An odd book, but I loved its mysterious, fairly genderless, hero and its haunting, dreamy quality. Epic adventure muted by abuse and uncertain realities made somehow lyric. Not a fantasy novel, nor a fairy tale, and as much as I love those things the fact that this book isn't fantasy is a strength. Belief shapes reality. To a point.

Advanced readers copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

What a powerful novel. Jo delves into the seedy underbelly of society and the darkness a young, penniless girl has to navigate to find herself, her freedom and her place in the world. Malin never gets a break, from one world to the next, despair follows her every step of the way and as you begin to see hope for her something happens to haul her straight back to the darkness.

From slavery to prostitution to sailor to deck hand and scholar to slavery.... life is determined to keep Malin down. The Mermaids Child, while demonstrating the dark side of the world also spills light on the good in people and the kindness one can discover at their worst. A story about the resilience of a broken woman and the drive to live on despite the worst The Mermaids Child was dark, devastating and hopeful.

Jo gets her character around the world and back without actually naming countries, continents or languages leaving the reader to map out their own journey with Malin to the ends of the earth and home again. ( )

Malin is the daughter of the ferryman in a poor village. He has always said that her mother was a mermaid. After her father dies and her grandmother sends her to work for her keep at a local tavern, Malin decides to leave and search for her mother's people. ( )

This book should be such a fun read. The concept of the story makes you want to read it and instantly think it will take you on a magical journey ride. I had to make myself read this book to the tenth chapter. There was nothing exciting or charming about this book. Malin's grandparents are awful and put the whole family down. I had no desire to read further and find out if Malin finds her happy ending. ( )

This one is an odd duck. It was nowhere near what I expected. Jo Baker definitely can turn a phrase, but this one is so harsh to the eye and ear that it leaves a reader emotionally numb. While this is done on purpose to mirror the main character's experiences, it takes some fortitude to get through the story and will most likely turn off most potential readers.