“Releasing the woman’s fingers, I turn away, not watching as her body sinks into the depths. A daughter, a wife, a mother. My tears join.”
- Title: Skin of the Sea
- Author: Natasha Bowen
- Genre: YA Mythological Fantasy
- Pages: 336 pages
- Publication date: November 9, 2021
Skin of the Sea takes place in a mythical world with gods, mermaids, and everything in between. Simi is a Mami Wata (a mermaid) who accidentally defies a god’s law. She must seek forgiveness from Olodumare—the main god. To speak with him, she needs to find two powerful rings. But she’s not the only one after them.
Another god is too.
This book has twist after twist after twist. The tension stays high and steady throughout. The wonder of diving into African-based mythology stays consistent as well. I knew little about it beforehand, so I found it fun to learn some parts through a fantasy lens. I even liked the resource page at the back.
The ending was definitely something I didn’t see coming. I guessed about half of it, but the last few pages were like a wild movie ending that leaves you wanting more.
My main critique was the characters. Simi, Yinka, and Issa were great, and I liked some of the characters they met along the way, but the rest seemed a little bland. One character reminded me of Loki, which I didn’t expect since this story isn’t based on Norse tales. I just wished to dive into the characters a bit more.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I’m looking forward to book two!
Score: 8.6
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.87/5
Robin LeeAnn 