The Sea in You
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
Ratings1
Average rating5
15-year-old Corinth was just trying to clean up the beach; she never expected to meet a mermaid, let alone be nearly drowned by one. It was the start of a very strange friendship! After Skylla, the deadly fanged mermaid, mysteriously lets Corinth live, they grow closer through a cautious exchange of stories, gifts, jokes, and sign language. Mermaids, it turns out, eat people, but however terrifying Skylla may look, she's a little younger, a little smaller, and perhaps a little too soft for all that. Bewitched by Corinth and their growing bond, she learns about all the best things in life on land: books, burgers, donuts, and this strange chattering human sound called laughter. But a storm is brewing - both at sea and in Corinth's increasingly dangerous relationship with her obsessively jealous boyfriend - and a magical bargain may be the only thing that can save her, at a tremendous cost. A whimsical dark fantasy retelling of "The Little Mermaid," The Sea in You upends everything you thought you knew about magical creatures of the deep, on a whirlwind journey to a whole new world you've only dreamed of before!
Reviews with the most likes.
Pros: lesbian mermaid love story!, gorgeous artwork, deaf/mute characters
Cons: some sad scenes, emotional abuse
Fifteen year old Corinth’s boyfriend Seth is emotionally abusive. When she meets a mermaid at the beach she discovers that friendship doesn’t have to be painful. But Skylla wants to stay with Corinth, and bad things happen when mermaids transform into humans.
The artwork is gorgeous. Vibrant colours, lots of curvy women. While you don’t see much of the underwater kingdom, I loved how this author represented the mother mermaid and the fathers (they’re so CUTE!). The mermaid design is all fish, with sharp teeth, webbed fingers, and various coloured skin.
Corinth’s a great character who’s lack of self-esteem is being exploited by her emotionally abusive boyfriend. There’s nothing over the top in the story, just constant little episodes of negging and gaslighting. Seeing her regain confidence is a real treat.
Corinth’s mother is deaf so she knows sign language. After meeting, she starts teaching Skylla all sorts of new language based things, including sign language. It’s great to see.
The relationship between Skylla and Corinth is built on mutual admiration and affection, and it’s is a real pleasure watching it blossom into love.
This is a fun, beautiful graphic novel that I hope a lot of people read.
Originally posted at scififanletter.blogspot.com.
