I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

<i>Skin of the Sea</i> is a cozy YA fantasy read. The plot is quite predictable, even through the climax, but that's okay because the writing is immersive and the inspired take on West African mythology is fantastic.

The book follows Simi, a recently-made Mami Wata--essentially, a mermaid. Her duty is to retrieve the souls of the dead being thrown from slave ships, and to make sure those souls know peace. This threat of these white invaders and kidnappers lurks in the background of this book, but is not central to the narrative: it focuses on the people of this secondary-world take on Africa, and on their culture, magic, and gods. When Simi saves a boy's life instead of his soul, she soon finds herself embroiled in divine complications. She and the boy, Kola, end up going on a quest to set things right... and of course, fall in love along the way, which is expressly forbidden as she is not even human anymore.

Mermaids are a frequent trope of fantasy fiction, and I really enjoyed this fresh take. Simi goes through a lot. She can use legs again when she's on land, but not for long; she's disabled, and struggles, and it's good to see that acknowledged and worked through. The very end is a cliffhanger, so I hope another book comes out soon!

This book is as good as it’s cover. I loved how the West African cultural influences were intertwined with the retelling of The Little Mermaid. The way Simi’s journey was layered with glimpses into the slave trade was so powerful. The world building was intricate but not confusing and the writing was beautiful. I really enjoyed this book.

4/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this read! First of all, the cover is gorgeous. Second of all, I am OBSESSED with the mermaids in this book! The addition of Yoruba and Western African folklore alongside a sort-of "Little Mermaid-esque" narrative was so good – I've never read anything like it! The universe the author crafted was great and I loved living inside of it while I was reading the novel. The first few pages were so incredibly vivid and detailed, I felt like I was really in the water with Simi!

My favorite part of this book was how the author wove history into a fantasy setting (as a historian, I also loved the bibliography in the back and will be checking out those sources!). It was a really effective use of history, and the way it was woven into the story was done absolutely brilliantly, especially in the snippets of Simi's backstory as she remembered throughout the novel. It was heartbreaking to relive her trauma alongside her and the author handled this delicate subject really well.

I loved Simi's character and watching her develop through the book. The reason I rated this 4 stars, however, was because it was a bit predictable. I expected the plot twists along the way as well as the ending. This isn't a bad thing – I still really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Simidele is one of the Mami Wata, mermaids tasked with collecting the souls of people who die at sea and brings them to Yemoja to be blessed for their journey onwards. However, Simi has been a mermaid for only a few months and flashes of memories from her human life still haunt her, making her unable to fully embrace this new life. When she one day comes across a living boy thrown overboard, she intervenes and saves his life, breaking an ancient rule. Now Yemoja and the other Mami Wata are in danger because of her actions and the only way to make things right is to seek forgiveness from the Supreme Creator Oludumare. Simi and Kola, the boy she rescued, set out on the long journey, but more is at stake than they realize and there is something out there that is determined to make sure she does not succeed.

The gorgeous cover is admitted a large part of why I picked up this book, but the intriguing take on one of my least favorite fairytales was a close second. Skin of the Sea was a retelling of The Little Mermaid with Western African influences, and it made for such a fascinating tale. The world building was beautifully done, and though too much time wasn’t spent on it, it was easy to grasp, transporting the reader into the setting. The narration was descriptive and it was so much fun following Simi and Kola’s journey. There was also a lot of African mythology mixed in, which, though I know very little of, I really liked reading about, and it was all of this put together that for me, makes this book stand out as more than just another retelling.

I loved the cast of characters in this book. Simidele was a wonderful protagonist, definitely no Ariel, as she starts the book a fully developed character with a firm code of morals further emphasized by what she can remember of her past. Kola was and the others were just as interesting and they all felt like well fleshed out characters and were easy to connect to despite not having POVs. The villain was more straightforward than I expected, and I predicted that twist well before the reveal, but it certainly didn’t reduce the excitement of the climax scene!

The only thing I didn’t like was the romance as it built up way too fast for my taste, and seeing how most of the focus was on the plot, it didn’t really get enough page time to be believable. The ending was far too abrupt, especially if this is meant to be a standalone. I liked the ending itself, but another chapter or two to ease into it would not have been amiss. All the major plot points were resolved, but there is potential for Simi’s story to go on, and I’d love to see what might happen in that case. Overall, this was an amazing debut, fast paced and easy to read, and I would definitely recommend it if you like retellings with a unique twist.

Skin of the Sea is a West African spin on the tale of The Little Mermaid. The main character, Simidele, was once human now turned Mami Wata, mermaids who gather the souls of the dead at sea and bless their journey home. One day she ends up saving the life of Kota breaking an unknown decree. To fix her mistake Kota and Simi take a journey to find the one man who could forgive her unknown mistake.

