lampie saves the life of the neglected, deformed son of the admiral, a boy she calls Fish, they form a close bond. Soon they are pulled into a fairytale adventure swimming with mermaids, pirates, and misfits. Lampie will discover the courage to fight for friendship, knowledge, and the freedom to be different.

A retelling of the little mermaid that seemed too dark and violent for my taste.

This story is too dark for my taste, though luckily it ends happily. I enjoyed some aspects of it. Lampie was a great character, and I liked the way that she drew out Fish, and eventually helped him to be himself. I liked that the story was about mermaids. It was well written, in general, but there was too much violence.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This is a smashing read; I’d love to read more from Annet Schaap in future. The story bounds along, and the author has a gift for creating and fully realizing lively, real characters: Lampie is marvelous, Edward is so real, Martha and Lenny are, too.

I’d love to meet Schaap, who takes the story of The Little Mermaid and rescues it from the schlock and doe-eyed giggling dilution of other retellings both in the movies and on the page, so that I could thank her in person. It’s wonderful to think that in future when anyone mentions the Little Mermaid, I shall get to think of this story instead of the ersatz retellings it used to conjure.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some American readers are upset by certain aspects of this book, particularly that Lampie forgives her father for neglecting her and striking her: there is a tendency among some American reviewers to see things in absolutes, but I encourage any reader capable of enjoying a rich and vivid story that doesn’t shy away from the complexity and reality of familial relationships to read this brilliant story.

It is as good a revisiting of a fairy tale as I have ever read, and deserves to be read and reread.

I received an advance copy of this book from Charlesbridge and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received the ARC of this translation from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Lampie, a young girl living in a lighthouse with her alcoholic father. Lampie's mother passed away and father has lost part of his leg, leaving her to climb the 61 stairs each evening to light the lighthouse and each morning to extinguish the light, until one night she forgets to buy matches and a terrible storm wrecks a nearby shop drawing attention to their situation. Lampie is sent to work where there is rumored to be a monster.

Lampie finds a middle ground with "the monster" who she calls Fish, but all told, this story didn't do much for me. She was an empathetic character but the fantasy element of this story came up short.

A beautiful tale of the sea, mermaids and friendships.

Lampie lives with her father Augustus in the lighthouse, and since he lost his leg, she helps to light the lamp every evening. Struggling to remember things, she is soon lost in the sand searching for treasures and food. One evening a storm rises and they are out of matches. The lamp can't be lit and disaster strikes.

Lampie is taken from her father and sent to live in the dark house in the forest, owned by the Admiral and rumored to be inhabited by a monster. Fearful, yet curious, Lampie bides her time and then seeks out the attic noises.
What she finds is totally unexpected. A boy with a large head, black eyes and a mermaid's tail lies under the bed and bites when angry. Many have been bitten and scared away but Lampie, in her simplicity, just wants to help. She forges a strange friendship with him and he in turn teaches her to read and write.

The house changes, no longer living in the shadow of a monster but filled with laughter, hope and friendship. Lampie has brought all this with her and it is a happier place until the announcement of the Admiral's return. He has always been unhappy with the boy and his tail, his inability to walk and the loss of the boy's mother. It is in true fairytale form the story of the mermaid and sailor, who had a child together.

When a circus arrives in town, Lampie meets a strange cast of characters travelling as freaks. They treat her kindly and she returns with Edward, the boy with a tail. There they meet his aunt, a mermaid trapped and she gives him hope that he can be more than he is.

Completely engrossing, this book does not disappoint. There are heart felt moments, fast paced adventure and realisations that pull all the threads together.

Completely wonderful.

Annet Schaap's "Of Salt and Shore" is a beautiful story about the girl Emilia (called Lampie) and her struggle in a world not made for little girls - and yet she manages. She lives in a lighthouse with her disabled and alcoholic father, who turned to the drink after his wife's death. Lampie is the one who keeps the lighthouse running, but then something happens and she forgets to light the lantern, causing a ship to go under. the blame is put on the father and Lampie is sent to the Admirals house where it is said a monster resides.

This is a beautiful story of belonging, friendship and finding your place in the world. Schaap's world is sharp, believable and also, sad. Although the story is that of above mentioned themes which are positive, there is an aura of sadness and loss emerging from the pages - something I think is amazing to find in a novel aimed towards a middle grade audience without it being a "save the world" story. Even though there are prominent supernatural elements, they feel connected to the story and the world, being close to sea.

The world-building Schaap creates is also beautiful, and I think this is a book you could come back to and re-read to find new nuances in the story that you missed the first time around. I understand why this book won awards in the Netherlands upon its release, and I hope it will be as popular for the English speaking world.

With thanks to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This reminded me a fair bit of a magical-realism version of The Secret Garden (girl discovers boy trapped in room of old house, he’s not allowed to go out), even though it was Dutch. I couldn’t help comparing it. There were also, obviously, shades of Rapunzel.

I also thought the reason for Lampie to go to that particular house could have been revealed earlier. The teacher and the Rosewoods were a bit exaggerated as well, especially in their hatred of merpeople. However, the ‘freak’ and ‘animalistic/monstrous’ aspect of mermaids was done well, and is something I haven’t seen before (well, not often). I would’ve liked that idea to be built upon - instead the fairground felt a bit like a standalone, one-off scene used to rescue Fish’s aunt. I suppose I wanted to read the other story - the story of the mermaid whose legs turned back into a tail, and how she coped with no voice, and her evolution from human to animal, and why the admiral fell in love. As explained, it just sounded like he didn’t know what to do with her, so he took her home with him like a trophy (which would be fine, and not at odds with the rest of the story, if it had been explained a bit or if we’d seen some of that story before turning to Lampie).

I found it a bit hard to believe that the admiral would have married a mermaid even though she was a mermaid, and not have expected to have a half-mermaid child, and, when he did, that he would have subsequently kept that child locked up in his room for his entire life. I also found the explanation of the wife‘s departure rather improbable, although the sixth window looking out onto the sea was excellent. I love magical windows that open onto other... well, not worlds in this case, but places other than where they should logically open.

The merpeople in this book are nothing revolutionary, except for the way their eyes are described and the immense fun the author creates out of their aquatic tricks, but they are stock-standard fantasy creatures. The relationship between the two young protagonists goes from prickly to personable in a believable amount of time, and Lampie is a plucky enough heroine to satisfy any reader. The lighthouse is also described beautifully.

Lenny, Martha and Nick work alright as side characters, although I did feel that Nick and Martha could have been combined (in the sense that Nick is kind of just there: he doesn’t do much apart from carve ships and rescue Lampie a few times when she needs it). I enjoyed the solution found for Lenny. And the ending! The ending was just perfect, with the pirates and the reveal of the Black M.