Wow. I mean really - WOW.

This is one the best books I've read all year. I've just this moment finished it, and honestly, I'm reeling. I felt like I needed to post this immediately, just to shout about how much I loved it.

This story has been described as a mix of West African mythology and The Little Mermaid, but it boots Ariel right out of the water. Certainly along the tone of the original fairytale, but so much more, Skin of the Sea stands proud and carries a deep, rich uniqueness that I was glued to.

Good bits:
- It's beautifully written - lyrical, evocative language, great pacing, incredibly tense and exciting sections, fantastic plot.
- The characters are stunning, each described so well that you can see every detail, hear their voices and feel their joy and sorrow throughout
- All the West African mythology is so rich, I want to immerse myself in the stories
- It's probably the best book I've read written in 1st person present tense; I've read others and struggled to get into the flow, but it was a breeze with this writing quality
- I went in thinking it might be predictable or clichéd, and while I guessed ahead at one or two big things, on the whole it was a heart-racing read...that ending!!!

Less good bits:
- I noticed like one or two spelling/grammar errors, but very minimal compared to other ARCs!
- ...it's not out til November!

No, honestly I can't think of any real issues. I sank into the story with ease, but I feel Simi, Kola and all the incredible characters will stay with me a while. It's important to note that the author has included a trigger warning for the difficult themes explored, most focally slavery.

In my privileged position, I can't fully appreciate the important representation this story presents Black readers, nor the deep emotions the themes of slavery will evoke. I have found this book an eye-opening, heart-wrenching experience, and hope it will go on to inspire others to enjoy more authentic Black fiction, West African mythology, and of course, more of this amazing author's work!

Thanks to @natasha_bowen_ @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this eArc!

Whoa! This was so unexpected! I read a lot of books, and sometimes genres and tropes can feel oversaturated- but this was so fresh!

A beautiful nautical ya fantasy surrounding West African mythology with rich characters and an engaging plot. If you like mythology, mermaids or even just YA books then please read this!!

Also props to the author and publisher for adding content warnings!! I cannot express how much I appreciate that.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a pretty good book, based on African mythology kinda like a black little mermaid. Our main character is Simidele who is a mami wata (mermaid) who’s job is to collect the souls of people who die at sea and bless their journey back home. She comes across a man who is still alive and saves him but in doing so, she defies an ancient decree. To save amends and her own kind, she must journey to the Supreme God. She is told she must not feel or fall in love with any human otherwise her human form will get revoked and she will be nothing but foam upon the sea. Simi keeps remembering bits of her human life before she became a mermaid. On her journey she meets and befriends others, together they have to overcome a lot. Overall an enjoyable book and would recommend reading the author’s note at the end, where she describes the background of the book.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers/author for giving me the chance to read this.

Simidele is a Mami Wata, a mermaid tasked by Yemoja, her ancestral orisha, with guiding the souls of people lost to the sea until one fateful night when she saves a life instead. Now tasked with seeking Oludumare's forgiveness, the Supreme Creator, can Simidele save her people while battling her forgotten human emotions, a growing affection for the boy she saved, and a jealous orisha?

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves fiction involving mermaids. I loved this from start to finish and I know you will too. Natasha Bowen is on the same level as Margaret Rogerson in my honest opinion.

Skin of the Sea is a beautifully written story which mixes religion, history and fantasy all together to make a very powerful story.
We follow Simidele - a Miami Wata (mermaid) who collects souls of those that have died at sea, until one day she saves a boy who is very much alive! In doing so Similar breaks an ancient decree and has to ask forgiveness from Oouldumare before he punishes the Miami Wata. But nothing is as easy as it should be as we follow Similar on this difficult and dangerous journey.

