Though the description for Rose Sutherland’s recent release, A Sweet Sting of Salt were what first caught my eye, it wasn’t until I started reading it that I registered the fantasy genre it had tagged on alongside the historical fiction one. As I continued reading and began to recognize the Celtic tale that Sutherland notes as an inspiration and influence, I grew increasingly excited to see exactly how this take on the tale would unfold. While there were times when events seemed a little more drawn out or melodramatic than necessary, the story as a whole and the characters proved to be compelling. The initial build up to the conflict was well paced and the climax and resolution were incredibly satisfying. It was really just a stretch towards the middle that felt like treading water that proved to be the only element I found frustrating.

Jean lives outside of her local community, in more ways than one. She is entirely on her own since her father died, despite being in her early twenties. Her status as unmarried became the subject of gossip and rumor around the time that her best friend was forced by her family to marry – gossip and rumors that had a nugget of truth to them. But in the past few years, Jean has built her reputation back through her skill as a midwife. Then one stormy night as winter approaches, a strange young woman appears in Jean’s yard speaking no English and about to give birth. Ushering the woman into her house and delivering the child, Jean quickly forms a friendship with the new mother, Muirin who, it turns out, is the mysterious wife of Jean’s closest neighbor, Tobias. Jean’s concern for Muirin and her baby begin to shift from being purely professional after she sees the interactions between husband and wife. Something about the situation is off and Jean is determined to get to the bottom of it, but what might that truth end up costing her?

One of the elements of the novel that I enjoyed most was the commentary of communication (and miscommunication). The language barrier between Jean and Muirin is mirrored many times by the way that the Jean and the other English-speaking characters talk around one another despite sharing a language. While Jean and Muirin struggle to make one another understand even when they’re trying to be as direct as possible, there’s a great deal of underlying understanding when others – like Jean and Tobias – go out of their way to speak in allusions and metaphors, making threats without being direct or obvious. Later in their growing conflict they drop pretenses and actions begin to take the place of speech entirely, almost as an inverse of how Jean and Muirin’s communication progresses with miming and actions illustrating what they mean until they are able to develop a greater understanding of each other’s languages.

Ultimately, what so much of the story comes down to is not just understanding in terms of communication, but understanding in terms of trust in relationships. Romantic relationships are where it gets explored most broadly, but it also creeps into the novel in terms of friendships and the relationships between individuals and their community. Jean is always reluctant to believe that the people of her town truly trust her given the rumors spread about her years before but her skill and careful attention to her patients have earned her that trust and respect. Of course, there are those whose secrets make it that much more difficult for them to place their trust in others and Jean is not alone in confronting trust issues on that front. The relationship between trust and love is explored throughout the novel as well, and perhaps most especially on that same front – keeping secrets out of a fear of losing love, love helping to heal broken trust, the feeling of betrayal when a loved one has kept a secret… all of which also intersect with communication (or the lack thereof).

This book was alright, but I found it a bit slow. I enjoyed the mysterious dynamics and enjoyed the journey to the end, I just wish the pacing had been a it quicker.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I learned that this sapphic historical fiction was inspired by the folklore The Selkie Wife and I knew I had to read it. There's not a lot of novels about selkies out there, but I really enjoy the idea and want more!

Jean is a midwife in a coastal town that appreciates her services, but hold her at arm's length due to her "oddness." She spots a young woman on the shore one night and discovers the woman is not only in distress from her crying out, but she's also in labor. Jean is confused and appalled that no one brought the woman by for checkups throughout her pregnancy. The woman, the poor thing, can't speak any English, but Jean is able to safely deliver the baby in her own home.

From there, Jean learns the woman's name is Muirin and she is the wife of a neighbor, the fisherman Tobias. Jean tries to pry Muirin's story from Tobias, asking why he didn't let her get the care she needed, but Tobias is tight-lipped. The only thing he is concerned about is if his son's webbed fingers are a disease...

Jean slowly uncovers Muirin's origins and her story, all the while falling for the odd beauty that is present in the young mother. Jean loves her strange laugh, her eagerness to learn English (which is another thing she chastises Tobias about). It quickly turns foul as Tobias claws his wife back into his home, refusing to let her out. Jean is determined to not let that happen and determined to help Muirin escape to her family that is Gaelic--at least Jean thinks they are.

