What do you think?
Rate this book
One Thousand Tears
Among mermaids and humans, cruelty has many faces.
One secret Adelaide has kept for as long as she can remember—her love for Jonas. She is the daughter of the clan’s elder; he is a bottom feeder. As Mer, they can never be together. But as humans, it might be possible.
When Jonas’s reckoning comes, he must go to land during the cycle of the full moon. But when the next cycle comes around, he doesn’t return. Fearing what might have become of him, Adelaide follows and gains legs for herself. But living life as a human is much more difficult than she imagined. And finding Jonas is just as hard. To follow him to the underwater city, she must endure the Initiate’s Trial. Her strength and resolve will be tested, if she wants to find Jonas and survive.
Adelaide must prove she’s more than just a mermaid princess.
One secret Adelaide has kept for as long as she can remember—her love for Jonas. She is the daughter of the clan’s elder; he is a bottom feeder. As Mer, they can never be together. But as humans, it might be possible.
When Jonas’s reckoning comes, he must go to land during the cycle of the full moon. But when the next cycle comes around, he doesn’t return. Fearing what might have become of him, Adelaide follows and gains legs for herself. But living life as a human is much more difficult than she imagined. And finding Jonas is just as hard. To follow him to the underwater city, she must endure the Initiate’s Trial. Her strength and resolve will be tested, if she wants to find Jonas and survive.
Adelaide must prove she’s more than just a mermaid princess.
127 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2018
30 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
About the author
Pauline Creeden
76 books575 followersPauline Creeden is an award-winning author, horse trainer, and overall book ninja. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Gold Award for First Place YA Horror Novel.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Gold Award for First Place YA Horror Novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 17, 2018
3.75 stars | I was given a free copy of this ARC in return for an honest review
Do you love mermaids? But not the biggest fan of romance novels? Then you’ve come to the right place! Pauline Creeden often writes about mermaids, which is a gift to all fellow mermaid fans, but mixes up genres. This story mixes a romance subplot with dystopia of all things, and it honestly really works. The writing style reads to me as young adult, potentially new adult (seeing how the main character, Adelaide, is 19.
Adelaide is a 19-year-old mermaid, daughter to the Elder, and is struggling a bit. Her mother is dying, her father is never home to help her, and her only friend is Jonas, a “bottom feeder” (low class Mer) who has to leave at the next full moon for what I see as a hazing or rite of passage in their society. However, while Adelaide is trying to get her upturned life back on track, her father is trying to deal with humans that have slowly been moving into the ocean—the Mer’s turf for eons—because their land up above is uninhabitable.
Creeden’s imagination is incredible. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, especially in scenes where readers get to see what it’s like up on land; sometimes it’s a bit hard to remember this is also a dystopian book, but once you get the sight of life up above, it hits you right in the gut, and doesn’t leave you until the very last page. This story is 56 pages on Kindle, and while it does fly by, I honestly thought it was at least 100 pages; there’s so much information packed into every line! With an elegant writing style fitting for an elegant upper class mermaid, it’s a quick and enjoyable read. I feel there’s a lot left to develop, like the societies that are living underwater (there’s definitely something malicious living there, and I want to know what!) and how the Mer will deal with those societies—will they finally reveal themselves to the humans, or will they hide in the shadows while trying to push the humans away? Will they push the humans away? What will happen to Adelaide? Or Jonas? There are so many questions left unanswered, and with a good short story/novella, there always are, but I feel like this is set up to start a really interesting contained anthology focused on this universe. The only reason I gave this novel a lesser rating is because of some technical issues, and it took me a while to get really hooked into the story—and for a 56 page story, that’s not the best thing to happen.
I definitely don’t regret asking for this ARC, and don’t regret reading it. If you’re a fellow fan of mermaids and young adult literature, I’d highly suggest checking out this story and other stories by Pauline Creeden, because she definitely knows what she’s talking about when writing these mermaid stories; she knows what we all want, and she delivers.
