A Sweet Sting of Salt' is a charming period piece that defies expectations with its captivating narrative and endearing characters, notably Jean and Muirin, whose slow-burning romance unfolds tenderly.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Rose Sutherland’s skillful retelling of the Scottish folk tale, “The Selkie Wife,” is intriguing, a woman-centered take on a familiar story. Jean is a midwife in Nova Scotia in 1832, living on the outskirts of town - a bit of self-imposed isolation to counteract a hint of scandal from a few years ago. One cold night she finds a woman in labor in the marsh, a woman who speaks a strange language and tries to drag Jean deeper into the marsh. Jean delivers the woman’s baby, a healthy baby boy with strangely webbed hands and feet. Jean feels strangely drawn to the woman, later discovering her name is Muirin, wife to Tobias Silber and supposedly from a Scottish settlement where Gaelic is spoken. But is that really Muirin’s whole story? Why is her husband so protective of her, isolating her from other people? As Jean becomes more involved with Muirin and her baby, the situation becomes more precarious, culminating in a daring plan.

Sutherland’s novel is suffused with longing - longing for home, longing for family, and, most of all, longing to belong somewhere, to belong with someone. Jean and Muirin live in a time where women are afforded few advantages, where the struggle to assume control over their lives is very real. Any reader of historical fiction who loves a dash of magical realism and strong women characters will appreciate Sutherland’s novel.

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Another 10/10 debut with another 10/10 cover! LGBT romance, gothic vibes, with a great pace that will have you racing through it. I love the mysterious quality the whole book had, and I thought it dealt with some interesting themes that you don't see very often. Historical fiction with a touch of folklore, I would recommend this gorgeous book to all.

I'm a mythology and folktale fanatic, and selkie stories are some of my favorites, so I expected to enjoy A Sweet Sting of Salt just from its description. What actually happened was I got completely sucked into the story and finished over two evenings because I couldn't put it down, and now I want to go snuggle seals and live outside a little village by the sea.

Jean is a single woman in her twenties in the mid 1800's in Nova Scotia. Due to some embarrassing trauma in her past, she's outcast herself from the village, living alone near the beach with her two goats, flock of chickens, and a not-quite-tame vixen. She's the village midwife, a skill she learned so she'd be useful, because to her mind no matter how useful she becomes she can't erase the stain of gossip that swirls around her.

Muirin appears on her property in the middle of a storm, barefoot and in her nightgown, unable to speak much English. She's in active labor. She could only be the mysterious new wife of Jean's neighbor up the hill, Tobias, a fisherman who suddenly bragged to the whole village that he found his fairytale wife. During Muirin's recovery at Jean's cabin her English improves and, as they communicate better, Jean begins to suspect all is not well in Muirin and Tobias's home. As Jean's feelings for Muirin grow, she becomes more sure that something is amiss, and she's determined to help, even when helping becomes truly dangerous.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will say, since the promotional copy includes that it's a retelling of The Selkie Wife, I knew what Muirin was from the start. I rather wish it was a thing to discover, because Rose Sutherland's foreshadowing was wonderful and it would've been an excellent twist. If the reader isn't familiar with the story, I hope the twist gets them, because it was set up and executed with style. Sutherland's prose is both practical and lyrical, depending on the situation's needs, which makes it a lovely blend of folktale magic and earthy pragmatism.

The world Sutherland developed is a mix of historical fact, fairy tale, and straight up fiction. The peripheral characters clearly have their own backstories and motivations, and the magical elements are woven in without jarring believability. I hope the author has other stories in the same universe, because I could easily see a legacy series built from Muirin's family. A Sweet Sting of Salt was well worth the read. I highly recommend it and plan to pick up a copy when it's released in April, 2024, for my library.

This debut from Rose Sutherland is riveting and beautifully told. The prose is wonderful and the characters are well developed and intriguing.

This was so lovely, I really enjoyed it. I don’t read many period pieces cause they usually don’t do it for me but this was a hit. I loved Jean’s character and her relationship with Muirin and how it slowly developed. Muirin was such a cute character that you couldn’t help but love and the way Jean treated her was so endearing. Really satisfied with the ending as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free copy!

Oh wow, this book is everything I could want in a novel! The writing was lush and evocative and the story so compelling I really had trouble putting it down once I started reading it. It begins like a lot of fairy tales, sweet and tender before taking a sinister turn—and I was here for all of it. Jean is such an incredible heroine, fierce and tender and her love for Muirin so intense. I was rooting for these two on every page. It’s a perfect feminist, gothic folklore retelling and will be living rent free in my head from here on.

Also literally cheered when Tobias was killed. Dude had it coming and I’d never been happier!

Rounding this up to a 4.5 but this is seriously one of the best sapphic books that I’ve read in a while. It was incredibly atmospheric and endearing. It was just overall a wonderful story but I think my favorite thing about it was the way it was written. From the onset I felt gripped by the author’s storytelling ability and the believability of the romance. It’s not an easy feat!

The author weaves a tales as good as any of the old storytellers could in front of a fire wintertime of yore. Making listeners wait with bated breath from between sit down time after dinner then to bed installments for both young and old. This book is a complete joy of a world you can almost see. The level of concern & unease for the characters was higher in this book than any I can remember from the beginning. It was a sheer joy regardless or any trauma! Both Nordic & Celtic seafarers naturally as well as other workers of the land fleshed out the scenery. Mainly Irish & Highland Scot & Faroes & Iceland have the strongest tales of Kelpies & Selkies all of them beautiful & usually sad & infuriating are known legends. The Faroes have two statues one dedicated to a legendary seal wife the other to a water horse. Nova Scotia was a north American landing to many Scots from the highlands as well as for Nordic fishermen. I could just picture the characters one & all. This historical fiction fairy tale is an exemplary modern tome along the lines of the best.

I’m not sure if I should say that I was rooting for Muirin to kill him the whole book but like I was so there’s that.
This was written so well and had me completely captivated. I was pining for her with Jean (we love a gay disaster). My heart was racing as we snuck around Tobias and I felt so much joy when Jo came to finally speak to her.
All in all I really enjoyed this book, I’m glad to have read it. And I loved the way everything wrapped up in the end and the epilogue was so cute!!

A Sweet Sting of Salt is an atmospheric and haunting debut. Light with its depictions of friendship, motherhood, and love, while also dark and disturbing at the same time. A fairytale-esque story tinged with a bit of horror. It’s amazing to me today how many fairytales, when looked through a modern lens, have these themes of both love and violence, light and dark, horror and beauty.

I loved the inclusion of the queer relationships set during a time when these relationships were hidden or not spoken about. It’s rare still to see them in historical fiction novels and I appreciated the author centering them in her story. Jean, Muirin, and Laurie were all well-developed and beautifully-written characters. This was a slow burn, but worth every page for a beautiful new take on a rather dark story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland is a beautiful, atmospheric debut novel and a modern retelling of the Selkie wife folktale. This book is a telling of a beautiful budding romance, the kind that would not commonly be spoken of in the time period this book takes place in. It was a refreshing take on an old folktale, carefully merged with a romance that would be more frequent in modern day settings.

Within this novel we are introduced to Jean and the mysterious Muirin. These women meet in the most wild of circumstances. Despite their chance encounter, they begin to have mutual feelings for one another. This is dangerous for them being from the 1800’s. Muirin does not speak any English in the beginning of this story, but with Jean’s help she quickly picks up on the language. We follow these women through hardships and being separated, which is no choice of their own. Both women persevered, keeping hold of the glimmer of hope that they would be reunited again.

I personally have never read a novel like this one and I absolutely loved the setting, the darkness and mystery surrounding Muirin, and the dynamic between these two women. The way the author tells the story of an old folktale is refreshing but still familiar. The addition of the same sex relationship to this story creates a sense of newness and makes the story relatable despite being set in a small fishing village in the 1800’s. The writing is beautiful and descriptive and although this is very much a slow burn, it keeps the reader’s interest. This isn’t a book that contains spice in the normal sense, but there is a perfect level of spice to this story which unfolds between Jean and Muirin. The ending of the book provides answers to questions readers acquire along the way and the ending is satisfying. The author did an outstanding job with this debut novel and I can’t wait to see what more is to come from Rose Sutherland.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with this Advanced Reader’s Copy ebook in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine/Dell for my copy of A SWEET STING OF SALT by Rose Sutherland, out 4/9/24!

This book was AMAZING! A queer reimagining of the classic folktale, “The Selkie Wife,” this book was so unexpectedly glorious. I was unfamiliar with the tale, so it was all new to me and I adored it.

A sharp cry in the night awakens Jean and she finds a woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the sea and bitter cold who is unable to speak a lick of English. She assumes she must be the new mysterious wife of her neighbor Tobias, a loner fisherman. When he stumbles upon her house after she helps his wife give birth, the questions keep coming. Why did he hide her pregnancy? Why has he hidden her away? Why does his wife change her demeanor when he’s around?

This book is definitely a slow burn, but the payoff is worth it. I love a sweet, gay love story! I’m so happy I stumbled upon this book. Definitely add it to your queer tbr!!! I loved the ending so much!! Everything about this book is too, too perfect.

4.5 Stars

A Sweet Sting of Salt is an entrancing debut that snared me from the beginning, crafting a potent air of mystery surrounding the main characters’ circumstances.

When we’re first introduced to one of the MC’s, Muirin, there’s an undeniable atmosphere of mystery that draws you into the story and keeps you turning the pages as quickly as possible. Then, dig a little deeper into the story and you see the heartwarming friendship develop between Jean and Muirin, creating an emotional anchor of sorts. Seeing their relationship progress also made me, as a reader, feel a fierce protectiveness over Muirin and her newborn baby, Kiel, as their lives with Jean become more and more intertwined.

Spoilers ahead! Although if you’re familiar with the folktale that this novel is inspired by, perhaps you won’t be too spoiled.

Muirin’s husband, Tobias, is a somewhat one-dimensional villain, but the ease in which I found myself rooting against him says wonders about the author’s ability to elicit strong emotions. I felt a very strong connection to Muirin, Jean and Kiel, and it was so easy to root for their happy ending.

