Title: The Mermaid’s Wrath
Author: Andie Holman
Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy Romance
Book Blurb:
The ocean is dying. A mermaid vows to save it.
The Mers are barely surviving in a magical marine bubble, isolated from the rest of the world. Jelly, warrior mermaid and champion of sea life, battles against the choking, accelerating pollution, living beneath the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
When Jelly's mind opens to terrifying premonitions, she must leave the ocean, collaborating with estranged magical beings on land. She’s seen one of theirs in a vision, a woman abducted for the power in her veins, and Jelly is the key to this woman's freedom.
The black pearl at Jelly’s throat holds a secret. When it wakes, it sends Jelly on a tumultuous journey, changing her life forever.
Excerpt:
The kind shop assistant from before met me down the aisle. “Good!” she chirped, “You found it. Gosh, honey, you look a little shell-shocked. Not sure which to choose? We have them categorized. These have fresh flower smells like lavender, or apple flowers, or honeysuckle. This one here is pricier, but look what it has: rose, lychee, cedarwood, and white musk. Fancy, eh? These are citrus. Let’s see, we have lemon, orange blossom, or grapefruit. Or this one is ginger mango. Or, ooh, I like this one—crisp linen with ylang ylang and bamboo. And this one over here smells like mountain rain.”
My mind spun. What did bamboo smell like? Mountain rain? She droned on. “And those are for sports. They will overpower any funky sweat, guaranteed. Have you ever noticed how the stink clings to sportswear?”
I muttered without thinking, “Synthetic fibers trap bacteria. It reactivates with body heat, creating the smell. Natural fibers like wool or cotton won’t stink.”
“Ah! Well, learn something new every day.” She lured me along the aisle, pointing and explaining. “These here have extra bleach plus a booster to get out invisible stains.” I blinked at her. Invisible stains?
“These over here are on special. Two for one.” She winked and whispered conspiratorially, “Can never have too much laundry soap.” Her smile was too bright and forced. “What kind are you looking for, sweetheart?”
I ignored her question and gaped at the wall of jugs, my eyes scanning back and forth. My heart pounded as I imagined their future, weather-torn and deteriorating under the sun and the battering waves. My head swam. The massive space was suddenly too confined, and the artificial air was stifling.
A frazzled woman pushed past us with an enormous toy car containing two restless children. I stared at the next generation of plastic consumers. The girl chewed the foot of a female doll while the boy aimed at jugs with his pretend gun. The exhausted woman grabbed a jug, the one for invisible stains, and wordlessly plopped it on the boy’s lap. He whined. The girl swatted him with her doll, and he broke into a shrilling noise. It sounded like a dolphin in pain.
My pearl pendant pressed hard into the notch in my throat, and I struggled to breathe past the sensation. The mother yelled at the boy to hush. He smacked his sister, and she started wailing, high-pitched and keening, remarkably similar to a distressed whale. The children unwittingly performed a two-part harmony of ocean distress, and my nervous system flew out of control.
I panicked. Abort! Abort now! But my brain overwhelmed my internal survival, showing me the consequences of human ignorance. It flooded my mind with abandoned fishing nets, heaving with bloated, dead bodies. Gentle giants reduced to bones from tenacious ropes trapping their jaws shut. Strangled sea life spun through my mind next to plastic bags, bottles, and six-pack rings. I choked for breath.
The music overhead tripped into a song telling me not to worry and be happy. The pearl snapped at my heartbeat, which rocketed higher and faster. I fell into my comfort zone. Anger. I bared my teeth and glared at the fortress of plastic. I fisted and released my hands, trying to shake off the rage. The harried mother glanced at me when I growled in my throat and put pep in her step, hurriedly pushing her squalling car.
The store assistant frowned. “You don’t look so good. Are you okay? Can I get you some water, sugar?”
The music scraped against my nerves. The harsh fluorescent lights blurred my vision as the jugs shone brighter, as if backlit. The overpowering scents assaulted my nose, making me nauseous as flowers and lemons collided. “So much waste,” I gritted through clenched teeth. “What is wrong with you people? Why do you use so much plastic?” Sweat prickled my skin, sliding past my ear.
Her kind face creased with concern. “Sweetie, it’s no big deal. It’s just plastic.”
I bit on my cheek to startle myself and rein in my anger. It didn’t work. I mimicked her in a deathly tone, pacing toward the jugs with tight fists, my nails cutting into flesh. “No big deal?” My voice strained, edging with panicked laughter. “No. Big. Deal?”
I bit down again, harder, and blood poured from my cheek, staining my teeth as I snarled, “You humans. You only think of yourselves. You are reckless and selfish, needing more and more and more.”
My breath came in harsh pants, and my heart hammered my ribs. The pearl jerked on its chain, pulling hairs from my neck before it hovered and tugged away from me, straining toward the detergent. The lady’s eyes bulged like she’d seen the devil, and she spun away so fast she stumbled. Running, she yelled for assistance on aisle six.
I glowered at the jugs and hissed like a feral cat. “It’s just plastic?” My vision swam and tunneled to white, and a searing pain flared through my sternum. I couldn’t catch my breath, couldn’t see, couldn’t… Something terrible was about to happen, and I was powerless to prevent it. The pearl had taken control. My fists were so tight they hurt.
The pearl yanked, jerking me to step forward. My heart thundered as the scream inside me built, the pressure in my body insurmountable. My arms lifted wide like a puppet, and my hands flew open. I threw my head back and roared, “This entire world is plastic!!!”
With a horrifying boom, the entire fortress of jugs detonated. Sharp fragments of plastic sliced through my skin, and noxious blue soap drenched me like a tidal wave, plastering my thin dress to my body. I swiped at my eyes, stunned at the volcanic destruction. I looked up at the flashing red light of a camera. People screamed. An alarm went off. I turned tail and fled, shrieking in my head for Nell.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/4A06wq
Kobo Canada: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-mermaid-s-wrath
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Modern science weaves with fantasy, taking your breath away while transporting you into a world of wonder. Jelly is a warrior mermaid, a strong lead with a voice she’s not afraid to use. A cast of magical characters joins her quest, hoping to save us all.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $10 Kobo gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs March 4 – March 10, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on March 11, 2025.
Author Biography:
Raised by pirates, Andie believed faeries lived in the snapdragons. She still does, seeking wonder and magic in the small moments of life. She weaves her thirty-year career in natural medicine into her stories, while highlighting the environment and our role in its health.
Many places have been home: Bermuda, West Virginia, England, Colorado, and now, a small sliver of Canada, nestled in the Pacific, where she lives with her husband and menagerie of animals.
Social Media Links:
Author website: https://www.andieholman.com
Substack: https://andieholman.substack.com/