This was a slow-moving story, but I enjoyed it. There was a lot of yearning and pining from Jean as we discover that her oddness is that she likes other women. Other secrets of the town are uncovered as Jean fearfully and bravely tries to help Muirin be free. At its core, there wasn't a ton of fantasy elements; the novel had more of a gothic tone, but the folklore of selkies that I've read sort of held the same vibe.

I'll definitely read another book by Rose Sutherland and I'm surprised this was her debut novel.

I went into this with different expectations, so I may have set my self up for failure.I did find this one to be on the slow side and I do wish that the pacing was a little faster. That being said, I could feel the atmosphere of the book, wistful, almost lonely.It was difficult for me to stay invested in the story for the duration of time it took for me to finish it.

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher for review.

So I wanted to like this book. I really did. I think the concept was really good, and I found the writing well done, but there was just something that just held me up from wanting to finish this. I love all of the scenes between Jean and Muirin and I needed more of them. I understand where the story was going, but in my opinion it needed a faster pace to really keep me entertained.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a historical fantasy novel that is a retelling of The Selkie Wife. I didn't know that story going into this book but it became obvious fairly quickly what was going on.

Jean is a 24 year old midwife in a village in Nova Scotia. She has been ostracized after her best friend Jo's mom suspected that the girls were getting a little too close. Jo was quickly married off and Jean hasn't seen her in years. In time, Jean has gained respect in the community due to her midwifery skills. Jean lives out in a secluded house in the woods. One night, she hears a sound and sees a woman near the creek outside of her house and finds Muirin, a young bride in labor. Muirin isn't a local and doesn't speak the language very well but Jean and Muirin are able to communicate a little and Jean delivers a healthy baby boy...who has webbed toes and fingers. When Muirin's husband Tobias comes to get her, Jean senses that something is wrong with their relationship and decides to keep an eye on Muirin which is when things start going downhill.

It was an enjoyable enough story with a sense of dread building up. The hardest part of the story for me to get into was the relationship between Jean and Muirin. Jean goes through a lot of effort for Muirin for no apparent reason. I know there is such as thing as love at first sight but it doesn't seem to be the case here. As this was a central focus of the story (Jean clearly has a thing for Muirin, are the feelings returned?), I felt this felt a little flat. Overall, it was a pretty good debut novel.

I had to DNF this one about 35% in! I just cannot go on any longer and it seems like I’ve gone forever already. It is soooo slow and I have no idea what the plot is actually supposed to be. So sorry! Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity though.

This book was beautiful, I thought the writing was gorgeous. I thought the characters were dynamic and relatable, and the tension between the two characters as well as the dire situation they found themselves in made for a great read.

There were a few times I found it a little slow, but overall I thought it was a great read, and I’m glad to have read it. This was the first Selkie story I’ve read and I think it would be cool to seek out more!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this early via e-arc!

A Sweet Sting of Salt really tested my patience initially, and I almost DNF’d it. Although the pacing was a little too slow for me in places, I actually really enjoyed it overall, and I’m glad I gave it a chance. At about the 70% mark I became really invested and thought the ending made it all worthwhile.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sapphic retelling of “The Selkie Wife?" Yes please!

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland is a sapphic historical fiction retelling of "The Selkie Wife." When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she’s convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers—a young woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the bitter cold and able to speak barely a word of English. Although Jean is the only midwife for miles around, she’s at a loss for who this woman is or where she’s from; Jean can only assume that she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean’s questions continue to multiply. Why has he kept his wife’s pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin’s open demeanor change completely the moment she’s in his presence? Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people’s business, her growing concern—and growing feelings—for Muirin mean that she can’t simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it’s too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean’s actions with their life?

Though I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction novels, this one was the best of the few I've read. I will gladly be recommending this one to many of my reader friends.

Extraordinary historical fiction infused with a feminist reclamation of folklore. Can't wait to read when Rose Sutherland writes next!!

First, thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took a few chapters to really get into this, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely adored the beautiful relationship between Muirin and Jean. I also loved the setting and how vividly it was described.

I can’t wait to purchase a copy for my bookshelf. This is definitely a must read.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is the second book in a series of four books that have made my April must-read list. I was initially caught by the cover (isn’t it gorgeous?). But when I read the blurb, I was captivated. I haven’t read many retellings of The Selkie Wife and was curious how this retelling was. Well, I am happy to say that I loved this book.

The main storyline of A Sweet Sting of Salt centers around Jean (a young midwife), Muirin (the mysterious wife of her neighbor), their developing relationship, and the mystery of how Muirin came to be with Tobias (the neighbor). This well-written, gut-wrenching, and engaging storyline kept me glued to the story.

Jean was quickly one of my favorite characters in the book. As a midwife, she assisted women in the town and outlying areas with their pregnancies. But she didn’t have many friends due to her forced outing as a lesbian by her lover/best friend’s mother five years earlier. Her loneliness, discomfort, and sadness was palpable. After helping Muirin give birth and keeping her at her house, I could see Jean getting attached. And the struggle to keep away from Muirin was real, even when Tobias started threatening her on her land. But Jean wouldn’t let Tobias get the best of her and was determined to help Muirin.

Muirin was my other favorite character in the book. Despite her language barrier (she spoke Gaelic), she could communicate enough with Jean to let her know something was wrong at home. She didn’t bother hiding her feelings for Jean (they were apparent from the beginning). She was sweet, sassy, and very protective. Her love for Jean and her baby and her yearning for freedom was also palpable.

I want to mention Tobias since he is a significant character in the book. I had mixed feelings about him. On one hand, I was disgusted by what he did to Muirin and Jean. But on the other hand, I couldn’t help but pity him. His upbringing (which was chaotic and abusive) directly contributed to his capturing Muirin. He had this fantasy of having the perfect family. But the cracks started when Jean visited and spread after Jean’s ex’s mother told Tobias about Jean. The state of his mental health slowly deteriorated after that. His stalking of Jean and killing of her goat, Honey, was a small glimpse into his mind. What broke him was when Jean found Muirin’s pelt, and they left the house (after it caught on fire). I do not doubt in my mind that he would have killed Jean by the pond if Muirin hadn’t done what she did.

The LGBT angle was interesting. I liked seeing Jean, Muirin, and Lauri have so much love and support from their family and friends. Heck, before Jean met Muirin and after her ex left, Lauri’s mother tried to set her up with her Native relatives. It was refreshing.

The fantasy angle is kept in the background until the end of the book (when Muirin gets her pelt back). I liked that Muirin, through her uncle, explained everything. I also loved that Jean wasn’t as freaked out as I thought she would be.

The epilogue of A Sweet Sting of Salt made this book. I liked seeing what everyone was doing five years in the future. It was a HEA that made me smile.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell, NetGalley, and Rose Sutherland for allowing me to read and review this ARC of a Sweet Sting of Salt. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

A fantastic, emotional sapphic tale based on selkie mythology!

This story is so full of tragedy, heart, and love. A bit of a slower story but not boring by any means.

New. Favorite. Book.

This book was full of a Scottish folktale, a forbidden love, a sweet, sapphic romance, and a beautiful story all flowing into a perfect book.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a reimagining of the Scottish folktale “the Selkie Wife” and Rose Sutherland does an astounding job in her reimagining of this folktale.

Her words flow beautifully, they have heart, they have feeling, and they have so much love and passion in them.

There were times in this book where I felt I was walking in Jean’s footsteps, living her life, feeling her feelings, her emotions.

My heart broke for both Jean and Muirin — their circumstances and situations were heartbreaking.

I knew within about 20 pages I was going to love this book. And by 50% in, I had preordered the physical copy of this just so I could have it to display on my shelves.

I adore this book, its vibes, its heart, and I so deeply and desperately hope that Rose Sutherland puts out more of her work because I will be first in line to grab it up.

3.5 stars

This is a sapphic reimagination of the folktale of the selkie wife, taking place in 1830s Nova Scotia. Jean is a 24-year-old midwife for her small village and a spinster, living alone in an isolated cottage on the coast. She's been dealing with gossip ever since her childhood best friend was rushed into marriage to break up her and Jean's "suspiciously close" relationship, and is determined to keep her head down now. Until she hears a strange sound one night and finds an unfamiliar woman in labor in her yard who speaks no English. Eventually, Jean puts together that this is Muirin, the new and mysterious wife to her distant neighbor, a fisherman, and the two start to form a bond despite the language barrier. Muirin is mysterious and sweet, and at first her husband is happy for her to be making friends in his village. But when the rumors about Jean reach him, he's threatened and puts his foot down, setting an ultimatum to keep the women apart.

