Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - Soul of the Deep

Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen

4 reviews

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

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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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instalovewithbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

Soul of the Deep is a finale that leaves lots of questions unanswered, but my god, it is so good. I teared up in a few parts as well. I listened to most of the story but wanted to finish it tonight so I could focus on other audiobooks. 💖 I read about 80 pages, and it was so great.

If you loved Skin of the Sea, continue the duology.

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