The world that was built is absolutely breathtaking. You get rich detail of not just the scenery but of the magical beings they encounter in their journey. Loved that there was just imaginative written creativity and the diversity of characters. However we really don’t get much of our main characters beyond the surface level. Even their hardships are glazed over. The timing was sometimes slow but overall nice. The ending however was like EXCUSE ME! Surprising and definitely disappointing.

Probably a 3.5 overall but I rounded up because I absolutely loved the world she created. Truly a wonderful book that needed to be written! Happy little girls will finally have the diverse representation in these fairytales that have been lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this book.

Staci McIntyre

After saving a living boy from the sea, a mermaid must go on a quest to face the trickster god in order to save her kind.

This book has a classic structure (magical heroine goes on a quest with the boy she secretly loves to defeat a powerful villain) and yet it feels fresh and exciting. Not only does it draw from the wealth of underrepresented West African folklore, but the incorporation of the real and terrible history of the enslavement of African people gives the novel a grounded quality you might not expect from a story of mermaids and gods. Bowen consciously weaves in West African culture, including mathematics, art, and gender politics, ensuring that her characters and the unnamed people on the slavers' vessels are defined by their own rich and diverse identities, not by slavery. This excellent book is a must-read for YA Fantasy fans and an excellent addition to any public library or high school collection.

Skin of the Sea is the debut novel by author Natasha Bowen. The book is advertised as a young adult fantasy inspired by both the Little Mermaid and West African mythology, and very much fits that bill. But it's also a story set during the height of the African slave trade, and the book doesn't shy away from the realities of that, even as it dives into a tales featuring West African mythological creatures and beings, gods, and Orisas.*

*I'm used to seeing the spelling as Orisha, but this book uses "Orisa", so I will as well for this review, since it's a non-English word anyway so presumably both are correct*

Skin of the Sea is predictable in some fashions, and should be even for its audience, but it is a really well done tale using parts of a mythology that many will not be super familiar with. So you have a YA romance between a mermaid and a human, both of whom got caught up in the slave trade, a quest for mystical artifacts, and encounters with deities, Orisa, and the aforementioned creatures - some of whom are helpful and others of whom are enemies. The characters are all very likable, especially its mermaid - or mami wata - main character, and my biggest complaint is only that the book's ending is kind of unsatisfyingly abrupt, as the first book in what is presumably a series. But otherwise, this is a very solid YA fantasy.
-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------------
As a Mami Wata, Simidele ("Simi") was blessed by the Orisa Yemoja, the Orisa of the waters, to swim and live in the waters, and to collect the souls of those cast into the water to die - souls like those thrown off slave ships - so that those souls can be blessed on their journey back to the creator, Olodumare. But unlike the other six Mami Wata, Simi can't help but feel a connection to the land, where she grows back legs temporarily...and begins to remember her life before she was transformed. Yemoja tells her she must learn to let it go, and must continue her task: to collect the souls of the drowned...and nothing more.

But when a living boy is dropped off a slave ship, Simi can't help but rescue him....alive. Now having mistakenly broken a promise of Yemoja, Simi is forced to join the boy, Kola, on a journey back to the land to obtain two magical artifacts that will allow her to contact Olodumare to beg forgiveness. But not all Orisa are as friendly as Yemoja, to say nothing of the humans and creatures of the land, and there is one Orisa that will stop at nothing to stop Simi and Kola and to obtain the artifacts for himself. And if he does, it won't just be the Mami Wata and Yemoja who suffer, but all of creation.
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Skin of the Sea in a few ways tells a story that most readers, even younger adult readers (this book will be fine even for middle grade readers), will have seen before. Obviously, once Simi rescues Kola, she's going to fall in love with him - even with Yemoja's warning that to fall for a human will result in her destruction. Obviously once she goes on a quest to find the two magical rings before the Orisa Esu, you know that she and Kola are going to wind up encountering Esu at some point. And obviously Simi is going to feel conflicted between her memories of the land and her love - and her body's need for - the water (this is somewhat of a Little Mermaid pastiche of course).

Yet Bowen uses the West-African myth-based world to create a story that also manages to surprise and delight at the same time. Bowen takes the reader and the characters through a world that features creatures and deities of various kinds in ways that are fascinating and enjoyable to discover, whether that be Orisas of lightning, wind, or the underworld, or creatures and beings that are very different from the similar concepts in western mythologies (I'm purposely being vague and not spoiling here). And all of these beings have their own personalities and characters, and you really feel for them in some cases (again being vague).

