Okay, anyone who knows me knows I don't do a lot of mermaid books. They aren't me. However, this was billed as The Little Mermaid with West African influence and I was curious.

The book had a bit of a slow start for me. I just can't with insta-love and I'll be honest and tell you that our handsome boy never really rose above just a pretty boy for me.

However, I adored the African influences and, yes, kind of got a kick out of our Little Mermaid references. In addition, the author made me tear up with one character.

It ended up being a good book and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. Would definitely love to see more takes on the old stories with a non-Western influence!

*ARC via Publisher

I love fairy tales.  So when I saw that a new book was coming out that featured African mermaids, I was like "YES!", something new and cool to read.  This book brought al of that and more. Skin of the Sea is a gripping, beautiful, magical book.  Bowen recreates the story of the little mermaid using African, primarily Yoruba (West African) mythology, and historical fact.  This the story of Simidele, a Mami Wata (mermaid) who is having trouble letting go of her mortal life, even to the extent of endangering her own existence. You see, Simi saved a young human male, Kola,  that had been thrown overboard a slave ship. Spurred on by her own memories of being a slave on a similar ship, Simi cannot let the human die from drowning and thus saves his life. But, breaking the biggest taboo of her kind has consequences. She must now complete a quest in order to make amends for her transgression.  Joined by Kola, Simi sets off on an adventure that will change who she is and help her discover her place in  the world.

Even though this story could easily be classified as a retelling of The Little Mermaid (not the Disney version), there is nothing derivative about this tale.  Bowen cleverly uses Yoruban mythology as the framework for her story. We are introduced to the Mami Wata's, the Orishas (elemental gods) and Olodumare, the Supreme Creator. The West African mythological framework is amazing.  It injects freshness into a tale that has been retold hundreds of time.  By also setting the story during the Atlantic Slave Trade period, Bowen is able to weave the history of the West African slave trade into her story in  a thoughtful and natural way.  The characters are so real and vibrant, especially Simi. You felt her grief at the loss of her family, friends and mortal life.  But you also feel her sense of freedom and belonging that she has when under the sea.  The only minor nitpick I have is the budding romance between Simi and Kola.  It felt intrusive at times and slightly distracting from the main story arc. Other than that, the book was excellent.

I really hope that Skin of the Sea is just the first in many more books from Bowen that continue to explore this amazing world she has created.  Run, do not walk, run to the bookstore or Amazon and get this book. You will not be sorry.

I'm very torn on this book. On one hand, it was so refreshing to read a fantasy novel that was set in a different location (this time in the waters off of Africa) and really explore different topics that aren't always seen. The lore was very interesting and it was lushly written. On the other hand, I never really connected with the characters. They were kind of flat, there was some insta-love happening (a big no-no for me) and the ending was jarring to say the least. There was a lot of good, but it certainly wasn't one of my favorites.

Skin of the Sea is an emotional gripping tale of one girls journey to find her place!

I loved the imagery that the author details in the story! She does a beautiful job of bringing the story and it’s characters to life! I am hoping there is more to come because I don’t feel it’s the end of Simi and Kola’s story!

I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to start off with how excited I was for this opportunity. I was so excited for this book. Black mermaids? Say less. And it did not disappoint.

This book was extremely fast paced, but it was not hard to follow at all. Despite being tossed into the middle of the story, it was relatively easily to catch up and stay aware of the world and what is going on. Within just a few pages, I was hooked. I did not want to put the book down, and I couldn't wait for each new page. The world was fantastic, the writing was immersive, and the characters were handled so amazingly.

Simi is such a great main character. She has so much personality, and she is so feisty and courageous. She is the kind of heroine I want to see so much more of in fiction, and especially fantasy. And I absolutely cannot wait to see more of her in the sequel.

The only problem I had with this story is the romance. I very much appreciate that the romance did not overshadow or become center focus to the plot, which happens too often in fantasy. However, the romance didn't really hit in the way I wish it had. It didn't feel that believable, and while I understand that this is part A Little Mermaid inspired, the romance still felt entirely too rushed. While I'm glad it didn't become the primary focus of the plot, I do feel like more time needed to be focused on it to make it feel more authentic. I am hoping the sequel will go more into it.

Aside from the romance, this book was everything I could've hoped it to be. I am so grateful to have a story like this, and I am so hopeful for the sequel.

In Skin of the Sea, Bowen takes “The Little Mermaid” and weaves it together with West African folklore to create this stunning tale of Simidele, a Mami Wata tasked with collecting the souls of those who die at sea. And with the transatlantic slave trade beginning and slave ships sailing through, there are many of these souls. But when she comes across a boy thrown into the sea alive, Simi saves him rather than waiting for him to die. I was mostly unfamiliar with West African folklore and had so much fun learning about it through this book. I was also thoroughly impressed with the ways Bowen blends this folklore with the fairy tale. I always love seeing diversity in fairy tale retellings, so seeing an African “Little Mermaid” was fantastic.

While the star of the book is definitely the folklore and culture, Simi is also a wonderful main character and narrator. She has only recently become a Mami Wata, and she struggles with letting go of her mortal life even though the memories are hazy. As the story moves forward, she remembers more and more until we have a full picture of Simi’s history and how she came to be a Mami Wata. I think Bowen handled this well, with both the memory snippets we get and and the slow reveal. Even though I guessed parts of Simi’s mortal life early on, it didn’t make it any less heartbreaking. Bowen does a great job capturing the grief and loss Simi feels despite being unable to remember much.

The book is fairy fast paced and takes place over a short span of time. While this does work for an adventure story, it results in the relationships between characters feeling rushed. This is most notable with Simi and Kola, the boy she rescues. Of course, this is a retelling of “The Little Mermaid,” so it’s expected that the mermaid falls in love with the human she saves. But it didn’t feel like there was enough time for Simi and Kola to really fall in love, especially with all the action that occurs. However, I did like how other aspects of their love story were handled (I’m not going to say what because spoilers), so I can’t complain too much. There are other moments where characters’ feelings seem to come and pass quickly without being properly dealt with. This is mainly the case with Issa, a young yumboe–or fairy–who helps Simi and Kola. There is one moment when Simi gets angry at him and another where Kola purposely lashes out in a misguided attempt to protect him. They both seemed to come out of nowhere, and the characters move on from them as if nothing happened. But this is ultimately a small flaw in an otherwise excellent book.

Overall, Skin of the Sea is a fantasy story rich with West African history and culture. It’s an absolute pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I loved the concept of this book, and I thought the cultural and historical aspects of the story were done really well. I liked that the story starts by dropping you into Simidele's world right away - we meet her as she is collecting "souls" from the dead and dying who were thrown off of slave transport ships on the middle passage in the 1400s. She was made into a mermaid by the orisha Yemoja, and the story has a lot to do with West African mythology, which I loved.

However, the romance really fell flat for me. It felt forced. The characters also did not feel fully fleshed out, even the two main characters, and much of the book was taken up by traveling scenes, which I found boring. So, I rated this a 3.

I couldn't....I just couldn't do it. I really wanted to, too. A Little Mermaid retelling based on African mythology?? It's just....right up my alley.

I read books as generally escapist fiction and I found it hard to suffer with the heroine. A lot of times, your hero or heroine will suffer within a story and you grit your teeth and bear through it because you know there will be a payoff if we can only survive!

Her pain comes in flashbacks, though. Really real, really visceral flashbacks. Every time I was swept along in these, it would jar me out of the book and just make me really, really sad.

The writing is great and the fairytale is coming along nicely. I'm sure this will hit for lots of people, so if it sounds good, check it out!

I grew up obsessed with the little mermaid, but was never able to see myself in the character or the story. Skin of the Sea allowed for me so truly see myself as Simmi, not only did I feel represented physically, but also part of my heritage was represented. Natasha, THANK YOU! Representation matters! This was truly magical, world building was excellent, I was truly transported into this world. Thank you NetGalley & Natasha for my advance readers copy. 5/5 Skin of The Sea deserves all of the stars!

This was a bit of a confusing story. I struggled to stay engaged in the book. I did like the premise of the story, and the plot. It just wasn't as engaging as I was hoping for.

'Skin of the Sea' by Natasha Bowen is one of those books I was obsessed with reading from the moment I saw it announced. The cover is beautiful, the topic is a favorite of mine, and it boasts inspiration from West African mythology.

From a technical side, everything is where it should be. Major plot points, reveals, and dramatic moments are spread along at a solid pace.

Simi is kind and likable. She tries hard to do the right thing and has a lot of potential to be a deeply interesting character, as does Kola and the small found family he's surrounded himself with.

The gods we get to see her interact with, have intriguing origins and I would have loved to see a bit more of them in particular. In fact, I feel that's the book's biggest strength.. great elements.. be they mythological, magical, or otherwise. What each of these things really lack is depth. There's so much room to develop them for the reader and that never really happens. The author attempts it here and there, but ultimately those forays are a handful of pages buried within many more that feel unnecessarily long.

It's definitely a quick read, as I made my way through it in about 3 hours.. but I feel in part this is due to the book being largely filled with fluff. Little things like using the characters names seemingly every sentence or two at times, the drawn out semi-formal sentence structure more likely to be found in high school essays than novels, and scenes that are a bit of a waste dragging through multiple pages as characters engage in repetitive conversations or too much focus is put on peripheral events like the traveling or meals, rather than using those moments to really build connections.

As debut's go, this one is decent. Bowen has the pieces, she just needs the experience using them to build a robust story.. and I do think she could have a bright future in the genre of her choice if she shifts her attention to the meatier parts.

This book was very confusing. I could not get with the writing at first and almost did not finish it. However as I pushed through it was pretty good. The made up language just made me really confused. It was an okay read overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Skin of the Sea is a debut fantasy pitched as Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid. Natasha Bowen gives us a beautifully crafted, atmospheric novel set by, and also in, the sea mixed with intricate West African mythology. Be aware that this book deals with tough topics like the Early Atlantic Slave trade and it is important to note that at the end of the book you can find a list of sources to become more educated on the topic. We also get a dash of romance, great friendships, and various familial bonds that added depth to the story.

Aside from the fantastic world-building, I also really enjoyed the pacing throughout the entire book. From the very beginning, we learn of the high stakes and the brutally intense quest our character must go on that can have heartbreaking consequences. I really enjoyed all of the characters we meet in Skin of the Sea and I feel like they all served their purpose really well but I wish I could have connected to them a bit more.

I can easily see why this is pitched as a book with elements of Children of Blood and Bone. Both books have rich, magical mythology inspired by West African culture and history, brutally intense action scenes that break your heart, and a well-loved cast of characters. I also feel like the comparison to the Little Mermaid is obvious based on the mythology surrounding Simidele and what she is.

There were some huge plot twists at the end of the book and even though I saw one of them coming, I feel like they were still very well-executed. The book ends very abruptly as I thought there was at least one more chapter but I think it's great that it left me wanting more. It was also set up perfectly for a sequel to Skin of the Sea; I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a series or not but the potential is there and I would definitely read it.

DNF at 29%

I really thought I'd love this one. Like, really, really thought I would. But instead, it just ended up being a disappointment. From the first chapter, I was lost, and it only got worse from there. By the 20% mark, reading was a chore, and not even partly enjoyable. I can't tell you exactly why, I just know that me and this book didn't click.

I was given a copy of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales when I turned seven. Books were rare around my house and I read everything I could get my hands on. Including this gift, though toward the end I started dreading each new tale, as even at seven I could see that little girls just did not come to good ends in Andersen's tales.

That put me off fairy tales for years. (I loved fantasy, a different animal.) Anyway, when scrolling for books, I saw "The Little Mermaid" and nearly passed on by, but screeched to a halt when I saw "West African Mythology". I fell in love with Senegalese music decades ago, which caused me to delve into the mythology, which is complex and vivid and wild and wonderful.

So I plumped for this book, and I'm so glad I did. First of all, there's that cover. It shimmers with that breathtaking sense that good fantasy gives you--that anything can happen, and the book itself matches that beautifully. I would say that some of the bones of the story are familiar YA tropes, but that is not a bad thing, just a thing. Further, actual young adults reading this book (and I hope they do!) might not recognize where the story is going, even if I did. (Sometimes you know a twist is coming and you look forward to it happening. This was true here.)

Simi, our mermaid, is a terrific central character, strong and compassionate. Compementing her is Kola, wild and fiery, but his arc is satisfying as experience plunges them deep into danger and mystery.

The writing is rich, assured, full of resonance with the brilliant mythology of the region, deftly dealing with some pretty rough stuff, slavery being at the top of the list. This book is definitely for the more mature teen, or younger readers who are ready to deal with less savory parts of human history.

I really hope this book will reach school libraries--back when I was teaching I would have made sure to get a copy for my free reading shelf.

4.5 stars

This was a wonderful retelling of The Little Mermaid but with a very different feel. I absolutely love how the author took the original story and made it completely her own, and incorporated so much from African mythology, turning it into a completely different story and one that had me transported to a completely different world. Simidele is one of the Mami Wata (mermaid) created by the goddess Yemoja during the time of the slave trades to help ease the souls of the slaves thrown out of the ships during the long voyages on to the Supreme Creator. She makes a mistake and instead of helping a soul transition on, she saves the boy and thus begins her journey to make up for the mistake. There is so much more to this story, but it results in a journey for a small group of them (a quest, a quest) and while much of that may not have been unique to books of this kind, it was the richness of the African mythology and the people that made this book so fascinating for me. I've been reading a lot of retellings recently and this was definitely one of the better ones. It was the perfect length and did a great job of incorporating some essential elements of the original fairytale but creating a different story out of it. There was one crucial part of the story that I predicted but I won't say more than that because I don't want to spoil it. But this was definitely a worthwhile read.

There were only a couple of things I thought could have been done differently. First, there was the attraction that Simidele and Kola very obviously felt for each other, even from the beginning. It seemed a little fast and while I get that she saved his life, it still seemed a bit too "Disney" for my taste. The other thing was the ending seemed a little abrupt. It WAS an ending, so it didn't leave us completely hanging. But given the attraction that Simidele and Kola obviously had for each other (but which they couldn't act upon because then she would become like the foam on the sea), it left things feeling a little unsettled. What I am hoping is that this means there will be a second book. But I can't tell from her website or GoodReads whether this is meant to be part of a 2 or 3-book series. Anyway, these are the reasons why I'm not giving it a full five stars, although I am willing to round up. Overall, I'd say this was a very good debut for a new author and I wish her the best in future books, especially if one of them will be a second installment for this book.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for allowing me to read a digital ARC of Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. What attracted me to this book was the beautiful cover and synopsis about a Black mermaid. I found the idea of reading about a Black mermaid intriguing. The Skin of the Sea tells the saga of Simidele (Simi), a Mami Wata or mermaid, whose job was to follow slave ships to collect the souls of deceased slaves whose bodies were cast in the sea, and then take them to the goddess for a final blessing. On one of her expeditions, she observed Kola, who was alive when thrown overboard, thus breaking a commandment by saving his life instead of his recently departed soul. In order to save the lives of all Mami Wata, she must travel to seek absolution from the Supreme Creator. Simi can obtain human form when she is out of the water and remembers pieces of her previous life.

Unfortunately, memories of her previous life conflict with the reality of her present existence. Simi and Kola have many travails on their quest to the Supreme Creator. I loved the friends who joined Simi and Kola on the journey, and their journey was filled with suspense, twists, turns, and danger. There are many heartbreaking moments in their journey. I loved how the author incorporated the slave trade into this story. I loved thinking about the possibility that my ancestors who jumped or were thrown overboard on slave ships had their souls blessed as they left a harsh, cruel world. The world-building is fantastic, and I enjoyed learning about West African folklore and mythology, gods, and goddesses. My only complaints are that the villain was obvious, so the climax or the big reveal was not surprising, and the conclusion was predictable. Overall, I enjoyed the is novel and West African history and folklore. The author resolved the major plot points, but the ending was too abrupt and unsatisfying. I hope Ms. Bowen writes another novel about Simidele soon.

Skin of the Sea is a little mermaid inspired story intertwined with West African deities and mythology. As a Black woman who grew up loving the little mermaid, when I heard about this book I was excited to get it and will still buy it once it's out in the world.

Skin of the Sea gets a very solid 4 stars from me.

Our main character is Simidele, a Mami Wata (mermaid) created by the goddess Yemoja. A Mami Wata is created by Yemoja when one of her people is dying in the sea.

She saves them, turns them into mermaids and gives them a responsibility: to ease the passing of the souls lost to the people kidnapping, buying, and then skilling West Africans.

Simidele trails the ships and when a person is thrown overboard, she goes to them, eases their soul and stores it in the gem that hangs around her neck until she can get to Yemoja's island. There she sets the soul free with a prayer.

When Simidele is on land, she has legs and in the water, a gorgeous tail. On land, she has snippets of memories from her life as a human but they're faded and in the sea, they aren't there at all. She is one of only a handful of Mami Wata who find enslaved people in the ocean and ease their passing.

That was a lot to read. It was painful to think of my ancestors, those thrown over and those who jumped rather than be enslaved and tortured.

