Mermaid Prince

by Kaori Ozaki

Where do you belong? On the edge of death and danger, to feel life flowing through you? Can you find shelter in a space not meant for you? When new people move into your life, will there still be enough room left for you?

From the author of The Gods Lie and The Golden Sheep.
Mermaid Prince explores such complex themes in a series of short stories that highlight the beauty, wonder, pain, and loneliness that can come from feeling adrift in the world, as well as the joy that can accompany finding your own anchor amidst the seas of change.

A Prince Out of Water

Mugi is a big city kid struggling to adjust to life in Okinawa, where he moved with his sister and new brother-in-law. But to his only friend Matori, he’s a bona fide prince. Feeling out of place at home, Mugi runs away to Matori’s house and learns about legendary mermaids who will grant you one wish—if you can make it to them alive.

This moving new compilation by Kaori Ozaki (author of the gods lie. and The Golden Sheep) also features “Ametsukigahara,” a short story about a young girl trying to navigate the complicated emotions that come with growing apart from friends, and “One Snowy Day,” a tale of a librarian who encounters an unusual father and son seeking shelter from an unforgiving winter whiteout.

• ISBN10: 1647293618
• ISBN13: 9781647293611
• Publish Date: 25 June 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Vertical Inc.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781647293611

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Summary:

Mermaid Prince is a collection of short stories created by Kaori Ozaki. The overwhelming theme of this collection is feeling out of place. Everyone knows what it’s like to feel like they don’t belong somewhere, and these tales are the embodiment of those feelings.

Review:

Let me start this review by stating that Mermaid Prince is not at all what I expected. Maybe that’s a little bit my fault, but the title, cover, and description led me to believe that I would get one type of story - one that was creative and playful. Instead, I got something that was fairly somber.

To be clear - there’s nothing wrong with a somber story. I just wasn’t emotionally prepared for it, so I want to help future readers protect themselves. I hope this helps.

Onto my actual review: Mermaid Prince is two stories in one, which is a nice treat. The first follows a schoolgirl as she adjusts to changes in life. It’s pretty heavy, truth be told. It’s a slightly darker coming-of-age story, one that leaves readers wondering if the main character was sexually assaulted (multiple times?) or not.

The second story is about a boy, and it is oddly touching but also a bit disjointed. The main character is a boy who hates everything except for his sister’s boyfriend, whom he likes a lot. The boy eventually goes on a quest to find a mermaid to fix everything in an oddly childlike and wholesome move.

So yeah, Mermaid Prince left me feeling pretty conflicted. Both stories were heavier than I expected and not what I anticipated when I picked up this book. While I didn’t dislike either story, I didn’t end up loving them the way I had hoped.

Highlights:
Shojo
Slice-of-Life
Collection of Short Stories

Trigger Warnings:
Sexual Assault
Trauma

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