An absolutely brilliant debut and I cannot wait to read more!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We're brought up with the old adage "Never judge a book by it's cover". Thankfully for Skin of the sea, the book is as stunning as the cover. It's a beautiful blending together or African mythology and YA fantasy.
It's the story of Simi, a mami wata, or mermaid, who is tasked with collecting the souls of those thrown from Portuguese slaving ships in the 1400's. She breaks a solemn rule of her task and now needs to face Oludumare and ask for forgiveness or face the destruction of all the mami wata. Simi and Kola, the boy she saves from the sea, are joined together on a quest where they face terrifying creatures and gods.
I adored the characters and the plot, although some parts were a bit predictable. I'm hoping there'll be a sequel and we get to continue with Simi.
It's clear that Bowen has taken a lot of love and care with the research that's gone into this book. The world building is rich and detailed. I constantly had a google tab open my laptop so I could research the culture and mythology behind the creatures. In the acknowledgments, Bowen says she hopes the skin of the sea will 'spark readers interest in discovering more' which definitely worked on me! I feel I've learnt so much from this book.
Lovers of the Little Mermaid will adore this novel.
Thank you so much to Puffin and #netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this fantastic and unique fantasy.

“Here is a story. Story it is.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.

Synopsis: Simi once prayed to the Gods, to her ancestral Orisa. But now she serves as Mami Wata ( a mermaid) under the guidance of Yemoja. Simi collects the souls of those who were stolen and died at sea, blessing them on their journey home. But when Simi saves a life, she has to undertake a journey full of danger to restore peace and save the Mami Wata.

CW/TW: Enslavement/Violence/Death/Suicide

Skin of the Sea, by Natasha Bowen is a beautiful story that perfectly captures the religious and spiritual elements of the Yoruba beliefs. It is a heartfelt and rich story that roots itself in your heart, you can feel the history, love and connection behind the tales of the religious figures and between the characters in the book. The book is thematically powerful and, in the midst of the richness of the beliefs that shine through, we also get a stark and heart-breaking picture of enslavement and the horrors humans commit in the name of greed.

Before I dive into the review for Skin of the Sea, by Natasha Bowen I just wanted to comment on how absolutely gorgeous the cover for this book is, it’s honestly so beautiful!

The Writing/Narration. Natasha Bowen has a gorgeous writing style that is easy to read but also beautifully descriptive – it almost feels like we are being told the story, hearing it rather than reading it, and she manages to capture that feeling of intimacy that oral story telling creates. Bowen uses the first person narration from the perspective of Simi, our main character, throughout the book but combines it with small flashbacks to Simi’s past and the stories she was told. The first person narrative was the perfect choice for this book, it allowed Bowen to gives us rich descriptions of the settings as well as of the feelings of Simi – the insight provided from this choice and the mystery it creates due to the lack of insight into the other characters worked perfectly to balance the prose and pacing of the story.

I particularly liked how Bowen weaved in stories of the Orisa and gave us insight into Simi’s past through the flashbacks. I loved how these little stories tied into Simi’s quest and how it created a richer picture of the community and their beliefs. Moreover, the nautical lexis was powerful and impressive leaving us with vivid images of the sea and the Mami Wata’s connection to it.

Plot/Story. The plot of the story focuses around Simi, a Mami Wata (mermaid) whose job it is to find and bless the souls of those who passed at sea. However, Simi breaks an ancient decree by saving Kola, and so she must go on a quest to ask forgiveness from Ooludumare in order to save the Mami Wata. But nothing is so simple, and she must be wary of vengeful Gods and secrets kept by one who knows more than he should.

I absolutely adored the plot of this book. Firstly, because I have always loved mermaids and seeing this side of them, the Mami Wata, and the lore surrounding them was an amazing experience. I loved the rich beliefs of the Orisa, Ooludmare, and all the other Gods/Goddesses and magical beings we got to see over the course of the book, and their stories. Moreover, I really loved the limitations imposed upon the Mami Wata, the need to return to the water, the pain caused by walking like a human – I always felt that mermaids in fantasy were neglected in this aspect, always coming across as initially clumsy on their legs and then to perfectly mastering using them, it’s always irritated me but I loved how in this book there is much more to it – it felt much more real. I also liked that this particularly fantasy is rooted in African/Nigerian beliefs, with the Mami Wata and the other characters being African.

I really enjoyed Simi and Kola’s journey from the Sea to Ooludmare, it was full of emotion, action and strong bonds. Throughout their journey we get to see more of the Orisa, of the Gods/Goddesses, their powers, as well as other essential figures within this belief system (though I don’t want to spoil it so you’ll have to see for yourself!) I adored all of these elements, from the small influences of the original Little mermaid, to the strong influences of the Yoruba beliefs, to the Mami Wata and Simi’s experience as one.

While I adored the more magical elements of the story, we also get some very human elements too through Kola and the time period the story is set in. We get two sides of humanity, we get the closeness of the communities form which the characters are form, of Kola and his family/home, to the Mami Wata and their duty to the souls lost at sea, to the slow building of trust and friendship among our group that is formed along the way. I loved seeing this, the closeness of communities and their belief in each other. But we also get a darker side of humans, born from greed and hatred of differences – this is primarily shown through the stories and deaths of those enslaved – we got a stark and heart-breaking image of the cruelty humans can inflict. Both elements worked well together.

I really enjoyed the plot of the book, I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish, and I particularly loved the sacrifices and bargains made along the way. I loved the last quarter of the book, where everything reaches its peak, and how everything we learn and discover over the course of the story came together – and I enjoyed the bittersweet ending which I felt was perfect for the story. This is definitely a story that stays with you after reading it.

The Characters. I really loved the cast of characters in this book, even the ones we meet later in the story are well written and you can’t help falling in love with them and connecting with them. Even the villain of the story was interesting and intriguing. Simi was an excellent main character, strong willed, determined, pure hearted, and stubborn. I absolutely adored her character and how realistic she came across. She was well constructed, had depth and strong emotions that made her incredibly easy to connect with. Kola was an interesting and devoted characters, filled with loyalty and determination, as well as secrets. And the rest of the cast were just as interesting! The relationships between all of the characters were well built, dynamic and engaging, and Simi and Kola’s relationship was tense, angsty and interesting.

Overall. Skin of the Sea, by Natasha Bowen is a phenomenal, beautiful and heart-breaking story that is rich, impressive and brilliant. You can really see the love, the care, and the research that went in to creating this story, it is heartfelt and powerful.

*I received an eARC from #Netgalley #Penguin in exchange for an honest review – thank you

This was a bit of both hit and miss for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the story, then it became quite confusing and rushed in places. I wanted to know what happened but stopped enjoying the journey.

This story, Wow. This is both a magical and heartbreaking story of African mythology, strong deities and the beyond important representation of strong black characters in a back drop of a rather haunting time within history.

I am telling you now - this book will be huge on booksta, booktok, you name it: get your hands on it a soon as possible, this coming November. I have never been so speechless and amazed at the same time.

In this story we follow Simdele, a mami water (water spirit, mermaid) alongside her journey with Kola. There is something truly astounding about the ability to make a reader feel like they’re in every chapter of a book and Natasha Bowen does this with ease. The descriptions of the sea, the islands: Esu’s palace, wow. It was so beautiful. The tiniest details, down to the imagery of hair, clothing, architecture & patterns, known as fractals, I was blown away.

This is a story of adventure but also of knowledge, and a recognition that African mythology and heritage are so rich in knowledge. I have learned so much from this book and have a new appreciation to learn about West African civilisations. The book is set in mid-1400s, a very early start to the transatlantic slave trade, and within this we are introduced to a strong deity by the name of Yemoja, whose stories spread across the African diaspora and will inspire you in inconceivable ways.

posted on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/CRRioPEL2Uu/?utm_medium=copy_link and goodreads.

Simidele is a Mami Wata (mermaid) who collects the souls of those who are thrown from Portugese slaveships in the 1400s and takes them to the orisa Yemoja to be blessed. However, one day she discovers a boy in the water who is still alive and decides to save his life before he can drown. This contravenes the rules of the orisa, and Simi must set out to beg forgiveness or else Yemoja and the other Mami Wata will be destroyed.

