The Mermaid's Tale

De: D G Valdron

Narrado por: Susan J Iannucci

In a city of majesty and brutality, of warring races and fragile alliances, a sacred mermaid has been brutally murdered. An abomination, a soulless Arukh is summoned to hunt the killer. As the world around the Arukh drifts into war and madness, her search for justice leads her on a journey to discover redemption and even beauty in the midst of chaos.

©2016 D.G. Valdron (P)2017 D.G. Valdron

Mermaid's Tale Review

Would you consider the audio edition of The Mermaid's Tale to be better than the print version?

I don't know I only listened to the audio version

What did you like best about this story?

The beauty found here and there among so much violence

What aspect of Susan J Iannucci’s performance would you have changed?

I had to get used to her voice. The more I listened the more I liked it. The beginning sounded really sing songy to me. Overall the performance was good

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

War, wars and rumors of wars

Any additional comments?

This genre is pretty new to me. if a variety of fantasy creatures with conflict and battles amongst them is your thing, listen to this book you won't be disappointed.

Good mystery...

Good mystery combined somewhat with fantasy elements. I was captivated from the beginning and I enjoyed the story a lot. Narration was pretty good; definitely able to tell characters apart.

It's an interesting book....

What made the experience of listening to The Mermaid's Tale the most enjoyable?

The crux of the story was rather sad. If you're a hardcore sci-fi fan, you might have issues with this universe, I know that I did. In this world, you have dwarves, orcs, mermaids, hob goblins, regular goblins, trolls, humans and vampires too... there might be some others that I've missed as well... That's a lot of mythical creatures for one book! On the other hand, you might like that aspect since the author goes into great lengths to show you the interactions between each race.

What other book might you compare The Mermaid's Tale to and why?

I can't think of a single book that reminds me of this book... there are tons of books about redemption, but redemption is a personal thing.

Which scene was your favorite?

Well I thought that the creation story (how the orcs came to be) was rather interesting. It's unlike anything I could have dreamed up. I must mention that the tone of the book is grittier than a kid appropriate book, I would not let my kids read or listen to it, but, kids today probably would not be shocked by the language used herein.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't know, this book has more to it... it's not just a sci-fi book, it's not just a book about war, it's not just about redemption, it's one of those stories that has a bit of everything in it.

Any additional comments?

This is not the best or worst book that I've listened to, so I would highly recommend that you take a listen and see if it peaks your interest. We are all different and you can't go wrong with the audible book guarantee.

The Mermaid's Tale review

Where does The Mermaid's Tale rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High among my favorites.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character. They seemed unique and interesting.

Which character – as performed by Susan J Iannucci – was your favorite?

The main character.

Any additional comments?

A fantastic, five star book.

Murder Mystery only a nameless monster can solve

The Mermaid's tale is craftily written. It is fresh, and offers a new perspective on the fantastic realm of fantasy.Valdron weaves a world that is unreal, and yet believable, and it drags you through the veil by gripping your imagination and hauling you in before you know what is happening. I almost did not get this book, as I am NOT a fan of mermaid stories. I always picture Ariel from Disney or Madison from Splash, and that is not my cuppa. However, this is not a fishy wishy girly tale. No, it is a grim dark tale of revenge an redemption.

The main character is basically an or, called an Arukh, who is tasked with solving the death of a memaid. She is known for her sleuthing skills, although the HOW she is known for this is never revealed, and embarks on a quest to solve the murder. Her travels take her to some dark places, and some races that while they may seem like a standard fantasy troupe at first, quickly prove that this is not something you would expect in standard fantasy.

Valdron's prose style is somewhat simplistic, but that is because you are seeing things from the POV of an orc, so don't expect Shakespeare. Do expect to get drawn in, and wanting to find the killer more than the MC. Do expect a fantastic, well paced, perfectly executed plot. You will hate to see this book end, and will most definately want to get mre from Valdron.

Iannucci's narration isn't bad, but she could have put a little more into the story as things happened, still, her cadence is almost hypnotic, and she conveys the emotions that the MC goes through quite well.

Great listen!

I received this audio book for free in exchange for my honest review. This is an expertly written murder mystery woven in a land of fantasy with excellent narration. Definitely worth checking out.

Not my cup of tea.

Any additional comments?

I tried so hard to like this book, I really did.
It received high praise in other available reviews, and it has all the themes that I usually enjoy to read and hear:
Murder Mystery - check
Fantasy Setting - check
Mythical creatures - check

That said, about two hours in, I'm having a really hard time getting into this book and am not sure it will hold my interest or patience long enough to finish listening to it in full. The writing style of the story so far feels bored, annoyed and somehow inconsistent... and dark, very, very dark (not just violence-dark but forcible violation-dark).
The antago-, sorry... protagonist doesn't come across as relatable, sympathetic or even involved or interested in what is happening, sadly the anticlimactic delivery isn't helping either. Especially in the beginning, I initially thought the book had been read by an automated computer voice.
Needles to say, the book wasn't my cup of tea.
This review copy audiobook was provided free of charge via Audiobook Boom.