Review - Lorali by Laura Dockrill

Title: Lorali

Author: Laura Dockrill

Pages: 352

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Release date: 2nd July 2015

Blurb from Goodreads:

Colourful, raw, brave, rich and fantastical - this mermaid tale is not for the faint-hearted.

Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn't exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.

Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.

But along with Lorali's arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory's bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bonnier Publishing and NetGalley*

2.5/5 stars

The last thing Rory expects to find on his sixteenth birthday is a naked girl under the pier. Then he finds out who, or rather what, she is - Lorali was a mermaid princess but she surfaced and now has legs.

The mermaid kingdom is in uproar over Lorali's disappearance and the Queen's grief is causing freak weather. The Queen sends an ambassador to talk to the Walkers (humans) who offers a reward for the return of the princess.

Will Rory be able to keep Lorali safe from those that want her - not just the Mer but pirates too.

My favourite thing about the book, apart from the gorgeous cover, was that some of the chapters are told from the point of view of the sea (they are also told from Rory and Lorali's points of view). I really liked these chapters and thought they were a nice addition.

Lorali and Rory were likeable but I did find the romance a bit fast. I liked most of the other characters as well but none really stood out.

The writing style was enjoyable and easy to follow but I did lose interest in several places and I guessed something before it happened.

I found the idea that mermaid's tails, or as they are known in this book 'tapestries', show what the mermaid is like intriguing. I also thought the way that mermaids are made in the book was clever.

I felt that more could have been shown about the humans' reactions to the existence of mermaids because that part of the story disappears after a while.

I liked that sirens weren't beautiful women but instead harpy-like creatures. It was a good twist.

Overall this was a unique take on mermaids but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.