Do you love mermaids? But not the biggest fan of romance novels? Then you’ve come to the right place! Pauline Creeden often writes about mermaids, which is a gift to all fellow mermaid fans, but mixes up genres. This story mixes a romance subplot with dystopia of all things, and it honestly really works. The writing style reads to me as young adult, potentially new adult (seeing how the main character, Adelaide, is 19.
Adelaide is a 19-year-old mermaid, daughter to the Elder, and is struggling a bit. Her mother is dying, her father is never home to help her, and her only friend is Jonas, a “bottom feeder” (low class Mer) who has to leave at the next full moon for what I see as a hazing or rite of passage in their society. However, while Adelaide is trying to get her upturned life back on track, her father is trying to deal with humans that have slowly been moving into the ocean—the Mer’s turf for eons—because their land up above is uninhabitable.
Creeden’s imagination is incredible. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, especially in scenes where readers get to see what it’s like up on land; sometimes it’s a bit hard to remember this is also a dystopian book, but once you get the sight of life up above, it hits you right in the gut, and doesn’t leave you until the very last page. This story is 56 pages on Kindle, and while it does fly by, I honestly thought it was at least 100 pages; there’s so much information packed into every line! With an elegant writing style fitting for an elegant upper class mermaid, it’s a quick and enjoyable read. I feel there’s a lot left to develop, like the societies that are living underwater (there’s definitely something malicious living there, and I want to know what!) and how the Mer will deal with those societies—will they finally reveal themselves to the humans, or will they hide in the shadows while trying to push the humans away? Will they push the humans away? What will happen to Adelaide? Or Jonas? There are so many questions left unanswered, and with a good short story/novella, there always are, but I feel like this is set up to start a really interesting contained anthology focused on this universe. The only reason I gave this novel a lesser rating is because of some technical issues, and it took me a while to get really hooked into the story—and for a 56 page story, that’s not the best thing to happen.
I definitely don’t regret asking for this ARC, and don’t regret reading it. If you’re a fellow fan of mermaids and young adult literature, I’d highly suggest checking out this story and other stories by Pauline Creeden, because she definitely knows what she’s talking about when writing these mermaid stories; she knows what we all want, and she delivers.
June 16, 2018
Pauline has done it again!!!! While this isn't a really long novel, there is so much going on that you don't realize that it is short. She has packed so much into the pages that she has written and it really keeps your attention from start to finish!!!
First we get introduced to the main character - Adelaide, a young female Mer, and her everyday life in the ocean. We also find out about Jonas -- a bottom feeder -- who Adelaide has a crush on. Since she is the daughter of an Elder - Jonas is the last person that she should have feelings for. If her father found out --- OOPS - I have to stop, because I refuse to write spoilers. And with as quickly and awesomely as this story goes, spoilers would be each to do. But believe me, when I say that this book is so so so worth reading!!!
Now to wait for the next book in the series -- Oh PLEASE - there has to be a next book!!!
First we get introduced to the main character - Adelaide, a young female Mer, and her everyday life in the ocean. We also find out about Jonas -- a bottom feeder -- who Adelaide has a crush on. Since she is the daughter of an Elder - Jonas is the last person that she should have feelings for. If her father found out --- OOPS - I have to stop, because I refuse to write spoilers. And with as quickly and awesomely as this story goes, spoilers would be each to do. But believe me, when I say that this book is so so so worth reading!!!
Now to wait for the next book in the series -- Oh PLEASE - there has to be a next book!!!
October 22, 2023
I liked the world that the author built, but in the end this book was really not that good. The only saving grace was that it was really short so it was easy to push through.
September 28, 2018
After Jonas the merman she had been pining over leaves for his month long stay on land, Adelaide’s mother dies and her father decides to marry her off to cement a partnership with a strong clan to the North. Jonas doesn’t turn up after his allotted month, and her father tells her that he specifically sent Jonas off to investigate the new underwater human colony. Adelaide decides to find out exactly what happened to Jonas and takes to the land herself. She finds Jonas, but he seems to be working as security for the new human colony. She joins the recruit trial for the new colony and faces life as an initiate having to pass tests, competing against others her own age.