As the book goes on, Simidele is following a boat and a body is thrown overboard. She goes to it, swilling through blood, telling sharks to back away and she catches the body of a boy.

He's not dead. And she can't let him die, not when he's still got some life in him.

So she takes him to Yemoja's island, heals him and in doing so breaks a covenant between Yemoja and Olodumare, the Supreme God.

The boy she saved is Kola and he is desperate to get back to his home. He won't sat why and in his first interactions with Simidele he is a bit aggressive. Enough to leave a bruise around her wrist. He's traumatized, wounded, half drowned and frantic to get back home.

Yemoja tells Simidele what she will need to do in order to make the mistake right. She needs to get two rings and summon Olodumare so she can beg his forgiveness.

As far as the characters go, they were all really intersting and well fleshed. Some were a little weaker than others but they were side characters and by virtue they tend to be weaker on the page because of that.

I will say that as the book went on the pacing was great, it never felt like it was lagging or going to fast until the end. I almost got the feeling the author was in a rush to end it? It wasn't paced as well as the rest of the book.

Then there's the big twist. I saw it coming but still enjoyed it. It sort of made me feel smart and who doesn't love that? But on the other hand, it was a little, not obvious but I could really see it.

I was a bit dissatisfied with the very end of the book. Like the last 5 or so pages. Because it was so, so, incredibly rushed. Then the story was over and I was starting at it like...can I have a few more pages please? Maybe it's set up for a sequel, I'd love to see one.

Seeing so much African Mythology was amazing. Hopefully it'll get some Black kids interested in learning about their heritage. And maybe instill understanding in other readers.

I'll be getting my younger sibling copy of this book

4 stars.

I received this for free in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and Natasha Bowen for writing it.

This is my second recent read that really reminds me of a fairytale in its structure and style. Natasha Bowen has crafted an elegant tale based on West African mythology, featuring Simidele, one of the Orisa, known by the title of Mami Wata, essentially a mermaid, tasked with blessing souls lost at sea before they pass to the other side. Since this tale is set in the 15th century, the context very much revolves around the slave trade, and we learn more about this from our characters as well, so I won't give away too much of that plot.

The main action of the story begins when Simidele accidentally saves a man from drowning, which is technically beyond the scope of her authority, and thus threatens the delicate balance that exists between the Orisa. In order to save herself, her sisters, and her goddess, Simi must beat a villainous God in finding a pair of magical elements. Of course, she sets off on this quest with the boy that she saved.

What works so well about this story is the way that Bowen weaves in the very real narratives and themes of West African history with the magical, mythical world that she's crafting. In a world with powerful mermaids and mischievous gods, we also see the impact and reality of human suffering caused by slave trade and Western influences.

Like Daughter of the Moon Goddess, which I also wholeheartedly recommend, this book feels like it is dedicated to creating a concept of culture that is as free as it can be (written in English as it is and published here) from Western/English influences. Bowen weaves in language and mythology. I hope that most readers see this as an opportunity, instead of dismissing the book as "difficult to connect with" as can happen with BIPOC books that are not overtly Western in influence.

Like a few other readers I've seen, I wasn't fully sold on the romance, so this was 4.5 stars for me, but I really enjoyed it and will read the sequel!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love to read stories from new authors to see the world they've created. I was also a little nervous about Skin of the Sea because it takes place when Africans were being stolen from their countries. I thought the author did a great job of showing the terror of the situation without going into too much detail, appropriate for a YA audience.

Simi has one job to do - and yet, she can't seem to do it. Return the souls to the goddess for her blessing. When a boy about her age is underwater, she discovers he's alive and rescues him instead of allowing him to drown. Admirable, right? But there's a problem - she broke a rule and now must face the supreme god. The problem is she and all the other mermaids, the Mami Wata, will die if she fails.

While on land, Simi remembers more of her life before becoming a Mami Wata - and her memories hamper her in her task. I love how the past connects to what is happening at the time in the main story, giving us more depth into Simi's character. She's conflicted about wanting to remember and not remember her past. And as the story progresses, the tension rises as she must stay away from loving humans. Especially when one particular boy is so loveable.

I ended up loving this book! The mythology, cloth patterns, characters, and history were all riveting. I think anyone wanting a new take on mermaids will love this book in addition to anyone who wants to learn more about West Africa. It's a beautiful tale and well told. Keep your eyes open for the next Natasha Bowen book!

I recommend this book!