Happy Halloween, friends! Anyone else already stuffed with peanut butter cups?
I’m expecting many mermaids at my door tonight, despite the snow (!!), and thought, in light of that, now is an excellent time to talk about my recent experience as a beta reader. I finished reading Penny Kearney’s Melody on Saturday, and all you really need to know is that you’re in for a lot of extra magic this Christmas. But this is a blog post, so allow me to elaborate.
This book changed forever the way in which I view humanity. As I mentioned in a previous post, Melody is a retelling of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. It is packed full of vibrant and relentlessly brave characters, powerful music and a kind of inexplicable magic that makes this story one of the most beautiful that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. That alone could sum up my recommendation, but my love for this story is flowing out of my fingertips now, so, with zero spoilers, here are a few of my favorite things about it:
The characters
No surprise here. Characters are my favorite part of every book. Kearney’s people are easy to relate to and a true joy to get to know (and their names are beautiful!). Their honesty, curiosity, gentleness, humor, faith and unrestrained empathy jump off the pages. I even love to hate the antagonist in this book. These characters are proof that there are angels among us.
The combination of fairytales
I couldn’t imagine how an author might merge The Little Mermaid and Cinderella until Kearney did just that– seamlessly. This retelling combines everything that our world loves about these two stories and blends them together with fresh depictions of land and sea. I promised no spoilers, and I’m sticking to it, but let me give a quick nod to my favorite part of Melody: Chapter Eight. All of it.
The themes
I found four major themes in this book, but I’m only going to mention one here because every reader picks up on subtext differently, and I want to leave those discoveries to you! As I mentioned earlier, this book changed my perspective of humanity. This was due, in great part, to the message that love is humanity’s greatest gift and strength. I think we would all do well to remember that.
The chapter titles
Brief intermission while I wipe my tears of wow.
This quote
“I haven’t been the same since that day, and every time I think I’ve gotten you out of my head, you’re back.” – Markos
I could go on and on and on, but I have a pumpkin to carve before sundown, and this wonderful story will be available to you this Christmas season. For now, check out Penny’s Instagram page (@pennykearneybooks) for updates and Melody illustrations. Have a safe and yummy holiday everyone!
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