I love Pauline Creeden’s mermaid stories, but this one was problematic. While I loved the freshness of Scales, this story seemed like a re-tread of the beginning of Scales. But instead of the girl being the bottom-feeder, and the guy being the high-born, and the guy bringing the salve after the fight with the bullies with the girl going off on her “Reckoning” as she’s banished to spend a duration on land, the genders were switched in this story, but exact same events. So after Adeline follows Jonas to the surface, the story ceases to be a mermaid story and becomes solely a dystopian story, similar to the first Divergent book, where initiates have to compete against each other for a place in the colony (which felt a bit like false advertising since this was claiming to be a mermaid-dystopian -the mermaid part was only at the beginning of the book). With Jonas being practically a cameo in the beginning, and her not really talking to him much, I didn’t really get why she was so desperate to find him. Especially when he was gruff to him the couple of times at the colony. The trials were a lot of fun to read, and the rivalry with the bully, though very cliché of high school dramas right now, was still fun in how she stood up for herself. But once it hit the dance scene, it felt like from there on the book had been written in a rush. There were missing small words all over the place, the witch just seemed to be thrown in in a desperation of trying to figure out how to end the story and hadn’t been fleshed out at all, and the ending with Jonas didn’t really work since he had been practically a cameo up till this point. Still, Adelaide is a brilliant, strong heroine, and I loved all of the people she made friendships with and the station itself and surrounding devastated world was a fantastic setting. Though by the end of it there were quite a few threads that hadn’t gotten tied up, but then I hear there is going to be another book eventually.
I love Pauline Creeden’s mermaid stories, but this one was problematic. While I loved the freshness of Scales, this story seemed like a re-tread of the beginning of Scales. But instead of the girl being the bottom-feeder, and the guy being the high-born, and the guy bringing the salve after the fight with the bullies with the girl going off on her “Reckoning” as she’s banished to spend a duration on land, the genders were switched in this story, but exact same events. So after Adeline follows Jonas to the surface, the story ceases to be a mermaid story and becomes solely a dystopian story, similar to the first Divergent book, where initiates have to compete against each other for a place in the colony (which felt a bit like false advertising since this was claiming to be a mermaid-dystopian -the mermaid part was only at the beginning of the book). With Jonas being practically a cameo in the beginning, and her not really talking to him much, I didn’t really get why she was so desperate to find him. Especially when he was gruff to him the couple of times at the colony. The trials were a lot of fun to read, and the rivalry with the bully, though very cliché of high school dramas right now, was still fun in how she stood up for herself. But once it hit the dance scene, it felt like from there on the book had been written in a rush. There were missing small words all over the place, the witch just seemed to be thrown in in a desperation of trying to figure out how to end the story and hadn’t been fleshed out at all, and the ending with Jonas didn’t really work since he had been practically a cameo up till this point. Still, Adelaide is a brilliant, strong heroine, and I loved all of the people she made friendships with and the station itself and surrounding devastated world was a fantastic setting. Though by the end of it there were quite a few threads that hadn’t gotten tied up, but then I hear there is going to be another book eventually.
June 13, 2018
One Thousand Tears is a dystopian mermaid tale. Let that sink in for a minute.
Right? That was my reaction as well!
This story begins by introducing the reader to Adelaide, a young female Mer, in her everyday life in the ocean. The reader gets a sense of who she is, what her family (and Clan) dynamic is like, and what struggles and fears she has to face.
She loves Jonas, a 'bottom feeder' as titled for purposes necessary to maintain their way of life. She's not supposed to love him. She's the daughter of an Elder. It would be the end of her should her feelings every be found out. The lengths she goes to in order to seek him out on land, as briefly stated in the synopsis above, are remarkable. But isn't that what any of us would do for love? The crazy thing is that I wound up rooting...well, I can't tell you just yet. Go read it and let's discuss!
