Mermaids are not just for kids. Adults and young adults love reading mermaid books, too, and that for a good reason. Mermaid books can be dark and suspenseful, and as such, they provide a gripping escape from reality.

In this article, you will find the five best novels for young adults and adults, ones that have scary twists, or border on thrillers. Get your fantasy fix with this list of the best mermaid novels!

5 best mermaid novels for young adults and adults

#5: THE OYSTER THIEF BY SONIA FARUQI

Mermaid Coralline, engaged to the triton of her dreams, sees her whole life change when an oil spill alters her world and makes her younger brother sick. Meanwhile, Izar, human heir to the Ocean Dominion corporation (and creator of a device capable of destroying the lives of mermaids) is thrown into the sea by his enemies, and turned into a newt. The paths of the two will come together as Coralline seeks to heal her brother. What will happen as the two begin to question their current lives?

#4: DROWN; A TWISTED TAKE OF A FAIRY TALE by Esther Dalseno

Dense, dark, and heartbreaking, this wonderful book by Esther Dalseno presents a new version of the children’s favorite mermaid classic. In a world of barely human mermaids, creatures for whom beauty matters more than morality, a mermaid suddenly falls in love with a prince that’s troubled by grief and sorrow. After paying the price to become human and going after her prince, the mermaid will explore a new life, and be faced with heartbreaking choices capable of destroying her, her people, and her beloved.  

#3: MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama

Full of intense emotions, fear, and mystery, this novel by Elizabeth Fama is capable of trapping and immersing readers like the waves of the sea and a mermaid’s song. It tells the story of Syrenka, a fierce and seductive mermaid, who falls madly in love with the young naturalist Ezra, for whom she eventually abandoned her underwater life to go ashore. But their story definitely doesn’t end here… One hundred and forty years later, sixteen-year-old Hester meets the mysterious Ezra, to whom she is dangerously attracted to. Together, Ezra and Hester begin an investigation to discover why love has been the cause of death in Hester’s family for generations, leading to a search for answers in the cemetery, the crypt, and the bottom of the ocean.

#2: SEA WITCH by Sarah Henning

This is yet another twist of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale about the Little Mermaid, this time, one presenting the Sea Witch’s perspective. The action, however, doesn’t take place at the bottom of the ocean, but in the middle ages. Evie can’t stop feeling guilty since her friend Anna drowned… until, one day, an eerily similar girl appears on the shore. She and Evie soon become friends, and when two charming princes take an interest in both of them, Evie finally feels able to find happiness again. But, it soon becomes obvious that she’s unaware of many things…

#1: MERMAID PRINCESS AMELIA AND THE LOST SYMPHONY by Maxine Foti

Even though this novel isn’t a thriller (for it brims with colors, adventure, and magic), it does have many dark themes that readers certainly enjoy:

After a violent earthquake destroys the undersea kingdom of Antemidia, Mermaid Princess Amelia Quintana is stranded on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. As she grieves everything that she’s lost, she meets Captain Jet Mir Thakur, who – instead of helping her – tricks her into signing a contract which will launch her on an incredible adventure. Required to travel between land and sea in an attempt to collect a set of lost artifacts, Amelia visits many dangerous places, among them sunken castles and ancient mausoleums hiding terrifying secrets – the worst ones including her closest family, and a gone mermaid with incredible fire powers.

These five the best mermaid novels with dark plots and scary twists that are currently on the market, at least according to our trusted panel of experts that love mermaid fiction just as much as you do. Don’t forget to like our blog’s fanpage, to always receive the best recommendations!

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Grab your copy of “Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” here…
English: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T6BJ6RG
Spanish: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z8GK1JX
Italian: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0953PN3Y7

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