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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Slavery, Colonisation, and Kidnapping
vercopaanir's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
paigeinabook's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Grief, Kidnapping, Blood, Genocide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
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