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A review by squirrelsohno
Call of the Sea by Rebecca Hart
4.0
CALL OF THE SEA came recommended by an email I received from the book’s publicist. I had not heard of this book before she reached out and let me know about it, and now I just have to send a big thanks to Kelly for telling me about this. CALL OF THE SEA is one of those low key books that rises up and becomes something more, something almost spectacular, but something about it just fell a little short to me. Nevertheless, I loved this story and can’t wait to read more by Rebecca Hart. I finished it in about 90 minutes and came away with such a bright smile on my face, but let me just say that I wanted to know more! MORE MORE MORE!
Following young Ellie, the daughter of a captain who wants nothing more than to be a captain, and the cursed selkie Daniel, CALL OF THE SEA takes place in the time of pirates and privateers, wars between the Dutch and English, evil masterminds in Gibraltar and selkies. SELKIES. Side note, my ancestor was captured by the Dutch in this war. Last British admiral ever captured by the enemy. He wasn’t very good at his job.
The back stories for Daniel and Ellie were probably my favorite part, especially since it is intricately woven into the story – mostly because it was part of the story itself. We start off with their childhoods – Ellie at age 10, saved from drowning by a seal who becomes her friend, never knowing that this seal is actually a boy whom she loathes for taking her place in her father’s crew. And Ellie was a girl after my own heart. I felt for her and her troubles – her desperation to succeed, her adoration for her father, her anger at Daniel betraying her.
But this isn’t just a story about a 10 year old girl and her seal friend. The story evolves and we go through several periods in Ellie’s life – her parents sending her to finishing school to keep her safe, her decision to sneak away and become a cabin boy, her realization that her father still loves her. And Daniel! Can you say swoon? I loved Daniel. He was multilayered and complex, complete with his own problems and desires, his caring of Ellie and his desire to protect her family and the man who took him under his wing.
And there is fighting! Canons, swords, guns, bickering!
This is a story with emotion AND action. What more can a girl ask for? In this story that blends genres and age categories, from middle grade to new adult, there were a few LITTLE nitpicks I had. Like the romance…
Yes, I loved Daniel, and yes, I loved Ellie, but together? Maybe it just felt rushed to me, like they just suddenly decided they had to be together and VOILA! They were together and happy. And like the romance, at 278 pages this one feels a bit short and rushed. Maybe there could have been a bit more description – the story focused on the characters more than the setting, even if the setting was well done. I just wanted to know more about this world and curses! Just a little more fleshing out would have done the story wonders.
VERDICT: If you are looking for a quick, delightful summer read with action, romance, and a setting to die for, I think you will have a lot to love about CALL OF THE SEA. Give this one a shot. You might be surprised.
Following young Ellie, the daughter of a captain who wants nothing more than to be a captain, and the cursed selkie Daniel, CALL OF THE SEA takes place in the time of pirates and privateers, wars between the Dutch and English, evil masterminds in Gibraltar and selkies. SELKIES. Side note, my ancestor was captured by the Dutch in this war. Last British admiral ever captured by the enemy. He wasn’t very good at his job.
The back stories for Daniel and Ellie were probably my favorite part, especially since it is intricately woven into the story – mostly because it was part of the story itself. We start off with their childhoods – Ellie at age 10, saved from drowning by a seal who becomes her friend, never knowing that this seal is actually a boy whom she loathes for taking her place in her father’s crew. And Ellie was a girl after my own heart. I felt for her and her troubles – her desperation to succeed, her adoration for her father, her anger at Daniel betraying her.
But this isn’t just a story about a 10 year old girl and her seal friend. The story evolves and we go through several periods in Ellie’s life – her parents sending her to finishing school to keep her safe, her decision to sneak away and become a cabin boy, her realization that her father still loves her. And Daniel! Can you say swoon? I loved Daniel. He was multilayered and complex, complete with his own problems and desires, his caring of Ellie and his desire to protect her family and the man who took him under his wing.
And there is fighting! Canons, swords, guns, bickering!
This is a story with emotion AND action. What more can a girl ask for? In this story that blends genres and age categories, from middle grade to new adult, there were a few LITTLE nitpicks I had. Like the romance…
Yes, I loved Daniel, and yes, I loved Ellie, but together? Maybe it just felt rushed to me, like they just suddenly decided they had to be together and VOILA! They were together and happy. And like the romance, at 278 pages this one feels a bit short and rushed. Maybe there could have been a bit more description – the story focused on the characters more than the setting, even if the setting was well done. I just wanted to know more about this world and curses! Just a little more fleshing out would have done the story wonders.
VERDICT: If you are looking for a quick, delightful summer read with action, romance, and a setting to die for, I think you will have a lot to love about CALL OF THE SEA. Give this one a shot. You might be surprised.