15 Nov 2019

Blog Tour: Coral by Sara Ella – Review and Giveaway!

Posted in Blog Tour, Giveaways |

Coral

Author: Sara Ella

Publication Date: November 12th, 2019

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Synopsis: Multiple award-winning young adult author Sara Ella reimagines The Little Mermaid in a powerful and unexpected way.

Sixteen-year-old mermaid Coral has always been different, standing out from her stoic sisters in a society where blending in is key. Worse yet, she fears she has been afflicted with the dreaded Disease. Said to be carried by humans, the Disease imposes emotions on its victims, causing them to commit unspeakable acts. The growing illness inside her, while terrifying, fascinates her very core. Where others see danger, Coral sees life. Could it be the colorless merfolk who are truly ill?

Above the sea, seventeen-year-old Brooke Jordan has nothing left to give. A homeless girl abandoned and forgotten, the only thing Brooke can rely on is the ocean. Her aching feet find refuge within the cool and comforting waves, while her broken heart grows harder with each passing day. When Brooke’s and Coral’s worlds collide, everything alters in an instant. From learning to stand alone, to discovering the strength it takes to rely on another, the girls find that living requires taking that first painful breath. Each must make sacrifices, and when it comes to finding true love? Let’s just say the boys in their lives must learn to swim if they’re ever going to survive the storms.

Battling the odds against them, the girls will do whatever it takes to survive. But what must end for love and life to finally begin?

Taking a new twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale, this modern-day story explores mental health from several perspectives, questioning what it means to be human in a world where humanity often seems lost.

This book was such a fun read!

I have always loved The Little Mermaid, as well as any retellings that I have come across. For some reason, that fairy tale kind of holds something special for me, and I’ve always just adored picking up books that have a strong premise rooted in it. This book, as soon as a I heard about it, was something I knew I was going to have to read.

Of course, Coral isn’t so much a retelling as it is a re-imagining. There are, of course, a lot of similar things to this and The Little Mermaid, but of course, it is very different, as well. This really made me happy, because it wasn’t going to be something that I’ve read before multiple times over – it was something fresh, new, and exciting. It was something original, and something that I knew I was going to love.

Coral has a lot of fantastic elements in it. The first thing worth mentioning is how amazing the worldbuilding is. Sara Ella takes us on a magical journey with this book, and her detailed writing really helps to bring it to life. I loved reading about the world that she created for her characters – it was a lot of fun and it really made the story come to life.

The characters were well written, too. I will admit that while I loved the main character, a few of the supporting characters weren’t really my favorites, and I felt that they could use just a tiny bit more fleshing out, but all in all, I’m really impressed with how well this was done, too.

The plot was so unique. I enjoyed reading the book because it was original and fun, and it had its moments of heartbreak in there as well, making it something that will appeal to fans of many different genres. This isn’t just a fantasy novel – there’s a little of a lot of things going on.

I love how it isn’t too confusing with pacing, either. It isn’t too fast, it isn’t too slow – it’s just right. It makes the story flow along nicely.

If you are looking for something a little different to read, this is a great book to choose!

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Once upon a time, Sara Ella dreamed she would marry a prince and live in a Disney castle. Today, she spends her days throwing living room dance parties for her two princesses, raising her little prince to be a king, and conquering realms of her own imaginings. Oh, and her husband is definitely more swoon-worthy than any Prince Charming.

Sara’s UNBLEMISHED trilogy has received high praise and multiple awards, but none as rewarding as the love and support she receives from her readers every day. Her new story CORAL, a reimagining of THE LITTLE MERMAID, releases in the fall of 2019.

When she’s not on deadline, Sara Ella can most often be found fangirling on Twitter, Instagram, or her YouTube channel. She may or may not be obsessed with #Bookstagram, and she has a serious condition known as “Coffee Snob-itis.” She believes “Happily Ever After is Never Far Away.”