Amazing historical fiction with a splash of fantasy, this sapphic reimagining of the classic folktale “The Selkie Wife" blew me away. Probably going to be a top read of my year!

Jean is a bit of an outcast and the only midwife in her small town in Nova Scotia. One night she hears a sharp cry during a storm and finds a woman in labor wandering outside who can barely speak English. After helping her give birth, Jean learns the woman's name (Muirin) and determine's she must be the new wife of her neighbor, Tobias. Jean starts to question where Muirin has come from, why they kept her pregnancy a secret, and why Tobias is so determined to keep Muirin to him self.

Full of yearning and the desire to be loved and accepted this book was beautiful. The artful descriptions and setting just made me want to sit by the sea, drink tea, and watch seals while thinking about pretty girls. We get little snippets of Jean's life before the main events of the book and her relationship with her close "friend" Jo, as well as her mother's unfortunate death. I also loved how there is a bit of mystery involved and a few moments that had me on the edge of my seat. My one and only complaint was that sometimes the writing of Muirin's English not being very good was a little Yoda-y but it was also endearing.

A tip for people, if you don't know what a Selkie is or the lore surrounding them and are ok with not going in completely blind, maybe look it up because having a bit of knowledge might give you a deeper understanding of some of the magical bits of this story.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book!

I think this book is a very interesting concept. I love this merging of mythology with the past. Jean and Murin are both beautifully written characters that just jump off of the page. Even with Murin’s limited ability to communicate her story shines through as does the love both women feel for each other. I loved seeing the connection develop between the two of them, and the mythology perfectly blended into a story that just draws the reader in and captivates them. I think that book clubs will truly enjoy reading this story and I look forward to recommending it really soon.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sending me an e-ARC of this title!

I absolutely devoured this story! Jean is the village midwife, who has few friends and is something of an outcast. She finds a woman, Muirin, in labor outside her cabin on a stormy night and soon learns that there are dangerous secrets surrounding her.

This story gripped me from the beginning. I had to keep turning the pages to find out more. Jean’s character was so rich and I felt her emotions throughout the story. I also loved how everything came together in the end and fit together perfectly.

A Sweet Sting of Salt
by Rose Sutherland
Pub Date: 09 Apr 2024

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a story about an old folklore associated with selkie’s which I had never heard of until reading this book. It was interesting yet very different than what I was expecting. It was a sapphic love story with so much angst yet heartfelt and tender at times. The story started out very slow, there were many times I almost gave up but I hung in and I'm glad I did. It was a good read.

Synopsis:

Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale The Selkie Wife.

Many thanks to #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup and #ASweetStingofSalt for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. It exceeded every expectation I had of a retelling of the Selkie Wife and I’m actually in tears writing this review. It’s an absolutely beautiful tale of sapphic romance and perfectly timed gothic dread. I adored Jean and Muirin, and their slow-burn was flawless. The tension, the yearning, the forbidden love! Most romance books these days are too fast for me, but the relationship between these two was developed at just the right pace.

The imagery of 1800s Nova Scotia was very well-done. I could visualize the homes, the livestock, the mud perfectly in my mind. I felt cold and wet reading this and had to curl up with a blanket and a space heater.

Gothic dread can be tough to get right, but the creeping horror of this had my heart in my throat since the moment Muirin’s husband was introduced. Tobias completely terrified me. His “marriage” with Muirin was a deeply abusive relationship that is easy to imagine, even with the supernatural/fantasy elements. How he manipulated her language barrier in particular turned my stomach. You can’t trap someone and force them to love you. You need to hold your love in an open hand..

Give me all the Selkie books! This is the third one I have read and I just love everything about their lore. A Sweet Sting of Salt is a wonderfully written sapphic historical fiction with folklore, YEARNING, a beautiful connection , and a story that comes to life vividly. This is the author's debut and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

It took me a little to get into this, but in the end it found its rhythm and I liked the strong characters and their relationships

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I wasn’t familiar with the Gaelic folklore behind this, so I went in not knowing what to expect. The story takes place in 1832 Nova Scotia and follows Jean who is a midwife choosing to live in her family home away from town. One night she wakes up to noise and finds Muirin in labor in the marsh by her home. Jean snaps into action to help deliver the baby. Later Jean makes the trip up the cliff to share the news of the birth, but feels something is off between Muirin and her husband.

While I did enjoy reading the folklore retelling, and the sapphic relationship the build was so slow it made me question if it was going anywhere. The pacing was also a bit slow for my liking which made it hard for me to want to pick it up from time to time. I did enjoy the ending and having all the pieces fall into place.

Super atmospheric writing, I really enjoyed the writing style. This was really a character driven novel, which I don’t love for fantasy. I like to get to know the characters, but I really need more plot development and world building in fantasy.

Will absolutely read another book by this author.

The setting in this book is so expertly done. I can practically smell salt air when I read it. I love the selkie myth and this was such an interesting take on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book!

This queer reimagining of The Selkie Wife starts out with Jean finding a pregnant woman outside in the middle of the night. After she helps deliver the baby she figures out that this woman, who can barely speak English, must be the new wife of her neighbor Tobias. Things only get more suspicious from here as Jean tries to figure out why Tobias hid his wife, her pregnancy, and gets increasingly possessive when Jean tries to befriend Muirin. Her growing concern for Muirin starts as a safety concern and evolves into love as she tries to free Murin from Tobias' grasp. Tobias becomes increasingly unhinged and the story has a bit of a thriller element as his threats become more and more violent. I enjoyed this book a lot and it held up really well as a retelling of The Selkie Wife. Knowing that story doesn't detract from the overall experience of the story.

REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jean has aided in her fair share of strange births, but nothing comes close to finding a pregnant stranger screaming outside her home at midnight. Upon helping the woman-- Muirin-- bring her son into the world, Jean learns that the mysterious woman is her neighbor's new bride. Unable to communicate due to a language barrier, the two women become closer each day through body language and a mutual trust. It quickly becomes obvious that everything is not as it seems when it comes to Muirin's marriage, though. Jean can't quite put her finger on it, but something is deeply, deeply wrong...

As your local sapphic who loves all things fantasy and mythology (but lets be honest, I think all sapphics do...) I have to say I truly loved this book.
I find it hard to root for relationships in stand-alone novels because it almost always feels rushed and half-baked. However, Tobias served as an amazing foil to Jean's character. Where he failed to be a good partner, Jean shined, thus making it more obvious how right her relationship with Muirin was. The two women were endlessly gentle with each other but neither was afraid to fight ruthlessly for what they love. Their story provides a perfect blend of soft yearning and heart-wrenching angst.

I deeply appreciated the simplicity of the world-building. The exposition was light and required very basic knowledge of the time period that nearly every reader already has. Again, I often find myself drowning in exposition in many stand-alones, so I loved the easy glide into this world.

The atmosphere was fantastical but still realistic, slightly gothic and certainly romantic. A Sweet Sting of Salt is a beautiful transportation onto a rocky shore with grey skies and curious seals at your feet.
If you enjoy retellings, mythology, fantasy, sapphic relationships, period pieces, and a little bit of angst-- this is for you!

Will absolutely keep my eye out for more of Rose Sutherland's work in the future.

3.5/5
This book is so atmospheric and cold. It perfectly captures the feeling of safety and warmth you feel when you’re out of the rain or when you find your lover. I went into this with expectations of coziness, queer love and belonging, and seaside adventure. This did not disappoint. The writing is gorgeous, but the pace is slow.
I loved the relationship between Jean and Muirin. I loved how powerful the tension felt with such little words. I loved the friendship between Jean and Laurie. Their friendship felt very realistic to finding someone similar to you in a world that is so different. This book is perfect for people who enjoy books about domestic drama, longing, and fairy tale retellings.
The only reason this is not a 5-star for me is because it felt a little too slow in the first half, but historical fiction tends to be a bit slower for me. I will think about this book every time it rains and on every seaside cliff. #JusticeforHoney

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I felt neutral about this book. I enjoyed it but was not totally immersed in the story. I thought the writing was great and very poet and I enjoyed the folklore aspect but there was something missing for me.

Lots of fun reading this one! I enjoyed the folklore aspects of the historical fiction. Reminded me a bit of the fox wife by yangsze choo

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I was drawn to the premise of A Sweet Sting of Salt, because, while I’m not familiar with its source material, the folktale, “The Selkie Wife,” I love the idea of retelling a folktale from a more feminist and even queer lens, not to mention being steeped in selkie lore. It also has a Gothic feel that immersed me in the story from the first pages.
The choice to focus on a more peripheral character to the action, midwife Jean, serves the purpose well. She senses something is wrong when she encounters Muirin, and later meets Tobias when he comes looking for Muirin. And while Jean is hardly the typical Gothic heroine, preferring to stay out of other people’s business rather than poke into it, she’s also rather perceptive about something not being right between the couple.
And things get even more complicated as she and Muirin begin to bond. I loved the expression of yearning between the two, and how they were both caught in this intense situation, with Muirin’s husband literally holding her captive and keeping her from the sea, never mind keeping her and Jean apart. I deeply rooted for them to find a way to be together, and/or for them to help Muirin to her freedom.
This was a deeply moving book, and I’m excited to read more from Rose Sutherland in the future. If you’re interested in a sapphic folklore retelling, especially if you enjoy selkies, I’d recommend checking this out.

I’m so sorry to say but this book was just not good. The writing is sub par and the plot line is un exciting. I sadly would not recommend this book. With better writing I maybe could’ve gotten into it… at 85% through it had to be a DNF for me… I couldn’t force myself to keep going.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a retelling of the folktale, The Selkie Wife. Note I have never heard of this tale.

This is part historical fiction, mystery and fantasy. This story progresses very slowly, challenging the reader the stay vested. The setting descriptions, through Jean's experiences, were hauntingly beautiful.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
4.8/5 🧜🏻‍♀️🦭💔💞🌊

This retelling of the classic, selkie wife folktale was fantastic - I couldn't put it down! This book is written beautifully and sucks you into the story with beautiful world-building and storytelling. To also have this be a queer retelling was about 40 cherries on top - we need more of this in the historical fiction genre! To have a protagonist who understood the journey one has to take when fighting for your sexuality was refreshing. I fell in love with Jean and Muirin, as I'm sure you will too. There were moments when reading this that I could feel my heart cracking apart for these two women, and moments when I was on the edge of my seat and needed to know what was going to happen. I loved this so much and I hope you love it, too. And look at that cover!

Thank you to the author, Rose Sutherland, publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ARC (and for granting my wish!) A Sweet Sting of Salt publishes on April 9, 2024!

This retelling of the selkie wife folktale was fantastic! As a fantasy reader, I loved the lore with a sapphic twist. The writing was beautiful, immersive, and refreshing because of the historical context. Definitely worth adding to your TBR! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.