A couple of months ago I did a post on books which featured unicorns because the unicorn is my countries national animal (I know, right?!). It was a lot of fun and got me thinking about what other underrepresented magical and mythical creatures I’d like to see more of in my reading. Until relatively recently I’d definitely have put mermaids alongside unicorns – sort of a ubiquitous symbol of the fantasy genre, but not something that actually appears in a lot of stories. The past 18-ish or so months have seen mermaids become a bit of a trend though, so there were more to pick from than I’d thought.
Have you read any of these books? Do you enjoy stories about mermaids and underwater adventures?
Let me know if there are any other underappreciated creatures you’d like to see more of in your reading.
Mermaids, Selkies and other Underwater Heroines
— Haha, I didn’t even notice until I finished typing these out that they’ve all got queer content —
The Witch Sea by Sarah Diemer [FF Romance — 28pgs] [review]
Out of Her Depth by Pike Martell [FF Romance, Wheelchair using MC — 24pgs] [review]
Moon-Bright Tides by RoAnna Sylver [FF Romance — 36pgs] [review]
Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner [FF Romance — 375pgs]
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant [Bisexual MC, Autistic Lesbian MC, Deaf MCs, MC With Chronic Pain, Asian-Australian MC, English-Hawaiian MC, FF Relationship — 440pgs] [review]
Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee [MM Romance, Asian-American Bisexual MC — 234pgs] [review]
The Little Mermaid Retellings
The Mermaid’s Madness (Princess, #2) by Jim C. [Lesbian Middle-Eastern MC — 339pgs] [review]
The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill [Sapphic Minor-Character, Fat Side-Character — 320pgs] [review]
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo [352pgs] [review]
The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember [Fat Bisexual MC, FF Relationship — 214pgs] [review]
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning [368pgs] [review]
Listen!! I love mermaids and selkies so much!!! And it’s so funny that everything you listed is accidentally queer 😀 Also, I’ve either read or added to my TBR every single book on your list except one (which I added just now after this post).
Some others I enjoyed:
– Eelgrass by Tori Curtis (has selkies, queer content, lots of criticising rape culture. I had some issues with it but it was nice)
– Still Waters by Alex Gabriel (m/m short story with a mermaid. I wasn’t really into the romance but I loved the characterisation and world building)
– The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist (f/enby, pretty dark ending, little mermaid retelling)
+ The Summer of Chasing Mermaids: a little mermaid retelling that has a m/f ship and no actual mermaids, but it’s a really cute romance, it definitely has mermaid themes, and some really good messages.
on my TBR:
– The Search for Aveline by Stephanie Rabig (this is queer and literally has a ship called The Sappho)
– The Mermaid’s Daughter by Ann Claycomb (this is also sapphic I believe)
– The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble (what’s with all the family members?! this has a sisterly relationship, as the title says)
– The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (uhh this is historical fiction/magical realism and apparently good?)
– The Mermaid by Christina Henry (historical fiction with a mermaid ending up in a museum?)
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Wicked list! I’ve been seeing The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock around a fair bit lately. It’s one I’d like to get around eventually.
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I’m not sure if it’s any good, but I’ve seen several people mention it!
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I love this!! I’m writing a mermaid novel and all of these count as research
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The perfect excuse! ❤😍
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I love this post and your aesthetics! I’m always looking for more mermaid books to add to my TBR 😍
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Thank you! 😄 I hope you find something here you like! ❤
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The Above World series are my favourites. You should definitely read. Check out my blog yuyutsa bookworms 1306. Thanks
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Thanks! I’ll check it out 😊
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Ok☺
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