I really, really enjoyed Skin of the Sea. It was such a lovely, fun, engaging book. I loved my introduction to Mami Wata, but I also really enjoyed that the author brought in so many folkloric and mythological elements from across the diaspora, such as bultungin shape-shifters, the Ninki Nanka river monster, and yumboes (Senegalese fairies). I also really liked meeting the other orisa and that they played such a key role in the overall story.

I read the first 55% in almost one sitting because I was enjoying it so much, but I will admit that the pace flagged a tiny little bit after that. There was also a character introduced who immediately gave away the reveal at the end, but when we met them there was still almost half of the book left to go at that point! It meant that by the time we reached the reveal my thoughts were more along the line of “finally” than “omg!”, so I wasn’t quite in the moment with Simidele’s shock like I’d have wanted to be.

But that was really just a small bump in an otherwise very enjoyable book!!! The love story was only a small feature of Skin of the Sea, but the book ends in such a way that suggests there will be a sequel, so I’m sure we’ll see more of the love story then. However, the limited aspects of the love story really didn’t bother me because Simi was such a wonderful protagonist and the mythological world around her was so vivid and engaging.

I really enjoyed this debut and will be keeping my eye on Natasha Bowen’s future books. I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW!! I am speechless. I saw the cover and immediately thought, this is going to be great. I didn't even read the blurb and i normally don't, to avoid spoiling the story 🙈 but i loved this!!!

Simi is amazing. A strong character in every sense, ESPECIALLY at the end. I felt the romance was a little too quick for my liking, i prefer it real slow, but it was still beautiful to read.

I loved the plot, the world, all the characters were interesting. It gives me Raybearer vibes with a more nautical setting. Really good!!!!!!

As a Mami Wata (a mermaid), Simi’s job is to collect the souls of those who die in the sea, but when Kola is thrown from a slave ship, she chooses to save his life instead. Not knowing there is a decree against this, Simi must find a way to meet the Supreme Creator before the consequences rain upon her and her kind. But fighting against gods isn’t always an easy job.

The book is inspired by West African mythology and I’m honestly shocked that this is a debut novel because it blew me away. The writing is amazing, with the description allowing the book to become a film in my head. I love books based off mythology and loved to hear about the different gods and their roles. I think the author mixed culture, mythology, fiction and facts really well together and never once did I think this was a story that couldn’t have happened. It was just so real, from the characters to the plot, which helped me connect emotionally with the story.

I don’t actually think there was anything that I disliked about the book. The story just flowed really well and I had my heart in my throat at times, especially the end. I think the ending might be a bit marmite for some people because it does leave a sort of open ending. As in there could be another book, but the ending would also suit as a stand-alone.

Honestly, this book was just incredible and if you love The Little Mermaid, you’ll love this book! I generally will be heartbroken if this doesn’t get turned into a film, because people need to hear this story. The author is amazingly talented and I cannot wait to see what her next book brings.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Right from the start you can tell there was a lot of love and research put into this book. It's obvious that the author took her time to research African legends in order to get as much detail as possible, and it just brings this whole story and world of the past to life. I loved reading about this other kind of mermaid, sent to save the souls of those poor folks taken from their home and swept across the sea against their will in slave ships. that they were some kind of hope and saviour that if they were taken from the homes, if they died at sea, at least their souls would be returned home.
Simidele seems to be slightly reluctant about her task, but not because she doesn't see the worth, because she wishes she could do more. Then she rescues a boy from the water, saving his life, instead of waiting until he dies and taking his soul. This breaks a decree that the main 'goddess' of the sea and of the mermaids has with their God. Simi has to journey to beg forgiveness for her actions, or all the mermaids may be unmade. But the boy she rescued has his own story. His twin siblings are the god remade on earth, and the trickster god wants them and their power for himself, and he's taken them from their home, but is unable to access their power.

the two sides of the story weave seamlessly together, painting a wonderful, heartbreaking story. This was a really wonderful book and well worth a read! The unusual, or rather, unexplored version of african mermaids is just delightful to read. it's introduced me to a whole world of folk tales that i've never come across before, but now I really want to know more, and I'm ashamed as a lover of folk tales, that I've never looked into it before.