And that's to go with a setting of slave-trade era Africa, where white people are kidnapping (or taking advantage of African tribes kidnapping rivals) Africans to be shipped overseas as slaves, making it more and more difficult for African villages and peoples to live in peace. In this setting comes our two leads, who are both really strong. In Simi, you have the girl torn between two worlds - the sea and the land - who also is really trying to do what's right at the same time, even when that doesn't quite matchup with what she's been told to do, and even when it might hurt - whether that be saving Kola, or doing other things. In Kola you have a boy who cares absolutely for his family, especially his special younger twin siblings, and will do anything to protect them - something he feels he failed to do when he was captured and put on a slave ship the first time. And the minor characters, mainly the African humans the pair encounter on their quest are really well done as well.

The result is a plot that takes a few turns you'll predict, and a few you won't, such that it very much works from beginning to end. This is not a long book, and even younger readers should devour it quickly, although they might be a bit disappointed with the ending as the book ends on a cliffhanger rather abruptly. I really didn't want this to end, or at least was hoping for a more conclusive ending, and what is here won't be satisfying considering how enjoyable the plot and characters are up through this point. It's an ending that makes sense through and makes me want the next book immediately.

So yeah, highly enjoyable West-African inspired fantasy, and well worth your time. Recommended, especially for younger readers.

4.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Skin of the Sea caught my attention with its beautiful cover art. And when I found out it was inspired by The Little Mermaid and West African mythology, I was sold.

I love the balance between the depiction of the rich culture and mythology and the darkness of what occurred during the time period the story was set, what with the origins of the transatlantic slave trade in the 1400s. Bowen notes in her introductory author’s note how stories of Yemoja comforted those who had been captured, and I love how this story captures that through bringing the myths to life within such a bleak time.

Simi is such a wonderful, compelling protagonist. I felt for her, especially with all the challenges she dealt with throughout the book. The romance is a bit on the instalove-y side, but given it’s one facet to the larger story, I didn’t mind it too much.

This is an absolutely beautiful book, and I hope we haven’t seen the last of these characters. If you love culturally rich historical fantasy, you won’t want to miss this one!

i really loved this and i loved the culture it pulled from and i really enjoyed simi and kola. the ending def made me super sad

I'm so happy to review a fantasy book with such a beautiful yet powerful heroine, and an equally powerful message of our history.
The cover is stunning and the action, twists, and characters' courage is just as mesmerizing.
I feel this book could be appropriate for middle grade readers as well.
Thank you Underlined, Random House, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

Skin of the Sea delivers on every level. Exquisite storytelling, Bowen creates an epic story layered with West African lore and mythology that will have readers only anxious for more.

Skin of the Sea invigorated me to want to read more fantasy.

As a side note, prior to the pandemic, I devoured fantasy. It was my absolute favorite genre to read. Most of my bookshelves held fantasy authors and little else.

And, then, COVID hit.

I immediately retreated, like a crustacean hiding deep within its shell, into books that were steeped in romance and happy endings.

Now, as we sort of see glimmers of “normal” I’m finding myself gravitating more and more to some amazing fantasy books, Skin of the Sea being one of them. Well-crafted stories that brim with captivating magic, lush and vivid settings, and characters that are unequivocally brilliant. Where every page is a marvel. Skin of the Sea is a phenomenal debut.

It is a story unlike any other. Richly envisioned and bursting from the spine a story with indelible ink, Black girl magic, Simi’s story is one of heartache and inspiration. I was hooked from the very beginning, like a fish caught in a net. Swept up by the beautiful prose. Each chapter another cliffhanger, steeper and more perilous than the last, heart racing, realizing I was holding my breath until the very end.

A debut you will not want miss, Skin of the Sea is utterly captivating.

Be ready to fall in love with this book.

Skin of the Sea is an intense historical novel of African mythology and the slave trade. Mami Wata and the other gods of the African pantheon are fascinating and it is great that we are finally learning about them to go with the Greek and Roman gods that are so "important" to our understanding of literature and western culture. We need this mythology as well because it also influences our western world.

Skin of the Sea is a fascinating young adult fantasy encompassing West African mythology. Set in the 1400s, details are provided of how Portuguese slave traders have started capturing Africans and holding them on their ships as they bring them to Europe. It is in this historical setting that Simidele, a young Mami Wata (black mermaid) is tasked with finding two rings that can be used to apologize to Olodumare (the Creator) for having violated her responsibilities. It becomes a sort of “fellowship of the rings” as Simi is joined by Kola and several other young adults who escort and assist her in her quest. On her journey, she encounters various orisas (Black gods and goddesses) as well as Bakhna Rakhna (Senegalese fairies), an African version of a unicorn, shapeshifters, and a river monster. I found myself rooting for Simi, Kola, and company to succeed in their mission despite all the obstacles they encounter.

This is a fast-paced, captivating debut novel that is the first book of an intended duology. I look forward to reading the sequel to find out what happens next.

