Radish Featured Week #66: Mermaids
It’s Mermaids Featured Week on Radish!
♫ Flipping your fins, you don't get too far... ♪
Oh, right. ‘Tis not the time to start singing. *ahem*
Sirens and mermaids, said to be minor goddesses of the sea and daughters of oceans.
They swim at a depth most would drown in.
Their voices are allure incarnate.
Their songs can make you...
Or, break you.
Beautiful, mysterious . . .
. . . and at times, downright mischievous.
For centuries, tales of sailors and travelers paint them as saviors of those who are unfortunate to drown in the deep sea.
But sometimes, these pretty half-fishes act as harbinger of death.
But then, legends also said that these beauties are willing to trade their tails for legs in order to be with the man they love.
Even if these yearnings end up not quite the way they dreamed it would be.
But then, what’s stopping them?
If one finds someone who’ll accept you no matter what you are --
#oxygenplease #cantbreathe
Yep, definitely worth trading for.
So what are YOU waiting for?
Prep up and be sure to have your non-waterproof gadgets stashed away from the salt waters. (You’ll need them later for a selfie *wink*)
Fear not as we dive into the ocean of magical tales.
Of love and tragedies.
Of sirens and finfolks and merpeople.
Hold your breath as we plunge you deep down into the wonderful, and perhaps dangerous, world under the sea!
1. Coral and Bone by TiffanyDaune
Halen knows the sparks igniting under her fingertips are dangerous. She has spent her entire life trying to quell the tingly feelings that make her destroy things, but now that she is back in Rockaway Beach, where she watched her father drown, the flames have become impossible to tame. Halen is trying to hold on, but when she is thrust into a mysterious new world, the underwater realm of Elosia, she unravels the secrets of her past and can't help but ignite. As she explores Elosia, she realizes her life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose—walk away or unleash the magick that could destroy them all.
2. A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1) by Josie_Demuth
Beautiful, ethereal Crystal White is the new girl on the remote Starfish Island. At a beach party one night on the mainland she goes for a midnight swim with other party goers where she meets the handsome, intriguing Llyr amongst the waves. As she swims back to shore she realizes that he is not behind her and that nobody at the party remembers him. Crystal can't seem to shake Llyr from her mind and returns to the beach in the hope of meeting him again. When she finally does, she realizes there may be more truth to the ramblings of the island folk than she thought. To add more drama to her life, Crystal's mother and her father are at war over a local power station that is devastating local marine life. Over a sizzling roller coaster summer, it becomes apparent that all these events are not entirely unrelated and Crystal finds herself both caught up in a deep mystical romance and at the center of an exploding environmental scandal...
3. Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling by NicoletteAndrews
Rin is a Kitsune, or at least she was until a witch’s spell turned her human. To regain her powers, Rin must make the lord’s son fall in love with her before the next full moon. She thought it would be easy, her kind have been seducing humans for centuries. But Hikaru is different. He’s handsome, intelligent, and kind –the opposite of everything she’s assumed about humans. The plan is to seduce him and get back her powers, there’s no room for love.
Hikaru never believed in the Yokai. In fact, he thought it foolish to believe in monsters. A lifetime of skepticism has guarded him from truths too painful to accept. And Rin’s mysterious arrival in his life challenges all his long held beliefs. She has bewitched him. Though he is drawn to her, he has to keep his distance. His father’s treaty depends on his marriage to another and even an innocence dalliance could ruin everything.
While they try to deny their attraction, they are drawn together as if by fate’s design. Falling in love is dangerous. Not only are they from different worlds, but their time together can only end in heartache. To break the spell Rin must betray Hikaru or be turned into a fox. But if they’re willing to risk it all, they may find a love to last lifetimes.
4. Untouched Water by renesmeewolfe
What if Cressa-la hadn't touched the water? How drastically different would things be? Well, her story would definitely have been different. ~ If you're wanting a happy fairytale, keep scrolling. This isn't he story for you. But if you're looking for a mythical story filled with dystopia and magic, both dark and light, keep reading. This story is one where evil is in every crevice of the world, and where one girl is destined to destroy it. But first, she has to choose that destiny. Every baby is killed beneath the waves--with one exception. The one-hundred thousandth lives. A long time ago, 1 in every 100,000 children born from a human was a mermaid. But now mermaids are the only ones that can survive in this flooded world. Every human child born is killed the moment they take their first breath. However, one in every one-hundred thousand is spared. These children are placed on the mountain-tops, the "islands", that poke up over the sea. The Earth has become warmer, making these islands habitable. The humans that survive through Mother Nature's fury have created Tribes, created rules. One of these rules is to not go near the water, to not touch it. And Cressa-la doesn't. Because she chose to follow the rules, could there be an even bigger consequence than when she had?
5. Mermaid Bride by JMButler
Years of war between the Children of Air, Land, and Sea have exhausted the lives and resources of its people. Nobles and royals must spend twenty years at least serving as peace healers to those who were devastated during these conflicts. Ishana, the youngest of her sisters, remains alone in the old Fortress of Elspeem, preparing for her time to go forth and serve. But a young mermaid, Uaso, changes everything when she rescues a drowning man and turns to Ishana for help. Though barely thirteen years old, Uaso wishes to marry the man and begs Ishana for her help. Ishana finds herself conflicted because of Uaso's youth and her own feelings for the stranger. And a bad situation becomes worse when a fae princess is murdered at the time of the mermaid's shocking arrival and transformation.
But then, who says mermaids are only for ladies?
