In The Changeling Sea, we meet Periwinkle, a young woman whose parents have been stolen by the sea. Her father's fishing boat came back without him one day, and her mother has not been the same since: she stares out at the sea all day, every day, managing to care for herself just enough, and not at all for her daughter, because she is looking for the kingdom beneath the sea. So Peri is furious with the sea, and hexes it.

It doesn't sound like much, but this story is so rich that there's so much to enjoy.

Reading this story again, I remember why I loved it the first time, and why I love it more every time I read it. I might get something new out of it each time, too, although I don't think I'd have to, to keep loving it. It's a very short little story, a novella, at only 137 pages. 137 pages packed with imagery and what is, at heart, a story that McKillip is very good at telling -- a story of two worlds that have brushed each other just a little bit, and the consequences of that happening.

I love how carefully crafted this book is. I know that the shorter the story is, the tighter it has to be to work well. McKillip manages a story that is so careful, full of detail, and well-done that there is no forebludgeoning, but at the end of the story there is not a single piece out of place, other than the pieces meant to be left out of place. That makes reading it again a treat because now I can look for the little things that I absorbed without understanding the first time, and understand where they fit. Unlike some books where knowing the ending makes the rest of the book somewhat boring to read, the re-reading is just better every time with this one. Which is why, I suspect, this is and remains one of my favourite books. As always, the ending brings with it a pang of sadness, not at the story itself, but that it's over. ( )

The Changeling Sea - Patricia A. McKillip
YA Fantasy; reread; 10/10
When I realised I couldn't manage to read some of the more detailed books I had on the TBR at this time, I went down to the library room and pulled out some old favourites that I'd like to reread. The Changeling Sea has always been my favourite Patricia McKillip novel but I hadn't reread it in years. I was a little concerned it might not stand up to a reread, but it it absolutely did. This is just a gorgeous story about love and loss, told in beautiful, lyrical language that is a delight to read. I still think this is McKillip at her best and highly recommend it to anyone. And if you like dragons (and princes), you'll just love this one. It's beautiful and soulful and wonderful. (This book was my last read for the Here Be Dragons challenge that finished today and it was a great way to finish it.) ( )

This was a really beautiful little story, McKillip's great writing giving it a sense of dreaming, making one feel and hear and smell the sea as the story progressed. It's a short novel, and some things could have been more explained, more developed, but that was not the goal of the story and it told what needed to be told in the way it should be told -- almost like poetry in motion. ( )

I love the simplicity and fairy-tale quality to this story. The world created has a very pleasing charm, as do the characters. This magical book is one of my "comfort" reads. ( )

I loved this book when I was a child. I know I checked the one from the library out so many times it was worn at the corners from my book bag. This story of loss and finding compelled me to read it again and again.It took me 15 years to track down my own copy but i got it! ( )