The world of Jackson Pearce's fairy tale "retellings" is always eerie, and never quite what one might expect. They all pull inspiration from traditional fairy tales while remaining their own original novels at the same time. None of the books need to be read in order, yet some elements create a refrain that weave the novels together. In SISTERS RED, we are introduced to the deadly Fenris, creatures that exist in all three books. In FATHOMLESS, we get to see a bit of their origins. SWEETLY gives off waves of foreshadowing that intertwine in FATHOMLESS, though again, you don't need to read it first. I will say, however, that immediately after finishing FATHOMLESS, I went back and re-read one chapter towards the end of SWEETLY, which is actually so much deeper and more meaningful now. Then I turned around and finally read SISTERS RED to see how the three stories tied together. I'm hoping Pearce sets more novels in this fairy tale world!

FATHOMLESS is a loose retelling of THE LITTLE MERMAID, one of my favorite fairy tales. She gets brownie points for anchoring the tale to the Hans Christian Andersen version over the Disney version, too. So far, I've only seen Carolyn Turgeon's MERMAID do this. The book alternates between the POV of the mermaid who actually saves a drowning boy and the human girl who pretends to have done so. Only, there's so much more at stake this time around. Plus, Lo isn't a natural mermaid. She died and became a being (albeit with legs and not a tail) who lives in the sea with her sisters (and in this sense, the book reminds me of Sarah Porter's LOST VOICES). If you've read SISTERS RED and SWEETLY, you know how an undercurrent of danger is woven throughout all of Pearce's novels. FATHOMLESS is no exception. It grows more horrifying as the novel progresses and is truly un-put-down-able.

So far, I'd have to say FATHOMLESS is my favorite novel by Pearce. The world is so creepy, yet so beautiful, too.

"How eerily creepy can mermaids possibly be," you ask. If this line isn't enough to send shivers coursing up your spine, nothing can:

MAKE HIM LOVE YOU, KISS HIM, DROWN HIM. Earn his soul, and you get your humanity back...
(Page 5, US ARC Edition, out Sept. 4, 2012; Changes may occur before final printing)

Then again, I also find myself fiercely in love with the kick-butt attitude of SISTERS RED and the gorgeous imagery from SWEETLY. Each of Pearce's books has something to love, and I'm excited that she has two non-related books (AS YOU WISH and PURITY) for me to read, though I don't know that I can love them as much as I do this fairy tale series. Pearce is spot-on in character descriptions, in bringing a scene's visuals to life, in sending shivers down one's spine, in forcing readers to care. There is so much to love and I look forward to more novels from Pearce in the future!