Balanced Scales

Untold Tales #1

by Laura Greenwood

A shipwreck leads to the thing mermaids most fear…

Mari has joined the ranks of the soulless mer, cursed to disappear when they die and not live on in the spirit world. There's only one way to stop it but that involves something no one has ever managed before. With the aid of her shape-shifting pet seal, a rescued sailor, and the spirit of a man she can't even see, Mari ventures onto land for the first time in her life, determined to save the souls of her people.

But the land of men comes with many dangers, and not all her allies can be trusted. Can she restore what's been stolen and right the balance between land and sea once more? Or will she doom herself for eternity…

A standalone story inspired by the Little Mermaid. An Untold Tales Fairy Tale Retelling.

Genres: Fantasy, Mermaids, Romance, Retellings, Paranormal, Mythology, Young Adult

114 pages, ebook

First published July 25, 2019

About the author

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of fantasy romance and urban fantasy. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set, with her partner. When she's not writing, Laura can be found exploring worldwide cusine with her partner, drinking tea, and reading fantasy books. Laura specialises in quick reads, featuring healthy relationships and consent-positive moments, regardless of whether she's writing light-hearted romance, mythology-inspired modern fantasy, cozy fantasy or anything in between.

Discover one of Laura Greenwood's most popular series:
- The Apprentice of Anubis (mythology inspired modern/urban fantasy)
- Forgotten Gods (mythology inspired fantasy romance)
- Jinx Paranormal Dating Agency (mythology inspired paranormal rom-com)
- House of Blood and Roses (vampire romantasy)
- Amethyst's Wand Shop Mysteries (urban fantasy murder mystery)
- Scales of Justice (mythology inspired modern/urban fantasy)
- Purple Oak Oasis (cozy fantasy romance)
- Falhaven Castle (cozy fantasy romance)

You can find a full book list and more information on her website, or in her Facebook Reader Group.

Happy Reading!

Reviews

[Laura Greenwood]

Untold Tales Series (all can be read as standalones)
1. Balanced Scales: books2read.com/balancedscales
2. Golden Wings: books2read.com/goldenwings
3. Poisoned Fate: books2read.com/poisonedfate
4. Tainted Ashes: books2read.com/taintedashes
5. Braids Of Silver: books2read.com/braidsofsilver
6. Fractured Core: books2read.com/fracturedcore

You can also join my Goodreads Reader Group for new release alerts, spoiler threads, and more!
==> https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Balanced Scales was part of the Kingdom of Salt and Sirens

[Brianna Belbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing retelling of The Little Mermaid! After Mari saves a man from a shipwreck on her eighteenth birthday, she loses her soul. Determined to get it back and every other soul that mermaids have had stolen from them, she finds the Sea Witch to gain further information and instructions. Mari, Shelbie, and Aaron (the man she rescued) go on a journey to find the lost souls. The land is unknown territory for Mari and she isn’t quite sure who to trust. I really loved Shelbie’s, Mari’s sidekick, personality and thought it was cool to have her shift into two creatures- a seal in the water and a dog on land. I also liked the notions of the original story within this one and the history that Mari’s dad and the Sea Witch had. This retelling was filled with twists and managed to have a unique spin on the classic tale.
Courtney did a great job with this narration! I loved the young personality and emotions that she portrayed for Mari- she was the perfect fit! Her performance was very easy to listen to and she spoke at a steady pace.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Jocelyn Fox]

not the retelling you’re looking for

Poor pacing and characterization, throws the reader into an important event straight out with no structure to support that style of a start. As a reader I found the main character to be about as developed as a cardboard cutout. If you’re looking for a bland fast read with annoying characters and a predictable plot line, have at it.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/11/2022)! 🎁

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love fairytale retellings and I loved this series of Untold Tales by Laura Greenwood. I had read almost all of them, apart from the first one. So, when BookSprout gave me the chance to get an arc copy of the first book I didn't hesitate at all. I was quite curious about this version of the little mermaid, because it's one of those tales that simply works amazingly well for retellings.

