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margaret102's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
skmatson10's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was pretty middle of the road for me. It was fast to read which was nice but it didn’t feel like it had its own spark till almost the very end with the discovery of the Selkie origins. It was a pleasant read but a little dull in some parts, surprisingly cause it’s a mystery about folktales.
ashleyelizabeth's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape
luckystarcat's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
airy_wench's review
2.0
I liked the historic chapters of this novel much better than the modern day story- Ruth's story just frustrated me (SHE frustrated me- I'm sure her choices were meant to be a reflection of her depression and uncertainty from her troubled past but COME ON. How many people are going to tell you to go to counseling before you finally believe you have issues?) Lots of little plot points seemed to fall to the wayside, as well, making the novel feel unorganized. Interesting for the actual bits about mermaid/selkie lore.
cozylifewithabby's review
4.0
I thought this book was a perfect summer read. It wasn't too long. It had a substantial amount of drama and enough historical and researched pieces. The characters were interesting and you became invested in all three of the narrators. The writing was strong, but not difficult to read.Great beach read.
ohiosarah's review
3.0
It took me awhile to read this book because it wasn’t a feel good fiction book but dealt with much more of the human spirit so it took me a bit to get going with the book. I have read The House of Hope by the same author but The Sea House is her debut fictional novel and it definitely is a great read – although I will say up front this is not a specifically Christian novel and there is one cuss words used twice – keep in mind the author lives in England and words that are bad here are not necessarily bad there and vice versa and England is a bit more liberal in what the churches believe. I’ve never head of Selkies or Seal People although I have heard of mermaids and the tales of old have intrigued me and that is the main reason I wanted to read this book and share it with my readers – it’s also not something that is on my usual genre of books so I’ve branched out a bit.
Overall, I really enjoyed it – but I felt such compassion for Ruth, who is dealing with much from her childhood especially as she realizes she and her husband are expecting their first child. She searches for some meaning – why would her mother leave her in such a horrible way, who is her dad and maybe the world would be better off without her too? As I said it’s not a Christian novel, so Ruth isn’t searching for the answers in the Bible, through prayer or at church – she is looking at what she understands about evolution (this was actually the most frustrating part for me to read especially the 1800’s pastor who believes in Darwin’s theory of evolution) and who can help her now. As I read this with my Christian worldview I know she’s looking in all the wrong places, but I won’t give away the whole story.
If you want to delve into a secular fiction novel, with characters that truly struggle and you don’t mind that struggle seeming real within the pages of the book, then this is a great read. However, don’t expect to pick it up and read it in one day, I don’t see with the depth involved in this book how it could be – but maybe someone can surprise me and do it! I really enjoyed the twists that come towards the end, but again, I won’t give away the whole story or the ending but just know the ending was a complete surprise to me, even when I thought I had figured the whole thing out – and that to me was a wonderful way to end the book.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
Overall, I really enjoyed it – but I felt such compassion for Ruth, who is dealing with much from her childhood especially as she realizes she and her husband are expecting their first child. She searches for some meaning – why would her mother leave her in such a horrible way, who is her dad and maybe the world would be better off without her too? As I said it’s not a Christian novel, so Ruth isn’t searching for the answers in the Bible, through prayer or at church – she is looking at what she understands about evolution (this was actually the most frustrating part for me to read especially the 1800’s pastor who believes in Darwin’s theory of evolution) and who can help her now. As I read this with my Christian worldview I know she’s looking in all the wrong places, but I won’t give away the whole story.
If you want to delve into a secular fiction novel, with characters that truly struggle and you don’t mind that struggle seeming real within the pages of the book, then this is a great read. However, don’t expect to pick it up and read it in one day, I don’t see with the depth involved in this book how it could be – but maybe someone can surprise me and do it! I really enjoyed the twists that come towards the end, but again, I won’t give away the whole story or the ending but just know the ending was a complete surprise to me, even when I thought I had figured the whole thing out – and that to me was a wonderful way to end the book.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
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