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen is a young adult fantasy full of mystery and intrigue. A well-written, well-crafted, flawless story that pulled me in from the beginning -a story that shows the resiliency of people in the face of unspeakable pain.

Skin of the Sea is a is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

Thank you to Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I enjoyed the premis and theb eginning of the novel, I will say that it dipped in the middle. This had so much potential, but it felt a bit rushed and could have used a bit more time to breathe.

I really liked the rep, especially for a creature that is often represented as white in media. It was a very different way or representing mermaids, and I thought some of the other creatures were interesting as well, but they could be a bit overwhelming at times.

Overall, decent, but it was too many creatures and too much in so little few pages. If you love mermaids, definitely worth a shot, though!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Skin of the Sea follows Simidele, a Mami Wata -- mermaid -- created by the goddess Yemoja and tasked with collecting the souls of the dead who are cast into the sea. But one day, a living boy is cast from a slave ship into the sea, and rather than waiting to collect his soul, Simi rescues him, a direct defiance of the gods. Now, she must embark on a quest to make amends.

Wow, I loved this book. I'm glad the market is expanding to include more African-inspired fantasies, because they just keep getting better and better. Skin of the Sea kept me on my toes, and I quickly grew to love our leading characters, Simi and Kola. Their journey was twisty and interesting, and even though many of the plot elements leaned a little towards the predictable side of things, even when I did figure out what was going to happen next, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading through it.

The entire book is rich with West African culture and history, and while it certainly doesn't pull punches with addressing the difficult, painful tragedy of the slave trade, it also centers itself on a history that is much richer and more beautiful than white, colonizer-centered history would have you believe. Not only is it breathtaking and an entertaining read, but it is also deeply important that stories such as this one make their way into the hands of as many readers as possible.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. It gave me everything I wanted and more, all wrapped in a beautiful 300-ish page package. I felt joy and sorrow and pain and hope, and I cannot wait for more people to experience this marvelous debut.

This novel was a great read! I really enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the all around world building. Definitely worth picking up!

When I first heard about this book I immediately knew I had to pick it up. The overall premise and unique spin on the classic tale of The Little Mermaid piqued my interest right away. Not to mention this stunning cover! The world building in this book is very rich and in depth. As a lover of all things mythology I was really excited to learn about all of the different gods in this world. Throughout the book we hear any myths and old tales while also encountering various magical creatures. These aspects were what I loved most about the book. They kept me engaged and felt life like, as if these fables and stories were actually told in real life. I also enjoyed Simi, our main character. I liked her determined personality and her intense loyalty. I admired also that she was selfless, constantly thinking about others rather than herself. She's a very strong role model and seeing her interactions with the other characters was a lot of fun. The plot was very engaging with many exciting events. However, at times I felt it became a bit slow and would have liked for the transition between scenes to be a little quicker. The journey of the plot itself was unique but unfortunately some of the big plot twists felt a bit predictable and I was able to guess what would happen. The ending wrapped up some plot lines but opened a lot more leaving room for a sequel which sounds promising.

Ultimately I loved the world building and the mythology of this book, but wasn't shocked by the plot twists. I gave this book 3.5/5 Stars

Simi serves the Gods as a Mami Wata, a mermaid whose duty is to collect the souls of those who lose their lives to the ocean and guide them to the Supreme Creator. She is to do nothing more and nothing less. When she accidentally saves a living boy, Kola, she breaks an age-old oath that threatens the safety of the Gods and herself. But Kola is hiding something from her, and there is more amiss than meets the eye. To obtain the objects she needs to restore balance, Simi must brave angry Gods and a world seemingly bent on stopping her. As Simi journeys closer to the truth of it all, she realizes much more is at stake than simply the fate of her people—so is the future of the world.

To say the least, Natasha Bowen has completely blown me away with her debut. Beautifully written, Skin of the Sea is a captivating story of honor and duty to one’s role and those around them. Simi is a wonderful main character; her commitment to her duties as a Mami Wata is so admirable. She weighs what she is instructed to do versus what she feels morally called to do. Simi is compassionate, courageous, and incredibly smart. I absolutely adored the larger cast of characters as well. Kola, Yinka, Bem, and Issa are marvelously complex and interesting, and they all challenge each other to change and grow throughout the course of the novel. I also enjoyed the sparks between Simi and Kola—specifically how the romance felt so natural and did not overwhelm the plot. It was also incredible to see a cast that is celebrated and uplifted for their African features and heritage. It is high time the world had a strong, Black mermaid! Overall, Skin of the Sea is an incredible tale of Black Girl Magic and the sacrifices required to ensure a better world. I can only hope for a sequel so I get to see more of Simi and this amazing story!

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)