Pauline has really outdone herself with this story. While it's not a full length novel, she has packed so much depth into this incredible tale that it doesn't feel too short or that it's lacking anything. I feel like I just finished reading a full length novel in record time! The story has relatable and likable characters, and then characters that you straight up want to bury in the ground in an unmarked grave far, far away. These pages are filled with emotion, tension, and action that kept me glued to the pages.
I highly recommend One Thousand Tears to all fans of fantasy and dystopian genres. The mashup of the two is beautifully crafted and wonderfully cohesive. And while we're not left with a major cliffhanger (because we all know those drive some people insane), there will be more to Adelaide's story...
Image created by Freepik
Right? That was my reaction as well!
This story begins by introducing the reader to Adelaide, a young female Mer, in her everyday life in the ocean. The reader gets a sense of who she is, what her family (and Clan) dynamic is like, and what struggles and fears she has to face.
She loves Jonas, a 'bottom feeder' as titled for purposes necessary to maintain their way of life. She's not supposed to love him. She's the daughter of an Elder. It would be the end of her should her feelings every be found out. The lengths she goes to in order to seek him out on land, as briefly stated in the synopsis above, are remarkable. But isn't that what any of us would do for love? The crazy thing is that I wound up rooting...well, I can't tell you just yet. Go read it and let's discuss!
Pauline has really outdone herself with this story. While it's not a full length novel, she has packed so much depth into this incredible tale that it doesn't feel too short or that it's lacking anything. I feel like I just finished reading a full length novel in record time! The story has relatable and likable characters, and then characters that you straight up want to bury in the ground in an unmarked grave far, far away. These pages are filled with emotion, tension, and action that kept me glued to the pages.
I highly recommend One Thousand Tears to all fans of fantasy and dystopian genres. The mashup of the two is beautifully crafted and wonderfully cohesive. And while we're not left with a major cliffhanger (because we all know those drive some people insane), there will be more to Adelaide's story...
Image created by Freepik
January 29, 2021
Finally! My first book finished from 2021. I thought January will end without me having finish at least one of my current readings, and wow...never thougt it would took a long time to finish one especially this short one, and even though it was short, it was good.
This was my first time reading about mermaids, I have never feel interest before on reading this kind of trope, but because it was a dystopian mermaid story, that called my attention, and I have not regrets on having picked this one out, actually I am more interested now on reading about mermaids.
Now, talking more about the book, because it was short it was fast paced and the plot was not that complicated, actually it was sort of predictable, though, there were some elements that I found unpredictible towards the end, I mean it was a dystopian of course, but also its a fantasy so I think in a fantasy world, those elements are acceptable. It also gave me some Hunger Games vibes.
By other means, I found the world building exquisite, demonstrating that you don´t need 300+ pages to create something that works, and this book was 127 pages but it felt like I read more than that.
The end of the story, was pretty decent, I mean, there were left many things unaswered but nothing that affect the principal plot (which was Adelaide looking for Jonas). It let me craving for more but I´m somehow satisfy with that end.
So thumbs-up for this one, it worth the reading for me!
This was my first time reading about mermaids, I have never feel interest before on reading this kind of trope, but because it was a dystopian mermaid story, that called my attention, and I have not regrets on having picked this one out, actually I am more interested now on reading about mermaids.
Now, talking more about the book, because it was short it was fast paced and the plot was not that complicated, actually it was sort of predictable, though, there were some elements that I found unpredictible towards the end, I mean it was a dystopian of course, but also its a fantasy so I think in a fantasy world, those elements are acceptable. It also gave me some Hunger Games vibes.
By other means, I found the world building exquisite, demonstrating that you don´t need 300+ pages to create something that works, and this book was 127 pages but it felt like I read more than that.
The end of the story, was pretty decent, I mean, there were left many things unaswered but nothing that affect the principal plot (which was Adelaide looking for Jonas). It let me craving for more but I´m somehow satisfy with that end.
So thumbs-up for this one, it worth the reading for me!
July 17, 2018
Somewhat Predictable, But Strong Character Development
This begins with a time-worn premise. A headstrong princess (Adelaide) is ignored by her father, loses the young man (Jonas) she thinks she loves and her mother, and gets set up for an arranged marriage. So, she escapes from the Mer world to that of humans where she quickly finds Jonas and is thrust into an initiation trial. Pauline (the author) does a good job of fleshing out the character of the main participants.
