Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling - Nicolette Andrews

Author: Nicolette Andrews

Narrator: Joanna Roddy

Series: Tales of Akatsuki #2

Genre: Retelling, FantasyStars:3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: This is supposedly a retelling of ‘The Little Mermaid’ but it has hardly any similarities to the original. (And I mean the ‘original’ by Hans Christian Andersen, not the Disney version.) Mixed feelings, but the lore elements were outstanding. Not as good as the second book of this series, but not bad as well.

Story Synopsis:

Rin is an immortal kitsune (a magical fox with shapeshifting abilities). However, a witch’s curse has turned her into a human without the ability to utter any sound. To regain her abilities, Rin has to fulfil the witch’s directive within the next fortnight. This would have been an easy command to carry out, except that it involves Hikaru, a human who is the eldest son of a local lord and will do anything to protect his clan. When Hikaru spies Rin, he feels an instant connect with her, but when the “lady” who charmed him doesn’t even speak, he feels torn between his heart and his duties.

Okay, the story involves a lot more than this and I can’t do justice to it here. It focusses on Rin, Hikaru, their attraction and clashes, and if/how things will return to how they were. Also involved in the proceedings are a boar, a dragon, a wolf, and a disgruntled second son, and the proceedings include clan rivalries, angry ‘guardians’, and a lot more. It is very complicated to sum up here!

The story is written in the third person limited narration of various characters, though Rin and Hikaru get the maximum chunk.

Where the book worked for me:

✔ Loved reading all the parts connected to Japanese lore – kitsune, yokai, and many other names that I don’t know how to spell because I heard the audiobook. 😛

✔ I had ended up reading the second book of this series, Yuki: A Snow White Retelling, prior to this one. I love how neatly the ending of this segued into the second. At the same time, the second works perfectly as a standalone too. The author’s plot is well-planned!

✔ Rin is a wonderful lead character and carries the story well on her shoulders. I liked Shin as well, though Hikaru failed to live up to my expectations.

✔ To me, its biggest plus point was that it gave me a nice background to the procedings in Yuki.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

❌ This is a very distant retelling of the original fairy tale, though it is as dark as the Hans Christian Andersen version. Moreover, my brain refused to accept a ‘Little Mermaid’ retelling set in a forest. I missed the ocean!

❌ The plot becomes repetitive in between. Unlike in Yuki, there is a whole lot of rambling and hardly any action. Everyone is just mouthing the same thoughts again and again. (Plus, a few of the scenes are really silly.) This book definitely required a better editor.

❌ The pacing is quite slow, a problem exacerbated by the repetition mentioned above. It picks up only in the final quarter. (Having the audiobook helped.)

❌ There are too many characters, and too many character perspectives. After a while, it becomes tough to remember who was who and who is fighting under whom and against whom. Many of the characters are interconnected, which worsens the problem.

The audiobook experience:

The audiobook, clocking at a little more than 9 hours, is narrated by the talented Joanna Roddy. Reading a slow-paced book in the audio version is definitely a benefit. At the same time, there are too many sub plots during which the narration keeps shifting to the respective character. If you are the kind who loses focus easily in the audio version, stick to reading.

On the positive side, the author does seem to have sharpened her craft after this book because most of the flaws I mentioned were not present in ‘Yuki’. I still want to read the final book of this trilogy, especially as it focusses on Shin. I want to know what happens to him.

Overall, I liked ‘Kitsune’, but I didn’t love it. Worth a one-time read.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the author through ‘StoryOrigin’ and these are my honest thoughts about it.