Book: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Read From: 13th December - 27th December 2021
Rating: 3/5 stars
Summary: Simidele is one of the Mami Wata, mermaids who collect the souls of those who die at sea and bless their journeys home. But when a boy is thrown overboard a ship of enslaved people, Simi saves his life, going against an ancient decree and bringing terrible danger to the Mami Wata. Now Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends - a journey of vengeful gods and treacherous lands. If she fails, she risks not just the fate of the Mami Wata and the boy she loves but also the world as she knows it.
Skin of the Sea is such a luscious and vibrant novel, filled to the brim with African folklore. Despite this, it can also be extremely dark at times. Although a fictional story, Bowen does not shy away from the harsh realities of the transatlantic slave trade. This can make the book extremely difficult to read at times, however her blending of tragic history with mythology and culture remind us as readers that West African history is more than pain and suffering. What results is the most beautiful story that will not only captivate you but also teach you a lot about African folklore, from Gods and Goddesses (including their role in the Ifa spiritual system) as well as various mythological creatures like yumboes and the Ninki Nanka.
Simi was an amazing character. She was strong, determined and compassionate, everything you could love from a female protagonist. The way her past is so beautifully woven into the story means you really connect to her, and it allows you to become so emotionally absorbed in the quest. I didn’t connect to Simi as quickly as I would’ve liked - to me it seemed like we were very much thrown straight into the plot with little background - but the more you read from her, she becomes very difficult not to admire. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance itself, it felt too insta-lovey for me to become fully invested and I didn’t think they had the greatest chemistry as a romantic pairing. Despite that, I loved Kola as a character so it was a bonus for me that the romance didn’t overshadow the main plot (as it quote often does in many other fantasy books)!
Whilst I did really enjoy how descriptive the writing style was, I found that it could quite often disrupt the flow of the quest and, in turn, the pacing of the book. I think this was why it took me so long to get through, despite only being 300 pages. It felt like tension would be built up only to fizzle out into nothing as our characters travel from place to place. I guess if you have a particular love for adventure fantasy stories that this would be right up your alley, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was an action packed novel.
I don’t think this is one I will reread and I’m still debating whether I will pick up the sequel once it’s released. It’s not because I didn’t like Skin of the Sea, it’s more because I feel okay about the ending and I don’t feel any strong desire to be reconnected with these characters beyond what I experienced in this first book. We’ll see! Whilst I don’t feel the same personally, I can appreciate why this book has made it onto a lot of people’s top books of 2021 list. I would definitely recommend giving it a go for yourself, particularly if you enjoy descriptive and poetic writing styles, adventure fantasy books and mythology.