We watch Addy (the name she is quickly given) grow up, learn to lead, and learn to care for others. The story is sad due to the cruelty of Mer and humans to their own people, but Addy and her newly-defined family provide a ray of hope. Some of the turns of events are a little too convenient, but they keep the story moving.
This was a quick read (one partial day) and was interesting enough to keep me going. There are a few distracting typos or editing errors, but not enough to stop me from getting to the end.
The relation of the title to the story is murky.
I'll definitely consider another book by this author.
This begins with a time-worn premise. A headstrong princess (Adelaide) is ignored by her father, loses the young man (Jonas) she thinks she loves and her mother, and gets set up for an arranged marriage. So, she escapes from the Mer world to that of humans where she quickly finds Jonas and is thrust into an initiation trial. Pauline (the author) does a good job of fleshing out the character of the main participants.
We watch Addy (the name she is quickly given) grow up, learn to lead, and learn to care for others. The story is sad due to the cruelty of Mer and humans to their own people, but Addy and her newly-defined family provide a ray of hope. Some of the turns of events are a little too convenient, but they keep the story moving.
This was a quick read (one partial day) and was interesting enough to keep me going. There are a few distracting typos or editing errors, but not enough to stop me from getting to the end.
The relation of the title to the story is murky.
I'll definitely consider another book by this author.
July 6, 2018
So... I am a huge fan of Pauline Creeden's work! I can honestly say there hasn't been one story of hers that I have read so far that I haven't fallen instantly in love with. Her other mermaid tales brought a whole different light to what our idea's to what a mermaid is and I devoured all 3 of those stories but 'One Thousand Tears' far surpassed where I thought this story would and did go.
I think the only thing that could have possibly made 'One Thousand Tears' better would be if this story had been a little longer, giving the characters just a little more time to show their development and to show a little more development of the Intiates Trails. But I can honestly say there was never a moment where I felt like the story was being rushed or the characters relationships were being developed without reason.
There are so many more layers to this story and the person that Adelaide finds herself becoming I can only hope that the story will continue because this is definitely one story I never want to end.
I was given a copy of this story for my 100% honest opinion.
I think the only thing that could have possibly made 'One Thousand Tears' better would be if this story had been a little longer, giving the characters just a little more time to show their development and to show a little more development of the Intiates Trails. But I can honestly say there was never a moment where I felt like the story was being rushed or the characters relationships were being developed without reason.
There are so many more layers to this story and the person that Adelaide finds herself becoming I can only hope that the story will continue because this is definitely one story I never want to end.
I was given a copy of this story for my 100% honest opinion.
February 12, 2021
Love the theme but that’s where it ended for me. I came across this title while skimming Pinterest and decided the idea seemed like my kind of book. However, it was written by someone without much skill or an editor. Several grammar, editing, and proofing mistakes. Plot holes made it nearly impossible to get through the measly 130 page story. Wouldn’t call this a book - more so a short story that you would see on Wattpad or Fanfiction but turned into a eBook. As the theme was so good, I would like to see a better novel developed with a more robust story line and all the holes filled in. I don’t recommend for anyone who prefers proper writing
June 29, 2018
This was a new genre for me, but I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I couldn't put it down and was entranced by the worlds that were being made for me, the reader. If you enjoy strong female characters, the paranormal, love triangles, and twists and turns, then this is a book for you. I truly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it.
July 21, 2018
I devoured this story. It had so many interesting aspects. I don't want to give out any spoilers but look closely at the cover and that will truly explain some of the scenery you get to experience.
At first I had a little trouble connecting with Adelaide but once she reached the trials I truly started liking her.
I definitely want to continue the series and I do recommend trying this out.
*I volunteered to read and honestly review a free Kindle copy of this book*
At first I had a little trouble connecting with Adelaide but once she reached the trials I truly started liking her.
I definitely want to continue the series and I do recommend trying this out.
*I volunteered to read and honestly review a free Kindle copy of this book*
August 12, 2024
I finished this in one seating, interesting plot, kinda dystopian world where world almost submerged underwater and the land people trying to build an underwaterworld to survive, however to join this underwater world, the candidates had to go through reaping process. A mermaid, who went on land to find the love of her life who were banished, accidently joined the reaping and the story goes on. I was expecting more stories of the merpeople world rather than the latter, a bit disappointed but rather okay for a short YA genre.
June 21, 2018
My first Mer Story
This was a new genre for me. It was a hard story line for me to follow as well as not capturing my interest right away. This by no means means that this was a bad book. It just wasn't a story line for me. I will definitely be trying other stories by this author.
This was a new genre for me. It was a hard story line for me to follow as well as not capturing my interest right away. This by no means means that this was a bad book. It just wasn't a story line for me. I will definitely be trying other stories by this author.
June 26, 2020
The characterization and character development was done exceptionally well, especially given the length of the book. I enjoyed the start of the book, and would have liked to have seen more of the Mer culture. I found it harder to stick with the narrative as the book progressed, although I was rooting for the characters.
June 14, 2018
I was very surprised by this one. Good characters and plot-line. It's a combo of all of my favorites, which by themselves would be enough to keep me reading. It does it tastefully and does not disappoint. I look forward to the next book!
September 6, 2018
Worth the quick read!
Mermaids in dystopia. The author has done it. The beginning was ok, but by mid book, I was drawn in. No spoilers here, but just a thumbs up! Looking forward to book two!
Mermaids in dystopia. The author has done it. The beginning was ok, but by mid book, I was drawn in. No spoilers here, but just a thumbs up! Looking forward to book two!
January 15, 2021
This story had good bones! I would like to have seen more build up about certain characters and more world building! This book has a glorious idea I just feel like it needs much more! Hopefully the author can add more!! She has something really great here!!
June 19, 2018
Loved
I loved this book. It just got more exciting as I read. I was heartbroken to see the ending. I'm assuming a second book will follow!
I loved this book. It just got more exciting as I read. I was heartbroken to see the ending. I'm assuming a second book will follow!
July 9, 2018
Once again I have found a good book in this story. I found it hard to put it down until the end. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy.
July 12, 2018
Really love this book. Hope for a next one in the serie.
November 14, 2021
Dnf. One thing i can't tolerate in a professionally published book is spelling errors/sentence fragments. I had to reread the sentences twice to make sure it's not just my eyes.
February 16, 2026
wow. Just wow.
Doe het niet. Ik weet 110% zeker dat als je dronken een boekenrommelmarkt bezoekt, geblinddoekt een boek uitzoekt, die ontelbaar beter zal zijn dan dit.
wow.
Doe het niet. Ik weet 110% zeker dat als je dronken een boekenrommelmarkt bezoekt, geblinddoekt een boek uitzoekt, die ontelbaar beter zal zijn dan dit.
wow.
July 12, 2023
I really didn’t have a lot of hopes for this book. I know it was gonna be cheesy and not the most intricate and developed of storylines but I wanted a short mermaid story to read by the pool and that’s what this story was.
Maybe I am also use to reading longer books but I felt there were so many unanswered questions about the world and characters that were never answered (but I guess they also weren’t that important to the plot). I also found the main character pretty shallow and was a little hard to sympathize towards her. The conclusion felt rushed and kind of out of nowhere.
Anyways, if you want a mermaid dystopian novel, this book will deliver that, nothing more.
Maybe I am also use to reading longer books but I felt there were so many unanswered questions about the world and characters that were never answered (but I guess they also weren’t that important to the plot). I also found the main character pretty shallow and was a little hard to sympathize towards her. The conclusion felt rushed and kind of out of nowhere.
Anyways, if you want a mermaid dystopian novel, this book will deliver that, nothing more.
August 7, 2018
Meh. If I really loved mermaids I probably would have cared enough to finish this book, but I didn't find the writing or characters compelling enough to keep going after the first section.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews