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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I love this weird story. A kraken best friend! What's not to like?!
An odd little book. I think the flap copy is disingenuous, though it rightly outlines the plot. In premise and style Sea Change harks back to German fairy tales—Grimm, Goethe, Tieck, &c.—and their preoccupation with transformation, with the mutability (immutability?) of identity. Like many fairy tales, it is morally ambiguous, gruesome, at times ponderous and muddled, but there is unexpected tenderness too. What price would one pay for friendship? What bargains would one strike out of desperation? How much can a person give before losing that essence that makes oneself oneself? Sea Change got my brain whirring in the best possible ways.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is very reminiscent of Hans Christian Anderson's work. If you're looking for a happy ending, then I suggest you look elsewhere. The main character goes on a quest to obtain the release of her captured friend, and many horrible things happen to her along the way. In the end, after all of the hardships she's endured, she wins her friend's freedom by relinquishing her memories of him in payment. I did enjoy the storyline, and the many interesting magical creatures therein....but it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down, and I didn't feel the need to rush back to it each time that I did. I've read much longer books, in a much shorter period of time. I kept falling asleep while reading it, so even though I did like it, that's why I've only given a 2 star rating.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Poetic writing
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Dysphoria
In Wheeler's debut, readers shall find themselves faced with a story made out of plot coupons which seemingly have little to do with the actual goal, saving a long-time friend. If Lily wants to know where her friend is, she will have to surrender her gender to a troll. If she wants to free her friend, she will have to get a magical coat for the man who holds said friend. If she wants to get the magical coat she will have to...ad nauseam. Our Heroine is literally stripped of her gender for the duration of this book, which has impacts both large and small, but is troubling at best.
What a journey. This book is weird in all the best ways, and left me feeling... Bittersweet. It's a little, weird story with all kinds of things in it that speak to me.
Fans of the writing styles of Ysabeau Wilce and Kelly Link would probably like this book. Hence, I loved it.
Fans of the writing styles of Ysabeau Wilce and Kelly Link would probably like this book. Hence, I loved it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
The narration style was so weak, dense, and ambiguous that all charm of the story is lost on the reader. It is a shame because there was lots of potential here.