The writing in this is atmospheric and pretty, I could picture the setting very clearly, and the wintery vibes would be perfect for a Christmas-time read. I enjoyed the day-to-day historical details and small-town relationships. Anneke and Laurie were especially enjoyable characters. It took me a while to get into this story, though--I felt it started quick and then hit a lull, and while I know the times informed a lot of Jean's choices, she made some decisions that made my eye twitch. Specifically when she was being threatened and in danger and didn't tell anyone or do anything. Ma'am. I didn't feel like I got to know Muirin as well as I'd like to make their connection believable, in part because of their communication issues, but if you enjoy a love-at-first-sight type of story that may not be a gripe you have here. I'd have liked a little more of the magical side of things throughout this story rather than just at the end, but overall it was a well-done take on a classic story I don't see retold often. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

"A Sweet Sting of Salt" by Rose Sutherland is a gorgeous tale of love and women's strength. This book is 'girl power' at its best! Set in the 1800s, the story follows Jean, a talented midwife, and Muirin, who shows up at her home in the middle of the night and during a storm, about to give birth. Jean is a strong and heroic character and a reader can't help but cheer for her. Muirin's character is shrouded in mystery and, if you go into this book blind as I did, the revelation of that mystery will come as a complete shock. I loved the atmosphere created by the author's words; it had a real gothic feel. The story develops slowly, but this just led to the suspense and tension; I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to satisfy my curiosity about what would happen next. The descriptive writing transported me to the windswept Nova Scotian coast and I could smell the salt air and feel the chill breeze on my skin. This is a beautiful book, and a very impressive debut novel. I would love to read more from this author and I hope she continues to write novels that reimagine folk tales. Bonus points for the LBGTQ and native characters who feel authentic. It was a true privilege to read an advanced copy of this book that is sure to become a bestseller. Thank you NetGalley!

thank you for the opportunity to review this book. It's an interesting story and while I didn't get to finish it before it was archived, I know I will return to it because it was very compelling.

When I saw this description on netgalley I immediately requested and added to my TBR. I had been hoping to find a retelling of The Selkie Wife story and this was perfect. Huge thanks to Netgalley and PRH/Dell for the ARC!

Jean is a midwife that lives fairly isolated and near the salt marshes. It is there she finds Muirin in labor. Jean brings her home and after an interaction with Muirin's husband gives Jean a bad feeling, she insists Muirin stays at her home a bit longer.

Jeans slow unraveling of the truth begins. Of course, we know what she is on a direct path toward discovering the whole time and it makes the story all that much more addicting.

This book is beautiful and atmospheric. I couldn't put it down. I ended up staying up all night to finish the story. I loved it!

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a historical fiction novel with a sapphic romance and a supernatural twist.

Jean is a twenty-four-year old midwife for her small village on the coast. Her standing with the locals is a little rocky after she was suspected of having a romance with her female childhood friend Jo. Eventually Jo’s mother became suspicious and quickly married her off and Jean hasn’t seen her since. But Jean’s talent with delivering babies has won over most of the women in town and she lives a quiet life alone on the small piece of land her parents left her. One evening the mysterious new bride of her neighbor arrives in the middle of the night in labor and ready to deliver without her husband. Despite the language barrier Jean is able to help out the new mother (Muirin) and bring her husband (Tobias) to her side. But something about their relationship is off and Jean convinces the couple to let Muirin stay with her a few days to heal after the baby. As Muirin picks up more and more English Jean becomes convinced that something is not right with their marriage and it’s up to her to rescue Muirin and her newborn son. But Tobias will do anything to hold on to his family and he won’t let Jean interfere.

This is one of those books that if you don’t buy the love story you don’t have much else to hang on to. And I really didn’t get the romance. Between the newborn baby, the marriage, the language barrier and just how little they knew about each other (including Jean’s glaring ignorance of Muirin’s big supernatural secret) I never felt any kind of chemistry or attraction between the two of them. Everything Jean does after Tobias repeatedly threatens her puts not only herself but Muirin and her baby and everything Jean holds dear including her farm and the animals at risk. It becomes really frustrating as a reader to endure. She clearly sees herself as some kind of savior but she has no weapons, self-defense skills and is entirely too naive to take on someone like Tobias. When she’s not scrambling to protect herself, lying to the people that care about her how much danger she’s in she’s mostly staring out the window worrying about Muirin which makes it a very dull and slow read.

I hate giving a debut novel two stars but this book really didn’t work for me. It was a slog to get through and I found the main character foolish and moony over a woman she barely knows.