Pearl of Magic by Emily Deady

“She didn’t know how this would play out, but she would make all the choices available to her. No one else would be making those choices for her.”

I love when I stumble on a little known series that I end up falling in love with! The first book in the Fairy Tale Royals series by Emily Deady, Shard of Glass, was one that had made its way on my “Want to Read” list on Goodreads (probably via Instagram) and then turned up on sale on Amazon earlier this summer. I read it in one sitting. So I was thrilled to learn that there were more books in the series ready and available for me to read!

Pearl of Magic, the third book in the series, is a re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. I’m always fascinated with how authors choose to reinterpret this tale, some going quite literal while others attempt a more subtle interpretation. The magic system that Deady has been building in the series thus far lends itself incredibly well to this re-telling, where our tragic heroine Aizel is one of the Majis. In the previous two books, the Majis have been presented as the enemies of the royal family which the various fairy tales feature. However, in this book we see that perhaps things are not always as they seem.

I liked the character development of both Aizel and her love interest, Prince Erich. They must overcome the expectations and stereotypes that have not only been placed on them… but also on each other. I especially appreciated the theme alluded to in the quote above: that people always have choices, no matter what situation they are in. And it is empowering to men, women, and children to have those choices given to them as opposed to being taken away.

There were parts of the plot that stumbled due to the necessary time jumps (as there are events that coincide with other books); but aside from that I felt both the storyline and the romance moved right along. The story was an easy read and most certainly kept me engaged throughout, even if it felt a little slow at times.

I would give the book a solid 4 stars, and it would be perfect for any fellow Little Mermaid fans out there. If you’re looking for a book with feel good romance and well developed magic systems, then this book is for you!

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