Scan barcode
A review by adavila97
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
5.0
A beautifully written story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.
"Daylight won't protect you from anything. Bad things happen all the time; they don't wait until after dinner."
Nastya Kashinikov's life was taken away from her when she was 15. After a horrible attack, she is left to pick up the broken pieces of her life. Her left hand is now useless which throws her dream of playing the piano out the window. She also has taken an oath of silence, not speaking to anyone. Her family, frustrated that they can't help her, send Nastya to her aunt to have a fresh start. Josh Bennet can't help but feel that anyone he truly cares for will be gone. After losing his whole family, he is left by himself. No one gets involved with him and he's left alone, just the way he likes it. Everyone except Nastya. She just won't go away. She has secrets, for sure, but does he really want to know them?
"I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight od reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk."
Nastya is our main heroine. She is sarcastic, witty, and all around lovable. My heart literally broke for her once her past is truly revealed. She is an emotional character but doesn't show an ounce of emotion to anyone. The only way the reader knows her complexity is when you're in her head, which is a majority of the book. She believes her life is over and vows to destroy the man who took everything away from her. She was so realistic on so many levels that it felt as though she were actually real. She is raw and never holds back. And even though she believes she isn't strong, the reader realizes just how strong this broken girl is.
"I know at that moment what he's given me and it isn't a chair. It's an invitation, a welcome, the knowledge that I am accepted here. He hasn't given me a place to sit. He's given a place to belong."
Josh is the hero of this book. And what a great character he was as well. He's a loner, plain and simple. He finds comfort in building things like furniture. At the age of eight he lost his mother and sister. After that, it just felt like the world was against him as one by one everyone was taken away from him. He vows to never get close enough to someone due to the fact that he could lose them. He treats Nastya like everyone else, but when she doesn't go away, he realizes that maybe he needed her company all along. Josh is the perfect half to Nastya. Their banter is ridculous but you see how these two characters get closer.
"Good morning, Sunshine."
Then there were some minor characters. Drew was one of them. He's a player and gets any girl he wants. Nastya and him start off with an interesting relationship but end up as friends. In the beginning, it looks like Drew may be a love interest, but Millay does the opposite and makes Drew and Nastya good friends. Other characters are Clay, Tierney, Sarah, Mr.Leighton, and Mrs.Leighton. And I must say that all these characters play crucial roles in this novel. I felt like I could connect with all of them. So, kudos to Millay for creating some wonderful, realistic characters that grow with the book.
"Nothing is perfect. It's not even good yet. But maybe."
This story was breath-taking. I can't even explain or list all of the emotions I felt.
The Sea of Tranquility was raw and incredible. Not anything like I usually read. While the story doesn't have a lot of dialogue, it has enough. It's also slow in the beginning, but this is an advantage. Everything is explained and Millay's writing was captivating and flawless. Millay also makes simple things like pennies, ice cream, and names have so much meaning. I also love how she tied in the sea of tranquility because it made this book perfection. I am definetly going to look out for Katja Millay's next book. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to everyone. 6/5 stars.
"Daylight won't protect you from anything. Bad things happen all the time; they don't wait until after dinner."
Nastya Kashinikov's life was taken away from her when she was 15. After a horrible attack, she is left to pick up the broken pieces of her life. Her left hand is now useless which throws her dream of playing the piano out the window. She also has taken an oath of silence, not speaking to anyone. Her family, frustrated that they can't help her, send Nastya to her aunt to have a fresh start. Josh Bennet can't help but feel that anyone he truly cares for will be gone. After losing his whole family, he is left by himself. No one gets involved with him and he's left alone, just the way he likes it. Everyone except Nastya. She just won't go away. She has secrets, for sure, but does he really want to know them?
"I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight od reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk."
Nastya is our main heroine. She is sarcastic, witty, and all around lovable. My heart literally broke for her once her past is truly revealed. She is an emotional character but doesn't show an ounce of emotion to anyone. The only way the reader knows her complexity is when you're in her head, which is a majority of the book. She believes her life is over and vows to destroy the man who took everything away from her. She was so realistic on so many levels that it felt as though she were actually real. She is raw and never holds back. And even though she believes she isn't strong, the reader realizes just how strong this broken girl is.
"I know at that moment what he's given me and it isn't a chair. It's an invitation, a welcome, the knowledge that I am accepted here. He hasn't given me a place to sit. He's given a place to belong."
Josh is the hero of this book. And what a great character he was as well. He's a loner, plain and simple. He finds comfort in building things like furniture. At the age of eight he lost his mother and sister. After that, it just felt like the world was against him as one by one everyone was taken away from him. He vows to never get close enough to someone due to the fact that he could lose them. He treats Nastya like everyone else, but when she doesn't go away, he realizes that maybe he needed her company all along. Josh is the perfect half to Nastya. Their banter is ridculous but you see how these two characters get closer.
"Good morning, Sunshine."
Then there were some minor characters. Drew was one of them. He's a player and gets any girl he wants. Nastya and him start off with an interesting relationship but end up as friends. In the beginning, it looks like Drew may be a love interest, but Millay does the opposite and makes Drew and Nastya good friends. Other characters are Clay, Tierney, Sarah, Mr.Leighton, and Mrs.Leighton. And I must say that all these characters play crucial roles in this novel. I felt like I could connect with all of them. So, kudos to Millay for creating some wonderful, realistic characters that grow with the book.
"Nothing is perfect. It's not even good yet. But maybe."
This story was breath-taking. I can't even explain or list all of the emotions I felt.
The Sea of Tranquility was raw and incredible. Not anything like I usually read. While the story doesn't have a lot of dialogue, it has enough. It's also slow in the beginning, but this is an advantage. Everything is explained and Millay's writing was captivating and flawless. Millay also makes simple things like pennies, ice cream, and names have so much meaning. I also love how she tied in the sea of tranquility because it made this book perfection. I am definetly going to look out for Katja Millay's next book. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to everyone. 6/5 stars.