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quinzelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Slavery
mj_86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, and War
Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse
raptorq's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Blood and War
Minor: Slavery
seregelda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The story was more confusing than the previous one, but I liked the ending.
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Blood, and Murder
manaledi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, War, and Violence
Minor: Physical abuse, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
klbreyfogle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, War, and Violence
Minor: Slavery
bookhoarderbea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
nevertheless i only docked 0.25⭐ since i liked how it ended. however, i would not be opposed to reading about simi meeting her parents again and also hearing about what happened to the yumboes. poor issa ☹️
Graphic: Trafficking, Violence, War, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery
bookishwitherin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
- second book in a duology, a young adult fantasy inspired by West African mythology
- Simi is a mermaid/mami wata who serves orisa Yemoja, & collects the souls of those who die in the sea, bringing them to be blessed by Yemoja before their journey onward
- Simi saves a human Kola from drowning & is turned into a human as she goes on a quest (with Kola lol) to seek forgiveness & redemption
- so much angst between Simi & Kola!
- world-building and characters were beautifully fleshed out!
- the sequel was not my favorite (Simi is in a new world, new job & has to team up with new characters), & I think Skin of the Sea would have been perfect as a standalone!
- cw: slavery, death, violence, kidnapping, colonisation
Graphic: Violence, Death, Slavery, Colonisation, and Kidnapping
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen is the final book in the Skin of the Sea duology. This was a great fast paced sequel, that continues to expand West African mythologies. I found the ending predictable, similar to book one, but it didn't make it less enjoyable. This is a pretty solid YA book. Warning for possible spoilers for Skin of the Sea ahead.
We follow up with Simi in the Land of the Dead, a deep, dark, cold part of the Sea where the orisa Okun is bound to bless the dead that fall to the ocean floor. Though Simi is miserable and misses her fellow Mami Wata and Kola, she is determined to honor her agreement with Okun. That is until she realizes Okun has lied to her about the trickster god, Esu, making it possible to calamity to strike land with ajogun (the anit-gods) not being appeased and bound.
In this book we see a lot of the rivalries between West African kingdoms exacerbated by the European slave trade. We see the corruption in the pursuit of power that cannot be controlled. I loved seeing more of the mythology and culture of different African peoples. We see women water drummers, African vampires, undead, a loch ness monster type of creature, and a man eating tree. Above all, the message of this book in the freedom of choice. The freedom to choose what is right for yourself, not just for others. And what is right for you might not be the thing you think you want.
This series is perfect for teens grappling with coming of age and the burden of choice. It's also just a great adventure! Looking forward to more from this author.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty