Natasha Bowen

Simidele, or Simi, is a Mami Wata, a mermaid, whose job is to collect the souls of those who die at sea after being taken from their homeland. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi saves his life. It goes against an ancient decree and now, to protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must get in contact with the Supreme Creator to make amends.

The boy she rescued, Kola, knows how to help her, and together, they set across the ocean and land. When a vengeful god finds out of their plans, show more danger begins to lurk around every corner - gods, treacherous lands, creatures of legend. Simi and Kola stop at nothing, but it’s not just the Mami Wata at steak, it’s the world as they know it.

First, I wanted to say that I was in love with this cover as soon as I saw it - the black mermaid is beautiful and I could tell she had a story I wanted to read. Secondly, I loved the story premise. I read The Deep by Rivers Solomon and adored it. I wanted to read more about this concept. I wouldn’t call this a retelling though - it’s based mostly on the water spirit, Yemoja, from the Yoruba religion of West Africa and had a lot of West African Mythology. It absolutely had a folktale/ fairytale vibe though and those who are looking for a retelling would still enjoy this.

That being said, I learned a lot about African Mythology and the Yoruba religion. I was constantly Googling things and looking at photos and images to see a better understanding. Natasha Bowen does an amazing job at describing the orisha and the creatures, I just still needed a visual.

Simi’s narrative voice was captivating. Her backstory that we saw glimpses of always made me so sad - she was so loved by her mother and father. She has a warrior spirit that she kept in her transition into being a Mami Wata and that kept her fighting. I was also so proud to see her journey (even if she was a bit stubborn and wouldn’t admit when her feet hurt).

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Anyone who loves mermaids, mythology, and fantasy adventure, will also find this a fantastic read. I can’t wait for the second book in the duology to come out! show less

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Skin of the Sea is a cozy YA fantasy read. The plot is quite predictable, even through the climax, but that's okay because the writing is immersive and the inspired take on West African mythology is fantastic.

The book follows Simi, a recently-made Mami Wata--essentially, a mermaid. Her duty is to retrieve the souls of the dead being thrown from slave ships, and to make sure those souls know peace. This threat of these white invaders and show more kidnappers lurks in the background of this book, but is not central to the narrative: it focuses on the people of this secondary-world take on Africa, and on their culture, magic, and gods. When Simi saves a boy's life instead of his soul, she soon finds herself embroiled in divine complications. She and the boy, Kola, end up going on a quest to set things right... and of course, fall in love along the way, which is expressly forbidden as she is not even human anymore.

Mermaids are a frequent trope of fantasy fiction, and I really enjoyed this fresh take. Simi goes through a lot. She can use legs again when she's on land, but not for long; she's disabled, and struggles, and it's good to see that acknowledged and worked through. The very end is a cliffhanger, so I hope another book comes out soon! show less

Series Info/Source: This is the second, and final, book in the Of Mermaids and Orisa duology. I got a copy of this on ebook to review through Netgalley.

Thoughts: I liked this but as much as the first book. This book starts with Simi serving the god, Olokun, watching over the dead at the bottom of the ocean. However, she quickly finds out that the Olokun has betrayed his promise and because of his betrayal the ajogun (demons) might be freed to destroy humanity as we know it. Now Simi and her show more land-based allies must work with the very god they captured in the first book to prevent the release of the ajogun.

While I still enjoyed the stunning writing style, the story here was a lot more lackluster than in the first book. It felt like everything that happened in the first book was unraveled. The characters spend a lot of time running from battle to battle and it just wasn't as interesting to me as they first book was. Simi and Kola feel like distant acquaintances throughout the story without any of the magnetism of the first book. I had trouble engaging with any of the characters here.

I had mixed feelings about the ending as well. I understand why it was done the way it was but it felt unsatisfying and rushed to me.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was a fine conclusion to this duology but felt a bit unsatisfying. I loved the first book in this series but this one not as much. The chemistry between Kola and Simi was lacking and I didn't find any of the characters to be all that engaging. The plot felt repetitive and tired. I still enjoyed the beautiful writing style. I would recommend this if you loved the first book. If you were so-so about the first book skip this one...it doesn't get better. show less

“When you pull back the skin of the sea, you never know what you will find.”

Skin of the Sea is a YA fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid story with elements of West African mythology and history. It is set in the 14th Century in the Oyo Empire (modern day Nigeria), when the Portugese were taking slaves from the West coast, and centres around black mermaids or Mami Wata, and the Oyo pantheon of gods and goddesses. The author is English, of Nigerian and Welsh descent. Skin of the Sea, show more her debut book, has been shortlisted for several prizes and is the first in a series.

Simidele is one of the Mami Wata (mermaids) created by the goddess Mother Yemoja to bless the souls of the drowned, those being taken in slave ships away from their homes. One day she finds a shipwrecked man, Kola, who is not yet dead. Simi instinctively fights to rescue him, breaking her oath and setting the world of the Orisas (gods) in turmoil. Simi is then tasked with finding the obsidian rings to save Yemoja and the Mami Wata. Kola also has his own mission to rescue his young siblings. Together they embark on a journey, but can they reach the rings and the magical twins before the evil Esu reaches them?

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. The world building was well researched and intriguing and calls on West African mythology. As well as mermaids there are the yumboes (tiny fairies connected to the land), the abada, a magical African unicorn, the bultungan shape-shifters, and the Ninki Nanka River monster. There is also a gentle hint of romance. My attention faded somewhat in the second half as the action scenes became rather dramatic and drawn out. This book is important contribution with black representation in fantasy and fairytales, and a mythology based on African tradition and worldview. Be warned it has the kind of ending you can only get away with if there is a sequel to follow. 3.5 stars show less