Ive had this sitting on my kindle for a while and finally picked it up. This was a YA books written as if it was for middle graders with alot of info dumping. This has potential but i feel just wasnt ready yet.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

Really well thought-out book with amazing characters and excellent setting.

Found this difficult to get into, but I think it may have been my own personal reading taste vs. the book so I don't want to give it too bad of a rating.

Book review: Ice floe by Melissa Birling is an extremely breathtaking fantasy book for all.

Glacia is a great protagonist. She’s not overly confident in herself, she has some realistic flaws, but she is sure enough to stand up for herself and those she cares about. She was a character that I really could connect with because she felt REAL. Honestly, all the characters in this book were portrayed in this way. They pop and come to life; they don’t feel wooden or unrealistic. Another element that I felt popped in this novel was world-building. I had no problem conjuring an image of what Lacus looked like in my mind. It was all laid out before me by the author. I love when every element of a book comes to life like this, it helps drag you into the story. I liked how mermaid society was portrayed in this book. The idea of mermaids being a bunch of creative types makes so much sense to me. I can absolutely see a bunch of vibrantly colored mermaids dancing in the water, their colors swirling together as they twirl and turn.

This new fantasy series takes you deep into the lives, culture, and laws of the Merworld. With vivid imagery, engaging dialogue, good character development, and some surprising twists and turns to the plot, you can’t help but to keep turning the page to see what happens next.

This story covers a wide range of themes (e.g., friendship, self-discovery and identity, romance, etc.) that will appeal to young adults especially those in high school. There are some mature elements to this story that may be a bit intense for some pre-teen/early teen readers.

All in all, I’m very curious to see how the next story unfolds for the main characters and how the Merworld and human world will continue to collide despite everyone’s best efforts at secrecy!

I am thankful to netgalley and the publisher for providing me this book in return of an honest review. I loved reading this book and would recommend this fantasy book to all fantasy book lovers.
Happy Reading!

Hi! Ice Floe by Melissa Berling is a fantasy book with elements of forbidden romance, finding yourself and more and is perfect for everyone above the age of 11! It’s been a while since I reviewed a book perfect for tweens as well as teenagers so here goes. I’ll keep this review short.

Why you should read this book

*Read this book if you enjoy mermaid romances with subtle twists in the usual mermaid tales (or rather… tails). Please bear with me as I sprout out more dismal puns. Sprout out, get it? I’m gonna shut up now.

*Ok, I loved the fact that this was an all female kickass population (even if it wasn’t for the right reasons) and that lesbian couples were rather the norm than the exception.

*I also loved that the protagonist, Glacia wasn’t the clueless, helpless protagonist in denial. She had the chance to learn to fight and SHE TOOK IT (obviously). She didn’t believe every propaganda fed to the mermaid population and questioned stuff! That’s on positively charactered protagonists everyone!

*I’m going to end this review with the fact that I appreciated that this book, despite having a romance, didn’t feature smut. Though those books are great and always fun to read, it’s also great having books that can be read by younger and older generations collectively.

All in all, if this book seems like something you would enjoy, go for it! It did end slightly abruptly so here’s to hoping there’s going to be a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! (This book was published earlier this year.)

Alright, I have been trying to force this book for a month and a half.
It's not working.
At 71% I am giving up.
I love mermaids and this plot had sooo much potential!
My issue is that there is no real world building.
Essentially this mermaid realm is a lot of waterproof versions of everyday human items.
Bit of a letdown.
Love that cover though!
Thanks to NetGalley & Melissa Birling for letting me give this a whirl.

I love mermaids. I wish I liked this story about mermaids so much better :(

The writing style itself took me out of the story quite a lot. It was much more telling than showing. It grated on me and I wanted to quit more often than not. I didn’t like the romance or the action of the story.
Also, the main character, whose name I cannot remember (bad sign), was very much not like other girls.
I always hesitate to give a story bad reviews and while I disliked it I would still recommend it. It was at least a bit interesting!

ARC provided by Netgalley

DFN at 33%. This was not working for me at all. I have to force myself to read. There is strong LGBTQ representation- it’s a female only population and the women are married or in a polyamorous relationship. One of the main themes is the hatred of men and the killing of new born males, which seems sexist to me. I didn’t like this book at all. The other big thing I hated was how the main character was all “I’m not like other girls” and it was so annoying.

I stopped under 10% because I could not stand the heroine at all. She is the most "not like the other girls" character I have read since Twilight, and would have you believe every other girl is a superficial, brainless airhead who only thinks of seducing and killing human men. We're supposed to believe she's also Not Really Pretty and more concerned about martial art than appearances and that makes her better than her peers. Just insufferable

The writing is questionable with huge chunks that are just exposition while it leaves off obvious questions like "why do you have a regular sounding human sounding bed with comforter underwater, and why do mermaids attend underwater high school? is this like Finding Nemo?" or, more interestingly, why do they need to mate with human men since mermen exist. I do not have enough suspension of disbelief for this.

