Member Review

I loved SKIN OF THE SEA for its uniqueness and just plain old beauty. A "Little Mermaid" retelling based on African cultures, history and mythologies, I was enchanted by this story from start to finish. I adored Simidele as a main character. I loved that, even with no memories of her life before she was transformed into a Mami Wati, she still is a character who has a true sense of morality and just a really good heart. I couldn't help but love her. I loved all the lush imagery and world-building that Bowen poured into Simi's world. This book reads as a celebration of African mythologies, history and cultures that you can't help but be enthralled with and it was just so refreshingly original. There's resilience, heart, and joy laced through every single page of this story. It was just so lovely and I enjoyed being in this world. The plot of this book was quest-based and was actually pretty well-paced as we see Simi try to rectify her "mistake" of rescuing a boy as opposed to ferrying his soul. Simi goes through a wonderfully crafted arc in this story as she must reconcile her past and her present and help Kola reunite with his siblings. The writing is so rich and poignant and overall this was a great debut novel, the next book of which I really hope to have my hands on soon!