Originally reviewed at Christa's Hooked on Books 
 This was my first mermaid book and I've got to say it was exactly what I expected. That's not a bad thing by any means. I expected it to be a bit whimsical, to draw on traditional fantasy tropes and to remind me of the Little Mermaid. These were all things I was looking forward to and were happy to see woven into the story. 
 In addition to all the expected elements of Between the Sea and Sky there were also a few things I wasn't expecting. For starters the love story. Instead on being between two merpeople, or a mermaid and a human, it was between a mermaid and winged boy. Definitely wasn't expecting that one. Esmerine and Alander's relationship was so sweet and caring - they had been friends since childhood and developed feelings from there. This felt significantly more realistic than the insta-love I'm used to seeing in other, similar novels. 
 Now despite all the pleasent features of this novel there were a few things that disappointed me. To start of with, there's really not a lot of depth to the story. The plot is fairly basic. This book is listed as a young adult title, but it reads more like middle grade. There's nothing wrong with middle grade, some of my favourite stories are from that category. It's just a little disappointing when you were set up to expect something different. I also wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. It felt forced and choppy. At times it could get a little distracting and take me right out of the story. 
 If you're looking for a cute, easy to read fairytale, than Between the Sea and Sky is a great pick for you. There's a lot of great things about this book and it was fun to read. However, if you're looking for a more action/adventure filled fantasy tale this one might disappoint you. In my opinion this book is going to have a very specific audience that enjoy it immesenly, which is totally fine! Not every book can appeal to all people at any time.