Title: Coral
Author: Sara Ella
Pages: 384
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Genre: Young Adult\Fairy Tale Retelling
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Stars: 3.5
LGBTQ?: No
Pass the Bechdel Test? (Depiction of Women): Yes
Trigger Warning: Lots of warnings! Thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide, and death by suicide.
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Story: Coral follows three major characters, Coral, Brooke, and Merrick. Coral’s story is a very, very loose retelling of the Little Mermaid, while Brooke and Merrick are two humans whose paths cross after both experience the suicide and attempted suicide of a family member. They continue to meet while both looking for people who might help with their current situations.
When we start, Coral is a little mermaid who loses her older sister to “red tide” and feels increasingly out of place in her father’s palace. Brooke is a young woman checked into a mental health institute and has nothing left to give the world. Merrick comes home from a date to find his little sister has tried to commit suicide. He thinks she would be better away from their father, so he takes her and runs.
I don’t want to give anymore away since the story slowly revels how the characters are related. I wasn’t able to guess how they would interact, if at all. It’s a slow reveal, with most of it not coming together until about two-thirds of the book.
Likes: I think this book took a bold chance by centering the book on mental health issues. It worked most of the time and I became attached to several characters.
Dislikes: I have to admit that I got confused several times about what happened to who, etc. It cleared up more or less, but I think if I read it a second time the timelines would make much more sense. However, I don’t know if I would reread it. I’m glad I read it once, but I’m very picky about what I reread.
Recommendations: I’m hesitant on who to recommend this to. I think those who do not suffer from depression would benefit from reading from the viewpoint of a depressed person. I’m sure this is helpful for some experiencing depression, but each person would have to decide that for themselves. It is central to the entire novel, so I hope this review is able to clarify who may want to give this a chance and who may need to put it aside for now.
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