But the last drop for me was the idea that this anti-men culture developed out of slavery, so that liberation has for consequence the murder of human men and the enslavement of (male) merchildren to labour camps basically from birth. It's not subtle, and I hate narratives that paint oppressed people as the next oppressor. I am not here for this.

Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything. Glacia is a seventeen-year-old mermaid who doesn't know how quickly her life will change. Before she knows it, she'll be tracking down kidnappers, protesting the government, and falling for a boy she ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT HAVE. Glacia is the girl who doesn't fit in with everyone else in her shoal. The community she lives in comprises all-female mermaids who have some strange values. The government of her shoal seizes all male infants when they are born and sends them away. There have also been a few deaths that seem like the government may have been involved in them, as mysterious circumstances or outspoken mermaids surround them.
When everything in her world begins to collide, Glacia fights back. She fights in the only way she has ever known how to, by taking the matter into her own hands and kicking some tail. Even though she has been dutifully studying different forms of martial arts for years, none of her training can prepare her for what she is about to face. She has a secret crime ring within her very own shoal, an untold number of secrets, and a human boy she cannot stop thinking about. Quickly Glacia reaches a crossroads where she must decide who to trust, who to follow, and who deserves to be saved.
I absolutely loved this YA Fantasy. It's got elements of mystery, romance, political intrigue, and of course, fantasy. This was an exciting twist on The Little Mermaid. It's not entirely the same, but many of the same elements are there- a teenage mermaid who is different and feels like she sticks out, she also has a history of being a "troublemaker,” falls in love with a human, and doesn't quite live up to parental expectations. I have to say, I like this better than the traditional The Little Mermaid, maybe it's because it's obviously geared to a more modern audience, but it's got so much more going on. This is one reason why I love YA books. They get brushed off for being "just for kids,” when in reality, a lot of the time, they are pretty deep and have interesting themes. There was so much more to this story than I expected. And I was blown away to find out that this was a debut novel because it did not feel like a debut novel to me.
Glacia is a great protagonist. She’s not overly confident in herself, she has some realistic flaws, but she is sure enough to stand up for herself and those she cares about. She was a character that I really could connect with because she felt REAL. Honestly, all the characters in this book were portrayed in this way. They pop and come to life; they don’t feel wooden or unrealistic. Another element that I felt popped in this novel was world-building. I had no problem conjuring an image of what Lacus looked like in my mind. It was all laid out before me by the author. I love when every element of a book comes to life like this, it helps drag you into the story. I liked how mermaid society was portrayed in this book. The idea of mermaids being a bunch of creative types makes so much sense to me. I can absolutely see a bunch of vibrantly colored mermaids dancing in the water, their colors swirling together as they twirl and turn.
Glacia, the tough, sporty, outspoken girl who likes to fight, was such a great play on the “odd girl” trope. Usually, this girl is the creative type, so I enjoyed that she was the opposite, as all the mermaids are creative. I thought it was an exciting way to give representation to a different type of girl for once in a fantasy novel. I also liked how Glacia wasn’t as excited as the other girls to go seducing. I have gotten tired of the boy-crazy girl trope in YA romance. That felt like a breath of fresh air to me. That being said, I LOVE her relationship with Tucker, the human boy she falls for. Glacia has been told that men, especially human men are prone to fits of anger, are generally up to no good, and ultimately are just trying to trap mermaids and keep them for their nefarious reasons. I thought Glacia’s mistrust of Tucker made their relationship sweet. Perhaps that is because we had a similar relationship when I met my husband. I had been burned so many times I was utterly untrusting. Tucker, however, is intrigued by Glacia even if she acts a bit odd and insists she can do everything on her own- even if it is a terrible, dangerous idea. The fact that he sticks with her through everything she throws at him made me fall for him right alongside her.

The plot was unique and exciting. I went into it thinking that it would mostly be your typical mermaid falls for a human romance, with a bit of mystery on the side. However, it was just mystery and political intrigue with a side of romance. The romance was an essential part of the story, but in some ways, it was on the backburner compared to the rest of the elements of the story. I enjoyed how this story started a bit slow, but not in a boring way. It slowly introduces you to the mermaids, and their way of life before everything else in the story kicks off. I liked that because it gave you a chance to acclimate to the world before pulling you into the account. Once it picks up, though, it doesn’t slow down. It’s a quick ride to the end of the book.
What’s a female-led mermaid society without some feminism? This was a big theme in the novel, but maybe not how you would expect it. As I said before, mermaids are warned about the dangers men pose from a young age. Male infants are taken away to the Arctic, where they don’t pose a threat to the females, and consequently, the females mate with human men instead. But that isn’t without its dangers as well. Young mermaids are warned that human men are just as bad as mermen, perhaps even worse as they desire to capture mermaids. I thought it was an interesting take on feminism and how it can turn just as toxic as masculinity. However, I did like the idea that the mermaids had of “housemates.” This was the relationship that the adult mermaids had with one another. It could be romantic or platonic, it could involve two mermaids or more, but no matter the arrangement, they shared their children and homes. This was a really creative idea, and I liked that the relationship was so fluid and up to each group of housemates to decide what they wanted their relationship to be. There was no societal standard to hold up to.
This is a must-read recommendation from me. I liked it WAY more than I expected to, and I am super excited to see what the next book brings. Fair warning, if you only want to read HEA books, this one doesn’t have a totally happy ending, but almost everything works out. The story is engaging and really pulls you in, the characters are vibrant and realistic, and the world is fantastic. There wasn’t anything that I can think of that I didn’t like about this one. I am glad that this is planned to be a series, because I can’t wait to go back to Lacus.

This had a rough start, and I contemplated dropping it a few times, but around a quarter of the way through the book, I realized I had become pretty interested in what was going on.

Overall, I liked a lot of the mermaid concepts, but a mismatch between the writing style and content kept me from enjoying it more. The writing style felt targeted towards the younger YA, while the violent and disturbing nature of the content itself felt like it should be targeted a much older YA or even NA audience. There's some pretty dark elements of the world-building, particularly around how mermaids interact with the human world and everything about mermen. Some of these elements, like the history of mermaid / human interactions, were glossed over, leaving me with more questions than answers about this world.

If the glossed over elements hadn't pertained to such serious topics, it would have been easier to overlook, but as it is, it felt like some of the more violent aspects of this world were treated as if they weren't actually that violent, which caused me to frequently be pulled out of the story because of the contrast between some disturbing thing and the casual way in which it was mentioned.

The ending was somewhat open-ended. I'd be curious if the author ends up writing a sequel, as there's definitely some loose threads that I'd be curious to see how they're resolved.

I loved the character development in this book. Tucker was my favorite from the beginning and after reading this book I find my self wanting more Tucker!!! This book was a quick, easy read for me. One of those hard to put down, gonna read just one more page, and then before I knew it, I was finished in a day. It left me so satisfied, but also wanting more!!! That’s the way a great book should leave you. I laughed, I cried and I was caught up in the mystery and suspense as the story developed. I loved the word choices of this author and can’t wait for her to write more books!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you love mermaids, YA fiction, a forbidden love story, and an action packed storyline, you should absolutely pick this one up! The way that this one ends makes me think there could be future stories set in this oceanic world, so I can't wait to see if that happens. I will definitely read the next one!

As much as I love a good book about mermaids I just couldn’t get into this one. Unfortunately the storyline didn’t keep my interest and I didn’t love the characters.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for a free ARC.

I was immediately pulled into this book because mermaids were a huge focal point of this story. However I found myself not really liking the underwater scenes of this book and only really liking the scenes toward the end of this book or when Glacia was on land. I think the mermaids lived really cool lives in this book but which that in the end there was more of a push for Glacia to inform her people that humans aren't bad and that everyone can coexist together including mermen and humans. However I feel like it ended sadly and abruptly. I was invested for most of the time while reading this book, I just didn't find myself falling in love with it and was hoping for a better ending or at least some closure to some of the problems that are plaguing Glacia's mermaid society.

As much as I love a good book about mermaids I just couldn’t get into this one. Unfortunately the storyline didn’t keep my interest and I didn’t love the characters. I’m thinking maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

Thanks. Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
The story concept is intriguing, but the execution isn't very whole and consistent. It needed to sink deeper into the characters and their development because the overall idea behind these characters actually has potential. Not enough exploration of the main character through actions. Way too many descriptions. The best way to get to know a character is to show how they act in different situations that define their personality. It's not enough to write that someone is different. Show the readers that truth by placing that character in a situation where their different behavior shines through. Overall a nice concept, but not good enough execution.

I was super excited to read this book, I’m a huge fan of mermaid books. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book. It was confusing and seemed a bit disjointed, like there were two different plots that were unsuccessfully melded.

This book is not too terrible, the prose is actually pretty good! But I found the plot to be a bit chunky, the first roughly 75% is a romance... and then the focus turns to a mer-rights issue. The ending felt like it was supposed to be emotional and shocking, yet it wasnt. I also finished the book with a vague understanding of what an Ice Floe Kiss was. (And also, at first glance I read it as Ice Hoe, be careful with your fonts!)

In the end, if you are okay with a slight bit of "I'm not like other girls" (Thats a direct quote from my ARC) type stuff, and you're looking for a fast book with some interesting takes on Merpeople. Give it a go!

This is an okay book for me. It reads too young for whom it was advertised to and as an adult, I particularly find the book to be meandering and boring at times. The execution didn't excite me as much as the premise did. I think the writing style of the author also contributed to that since the writing lacks emotions and have lots of telling instead of showing.