What I loved about this version of the tale is how original and new it felt. Of course, the main elements of the classic tale were still there. We had a mermaid rescuing a human and she had a reason to go on land, but there were also elements giving the story this fresh touch. And one of my favorites is that our mermaid is not going on land for a man.

I also quite liked the mythology in this fairytale. Greenwood quite clearly thought really well about this story, how things would work and what that meant for both the mermaid and the human community. And although the story is different from the versions we know, Greenwood did give the original tales an honorable place in this book.

Another reason why I enjoyed this story is our little mermaid. She has all the defining personality traits we know, she's slightly naive, a little too trusting and she has no idea what she's truly giving up, but this mermaid is not just going on land for herself, she does it for the community and she's not afraid of making sacrifices for it. It made her likable and even inspiring.

It's a pity that this series is completed now, but I hope Greenwood will come up with a few more retellings in the future!

[Chey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Balanced Scales follows Mari, a mermaid who saved a human and lost her soul for it. Now she has set out to get her soul back, and save the other merfolks souls as well.

The plot was interesting and gave way to a unique version of the Little Mermaid. Mari was very naive and innocent and that translated into all of the choices that she made throughout the book. She was a sweet character, and her journey was fun to follow.

The way the author set everything up felt rushed. There was no build up to anything and there wasn't much emotion portrayed by the characters. When Mari was woken up by her father and told she had no soul, it almost felt like it wasn't a real issue. There was no emotion, no sadness or anger. She just went straight to the fixing it part.

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balanced Scales by Laura Greenwood is a fascinating twist on both classic and Disney tales of the Little Mermaid, which I was so drawn into just from the first chapter.
Laura’s retelling sees Mari and her seal companion Shelbie, set out on an adventure to get back Mari’s soul, and hopefully the souls back for the other soulless mer.

[Malischa Nijenhuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a rettelling of the little mermaid.
But than a little different.
It hooked me right away at the first chapter a lot and i couldnt put this book down.
I really enjoyed this booK. And will read the rest of the untold tales by Laura Greenwood

[Rachel Joi Maples · Rating 5 out of 5]

great new series

[Grace Hennessey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the new direction for the retelling and maris innocence and sweetness as a character. Was to rushed and underdeveloped though.

[Aizlynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting remake of the little mermaid. Overall it was just alright for me. I think it could use a little more development for it to fell fully fleshed out.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Writing style not for me. Narrator’s tone and style were uncomfortable for me to listen to.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't do it for me unfortunately. I love that the author went in a new direction with a Little Mermaid retelling... but unfortunately for me that was about all I loved. The world that this was set in didn't really make a lot of sense, and was all kind-of cobbled together with no real world building to see anywhere, and the amount of typos and strange wording that popped up throughout the read made it difficult to immerse myself into the story.

I feel that this story has potential, but it could have done with some serious beta reading and editing, and also maybe some additional length added to the story, purely to flesh out the world and the characters. It just felt very unfinished unfortunately :/

[Aimee Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mari thought she was doing the right thing when she saved a man's life. What she didn't know is it would end with her soul being taken. Her father tells her what has happened to her, makes mention of a sea witch. Mari investigates more about this sea witch. Mari goes to where this sea witch is living. The sea witch gives her information and gives her everything she needs to go to land.
Mari takes the potion to go to land and she meets a ghost named Aaron. He helps her learn how to walk and small things. He disappears on her. She is slowly walking around when she the man she save appears. He seems to want to help her with her quest to get her soul back.
She feels more comfortable with Aaron, with Erikson she feels things are off. She is having doubts and blames everything that is going on. Erikson and Aaron are telling her different things.
Mari has to decide who she trusts and how she is going to get the souls back before anyone catches her. The person behind it is it all, is the person she didn't expect.

I received an ARC copy from Booksprout and this is my honest review

This was a really easy read, the book moves at a nice pace and is over before you know it.

