Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Random House Books for Young Readers (2021), 336 pages
Description
Transformed by the goddess Yemoja into a Mami Wati, an African mermaid charged with collecting the souls of those who die at sea, Simi goes against the gods to save a living boy, Kola, from drowning.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ladycato
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
Skin of the Sea is a cozy YA fantasy read. The plot is quite predictable, even through the climax, but that's okay because the writing is immersive and the inspired take on West African mythology is fantastic.
The book follows Simi, a
Mermaids are a frequent trope of fantasy fiction, and I really enjoyed this fresh take. Simi goes through a lot. She can use legs again when she's on land, but not for long; she's disabled, and struggles, and it's good to see that acknowledged and worked through. The very end is a cliffhanger, so I hope another book comes out soon!
Skin of the Sea is a cozy YA fantasy read. The plot is quite predictable, even through the climax, but that's okay because the writing is immersive and the inspired take on West African mythology is fantastic.
The book follows Simi, a
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recently-made Mami Wata--essentially, a mermaid. Her duty is to retrieve the souls of the dead being thrown from slave ships, and to make sure those souls know peace. This threat of these white invaders and kidnappers lurks in the background of this book, but is not central to the narrative: it focuses on the people of this secondary-world take on Africa, and on their culture, magic, and gods. When Simi saves a boy's life instead of his soul, she soon finds herself embroiled in divine complications. She and the boy, Kola, end up going on a quest to set things right... and of course, fall in love along the way, which is expressly forbidden as she is not even human anymore.Mermaids are a frequent trope of fantasy fiction, and I really enjoyed this fresh take. Simi goes through a lot. She can use legs again when she's on land, but not for long; she's disabled, and struggles, and it's good to see that acknowledged and worked through. The very end is a cliffhanger, so I hope another book comes out soon!
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LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: 1st book in the Skin of the Sea duology. I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: This was very well done and I enjoyed it a ton. It is a retelling of The Little Mermaid fairy tale but also pulls from African mythology. The story focuses on Simi who is a
Unfortunately, for Simi one of the bodies she finds isn't dead and she saves the boy, Kola, instead of bringing his soul to Yemoja. This breaks the treaty that Yemoja has with the Supreme Creator, Olodumare. As a result Simi must go on a quest to make things right again between the gods.
At its heart this is mainly a fantasy adventure. It was beautifully written with exotic locations, battles between gods, a quest for magical objects and a lot of adventuring. The characters are well done and engaging, the writing is absolutely stunning. The settings really come alive and you can really picture what these characters are going through.
In addition to all of that I really loved learning about all of this African mythology. I love mythology but African mythology isn't in fantasy literature as much as it should be.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this. It is a beautifully written fantasy adventure that pulls both from the classic Little Mermaid fairy tale and the African mythology about Yemoja. It was an engaging read and I can’t wait to read the second book in this duology when it comes out. I would recommend it to those who enjoy adventure fantasy, mythology, or fairy tale retellings.
Thoughts: This was very well done and I enjoyed it a ton. It is a retelling of The Little Mermaid fairy tale but also pulls from African mythology. The story focuses on Simi who is a
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Mami Wata (an ocean mermaid) who pulls souls from drowning victims and brings them to Yemoja (goddess of the sea). Unfortunately, for Simi one of the bodies she finds isn't dead and she saves the boy, Kola, instead of bringing his soul to Yemoja. This breaks the treaty that Yemoja has with the Supreme Creator, Olodumare. As a result Simi must go on a quest to make things right again between the gods.
At its heart this is mainly a fantasy adventure. It was beautifully written with exotic locations, battles between gods, a quest for magical objects and a lot of adventuring. The characters are well done and engaging, the writing is absolutely stunning. The settings really come alive and you can really picture what these characters are going through.
In addition to all of that I really loved learning about all of this African mythology. I love mythology but African mythology isn't in fantasy literature as much as it should be.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this. It is a beautifully written fantasy adventure that pulls both from the classic Little Mermaid fairy tale and the African mythology about Yemoja. It was an engaging read and I can’t wait to read the second book in this duology when it comes out. I would recommend it to those who enjoy adventure fantasy, mythology, or fairy tale retellings.
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LibraryThing member TheYodamom
4.5 stars Mystery, mythical, lyrically written with bits of history, it was magical. The setting for the story was Africa, with some of its customs, myths and some of the horrendous history around the slave trade. The characters where both human and mythical, tied to each other in this world.