Unfortunately, I also felt that the climactic moments of the book were underwhelming, with an already anticipated reveal eliminating the element of surprise. Despite this, the resolution to Jean and Muirin’s was relatively satisfying and definitely well-earned.

Overall, A Sweet Sting of Salt is an impressive debut novel that seamlessly blends dark atmospheric elements with nuanced, authentic character development & relationships. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful love story wrapped up in an atmospheric, beautifully written, retelling of the The Selkie Wife.

I found this take on the tale to be fairly unique. The setting of 1800s Nova Scotia complements the story really well, giving it an edge of gothic dread. Jean and Muirin are both quite likable as characters (the bit near the end from Muirin's perspective was just the best thing) and their relationship has me thoroughly invested.

My one real issue with the book is that it slows down a fair bit in the middle, and feels a bit bogged down. However, the beginning and the ending are much better paced and mostly makes up for it.

If a gothic sapphic romance steeped in folklore seems interesting to you, then I highly recommend picking this up.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is the Sapphic historical fiction retelling of the Selkie wife set in Nova Scotia of my dreams. It’s atmospheric and feels true to the original story while also recognizing that the Selkie is the one who had her whole life stolen from her when her seal skin was taken. There’s a real poeticness to the love story which feels true to the time period.

Jean is sharp and kind MC who is trying to help her neighbor’s reclusive wife, Muirin after Muirin gives birth to a son with webbed hands and feet and her husband behaves quite oddly.
I appreciate the care that went into depicting life in Nova Scotia at that time including Sutherland’s inclusion of the Mi’kmaq people through several characters and a variety of reactions to Queerness, which feels accurate because people, historically, are not monoliths.

Sutherland’s strongest point for me was the way yearning was depicted as well as the character interactions. I learned a lot about characters, their values, and their relationships via the dialogue and how they played off each other and new information that was presented to them.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for more Sapphic retellings of classic fairy tales. I would not recommend this to someone who is looking for more fantasy and less historical because this is very firmly grounded historical fiction with a fantastical element.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an e-arc

Wow this story was everything I wanted it to be! The writing was wonderful, it built up the atmosphere of this little town and its surroundings so well. I love Sutherland's prose.
I was familiar with The Selkie Wife and selkie lore in general going in to this, so I knew generally what to expect with the story. This predictability did not take away from my enjoyment one bit, in fact I think it added to it as I found myself excitedly waiting to see how the book would handle what comes next in the tale. The characters were all fleshed out beautifully, and the dynamics between them were delightful to read. Laurie might be one of my favorite side characters of the year.
I can't wait for this book to officially release so I can get my hands on a physical copy of it. This will be one I hand out to friends for a long time to come.

I love a fairytale retelling and to make it a sapphic reimagining I was all in. This was a debut novel and I very much enjoyed the atmospheric writing style. It had a very gothic and almost suspenseful. quality. It was a perfect read for winterer/cold season. The seaside village and cold winter months were the perfect backdrop to the story of Jean and Muirin.
While at heart this is a romance there is actually very little interaction between the two main characters. As the whole story is told from Jean's POV we aren't really seeing what is happening to Muirin and for most of the novel you don't even know if she is ok. The spaces in between seeing her you are on the edge of your seat hoping she is ok. There was a lot of build up to the final climax. I know this is billed as a romance but to me it was way more of a gothic horror, with the setting on the winter beach and the slow buildup of the stalking, the escalation of terror that Jean dealt with while trying to rescue Muirin.
Overall, I found the entire reimagined very well done. The incorporating of a midwife into the tale was a great idea and I loved that Jean was such an activity member of the town even if she felt that she was an outsider. Her growth of believing in herself and learning to ask for help showed real growth for her. She was able to trust in her love of Muirin and find true happiness.
  I would recommend this to someone that likes fairy tale retellings, great settings with descriptive writing and a slow burn very fairytale romance.

When I started this book I was fully prepared to not love it but this book is a lyrical, sapphic work of art. I have thought of this book countless times since I finished it, and I utterly devoured it in a single day. I couldn’t put it down. I have told countless people how excited I am for them to read it so we can talk about it, though they will have a bit of a wait. I love how strong and capable the FMC is and her drive to do the right thing. I love the adorable interactions between Jean and Muirin, they are the most heartwarming, sweet moments that made me chuckle out loud multiple times. I highly recommend giving this book a try even if it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea because it is phenomenal!

What a strong debut from this author! I was hooked from the beginning.

If you like period pieces, strong, female protagonists, and Gaelic folklore, this book is for you. The characters are beautifully drawn alongside Canadian winter landscape.

Jean, a small town midwife, meets a mysterious, pregnant Muirin in the middle of the night during a storm. Through helping Muirin with the birth of her child, teaching her English, and checking in on her when she's with her volatile husband, they develop feelings for one another. Set in a time when LGBTQ+ romances were forbidden, these two work towards finding a way to be together safely.

A wonderful mix of characters and folklore intertwining to create a beautiful love story.

I can't wait to see what else this author will create!