Tempest — Nicole Ciacchella

A sweet fantasy romance reimagining of The Little Mermaid.

Humans are careless, destructive, and have no regard for life. They must be punished for their transgressions.

Her entire life, Clio has believed in the truth of her father's philosophy. For years the people of the island kingdom of Koryos have lived profligately, and proof of their abuses surrounds her: sea creatures perishing in massive numbers, corals bleached and dying, toxic waste polluting the once-pristine waters. Her father choosing her to act as his secret weapon is the highest honor Clio can imagine, even if it required her to leave her home at the age of ten and endure ten years of rigorous training to learn to impersonate a human.

Now, Clio is ready to carry out her mission to eliminate every last Koryosian. Success means saving her home and family. Failure means the end of her world.

But the more she integrates herself into human society in order to sabotage it from within, the harder it becomes for her to ignore her doubts. The new human king is determined to atone for his father's sins, and to undo the damage that threatens both his home and Clio's, making her wonder if human annihilation is necessary. Can the Koryosians and the merfolk learn to coexist? Or will she be forced to choose between eradicating humanity and dooming merkind?