5 Stars from The Midwest Book Review

When the magic ends, you need more to make a relationship remain strong. "The Mermaid's Pendant" draws inspiration from the Little Mermaid to tell a story of the realities of marriage, and what happens when the starting magic ends and the realities of life start to sink in. A beautifully crafted fantasy that shows much symbolism and wisdom, "The Mermaid's Pendant" is a fine pick that shouldn't be missed. 

4 Stars from Dan Porter, GoodReads Librarian

When my older daughter was about four years old, she had Aerial pajamas that she would have worn everywhere if we'd let her. One of her favorite videos was Disney's The Little Mermaid so, needless to say, I've seen it myself countless times. That's why LeAnn Neal Reilly's The Mermaids Pendant felt so familiar to me. The first half of the book is a retelling of the familiar fairy tale from an adult perspective. The prince is replaced by a computer science doctoral student named John. The mermaid's name is Tamarind but she's still the somewhat ethereal beauty who's almost totally clueless about humans and their inscrutable ways. A "midwife" named Anna, who creates potions and elixirs from what the sea provides as she wanders about her island home, assumes the role of the sea witch. Valerie, a maker and seller of jewelry, befriends Tamarind in her human form and incorporates aspects of Flounder, Scuttle, and Sebastian from the Disney movie. The first half of the book predictably ends with the marriage of John and Tamarind but instead of the "happily ever after" end of a fairy tale, we're led to the second half by Anna's sinister admonition as they fly off to Pittsburgh that, "You'll be back, young one. Mark my words - you'll be back." 

As enjoyable as the first part of the book is, it's the second part that makes this essential reading for anyone who has ever been or ever will be in a relationship. The first few years of their relationship are sustained by the magic that helped bring Tamarind and John together. As the demands of jobs and children and houses and moves chip away at the magic, John and Tamarind lose the ability to "hear" each other's thoughts. Tamarind begins to doubt her relationship with John, but because she is still unfamiliar with much about her humanness and because Anna is actively trying to separate them through her potions and spells, she withdraws into herself. John, in his turn, becomes so immersed in work that he barely notices that his marriage is beginning to crumble around him. When they move to Boston their new neighbor, Lucy, befriends them. Lucy, who is herself still trying to come to grips with her late husband's decades-old infidelity, becomes the catalyst for the revival of John and Tamarind's relationship by learning how damaging unforgiveness can be in a person's life. 

I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The characters are so well developed that I often found myself talking to them - generally along the lines of "Ah. Don't do that you idiot." or "What the hell is wrong with you." (some of them have a lot to learn about life). The action/drama scenes - an assault on Tamarind, riding out a hurricane, and a fight between a woman and her doppleganger - were gripping and the transition into them was very smooth. The magic of fairy tales is a major part of the book but it feels natural and its use in the metaphors for how to make relationships strong is excellent. This is a great fairy tale that takes us beyond happily-ever-after to the real world, where love and relationships have to struggle against everyday life and can't depend on magic to survive.