[Agata Jędrzejewska · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s an interesting story. Mari did lost her soul, as so many before her. But she didn’t stop on thinking that it will somehow go, she reacted. She put her tryst in a wrong person but luckily found the right person to trust as well. She learnt why the souls are stolen, she learnt a lot. And at the end she just might find more than her soul and more than she hoped.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read on the retelling of Little Mermaid. We have a little action, adventure and of course some fun. Mari loses her soul and needs to go on to land to find it. Can she find it? Which an can she trust? Or is she on her own? Can she find the other mer's souls too?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cailin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and mermaidy!


I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I loved this story!! I loved the little details and bits of humour; they really made the story extra fun for me. The tale was interesting from the start and kept me engaged. I recommend it!

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook, it was sooo bad. I unfortunately bought the next two books in the series. I’ll suffer through them because I spent $ on them, otherwise I suggest no one wastes their time.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I *really* wanted to love this book - but I didn't. I was interested enough to keep reading to the end, but I wasn't really invested in any of the characters.

[Ketty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Mermaid is just a story. A mermaid who went to the surface to fall in love with a prince and live happily ever after. Inspiring young mer girls to seek out adventure, but no one goes to the surface before their eighteenth birthday. Mari just turned eighteen when a sinking ship causes her great concern for the humans on board, children especially. So she goes to investigate, no one has told her why she can't go to the surface until after she turns eighteen, surely it's not a big deal. She finds Erikson stranded and decides to save his life; in return, her soul is ripped from her body and she is cursed to live forever soulless and who knows after she dies. Mari gets help from the sea witch to get legs to find out what happened to her soul and hopefully get it back. There she meets Aaron, a lost soul made of air, and Erikson, the human she saved says he will help her.

I love retellings, they are probably my favorite genre to read, and this one was a very interesting take. In the book, the story of the Little Mermaid has two versions. The mer version where she lives happily ever after, and the human version where she refuses to stab the prince who didn't marry her so she turns to seafoam. So Mari is not that little mermaid, and it makes for a more interesting story.

The whole book I wondered, is Mari going to stay human when she finds her soul back or is she going to go back to the sea and find a way for Aaron to visit her? It's not a love triangle persay, it's not the focus of the book. Does it end with a couple? Kind of, yes, but this wasn't a romance. I really liked that about it, especially given how many romances I have been reading lately. It was refreshing to mix it up.

I do wish it had been a teeny tiny bit longer. Maybe one more chapter, to tell us what happens after everything and before the epilogue. But over all, it was very good. Laura was a new-to-me author this year and I can't wait to read more of this series and read more of her books in general.

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Balanced Scales” is the first installment in Laura Greenwood’s “Untold Tales” series. The book is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen unforgettable “The Little Mermaid”, that manages to stay true to the classical tale, while still offering a fresh new story, in which Mari (the little Mermaid) manages to take her own fate in her hands while pursuing her right to immortality.

“Balanced Scales” tells Mari’s story, an eighteen-year-old mermaid, who encounters a shipwreck and saves a sailor’s live, only to condemn her own immortal soul in the process. But Mari is a strong female, who does not passively accept her fate. There is a chance to regain her soul, and despite the danger, Mari is willing to try. She succeeds in finding the Sea Witch, who is not in the least evil, but an ally to her cause, that will give her a potion to enable her to walk and survive on land and search for her soul. Mari is a very capable girl, despite her initial naiveté, which is absolute credible. Together with her shape-shifter pet seal, she embarks in a quest for deliverance, finding allies and enemies along the way, to restore the balance and regain her immortal soul.

The Untold Tales series is a retelling of world-renowned classical fairy tales, that adds a modern twist to the classical tales. Greenwood’s version of the fairy-tale world is funny, entertaining and interesting. A brand-new take on the fairy-tale trope, fresh, original and fun. The stories, which are independent from each other, offer an amazing blend of the original tales and brand-new twist and situations, that will appeal to both fairy-tale lovers and all those looking for a brand-new story that adds layers of narrations and different POVs to the already known situations. Fairy tales, magic, romance, familiars, FMC, adventure, fast-paced plots, credible leads, new turns and twists, what more can one wish for?

