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| View Larger Image | Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid" (Once Upon a Time)
by Debbie Viguié
by Mahlon F. Craft
| | List Price: | $5.99 |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 52414 | | Studio: | Simon Pulse | | | Binding: | Mass Market Paperback | | Reading Level: | Young Adult | | Number Of Pages: | 208 | | Publication Date: | October 24, 2006 | | Publisher: | Simon Pulse |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
"ONCE UPON A TIME"IS TIMELESS In a quiet fishing village seventeen years ago, one lone fisherman rescued a child from the sea. He and his wife raised the girl, Pearl, as their own daughter, never allowing themselves to wonder long about where she came from -- or notice her silver hair, usually pale skin, and wide, dark blue eyes. Pearl grows from a mysterious child into an unusual young woman, not always welcomed in the village. As all the other girls her age find husbands, she has only one friend to ease her loneliness. One very special, secret companion: Prince James. But their friendship is shaken when trouble erupts in the kingdom -- a conspiracy against the royal family combines with an evil enchantment from beneath the sea. Now, just when Pearl and James need each other most, bewitching magic and hints about Pearl's past threaten to tear them apart...forever. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.0 based on 9 reviews)
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What about Undine? 
As the title of the book states, this is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's THE LITTLE MERMAID, but what it fails to mention is the story of UNDINE. UNDINE, which was written by Friedrich de la Motte Fouquee, is another classic but lesser known fairy tale about another water maid. The main character of MIDNIGHT PEARLS, Pearl, is based on Undine. I don't understand why this aspect of the story is not mentioned.
As for the book itself, the cover art is lovely with all the blues, greens, & hints of purple. It really invites you in. The writing is decent & the story is engaging. It would probably be most enjoyed by girls, 10-13 years old. As for myself, it certainly wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was a pleasant enough diversion for an evening.
July 02, 2008 | |
Better than I'd Expected 
I like the "Once Upon a Time" series and the story of "The Little Mermaid," so I was immediately interested in reading this book. However, negative reviews discouraged me from buying it for some time.
Then I saw it at a bookstore one day and had nothing else to buy, so I decided to try it anyway. And it was much better than the ratings here give it credit for.
I liked the characters and the setting, and the story was interesting. Some things were easy to figure out, but others weren't, and the twists kept me interested. There were a couple of problems, however. For one, the writing style was a bit cliched and overwrought. This didn't affect my enjoyment very much, though.
SPOILER
The thing that did bother me was the way the author handled the romance. She creates a very tender and real relationship between Pearl and James. Then, I assume to make the plot less predictable, she throws in two new characters to be their real romantic interests. The new characters were likable enough, and their romances with Pearl and James were sweet. But they didn't have the tenderness or depth that existed between James and Pearl, and I was a bit disappointed that those two didn't end up together.
But that aside, I did enjoy the book, and I'm not sorry I read it. It's not the best addition to the "Once Upon a Time" series, but it's still worth a look.
April 16, 2008 | |
Disney, but more corny. 
After having read and liked another book in the series, I started to read the others, and so far have to say this one is the worse. Instead of falling the orginial plot it takes on the Disney theme, complete with the sappy ending and the evil sea witch. The main character of the novel isn't even the Little Mermaid, who you don't meet until halfway through the book. The plot past page 60 is very childish, and goes much to fast and with badly explained reasons for sudden plot twist and memory regain, along with sudden plots against other people. It doesn't seem to occur in real time and seems more like a fanfiction then an actual novel. If you really want to read this book, I recommend checking it out for it is a waste of good money. Actually, I recommend skipping this book in the series.
December 23, 2007 | |
standard fare, twice warmed-over 
Midnight Pearls is a retelling of the Little Mermaid tale. It reads like it was developed by plugging the elements of the story into some kind of plot-generator software. The cliches abound. So do the trite situations. There were a few scenes that seemed to promise an interesting development but they all lapsed dissapointingly into the same limp fare as the rest of the book.
There was enough mystery about how the author planned to wind up all her threads to keep me skimming towards the painfully blase conclusion, and so if you don't expect much you may find this an enjoyable read. Younger female readers, especially, may find the romantic parts appealing. It doesn't have any of the edgier elements so common to YA/Teen writing these days, so its a safe read for the 11-14 age group.
November 26, 2007 | |
This Was Nice
Not at all what I expected for our "Little Mermaid" classic story. Loved the take on the story and am interested in reading more of the Once Upon a Time series.
November 20, 2007 | |
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