Summary: A reimagining of the Little Mermaid.
We all need some lightness in our lives. I tend to read heavy books, and I do this because I like them. But we also need lighter books to balance and rest, especially amid a global pandemic.
Son of the Deep is the latest book by KB Hoyle. I have never met her in person, but I digitally met her in the Christ and Pop Culture Facebook member group years ago. Since then, I have read her ten previous books and now this one. (She is currently co-writing a novel with Project CoNarrative).
KB Hoyle’s books are all well developed, expertly plotted with depth to them that allows for real enjoyment by adults, even though they are pitched to middle grade or young adult readers. Despite her skill, her last publisher went under, and she reclaimed all of her books and has self-published newly edited versions of them over the past two years.
This latest book is only available (for now) at Swoonreads, a project of MacMillian that takes submissions from authors and gives the reader community free access to unpublished books for feedback and potential publishing. If I have just purchased a new ereader that allowed me to load the book, (you have to read via an app, so it has to be on a computer, or an iOS or Android device and my new reader is android based.)
Son of the Deep is a reimagining of the Little Mermaid. The human is a princess, the beloved only daughter of the King and a bedridden Queen. The merman is the youngest child and only son of the King. He is in line to be the King’s military right hand, but also to be the apprentice storyteller to his Grandmother.
I am not going to give away the details, but the story is inspired by both the original Hans Christian Anderson tragedy and the Disney movie. The tension isn’t just about the love story, but also about the obligation to family and society, personal honor, and how to deal with family secrets.
The books is nearly 400 pages, but I read it quickly over a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed it. KB Hoyle’s fantasy series could be compared to a Prydain or Narnia type of fantasy. She also has a very different dystopian series. But this is something completely different from those two genres, a detailed reimagining of a known fairy tale, with a romantic undertone.
I will keep reading Hoyle’s book because they are so well written. And if you are a publisher, give her a contract.
Son of the Deep by KB Hoyle from Swoonreads (now widely available including Amazon