Legasea

This was a surprisingly engaging novel. I picked up Legasea on a whim and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The selkie storyline was fantastically done and I really loved the mythology that went along with it. The characters were likable and overall it felt like a very unique and fun read.

Usually I've found teen paranormal romance to be character-based. However, Legasea is focused more on plot, which is a refreshing change. While Aileen is obviously infatuated with Jamie Flannigan, that obsession doesn't rule the entire novel. Instead, three other plots--the murder of teen girls,
her own connection with the sea, and her father's failing business--are woven together, with Jamie just being part of the show.

As a character, Aileen Shay is pretty well done. She displays the typical teen melodrama and mood swings, without overdoing it. I didn't find her especially compelling, but I did believe she was a sheltered girl with a strange connection with the sea--and I liked how her actions progressed based on that background. Also, I liked the balance between her attraction to Jamie and that small, common-sense part of her that asked questions about his mysterious family and wasn't content to take them at face-value.

Being that this is a teen paranormal romance, there is a love triangle. The "other guy" is Ian Glenn, Aileen's childhood friend. I felt the love triangle was the weakest part of the novel, mostly because Ian isn't fleshed out well at all. While the plot, and Aileen's own misgivings, made it clear that Jamie had some worrisome quirks, I didn't feel like Ian was a viable alternative. Honestly, with the interesting plot, why bother with a love triangle at all? Why can't she be equally angsty and tortured over her feelings for Jamie, without throwing Ian in there? At this point, I feel like he's the
"designated loser"--and I hate to see characters put into that role, even flat ones.

Note: this is not a Christian book. A profanity and one mild vulgarity are used several times. Also, Aileen does sometimes disobey her parents. However, she is duly punished.

Final Verdict: Legasea is a light bit of teen fantasy that gave me an excuse to explore Selkie folklore. I don't regret reading it, especially since it deals with mythology and teen family issues without drowning in angst and self-pity. I would like to read the second book. I cautiously recommend this book as a bit of escapism if you already enjoy mythology mixed with a little romance and drama.

‘A sea of troubles…’ 4 stars

Who is the young girl whose body is found floating in the bay? Why have the Flannigan family returned to the neighbourhood? And why is 16-year-old Aileen’s mother so determined to stop Aileen from learning to swim?

YA fantasy is not my normal reading material for so many reasons. For a start it was way back in the last millennium that I could last honestly call myself a YA. But it’s fun to read something a bit different sometimes, especially when it’s as enjoyable as this book.

Aileen has always been drawn to the sea but after a childhood accident when she was nearly lost, her mother has been dead against her swimming or even going on a boat. Since they live on the shore, this is a pretty big deprivation for Aileen and she’s finding it hard to obey her mother’s strict rules. But when she sneaks off to a party on a yacht, she is horrified when they find the body of a young girl floating in the bay. Suspicion falls on several people in the small town, not least on Aileen’s own family and the families of both her ex-boyfriend, Ian, and her new one, Jamie. And Aileen is soon to learn a secret that her mother has kept from her all these years – a secret that finally explains her fascination with the ocean and the seals that live closeby…

Drown writes very well and Aileen is a believable, likeable sixteen-year-old, dealing with the normal things like school and family but also having to face up to the fact that she’s very different from her friends.
With the arrival of the mysterious Jamie, Aileen is thrown into all the turmoil of first love and I thought Drown handled the romance aspect very well.
Although this is a fairly light read with a lot of fun elements, it also has some dark episodes and on the whole this contrast worked well, although there was one incident which I felt was so dark that it was slightly out of tune with the rest of the novel. Overall, I found this an entertaining, light read, well written, with good characterisation and a nice blend of reality and fantasy.
Recommended.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher,
Curiosity Quills, via NetGalley.