Even though I know how the story would turn out, I still held out hope that somehow these new characters would go away and the two main characters would end up together. Their story seemed to come out of nowhere and blindsided me, and the love at first sight that develops with the two new characters is unconvincing in contrast to the two main characters, who seem to have the sort of love that sometimes blossoms from friendship, which is also seen in a lot of fairy tales. I don't sympathize with them or cheer for their success. So, as a reader, when new love interests suddenly pop up halfway through the story, I view them as intruders and immediately dislike them.

Everything has hinted that they love each other, that they're meant for each other. At this point, I'm already attached to the two main characters as a couple. These two, we realize, are the REAL love interests for the two main characters.

It's not until that point, around page 60 (almost halfway through the book), that two new characters enter the scene.

The male main character even tries to propose - though he is interrupted. Both discover that their parents expect them to marry soon, and each begins to regard the other as a possible choice for that marriage. It is also hinted that they have started to have feelings for each other. We learn that they've been friends since childhood and that they meet on a regular basis. In the book, we're introduced to the two main characters. My only disappointment was in what I thought to be clumsy execution of the story. The main body of the story and the ending don't have quite the depth of the original, but they are still interesting, and I think they will have more appeal to the young adult audience than the original might have had. The beginning of the story especially is fascinating and very well told. The author put an interesting twist on the story, adding in a little more adventure than other versions of the fairy tale. Though it's not my favorite retelling, it was a good read. Being a fan of the original Anderson fairy tale, The Little Seamaid, and the Disney cartoon, The Little Mermaid, (and also enjoying the occasional young adult novel) I decided to take a chance on Midnight Pearls.

Midnight pearls debbie viguie