The
This was such a fish read. I loved the history, the mythology and the honest interactions between the characters. I could believe in them, they acted as one would in that situation, no unrealistic relationships or responses, just honest feelings and doubts. Oh that ending, sigh. It’s so seldom to find a book with vintage African myths and they are fascinating. The culture is so rich I hope I read more authors cover this country in the future.
Thank you to the publishers for gifting m this book for an honest review
The
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Main Character Simidele is of the Mami Wata, mermaids who guide drowned souls to their maker. She is newly made, and struggles with what’s left of her time before memories and her new being. When she finds a body thrown from a ship she takes it to deliver to the gods when he opens his eyes. This one is alive, what is she to do ? She can’t kill him, right ? So it begins, there are alway consequences. She had her feet in both worlds and it’s not allowed or safe.This was such a fish read. I loved the history, the mythology and the honest interactions between the characters. I could believe in them, they acted as one would in that situation, no unrealistic relationships or responses, just honest feelings and doubts. Oh that ending, sigh. It’s so seldom to find a book with vintage African myths and they are fascinating. The culture is so rich I hope I read more authors cover this country in the future.
Thank you to the publishers for gifting m this book for an honest review
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LibraryThing member reader1009
teen (and middlegrade?) fiction - African Mami Wata (mermaid) recovers the souls of people who die on slaver ships and get tossed into the water, but one victim is not dead when she finds him. Saving his life puts her on a dangerous and magical mission/adventure/journey full of mystical creatures.
I
That said, I think this book is probably perfectly fine and should satisfy lots of younger readers.
I
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read about half of this and loved the concept (and the beautiful cover), but didn't particularly feel compelled to continue the story as the pair escaped from more dangers, befriended more beings, and collected more magical tokens. It felt rather like an ongoing video game quest, but one that I didn't really need to see through.That said, I think this book is probably perfectly fine and should satisfy lots of younger readers.
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LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell
Simidele, or Simi, is a Mami Wata, a mermaid, whose job is to collect the souls of those who die at sea after being taken from their homeland. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi saves his life. It goes against an ancient decree and now, to protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must get in
The boy she rescued, Kola, knows how to help her, and together, they set across the ocean and land. When a vengeful god finds out of their plans, danger begins to lurk around every corner - gods, treacherous lands, creatures of legend. Simi and Kola stop at nothing, but it’s not just the Mami Wata at steak, it’s the world as they know it.
First, I wanted to say that I was in love with this cover as soon as I saw it - the black mermaid is beautiful and I could tell she had a story I wanted to read. Secondly, I loved the story premise. I read The Deep by Rivers Solomon and adored it. I wanted to read more about this concept. I wouldn’t call this a retelling though - it’s based mostly on the water spirit, Yemoja, from the Yoruba religion of West Africa and had a lot of West African Mythology. It absolutely had a folktale/ fairytale vibe though and those who are looking for a retelling would still enjoy this.
That being said, I learned a lot about African Mythology and the Yoruba religion. I was constantly Googling things and looking at photos and images to see a better understanding. Natasha Bowen does an amazing job at describing the orisha and the creatures, I just still needed a visual.
Simi’s narrative voice was captivating. Her backstory that we saw glimpses of always made me so sad - she was so loved by her mother and father. She has a warrior spirit that she kept in her transition into being a Mami Wata and that kept her fighting. I was also so proud to see her journey (even if she was a bit stubborn and wouldn’t admit when her feet hurt).
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Anyone who loves mermaids, mythology, and fantasy adventure, will also find this a fantastic read. I can’t wait for the second book in the duology to come out!
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contact with the Supreme Creator to make amends. The boy she rescued, Kola, knows how to help her, and together, they set across the ocean and land. When a vengeful god finds out of their plans, danger begins to lurk around every corner - gods, treacherous lands, creatures of legend. Simi and Kola stop at nothing, but it’s not just the Mami Wata at steak, it’s the world as they know it.
First, I wanted to say that I was in love with this cover as soon as I saw it - the black mermaid is beautiful and I could tell she had a story I wanted to read. Secondly, I loved the story premise. I read The Deep by Rivers Solomon and adored it. I wanted to read more about this concept. I wouldn’t call this a retelling though - it’s based mostly on the water spirit, Yemoja, from the Yoruba religion of West Africa and had a lot of West African Mythology. It absolutely had a folktale/ fairytale vibe though and those who are looking for a retelling would still enjoy this.
That being said, I learned a lot about African Mythology and the Yoruba religion. I was constantly Googling things and looking at photos and images to see a better understanding. Natasha Bowen does an amazing job at describing the orisha and the creatures, I just still needed a visual.
Simi’s narrative voice was captivating. Her backstory that we saw glimpses of always made me so sad - she was so loved by her mother and father. She has a warrior spirit that she kept in her transition into being a Mami Wata and that kept her fighting. I was also so proud to see her journey (even if she was a bit stubborn and wouldn’t admit when her feet hurt).
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Anyone who loves mermaids, mythology, and fantasy adventure, will also find this a fantastic read. I can’t wait for the second book in the duology to come out!
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LibraryThing member quondame
The story and characters work, but the telling isn't compact or paced well to showcase the rich West African setting and lore to the best advantage. The choice to do a retelling of The Little Mermaid works well as an anchor for the mythic elements of the story, but has the unfortunate baggage of
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teenage longing between the mermaid and the young man she rescues. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kiaya40
Loved this book! It was quite a unique and different take on mermaids and I've always wondered about Mami Wata, so I loved getting to read this amazing story.
This is about Simi, who is a Mami Wata that collects the souls of those who die at sea and blesses their journey back home. One day while
As she and this boy, Kola set out on a journey to go to the Supreme Creator to make sure everything is fine, make amends and protect the other Mami Wata, they begin to be drawn to each other and have some sweet romance start to blossom between them. They meet and gather other members to accompany them along the way as they go to meet with the Supreme Creator that are great additions to the story with the fairy boy and Kola's friends/guards from his village. Along the way, they encounter various gods and legendary creatures and get to know one another. It all comes to a head when they get to their destination at the end and she has to communicate with the Supreme Creator to explain herself and make sure everything's okay and they face various dangers and there are inevitable losses as well. Simi, in the end, secures things to make things right with everything for everyone by making a bargain, and then it ends on an intense cliffhanger.
I can't wait to read this next installment of this story, which I'm hoping there is one because that ending was too much. Also, I would highly recommend this if you love learning and reading about West African Mythology, Mermaids, Fairies, and other such creatures. This also was a great story with the Mythology and history woven together about slavery and such, which this book reminds me of another take on the same or similar thing with the book, The Deep by Rivers Solomon.
If you haven't read this yet, go check it out! It's a fantastic read and I loved it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this awesome ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is about Simi, who is a Mami Wata that collects the souls of those who die at sea and blesses their journey back home. One day while
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she's swimming about she goes to collect the soul of a boy who is thrown overboard and discovers that he's still alive. At the last minute, she saves the boy and has to make amends for breaking the rules in saving him.As she and this boy, Kola set out on a journey to go to the Supreme Creator to make sure everything is fine, make amends and protect the other Mami Wata, they begin to be drawn to each other and have some sweet romance start to blossom between them. They meet and gather other members to accompany them along the way as they go to meet with the Supreme Creator that are great additions to the story with the fairy boy and Kola's friends/guards from his village. Along the way, they encounter various gods and legendary creatures and get to know one another. It all comes to a head when they get to their destination at the end and she has to communicate with the Supreme Creator to explain herself and make sure everything's okay and they face various dangers and there are inevitable losses as well. Simi, in the end, secures things to make things right with everything for everyone by making a bargain, and then it ends on an intense cliffhanger.
I can't wait to read this next installment of this story, which I'm hoping there is one because that ending was too much. Also, I would highly recommend this if you love learning and reading about West African Mythology, Mermaids, Fairies, and other such creatures. This also was a great story with the Mythology and history woven together about slavery and such, which this book reminds me of another take on the same or similar thing with the book, The Deep by Rivers Solomon.
If you haven't read this yet, go check it out! It's a fantastic read and I loved it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this awesome ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Awards
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2023)
Children's Africana Book Award (Honor Book — Older Readers — 2022)
Branford Boase Award (Longlist — 2022)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2024)
YA Book Prize (Shortlist — 2022)
Young Quills Award for Historical Fiction (Shortlist — 2022)
Diverse Book Awards (Longlist — Young Adult — 2022)
NPR: Books We Love (2021)
Tome Society It List (2023)
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (Top Ten — 2023)
Great Books for Kids (2022)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021-11-09
Physical description
336 p.; 8.63 inches
ISBN
0593120949 / 9780593120941