Ink: A Dark Waters Mermaid Tale

De: Melanie Karsak

Narrado por: Kristin James

A mermaid princess destined to wed a handsome king....

It sounds like a fairy tale, but the reality is far murkier.

Ink, Princess of the Florida Atlantic mers, is slated to wed the ancient enemy of her tribe, the King of the Gulfs. After years of war that led to countless mer deaths, as well as the genocide of aquatic shapeshifters and the freshwater mers of Florida, Ink's marriage will bring lasting peace.

Or so it seems.

Mere hours before she's supposed to leave the ocean for her customary year as a drywalker, Ink meets Hal, an alligator shifter who warns her that a storm is brewing. There is malicious intent behind Ink's marriage - and worse, meeting Hal has also caused a storm to rage in Ink's heart. Nevertheless, loyal to her tribe, Ink will put aside her feelings and journey to Miami to marry the decadent King Manx.

Ink soon learns that her only hope of surviving the crashing force swelling around her is to tap into a power deep inside - a forbidden power that might destroy them all.

©2015 Clockpunk Press (P)2015 Clockpunk Press

very good

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com".

I absolutely loved the book it was wonderful.

Why only a novella, there is potential here?

It is amazing how Melanie Karshak can make a novella with so much depth and character build up that I feel like I have read a full length book. This is another example of a novella that has a full story behind it. But with that said, I also believe that this story could have been expounded upon especially in the romance department, that part need a little help. I would have enjoyed learning more about how the marks were special for each individual as opposed to only knowing that Inks was different and special. The main story line felt completed and was enjoyable to listen to. I love the lore to this story and the world building, this story line had the potential to having many books involved, with far more intriguing points that this book only hinted at. Unfortunately the story ended with a finality that didn't feel like there was going to be any more books to come. Narrator did a good job.

The Rising of a Mermaid Queen

What made the experience of listening to Ink: A Mermaid Romance the most enjoyable?

There was little romance and much more intrigue. Ink rises up to dethrone her murderous uncle.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ink. She was smart, compassionate, selfless and brave.

What does Kristin James bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The drama of the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was a short listen full of action and adventure.

Any additional comments?

Ink never really ever trusted her uncle. She always thought that it was more than just a tragedy that her father the king and then her other uncle who then became king died in war and accidents. She just thought it was too much of a coincidence and wondered if the youngest brother who is now the mer king was involved in her parents and other uncle's deaths. Her uncle bonds her over as a mate to the mer tribe who had killed her parents. As Ink is selfless and wants to do what is best for her people she reluctantly agrees to the match. This match though is a ploy and part of her evil uncle's plans to gain full control over both mer tribes as well as the fresh water mers and other aquatic races.

There was a bit of a romance with an alligator sifter, however the main story involved the conflict between Ink and her treacherous murderous uncle.

It was a good fantasy adventure and bit different from the usual fare.

I would love for there to be a sequel or series.

“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot come”

A fun tail...err tale!

Melanie Karsak created an engaging, modern mer romance that was masterfully narrated by Kristin James. A quick listen that can be enjoyed in one sitting, so pick up a copy today!

A self-contained novella that hints at much more

Any additional comments?

I didn't know anything about the novella or the author going into this audiobook. Just now, in preparing to write this review, I looked up the author's information and discovered that this book (Ink: A Mermaid Romance) is part of the Falling in Deep Collection, which is apparently a collection of 15 mermaid tales by different authors, with one tale releasing each week from June 1. I'm not a huge mermaid fan so I probably won't go through the other stories, but if you are, this definitely looks like something you should check out.

As for this particular story, I really liked it. I found it a quick listen not just because it was short--I got through it quickly because I wanted to keep listening to the story to find out what happens next. Basically, Ink is a mermaid who is facing her year-long exile onto land (where she has to have a human body for a year), but before that can happen, she finds herself enmeshed in a political move by her uncle, who is the ruler of this part of the sea (the Atlantic). She is to marry the ruler of the Gulf mermaids. No love is lost between Ink and her uncle, and there's definitely a lot of history behind their stories. (That's something the author has done a really good job with--making the history seem rich and existent without being overly complicated. Great job with the back story.)

Eventually, Ink discovers this arranged marriage is all part of a larger plot by her uncle, but I don't want to give away too much about it. However, before she finds out she is to be married, she meets Hal, who is an alligator shifter imprisoned by her uncle. Ink sets Hal free and there seems to be a connection between them. Hal comes back into play later in the story and although his character is interesting, he and Ink immediately feel a connection and fall in love (although they don't completely realize that until a little later). This is the one part of the story that felt a little forced. Although I could see these two characters together, I'd prefer a slower build up of their relationship rather than the immediate connection angle.

But altogether, there's a lot that happens in this novella and although it's a self-contained story in itself, it's obviously setting the stage for a much larger story. I really hope the author is planning to write more.

I will warn you about the narrator. I found her male voices to be on the annoying side. Hal was slightly annoying, but the voice the narrator used for Manx was just painful.

Note: This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.