The Breath of the Sea is another chapter of Merliss’s
adventure. This time, it follows a very interesting journey of a family of a
poor fisherman struggling to make ends meet.
I hate to say I saw the twist coming since the very
beginning, when I had started to become familiar with the characters. However,
it didn’t reduce my enjoyment in reading the tale.
The stories stand out great on their own, and when they
intertwine, it becomes a massive tale of creative imagination. I like the
characters, even the weird and despicable ones are intriguing. The sense of
solidarity in this poor friend who sacrifices her best dress for a fishy smell
reminds me of the childhood books I like, with beautiful illustrations about
kids playing in the woods and doing all sorts of things like gardening, having
a tea party, flying a kite, carrying a bucket over the river with their little
goat companion. Somehow, I got that very nostalgic vibe from the scene,
although my current self was on the edge about pushing them to hurry.
Besides a few jarring, questionable decisions made by the
characters, like a secret that lasts a very, very short time, disregard for
child safety, and distracting scenes, I really like this book. I’m lucky to
have read the first book, because I think it could be confusing for others who
don’t know anything about Merliss’s background, especially during the prolonged
scenes about her magical friends that almost come out of nowhere for those
unfamiliar.
Overall, this is a solid, entertaining read. I recommend
this for readers who love fantasy or even someone like me, fantasy is not my
preferred genre, but I can appreciate this. The story is captivating, the
characters are realistic, the world is rich and imaginative, and it’s very
well-written.
Also, it’s fortunate that I only read the blurb after the
book because I think reading it beforehand could have diminished my enjoyment
of many scenes’ revelations.
5 clumsy tea parties of 5 buckets of sea water
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