Review: A Charming Short Story With Fairy Tale Elements
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 9, 2013
Sea God's Siren by Tessa Stockton is a fantasy novelette, a charming short story set in a small village off the deep sea. Three lovely sisters live there with their family. One is special. When she was a little girl, Syrena disappeared one day, and in spite of many searches, no one could find her. Then, a few days later she returned by the side of the ocean, completely blind but healthy, unharmed, with seaweed and shells meticulously woven into her hair. Since then her two remaining sisters, Gywn and Steffi, never left her side, especially when they played in the sand near the sea.Unknown to the little family, a merman, the last of the fabled Lodians, also kept watch over Syrena, but for completely different reasons. He sensed she was his soul mate, and he was waiting for her to discover him. One day, Syrena daringly slid down into the sea in a moment of frolic. Dagon caught her up into his arms and whisked her away a short distance to talk with her. She fell in love. It was difficult to keep away from each other after that. Syrena discovered she could see under the water where she discovered an entire world of fantastic creatures. When she let it slip that she had met a man whom she had fallen in love with at the supper table one day, her sisters kept her away from the sea. Her mother was afraid of losing her.Finally, she could stand it no longer and Syrena joined Dagon one night. He took her to a special cave where she could breathe and where he could stay with her. Soon after her transformation into a mermaid, Dagon's evil foster mother, the Sea Witch discovered her son's disappearance and sent her evil sons to find him and return him to her. In the battle that ensued, Dagon sent Syrena back to her home to keep her safe. Will Syrena ever return to her love again?I love fairy tale stories. This one has a happy ending, with magical elements, a couple of worthy antagonists, a handsome hero who is not too perfect, an enduring love story and a surprise allegorical element. I would have loved for this story to be a little longer. If you enjoy tales that appeal to the dreamer in you, I think you will enjoy this one. I highly recommend it.