Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Description from Goodreads:

An unforgettable fantasy debut inspired by West African mythology, this is Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid, in which a mermaid takes on the gods themselves.

A way to survive. A way to serve. A way to save.

Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.

But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi does the unthinkable—she saves his life, going against an ancient decree. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy it.

To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But something is amiss. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. . . .

Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she doesn’t, then she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.

---

My Review:

I got this book as part of one of Once Upon a Book Club's boxes from Phoenix Fan Fusion. This review is just solely about the book but if you want to see my unboxing videos, check out my Instagram or Tik Tok!

I want to start off with that I loved the history and folklore that was woven into this book. I admit I do not know a lot about African folklore. After reading this book I definitely want to know more. I also really enjoyed the references to Hans Christian Anderson's own mermaid story. I thought it all tied together really well. I will say the pacing was a bit fast for my liking. While the author does a great job of creating this sense of urgency, it was just one thing after the other that stopped me from getting really sucked in.

I really loved Simi. I also really liked how the author introduced pieces of her character through flashbacks of memory. I really enjoyed those. I liked how Simi did her best to do the right thing despite knowing there would be great consequences such as saving Kola's life. I also really liked how she never blamed or regretted saving Kola despite knowing she wouldn't have to go on her quest for redemption if it weren't for him.

I liked Kola as well. I enjoyed seeing him go through such a wide range of emotions with love for his family being at the forefront no matter what obstacles he faced. I also like how he and Simi worked well together. To me, the author kept their relationship a bit ambiguous. It was hinted that the love Simi felt for Kola was romantic. I think it was just loving him platonically. I look forward to seeing how the next book develops their relationship.

Overall, a fun read. I will definitely be reading the next book as I want to know more. The ending was very abrupt which wasn't my favorite but it continued that sense of urgency...to read the next book lol. The author also includes references to the history and mythology researched. I 100% be looking into those as well.