the perfect mix of folklore, romantasy, and yearning in a gothic, immersive, coastal setting. the perfect autumn/winter read for when it's tipping it down outside

Ballantine eARC
I tried this book multiple times and kept slowly coming back to it, and I'm glad I did. I do not know the original tale, however, this story was engrossing, haunting, and captivating. Jean was such a head strong woman, and I loved seeing this story from her POV. Since I didn't know the original, I was just as surprised as everyone else as the story slowly unfolded. I wanted to fight alongside Jean for Muirin - even though I wasn't quite sure what she was needing. The setting was its owned character and the atmosphere was perfectly crafted for this story. I highly enjoyed this and will look forward to what this author does next.

I realized while reading this that I've not read about selkies outside of folklore, nor had I ever read a sapphic selkie tale. I loved A Sweet Sting of Salt. The yearning and the slow burn was perfect, and the prose was absolutely gorgeous. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a divine queer folktale to enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.65 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The ship was cute and the storyline was good. I was so scared he was gonna kill the fox. I loved the way this was written and it’s exactly my type of book. I’d never really heard much of The Selkie Wife, but I can imagine this is a great spin on it. I don’t even know what else to say other than I loved it shdbbdbs I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to read a sapphic story about a midwife and a mysterious girl who barely speaks English and appears in the middle of the night in labor. It’s worth it. Do it.

Content Warnings: Depictions of Child Birth; Spousal Abuse; Stalking; Animal Cruelty; Rape (Off screen); Postpartum Depression (Off screen); Suicide (Off screen)

For the sex averse, there is one fade-to-black sex scene that is decently telegraphed.

Sutherland's novel is highly character driven, with our third person perspective character being Jean, a midwife. I love Jean. She is smart, resourceful, independent, but also sensitive and having her decisions and reactions colored due to her life circumstances of losing her mother to postpartum depression, being ostracized for being a lesbian, and losing her best friend/first love, who moved away after being married. The other two primary characters, Muirin and Tobias, are likewise well-fleshed out and have established pasts that affect how they act throughout the book. All characters make decisions and mistakes that feel natural based on what we know of them, even if we don't find out the true reasoning until later in the book.

I admit that I am a soft touch for a folk tale/fairy tale/mythological retelling in general, but I also think this book is excellent on its own merit. Framing "The Selkie Wife" in such a way to emphasis that it is, at its core, an abusive relationship, produces an engaging, taut plot. As a reader, I wanted Muirin to escape; I understood Jean's desperation to save her, not only because of the growing romantic feelings she felt but also just as one woman to another. I was continuously invested from the beginning to the end of the book.

That this is Sutherland's first book is a shock to me; it's that good. I would eagerly read her work again based on this offering, and I highly recommend it.

This book was okay. Nothing great but also nothing terrible. The characters were the main selling point of this story, there was a diverse cast with LGBTQ representation. The plot was enjoyable but I didn't get the sense of urgency that I think the author was trying to get. The relationships between the characters were complex and well written but the story felt sluggish.

This was a beautiful story of freedom and love. It was heart breaking and emotional and I could not put it down. The characters were fabulous and I can not believe that this was a debut.

Ok, I'll admit that I requested this arc based on the intriguing cover alone. It turns out that it was definitely out of my comfort zone, as I realized that it was a unique combination of fantasy, historical fiction, and LGBTQ romance.

The book is set in the 1800s and features the female protagonist, Jean, a midwife who is woken in the night to find a strange woman (Muirin) in labor. This woman does not seem to speak or understand English. As Jean cares for Muirin after delivering her son, she becomes suspicious about her relationship after meeting her husband Tobias, and observing them interacting.

I enjoyed the lovely prose and descriptions in the book, but most of the plot just didn't hold my attention consistently. That being said, I do think many would appreciate this book, especially if you are fond of retellings of historical folktales.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a Sapphic retelling of the selkie wife folktale set in 1800s Nova Scotia. What an amazing premise!!! I was all in to read this book after reading the blurb. Jean, the village midwife, meets Muirin, the mysterious wife of a sailor, when she turns up in the middle of the night in labor. The two become closer, and Jean begins to suspect that Muirin does not have the happy life of a beloved wife that her husband claims.

I have heard the selkie wife folktale in a few different settings (Iceland, Ireland) but have never seen it adapted into a book. It's such a unique story and I'm really happy to see it represented. Setting it in Nova Scotia was such a cool move! A Sweet Sting of Salt considers immigrant culture in a remote community with a harsh natural environment. I liked Jean a lot as a character and loved that she was a midwife. I liked how the story progressed and the epilogue was just perfect.

