Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I love mermaids! So when I saw the beautiful cover when it originally was revealed I knew I had to read this book.

Simidele is a Mami Wata who serves under the goddess Yemoja. Her job is to bring the souls of the deceased back to the great creator. She's only been one for a short time but already she's lost most of her human memories. She likes to visit land often to remember pieces of her old life even as she struggles to block out the trauma. One day she comes across a boy who was thrown overboard a ship. Unable to let him drown, she rescues him and nurses him bringing him back from the brink of death. She is informed by Yemoja that she has doomed them with her actions. To protect her Mami Wata family from death at the hands of the great creator, Olodumare she must embark on a journey with the boy she rescued. 

Sometimes you pick up a book that far exceeds your expectations. Before reading I didn't realize that Skin of the Sea is historical fantasy set in West Africa. And while the slave trade effects the main characters it is not the center of the story. There are no white characters taking over the narrative. Instead we see the beauty of West African from brown skin to braids and curls. We taste the flavorful cuisine and smell the spices. Beneath the hot sun and salty sea air we follow Simi and Kola on a thrilling journey to stop the power hungry Esu.

Little pieces of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid are woven throughout. Simi cannot be with Kola or else she will turn to seafoam and when she's too long out of the water her feet pain her.

I love a book with a works cited page so I can do my own further reading. I could tell Natasha Bowen did a lot of research while writing this story. Now that being said, Yoruba isn't just mythology but a group of people, language, and religion. And things can get dicey with authors who were not raised within that culture using it as inspiration for their fantasy stories. While she uses real Yoruba names for her character names versus psuedo-African sounding names, she gets things wrong when it comes to the language. And while someone like me who is unfamiliar with the language did not notice it's important to respect the opinions of people who are Yoruba. I'm linking a review from a Yoruba reviewer who discusses the inclusion of language and portrayal of the orisas. 

I found the story evenly paced with lyrical writing and never a dull moment. I'm looking forward to book 2!