Sailor Twain or The Mermaid In The Hudson by Mark Siegel

Book Type: Graphic Novel

Author: Mark Siegel

Pages: 400

Summary(amazon.com):

One hundred years ago. On the foggy Hudson River, a riverboat captain rescues an injured mermaid from the waters of the busiest port in the United States. A wildly popular—and notoriously reclusive—author makes a public debut. A French nobleman seeks a remedy for a curse. As three lives twine together and race to an unexpected collision, the mystery of the Mermaid of the Hudson deepens.

A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in moody black-and-white charcoal, this new paperback edition of the New York Times Best-Selling graphic novel by author/illustrator Mark Siegel is a study in romance, atmosphere, and suspense. Don't miss Sailor Twain. 

My Review:

When I first found this book on Amazon, I was really excited! The plot, according to Amazon, looked interesting so I borrowed it from my local library. I was also excited because this was my first time reading a graphic novel, and it was based on mermaids! However, I was very disappointed after I finished this. 

Before I get to that, I would like to mention some of the things I did like about the book. I was really drawn in by the plot as soon as I started reading it. There was so many mysterious characters and events that I just wanted to keep reading! The images also really captivated me, and made me want to continue the book. I also really enjoyed the raunchy sailor humor, which kept my giggling. The mermaid was especially captivating and beautiful:

She was an engaging character, and I think the craftsmanship in her character, as well as her image are stunning. However, this all being said,  I had a few issues that annoyed me with this book. First off, almost every single page contained boobs, breasts and sex... I really would not recommend this book to anyone under eighteen years old; its very sexual and contains a lot of pornographic images that I found to be a bit too much, and I personally found that it ruined what could have been a great plot. Although I was drawn to the plot in the beginning, I got lost towards the middle and end, and it just got too weird and confusing. Overall, I just was not impressed, and if there is a better graphic novel on mermaids, I will try to find it. I give this book (***) 3 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie