I should have reviewed this when I read it, but I'm almost glad I didn't. Reading this book on NetGalley sealed my purchase decision, and when I tell you one of my students squealed with absolute delight upon seeing this cover, trust me, it was amazing! My students LOVE this book. It's gorgeous and wonderful, and my girls feel seen. Thank you so much for this book, which has brought so much joy to my library!

I love the cover of this book, and was really excited to read it. I really enjoyed the inclusion of African mythology and the world Bowen created. I felt like the characters had a lot of potential, but we’re never fully developed, so while I disliked the antagonist by the end, I didn’t feel strongly about any of the main characters, which made parts of the book difficult for me to get through.

Skin of the Sea was a gorgeous read dubbed as a Little Mermaid retelling but I really loved the passion the author put into this book. It's magical but the author also focuses on hard topics such as slavery and how strong African American people were throughout this time of utter horror. I liked the idea that the mermaids helped ferry the souls of slaves that fell or were thrown from slave ships and how empowering the main character was as well as accepting who she was. I think the author did such a good job of sending this serious message while also weaving a magical tale. The descriptions were vivid and I loved how magical the world was! Such magical creatures and enchantment within the mermaids as well. Anyone who loves mermaids, magic and empowering messages will love Skin of the Sea!

Read full review at our blog - link provided. We'd like to thank the publisher for giving us a copy in exchange for a review!

This novel is truly captivating, well researched, and beautiful. Bowen has meticulously woven African Folklore, history, and brilliant storytelling. She gives light to slave trade and presents it with gritty, brutal truths. The book is full of lush world building and deep, complex characters each with unique histories. I look forward to reading anything Bowen writes in the future

I was granted an advance copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is what a good retelling looks like, especially when you want to make it strong and impactful on your readers.

3 Stars

Skin of the Sea is about Simi who is a Mami Wata, a mermaid who collects the soul of people who died at sea and blesses their journeys as they pass on. When a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against the rules and saves his life. To save all the other Mami Wata, Simi must go to the Supreme Creator.

As we travel alongside Simi, we get interjections of flashbacks about her previous slide before she was transformed into a Mami Wata. We are able to see how she longs to be a human. This story explores West African mythology and Black History during the fifteen century. While this story does have interesting moments, it feels like it was more traveling than the actual plot. The characters were interesting, but they end up being one-dimensional, and I struggled to connect with them.

I love a fairy tale being turned on its head, and this was one that went in a direction I've never seen before. I appreciated the interaction with the slave trade. However, I didn't understand the romance, and the ending fell flat. I didn't expect her to stay on land, but the ambivalence of the ending made this a book that didn't stick in my mind. And this is supposedly the beginning of a series?

Wow! Mermaid stories are always a hit or miss for me but this right here is a HIT! The combination of mythology, history, and the Little Mermaid retelling was woven together so well making the world feel unique but also familiar in some of the beats of the story.

World-Building & Mythology

The setting, historical details, and world-building are fantastic. I loved the mythology of all the gods and otherworldly creatures intertwining with the history of the transatlantic slave ships At the same time, the story doesn’t focus solely on slavery. The author vividly depicts the horror and trauma of the forced kidnappings, pitting of African groups against each other, and brutal conditions of the slave ships. The author also shows the vibrancy of West African nations, empires, and peoples in their culture and politics.

I highly recommend you read the author’s note at the end to learn more about the mythology, history, and themes she included in the book. As she states,

“Black history doesn’t start with slavery. An important aspect of Skin of the Sea for me is the positive depiction of ancient African knowledge, culture, and history, which are often insidiously and incorrectly presented as primitive.”

Writing Style

I am in love with Natasha Bowen’s writing. It’s lyrical without falling into too much purple prose. The narrative is quick and simple, but she brings out all the pretty lines when it comes to describing the emotions that our main character Simidele is feeling, especially when she’s describing grief and loss.

“Instead, I close my eyes, hold out a hand, and trace the curve of my mother’s imagined cheek, the quirk of her lips. The giddiness of remembering almost makes me forget what I am here for. But the sea reminds me, and the surge and crash of giant swells bring me back. I take a deep breath, tuck the memory away, and hope that it stays. Hope that when I am back in the water, I can still recall her face. Hope that the sea will not erase this, even though it always does.”

Friends, the way Bowen described that feeling of almost-remembering just gutted me. If you’ve ever lost someone dear to you, you know that no matter how hard you try to hold on to the person’s face, mannerisms, or voice, time does such a damn good job of fading those precious details.

Pacing

This book is super fast-paced. There was always something happening to keep things engaging. The story follows Kola and Simi as they travel to two different destinations. I love fantasy books where the characters are on a journey but sometimes they can meander a bit. That does not happen here. This is a perfect book if you’re craving a fantasy but also feeling a bit slumpy.

Characters & Romance

Okay so this is where I talk about the things that didn’t work for me. The two characters we follow for the majority of the story Simi and Kola were flat characters. Kola was a little better since we see him interacting with his guards and family. I think the story would have benefitted from having Kola’s POV. But Simi was such a boring and flat character for me. Other than the beginning chapters where she’s dreaming of her past, I had no sense of her personality. I was told about her ability to fight, her anger, and her growing romantic interest in Kola but I didn’t FEEL any of it. I’m not sure if this is somewhat intentional because she has no clear memories of her human life. Side characters had more personality than either mc. I absolutely adored Issa and Yinka!

There is little romance in this but it’s clear that romantic feelings are eventually going to blossom between Kola and Simi from the start. But the flat characters also impacted the romance. There is little chemistry between Simi and Kola. I’m not sure why Simi likes Kola. It almost felt like they like each other because the other person is kind of exotic. Simi never saved a human before. Kola never met a Mami Wata before. I didn’t see enough vulnerable and close moments between them. Or even just lighthearted, happy moments. They basically traveled together, saved each other’s lives, and talked about what they had to do. There were a few moments when they talked about their families but that was it.

Villain

There was a lot of lead up but the villain was ultimately underwhelming. I would like to have seen more details regarding the plan Simi crafts to defeat the villain. As a reader, we are in Simi’s head the entire time and all her intimate thoughts were always shared with the readers, except when we got to the part where she makes a deal with a god. It makes sense that the author would keep it vague since it’s likely going to be more important in book 2 but the lack of details made the resolution of the final conflict feel abrupt. I think if the readers were in the know it would have been more satisfying.

Overall, the story was great in the world-building, writing, and pacing and I have high hopes for book 2. The book ends in a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers but this one is more on the mild side and it added a lot of intrigue about the next book. It sounds like it’s going to be another retelling but I can’t say which because it may be a spoiler. I hope I’m right though!

** Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers for providing me with an arc to review.

I was super compelled by the plot and the descriptive writing in this book. The characters, beyond the main character of Simidele, and the romance were a bit of a letdown, but still quite the enjoyable read!

This book ended up being so much darker than I anticipated. I'll be honest, I am still mixed on my feelings about this book. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the pacing was pretty decent throughout, but I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I really thought I would enjoy this book, but for some reason, I didn't. It has such wonderful things- magic, mermaids, gods, fantasy and folklore. The plot is promising, but the actual story falls flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this title. All opinions are my own.
I'm always interested in fairy tale stories, and was especially interested knowing this is West African mythology. There were a few moments interspersed where I found it harder to keep my interest, but overall I'm glad I completed it.

Beautiful descriptions. A little hard to follow sometimes, that's why 4 stars instead of 5. Overall, lovely and will still recommend warmly.

I will be honest and say that it took me a while to get through this book. The beginning was difficult for me. However, the ending really made me like it more, which bumped it from a 3 star to a 4 star.

What I did appreciate a lot, was the way West African mythology woven into the plot, with some references to The Little Mermaid. And they way it introduced me to a new kind of world made me really interested. Unfortunately, it did fall a bit flat when it came to the plot, as it didn't really stand out from the usual YA fantasy books. As usual, they're going on a trip to either find something or rescue someone, in this case both. The writing was a bit difficult to read for me, which made it hard to get into the book initially.

However, half-way through I noticed the flow got a little better. Moreover, the world-building was progressing with the plot, which made me more intrigued. And I will appreciate the author for actually daring to put these characters into really difficult situations. This is also the reason why I liked the ending, as it was an open ending ready for a sequel with questions I needed to be answered. So I will say it was a pretty solid first book of (hopefully) a series. I'll probably tune in for the next instalment.

Over & out. -Nora <3

5 reasons to read this book :
1. West African mythology
2. Little mermaid retelling
3. There’s a quest
4. Atmospheric with poetic writing and a great pace
5. Mc that is strong, kind & fierce.

And bonus : JUST LOOK AT THAT COVER!!

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. The writing was lovely and it was an enjoyable read, but I found myself losing interest after learning that those who know/practice the religion this book is based around were offended with the way certain characters were portrayed.

the base of this book was sooooo good!!! Like i am simping over it so hard, the mc is a black mermaid. Simidele is a black mermaid and is tasked with collecting the souls of the ones who die at the sea. The writing was easy to get through and the overall plot was awesome. This was a perfect fantasy read and would encourage you to check out ( but i guess i had you at black mermaid).

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. It took me a little longer to read because I was so caught up in the African mythology and found myself going through a rabbit hole of awesome info when I researched more about Orishas, etc. The author did a good job of pulling you into the story and paying homage to African Gods. The mermaid, Simi is instantly likable as well. I actually bought the hardback because I liked it so much.

Skin of the Sea is a gorgeous debut and I cannot wait for the next book. If I see the word "mermaid" in a blurb, I am guaranteed to pick up the book and this West African re-working of The Little Mermaid was fantastic. I loved that Natasha Bowen didn't shy away from the horrors of the slave trade but also kept the focus on so much more - the folklore, mythology, and beauty of West Africa. This is a story that doesn't ignore suffering but doesn't wallow in it either. Simi was a wonderful lead and I'm looking forward to reading more of her adventures.