Ruby's books: Audiobook Blog Tour: Between The Sea And Stars by Chantal Gadoury

Author: Chantal Gadoury
Narrator: Dollcie Webb
Length: 6 hours 53 minutes
Series: The Lena Series, Book 1
Audience: YA
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: The Parliament House
Release Date: Dec. 20, 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Audiobookworm Promotions
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A legend

A magical shell

A girl who dreamed of something more...

Lena, a Merrow girl, lives in the Skagerrak sea with her father, Carrick and her brother, Javelin, who tells her of the legend of the Merrow Queen murdered by her human lover when greed takes over. But what’s worth spilling the queen’s blood? Gifted from Poseidon, himself, a magic shell gives any human the ability to control both land and sea.

When Javelin is called to join a clan of Merrow soldiers bent on protecting their waters from human invasion, Lena resists Merrow law and ventures to the shore with no choice but to swim to land.

With newfound legs, Lena is whisked away on a new adventure with new friends and new trouble. Everyone seems to want something from her as intrigue lurks around every corner.

Trying her best to hide who she is and remain safe from the dangers of the human world, will Lena finally find where she belongs, or will she be swept into a strong and stormy current by lust, greed, and jealousy?

*Disclaimer: I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Chantal Gadoury. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it, nor did it influence my rating or the content of my review.

I am always interested in seeing how authors rewrite old stories, old fairy tales, and when I heard there was another Little Mermaid story out there, I knew I had to snatch it up and read it ASAP. And let me tell you, I adored it.

Between The Sea And Stars tells the story of Lena, a young Merrow with dreams of seeing the land. While that in itself is a rather innocent dream, talking about it and going to the surface is forbidden, and any Merrow caught doing so is punished by Poseidon and the Merrow king. When Lena disobeys her brother and goes to the surface, things don't go as planned, and she is forced to hide in the one place she shouldn't be in: on the shore.

I truly enjoyed this first part of Lena's story. She's a curious young mermaid and she dreams of seeing humans and the land. Much like Ariel, Lena and her brother Javelin have a secret cave full of human artifacts they've recovered from sunken ships, artifacts they can't sell or they don't want to sell. I liked the worldbuilding so much. The world underneath the sea is magical and I truly was sad once we reached the land alongside Lena. I wanted to stay there, to learn more about the Merrow and their customs. I was fascinated by their stories, and I only hope we'll get more Merrow stories in the next books, because I'm such a fan of stories within stories.

I also liked Lena. Although at times she was too much of a hopeful dreamer for my liking, that aspect of her is part of her charm, and it's that hope, that faith she has in humans and their similarities with Merrows that made me enjoy the second part of the book more, because it somehow gave me hope that she'll be okay on the land, among humans, that she'd be safe. I really enjoyed the portrayal of how she struggled with being a human all of the sudden, and I loved the fact that her life wasn't as easy and her adjustment wasn't immediate as it happens in other mermaid stories. I am very excited to see where Lena's story will go from here.

I enjoyed some of the secondary characters, especially Edwin and Soren. They truly embodied the vision Lena had of good humans, and I was always excited to see more of them. I'm curious where this book will take Soren, because some of the things we discovered about him really intrigued and surprised me.

The book didn't feel like a complete retelling of Little Mermaid, but it had a freshness about it that I didn't fully expect. There were some familiar details from the old fairy tale, but I also found a few fresh takes on the mermaid-turned-human plot and a few other details I won't mention because of spoilers, that I got the impression of a new, fresh, unique story overall.

The ending wasn't one that I expected. While it felt a little bit rushed, it also took me by surprise. I saw a few of these things coming, but not everything that went down. I'm definitely going to put the next book on my TBR.

NARRATION: I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by Dollcie Webb. This was my first time listening to Dollcie Webb, but I had a lot of fun listening to her narrate this book. I thought she did a great job bringing all of the characters to life, and I loved the fact that even though the story is told from Lena's perspective, Dollcie Webb made me see Lena and the narrator's voice as different. I never had trouble figuring out which character was talking, and I really loved that.

The narration style was evenly paced, and I didn't feel the need to turn up the speed throughout listening the book. I really enjoyed the narrator's voice, her interpretation of each individual character, and I am hoping that she keeps narrating this series.

All in all, a great story, that was perfectly complemented by a great narration. I am very excited for the next book in the series to come out.

Amazon Bestselling Author, Chantal Gadoury, is a 2011 graduate from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing. Since graduation, she has published The Songs in Our Hearts, and The Songs We Remember, with 48Fourteen Publishing. Allerleirauh, Between the Sea and Stars, Blinding Night and WinterDream with the Parliament House Press. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues with that love of writing today. For Chantal, writing novels has become a lifelong dream come true! When she’s not typing away at her next project, she enjoys painting, drinking lots of Iced Coffee, and watching Disney Classics. Chantal lives in Muncy, Pennsylvania with her Mom, sister and furry-‘brother’ Taran.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Amazon⎮Instagram⎮Pinterest

"Daydreams and whimsy with with a touch of pixie charm." A long-time daydreamer, Dollcie Webb has always carried a special fondness for Young Adult Fantasy literature. The poetic imagery and enticing otherworldliness call to her sense of curiosity, satisfying a deep desire to explore the world around her. A graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor's in Theatre and Electronic Media Performance, she's taken her experience in audio and theatrical performance and has melded the two into a career as an audiobook producer and narrator.