[Raven9308 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy listening to Laura’s audiobooks, especially when I am looking for a break from the long series or even books that are relatively long. Sometimes its nice to listen to a book over a couple lunch breaks. This one for me had a lot of potential but I think the narration brought it down for me honestly. If Laura had used some of her other narrators that I really enjoy, then I think this would have gotten 4 stars across the board.

The storyline was cute and fun, I liked our MC’s friend Shelby and I liked the twist at the end where someone we had wanted to be a part of our MC’s life gets to have that chance. Not going to say more because I wont spoil it. I knew the plot within the first like 10-15 mins but that was ok, it was interesting to see how Laura took us there. The MC definitely played the whole “what are these human things” well haha. Sometimes she was a little too naive for my taste, but with the storyline it kinda comes par for the course.

The narration I think really threw me for a loop. I had to stop the and come back to the book twice unfortunately. I really wanted to love the storyline but the narrator just got on my nerves with how long she was taking to say things and her inflections didnt always matchup. I had to put it on 1.3X speed to get her to a pace that would hold my attention. I think she could definitely improve on her male characters voices, which would help a lot with these stories that have multiple male parts that are critical to the story.

I recommend almost all of Laura’s audiobooks, but this one wasnt my favorite. I definitely would recommend reading the story but this is an either you like it or dont kinda audiobook (solely from the narration).

🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer 🎧

[Danyelle La Pookette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this novella. This is a fun and sweet adventure with just a dash of romance. This is a combination of a fairy tale, a YA novel, and a mystery. I enjoyed how the mermaid main character, Mari, and her seal best friend, Shelbie, handled their transitions to land animals and solved the mystery of the stolen mermaid souls.

Overall, the thing that kept me reading was the mystery of who was stealing mermaid souls and why. The clues were subtle, but interesting, and the villain’s plot was a bit surprising. This was a new angle on the old fairy tale. I adored how they mentioned the original story by Hans Christian Andersen, as well as the different mermaid and human versions.

I enjoyed Mari’s journey from naïve mergirl to the sleuth and soul-saver. I liked how she learned to see auras, especially Shelbie’s. Shelbie is her best friend and protector, while in her seal or dog form, so I could relate to wanting to know what she was feeling. I would have liked a bit more information about the different kinds of auras.

I thought there were some awkward moments when the story flailed a bit like… well, like a fish out of water. It seemed like the author was going by the seat of her pants just like Mari was in her story. I also thought there could have been more descriptions of the human and mermaid towns. There were some conflicting parts, mostly about when and how merfolk and humans learn to swim and/or walk.

Several typos, but nothing too distracting.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Mari had always been told not to go to the surface of the sea until the day after her eighteenth birthday. When she realized that a there was a shipwreck on the surface above her, she had to go and see if she could help even though she had just turned eighteen that day. Helping a young man to shore, she unthinkingly told him she was a Mermaid and was immediately in blinding pain as her soul was ripped from her body.

When she awakens in her bed, her father tells her of her soulless state. He explains that many of the Merpeople are soulless and still live normal lives, it's only in death that things are different. They can't move on to something better. They are stuck in-between. Mari is determined to do something to help herself and so the other soulless Mer. She discovers that she must go to land and find the souls and break them free. How she is supposed to do that is a mystery, but she and her seal companion set off to figure it out. Now, if she only knew who else she could trust.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Catherine Welch]

Balance Scales
(Untold Tales Book 1)
By Laura Greenwood

Balance Scales: an interesting and unique journey to read. An appealing retelling of little mermaid with a twist and an original feel; a fairytale filled with hazards, revolutions, deceptions, and surprises. Characters are well-developed; there will be some readers that are going to love and others, not so much. She is sweet, trusting, kind and wonderfully brave, but he is a diabolical bad guy. Balance Scales has little bits of humor and details, making this storyline interesting for a more mature group of readers; but is a story written for the younger reader.

