Reviews with content warning for Blood - Soul of the Deep

Book trigger warnings: violence, enslavement, death. I would add CW: undead

The story was more confusing than the previous one, but I liked the ending.

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bookhoarderbea's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

this was a solid 5⭐ up until i got to the last 20%

the plot twist was a little disappointing as i'd already guessed ara would betray simi. i already had my suspicions even before she said all those fishy comments about simi asking the ajogun for help so she could be with kola. it was something that sort of pulled at my gut(?) when esu observed ara for a little too long when they were in oko. i even predicted that ara resented simi for being taken by the tapa.

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 ☹️

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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, blood, animal cruelty mention, enslavement

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.

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Writing: 4.75⭐️/5

The novel started off a bit rough, but it quickly cleaned up into some very clean and clear prose. She handles complex plot points with precision and foreshadows the progression clearly enough that you’re not caught off guard, even if you are still surprised.

Characters: 4.25⭐️/5

I felt like the characters suffered a bit when compared to the first novel. Now, don’t misunderstand me, the characters were still very well-written and well-developed, but they lacked a bit of development that I remember being so prevalent in the first book. Some of the twists and turns also felt a bit fast, happening without understanding the characterization that forced or pushed them in that direction.

Plot: 4.25⭐️/5

The overarching plot of the world and the novel is still stunning. I applaud how Bowen weaves serious topics with fantastical elements, maintaining levity at the right moments, and depth at others. Mostly, I felt the ending was a touch rushed in several spots. Again, I wanted a bit more time to understand the development, whereas everything felt so rushed towards a specific ending that certain sections definitely felt a touch forced. Overall, an enjoyable end to a series though, even if it was not perfectly happy.

Post-Reading Rating: 4⭐️/5

**Spoilers**

I don’t want to hate that the characters didn’t end up immediately together, but I do. Felt like a bit of a forced ending to have them not together.

Who Should Read This?

Those who read the first book in the series
Fans of The Little Mermaid
Fantasy readers
Young adult readers 14+
Fans of mythology-inspired stories

Final Rating: 4.25⭐️/5

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vercopaanir's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

Overall I loved it! I think Natasha Bowen makes a great use of foreshadowing and is just a great writer. I didn’t see the character development that I was hoping for—there is a specific flaw of the main character (in my opinion) that seems to get a lot of attention but that never improves—but there still is character development.

My biggest gripe, if it can be called that, is that the plot twist is almost the same as it was in Skin of the Sea! In SotS, one of their traveling companions betrays them. In SotD, one of their traveling companions betrays them. The methods are different and the characters are different, but it’s basically the same twist. I feel like that made SotD a little less exciting.

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paigeinabook's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.75

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lennie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Children's UK for this ARC.

At the beginning of the book we find Simi in the land of the dead helping Olokum after their bargain at the end of book 1. Simi is cold and lonely and miserable but is given the opportunity to escape when one of her mami water sisters tells her that Olokum kept Esu trapped and he is now needed to trap the anti gods.

Simi and one of her sisters take Esu and find Kola. Kola is, rightly so, still angry with Esu but trusts Simi. Weirdly, his siblings are seemingly fine being around Esu though, despite the fact that he kidnapped them in the last book. Esu doesn't even mention their powers in this book, so I assume we're meant to think that he had some time to reflect whilst stuck in the land of the dead, but that is never communicated on page.

Somehow this book felt very rushed and yet was longer than the first one. I still feel like we needed more one on one time for Simi and Kola. I'm happy with Kola's story arc and whilst I liked the ending, I do feel like we could've seen Simi with her family or even see Kola visit her and her family.
The two of them seemed to go through a lot to then not be together at the end. I would've liked a bit more closure at the end of the book. Unless we're maybe getting another one? I still feel like there's unresolved issues with certain characters.

The betrayal didn't really surprise me but again we didn't get that much of an explanation as to why the character decided on that path.

As with the first, the folklore and mythology is rich and vibrant and Bowen paints such a vivid picture of all the gods and creatures. I also really love Simi as a character and seeing her struggles with what she wants and what she feels her duty is. She is curious and brave and has a huge heart.

If you love a Little Mermaid retelling then you should definitely pick this series up but just a heads up it can be a bit dark so please check the trigger warnings.

CW: death, mentions of slavery, imprisonment

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stardust_heidi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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