Between the Sea & Sky ~ Jaclyn Dolamore (eARC) review

Between the Sea and Sky
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
October 25, 2011
240 pages
Goodreads/Amazon

Esmerine's family has the almost unparalleled honor of having two sirens in the family, now that Esmerine has joined her sister Dosinia as a siren. The two eldest sisters in the family have always been close and enjoyed exploring land together so Esmerine has looked forward to joining Dosia in being a siren. She imagines the two of them sitting on the rocks, doing their siren duties, changing their tails into legs for short - but painful - trips onto the beach.

What Esmerine doesn't imagine is her beloved sister going missing.

With Dosia on land - possibly stuck there forever - Esmerine knows she has to find her, even if only to bring the sad news back to her family. Making the perilous journey on land, on unsteady legs, she comes across Alandare, an old friend from childhood.

Along with Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people, Esmerine will travel in search of her sister. And discover old - and new, deeper -feelings for her old friend. Feelings that aren't limited to her home in the sea or his of the sky.


Jaclyn Dolamore has created an amazing world, full of mermaids, sirens, flying people, and regular old ordinary people in uncomfortable dresses in Between the Sea and Sky. The characters have depth and the relationships are complex.

Anyone who loved (or could even kind of stand) The Little Mermaid - in whichever form - will be enchanted with Esmerine. She's a fascinating character. The introduction of the characters, the party, and the sirens is very appealing but the more we, as readers, get to know about Esmerine, the more enjoyable she is as a character.

The Fandarsee - the winged folk like Alandare - that Dolamore created for this tale are incredibly well imagined. I'm impressed with how well thought out and developed they are and how they fit with the mermaids and sirens, They don't feel as if they appear just in this novel, but like they're an already established thing borrowed for these pages.

Sea and Sky will leave you wondering why you haven't read more mermaid books - or if you have, why they weren't as good as this one.  (And if the Fandarsee can appear in anything else.)

(I also love this novel's title more and more . . )

Rating: 9/10


thank you to Kate at Bloomsbury for letting me read this at NetGalley