Ms. Laura Greenwood gave the original fairytale; an honorable place in this book but added an enjoyable twist on the mermaid genre. I have enjoy reading other work of Ms. Laura’s, a remarkable author with a brilliance of recreating storylines with twists, all age groups can enjoy reading. I am excited to see more of this series. I received an ARC copy of Balanced Scales via BookSprout and these are my personal thoughts and feelings about her book. I am giving a 4-star rating. Well done.

[Claire Milbrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing retelling of the Little Mermaid story! Mari is a curious mermaid who comes across a sinking ship on her 18th birthday. She saves a human from the wreck and loses her soul in the process. After realizing that she has lost her soul, she - with her best friend, Shelbie - embarks on a journey to seek out the sea witch (not evil!), go on land, and find the souls of all the merpeople from the past. As she starts she meets a "ghost" named Aaron, who helps her start to find the souls. But not everything is as it seems, and Mari must figure out who to trust and how to save her people.

As seen in so many past posts... I love Laura Greenwood's books! This is another fabulous book with exciting characters and an story that pulls you into a new world. This new telling definitely doesn't sound like your original Little Mermaid!

For the Audiobook - Courtney Encheff was a great narrator! She keeps you in the story and has a beautiful voice and cadence :)

I would recommend this story for anyone who loves fairy tales!!

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

[Fay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing retelling and I have to say that I loved this version of the tale. Mari is not the headstrong and defiant daughter that you sometimes get and her father is not dictatorial. She is a little closer to the surface than she should be but she had no intention of breaking the surface, well that was until she knew that if she didn't there would be a loss of life and she could not have that on her conscience. Her effort in saving someone is ultimately what curses her but she was totally unaware at the time. In an effort to remove the curse she has to go to land. There she meets Aaron who looks so solid but some how is not and also Erikson, who was the person she saved. Can she work out how to reverse the curse and save not only herself.
This is such a fabulous retelling that I don't want to give away too much and spoil it all. Definitely going to be one that I'll re-read again. Look out for the others in this series!

[Michelle Dohring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is loosely based on The Little Mermaid. Mari is a mermaid who has gone to the surface. Mari finds a man named Erickson drowning. She saves his life and simultaneously looses her soul. Mari is sent to Demetra who gives her a potion to turn her tail into legs. Shelbie her pet seal turns into a puppy. Mari goes on a quest to save everyone who has lost their soul. She is going to try to find the souls and set them free. No one has ever done this before and she is not sure she will succeed. Once on land she meets Aaron who is incorporeal. She also finds Erickson and he says he will help her find her soul. She is not sure if she should trust Aaron or Erickson. Story was slow to catch my interest. I did want to know what happens at the end. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY unique retelling
I’ve read many a book (nay, many a series) by this author and even *I* was impressed with this. I don’t want to give away anything, so just get this book and read it. Shelbie was a nice touch…


Some sage advice from the author (while living on land):
Listen to the wind
Learn how to read auras
‘You shouldn’t trust anyone’s view of you until you’ve lost all value to them.’

Fave line:
‘People’s true natures are always worth knowing’


May we all live our lives on earth so that we can enjoy a healthy and happy afterlife. Even if that means sacrificing something so that others don’t suffer as we did.


Totally check out the others in this series:
Golden Wings (Thumbelina), Poisoned Fate (The Evil Queen), Tainted Ashes (Cinderella), Braided Silver (Rapunzel), and Fractured Core (Snow White).

[Donise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reinvention of The Little Mermaid was very interesting. The sea witch may not be as evil as first thought. Instead of losing her voice, this little mermaid loses her soul. The story then revolves around her trying to reclaim her soul and in so doing, possibly solving an age-old curse/legend that has affected all the Mer people. The answers may not be what she thought they would, and the consequences may or may not be worth her sacrifice. I think you will enjoy this version. I liked having a different way to look at the story. This is a good start to the series, and I am looking forward to reading Thumbelina's story next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.