4 Stars
I loved it! This was a beautiful mermaid story filled with love and true beauty. This was the kind of book that you don't want to stop reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pug Press Publishing for the opportunity to read thus book.

The premise of this was so fasinating and it felt truly magical reading the first part of the book but unfortunately as the book went on I lost interest in the writing and the characters felt very underdeveloped. I think this author has promise and I would be interested to see what they think up in the future but unfortunately, for me this book fell flat.

An absolute GOAT. Sweeping, romantic, epic in scale and heart. A perfect book in every way that matters.

This was 4 stars for me!

If you're a Disney Princess at heart and want to be the main character who can stand their ground and stay true to their heart and beliefs - read Call of the Sea.

This book is inspired by Brave and The Little Mermaid. More so, the Little Mermaid but make it genderbent. I absolutely adored the plot and the obstacles our FMC has to overcome to get her truths and discover who she really is, while being steered in a direction forced by her parents. Marriage.

Although she is a princess, her representation is phenomenal as she is a plus size character who loves her body. She is ridiculed for being herself and seeing her stick up for herself is something I envy. I applaud Emily for creating a character like Kenna who can be seen and loved by all.

I really enjoyed the romance portion of this book as well, as the banter between them was top tier and had me smiling.

If you're looking for a Disney inspired romance read with mystery and character growth, check out Call of the Sea!

**Arc provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review**

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. It was so fun to get a mash of the little mermaid and brave, with a plus sized bad a** heroine. I loved watching her find herself and also her love for Calder. There was just the right amount of spice as well.

The only reason this isn't a five star for me is because there was a section that was a complete information dump, all at once. I wish the information about Kenna's past and what happened would have been split out a bit more. Other than that this was extremely well written with lots of intrigue to keep the story moving. Would definitely recommend.

This was a very good Little Mermaid retelling, and I loved the Brave influences. I absolutely loved Tristen the cinnamon roll, and I hope he gets his own book. I also wish this would’ve been two books so we could’ve gone further into this world!

I was really excited for this book as I love fairy tale retellings! But I was severely let down. The book is written so plainly and simply it is almost as it is a children’s book when it is clearly marked for adult audiences. There is no emotion here everything reads so black and white and the female main character just rambles and I had a very hard time finishing this.

The first half of the book the FMC just ogles potential suitors for about 100 pages, then she runs away with a suitor on an island for the next 100 pages and every situation is just so repetitive. I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over. I would recommend the author do some serious edits here so that this reads more as a romantasy and there is more excitement!

I also had a huge issue with the author continuing to bash upon the female main characters weight/body type. There is a way to describe her and the trauma she has been through without shoving it down a readers throat. I was really off putting because within the first few chapters I got the point, I didn’t need so many reminders of her overweight body, image issues, double chin, etc. it was to the point where I was like “leave the poor character alone! We get it!”

Call Of the Sea by Emily B Rose is a fantasy romance about a fat human princess who feels an attraction towards the ocean. When she has to choose her partner among her five suitors at the Winchin Festival, she starts falling for the only one who doesn’t seem to be interested in her title. Then he disappears. Kenna goes after him only to meet with an accident in the ocean and wakes up on a remote island with him. It's her story of her falling in love, revelation of family secrets and a lot more. I would advise you to go into this book without knowing much about it.
I loved the sibling relationship in this one. The plot moved at a good pace and things kept on happening one after the other. Most of the plot points get a proper resolution. I really enjoyed it and it's a very easy and quick read. You can definitely pick this one up if you like fairy tale like stories and want something which is almost comforting.

The premise of this book immediately grabbed my attention. A gender-bent reimagining of The Little Mermaid?! Sign me up! I loved the concept, and I loved the representation points. And while I enjoyed the world building, and descriptions, the pacing and overall writing leaves a lot to be desired, which ultimately made this hard to get through. I think with a bit more editing and polish, this could have been exceptional. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this work.

4.5!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was an amazing adventure, unforgettable romance, and incredible world building all in one! CHARACTERS- Kenna was such a well rounded character who was strong and sassy and brave yet still had some insecurities and doubts. She was such a good representation for fat characters and also demi characters who we don’t see very often! I related so much to her and felt all her emotions and feelings as she went through the storyline. Her relationship with her brother Tristan was also such a good way of representing familial soulmates! Calder was the perfect partner and soulmate for Kenna! He was witty, smart, but also kind and gentle and them discovering what love is for the first time was amazing. They are the blueprint for soulmates I loved all their connections to each other so so much!
PLOT- the story was so much fun! It had the perfect pacing in my opinion and all the Disney Easter eggs were so much fun to spot. It felt like a cozy fantasy while also being fast paced and very captivating. The ending was absolutely perfect and I appreciated how the epilogue gave us a glimpse into the future and ended off the story beautifully.

Give me a retelling any day! I loved this story. Definitely felt the Disney vibes and I was excited to find out the ending as I was reading. I couldn’t really agree with the Brave comparisons but yes to the little mermaid! I really appreciate the diversity and representation in this book too. A fun adventure! I like more spice in my books lol but this was a light read that was nice after a fantasy read for me.

Absolutely loved this! The Little Mermaid vibes and the twist on that, the Brave elements, the representation, the romance! Everything came together so well and created a story I couldn't put down. I love this world and these characters and I would love to see more of them. This was a great mermaid story with a heroine learning to believe in herself and her worth, and it was beautiful.

Thank you for let me receive this arc!!!


My initial thought on the book was that it start a bit slow for me but the world building was written well and easy to follow.
I absolutely love that Kenna came into herself and accepted herself. I love for plus size MFC.

The plot and romance aspect did feel a bit rushed to me but I enjoyed it!

Apparently I didn't fully read the book description because I didn't know what I was getting into when I requested this book. I saw the title, loved the cover, knew it was about mermaids and I was all in.
Kenna has felt a drawing towards the sea ever since she was a child and almost drowned. She claims to have been saved by a mermaid and has been fascinated by them ever since. Her duty is to marry and become the next Queen, so when her parents line up potentials at a marriage festival Kenna is forced to chose a husband to help her rule.
With all the suitors vying for the crown, she struggles to find someone who loves her for who she is and not just for the position. She finds herself drawn towards one man, but he is hiding something too and it will change her life forever.
I loved the story, with it's Little Mermaid vibe, and unlikely romance. All in all, I enjoyed the plot, it was a cute and fun Fantasy Romance. But to be honest I grew tired of the Kenna's inner dialogue. I understand she was trying to highlight the struggles of a confused, heavy person with a mental illness. But for me it was too much. Of course we all have our struggles, I could relate to how people judge based on her appearance and how painful that can be. But the whole issue about not being able to love someone without knowing them just seemed like you were trying to make a reasonable response into a condition. It was all just too much, and it took away from an otherwise enjoyable story. Sometimes less is more, show us don't keep telling us.

What a wonderful debut novel by Emily B Rose. I really enjoyed this fun gender-bent Little Mermaid/Brave retelling, and I thought it was done in such a great way. My favorite thing about this book was our main character, Kenna. I loved how strong of a FMC she was and how she was true to herself and her calling all throughout the book, but I also loved how close she was with her family, especially her brother. Their relationship was one of the highlights of the book for me. Overall, the story was a fun and easy read that was filled with adventure and twists and turns, and romance. I felt like it could have flowed a bit better as some parts felt a bit long, however overall, a wonderful read!

3.75 ⭐

This was a very enjoyable book! The story was very well thought out and I really enjoyed reading it. The romance was amazing!

I have always loved fairytale retellings (especially when they are Disney adjacent as well!) and this did not disappoint. I loved Kenna and all of her turmoil over her place in her family and kingdom. I really enjoyed the pace of this book, and at first I wasn’t sure where it was going because the beginning is not what I expected, but then once it hits, IT HITS. I cannot wait to be able to buy this! I also cannot wait to see where the author goes next. I loved the cadence and style of writing and would love to see more! If you’re like me, you probably found so many Easter eggs to Brave and The Little Mermaid in this and it was just a delight.

4.5 rounded up to 5.

I loved this gender-swapped Little Mermaid reimagining. Princess Kenna has always felt the call of the sea. She'd love nothing more than to set off and explore, but as the heir, she must marry. Five suitors arrive to vie for her hand. Part competition part celebration, she has three days to pick one of them. But the only one she has feelings for might be harboring a secret.

Please allow me to start this review with an unhinged pterodactyl screech! This book spoke to my heart. First off, I love a gender-swapped fairy tale retelling. Second, The Little Mermaid meets Brave? Sign me up!! Third, a plus size, demisexual, neurodivergent FMC...is this a love letter just for me in book form? Perhaps it could be a love letter for you as well.

Kenna's inner monologue is so well written. There were a few parts I highlighted to share with a friend because it perfectly described what it feels like to be understood, to be seen. The romance and action blend together so well to create an engaging book.

I highly recommend Call of the Sea!

*ARC Review*

World building ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character development ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Meridiel (Merida/Ariel) is that you? lol I didn’t realize when I first started this it was gonna be a retelling (I’ve been caught up with too many other books to remember things 😅), so when I started this, I was like ohhh this is Brave and Little Mermaid retelling! (Then I saw the synopsis and was like oh, well guess I was right🤣). Anyways, I could not put the book down! I really enjoyed reading about her struggle and her growth of self-confidence. It resonated with me so it was an easy read, no issues getting into it at all. And I really appreciated the big girl inclusion! Us big girls need more representation.
The small little plot twists here and there were shock worthy! I didn’t expect Hamilton to do what he did! And I incorrectly guessed at who the blonde mermaid was; pleasantly surprised though!
I will say the pacing of this story was very similar to The Little Mermaid’s story pacing. I actually thought there was gonna be a cliffhanger since I was running out of pages. Grateful this is a HEA. I definitely needed a finished story right now.
Great debut for Emily!
P.S. not sure if others will catch it, but being a retelling with Disney vibes, I also caught a few tidbits of Moana and Tangled. Almost like her own little easter eggs.

This was a sweet debut about a fat, demisexual princess with ADHD inspired by the little mermaid and brave.
Overall, it was a lovely coming of age story about becoming comfortable in your own skin and taking control of your destiny. Sadly, the execution fell a bit flat for me.
I think there was a few reasons for this. The first is that I felt it took too long for the plot to get properly going - the first third of the novel really dragged for me, and I wish that whole section was sped up significantly. I also felt the pace really got bogged down by Kenna's internal dialogue. Sometimes there were a page or more of internal dialogue in the middle of scenes where interesting stuff was happening, and that really ruined many of the scenes for me.
The worldbuilding and plot were interesting though, and I loved the scottish and gaelic influences in both the prose and worldbuilding! Definitely want to see more of that! I also appreciated the demisexual rep - I'm also under the asexual umbrella (although not demi), but I thought this aspect was done well and I appreciated seeing a sexually active demi character.