There are several instances of explicit and implied domestic violence, so I would keep that in mind when reading this book. I skipped over those scenes whenever I came across them.

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it! 5 stars. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

An interesting take on a selkie tale. It wasn't for me personally and didn't keep me hooked the entire time. The writing style was beautiful, however it felt fairly repetitive and failed to hold my attention for long periods of time. I think a lot of readers will really enjoy it and I have recommended it to people in the shop.

This was one of the best books I’ve read this year; I couldn’t put it down. For me, everything tied together in this perfect way to make the story riveting from the selkie legend, to the villain to the heroine herself.

The villain was extremely terrifying, made more so that on the surface to both the characters and to us, he reads as romantic and normal. What’s so scary about a man that wants a wife and kids and to take on the role of provider? Or that he’s very protective of his wife? But his true nature is sinister. This echoes a lot of the kind of men out there that women fall prey to and end up abused, trapped or both. He was terrifying.

I loved everything about this book and recommend it to anyone who loves a love story that is hard fought and earned.

Was very interested in getting into this title. The cover and synopsis were promising. However, the writing was in need of a good editor: there were anachronistic expressions, repetitions in the text, and head-jumping. The work is very slow, with obscure descriptions of what was going on, and it was hard to keep interested in how the story progressed.
Not recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this work.

3.5 stars! I really enjoyed this and it was a welcome surprise! This book follows Jean, a midwife, and Muirin. I’m the middle of the night Jean is awoken to the sound of pained screams and goes out near the water where she finds Muirin. After giving birth Muirin stays with Jean for a week when Jean notices that something isn’t quite right with Muirin’s life with her husband Tobias.

This book has such a soft magical feel throughout it and Rose is a very talented writer. She has beautiful descriptions and characters that you can’t help but love!

I love the ,odern updated tale on the story of the Selkie wife and it's a compelling and refreshing read. A Sting of Salt is not to be missed and one I would absolutely recommend.

A great retelling of the selkie tale. I felt for the two women as they navigated such a difficult journey.
Jean is a strong woman who sees something wrong with the pregnant woman Muirin who she helps deliver her first child, and she stops at nothing to find help Muirin.
One review i read spoke about how there is not much dialogue but lots of description. Since Muirin can't speak English, I didn't really mind less dialogue. Sometimes I find forced dialogue to pull away from the story.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. I enjoyed it!

This book was a stretch for me, in terms of the genres I generally gravitate towards. I typically struggle with both historical fiction and magical realism (and this book lives right at the intersection of both), but I found it quite enjoyable. There was nothing particularly unique or novel about the story structure or characters, but the author did a nice job of establishing the atmospheric/moody setting, and it was easy to get lost in the novel. I would certainly be interested in reading Sutherland's work again in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

LOVEEDD this book! Honestly I didn’t rlly read the description on netgalley, I just saw that I’d been approved for it and I read it. Definitely a good decision though, this book is super well written and has a happy ending, which I love!

"She held her love in an open hand."

A Sweet Sting of Salt is lovely debut novel that is a queer retelling of a classic folktale. I knew the story of The Selkie Wife already, but that didn't lessen the tension and fear that Sutherland's writing often invoked. The romance was well written and believable, the main character and the love interest likable. The plot did get a little bit draggy near the end, and the climax was somewhat predictable, but overall, the writing is lovely and the world well built with a beautiful and well deserved ending.

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland is a captivating addition to the fantasy genre that immerses readers in a richly imagined world filled with magic, adventure, and intrigue. From the very first page, the book draws you into a meticulously crafted universe where every detail—from the landscapes to the lore—is brought to life with vivid, engaging prose.

The story follows Jean when she hears a sharp cry in the middle of the night, which unfolds with a compelling blend of action, mystery, and character development. Rose Sutherland excels at creating multi-dimensional characters whose growth and relationships drive the narrative forward. With the Celtic folklore it adds so some fresh concepts to keep the story alive even after you've finished.

Sadly, this one didn't land as well as I thought it would. The book spent a lot of time describing the setting and backstory of Jean, so it took away from the plot for me. The major conflict also felt very inconsequential as it could resolved fairly quickly. The language barrier between Jean and Muirin also felt very insta-lovey to me as I didn't necessarily buy their connection.

The lore was interesting enough and I wish the author would have spent more time detailing the selkie lore and not have expected them to know all the information.