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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Soul of the Deep
by Natasha Bowen
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Soul of the Deep
Author: Natasha Bowen
Book Series: Skin of the Sea Book 2
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Nigerian based MC and characters, Black characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, African mythology and lore, mermaids, retellings, romance
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Relevance: 15+ (slavery, death, violence, gore, PTSD, prayer and religion, romance, parental death)
Explanation of Above: There are mentions and some showings of slavery. Death, violence, parental death, and gore involving blood are shown and mentioned in the read. There are scenes that show PTSD. There is some romance. There are some mentions of prayer and religious figures.
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304
Synopsis: One life.
One choice.
One sacrifice.
To save those closest to her, Simi traded away everything: her freedom, her family, and the boy she loves. Now she is sworn to serve a new god, watching over the Land of the Dead at the bottom of the ocean.
But when signs of demons begin to appear, it's clear there are deeper consequences of Simi's trade. These demons spell the world's ruin . . . and because of Simi, they now have a way into the human realm.
With the fate of the world at stake, Simi must break her promise and team up with a scheming trickster of a god. And if they succeed, perhaps Simi can also unbreak her heart along the way, and find herself again.
Review: I liked this sequel book to Skin of the Sea. I thought the book was a lot more straight-forward with what was happening, which I appreciated, and it featured more African mythology and lore. The book was beautifully written and I fell in love with Simi more than I did in the first one. The book continued with the well developed characters and continued to develop a beautiful world.
However, I did think that the book could have done with a bit of a reminder as to what happened in the previous book. There are some spots here and there that mention it, but mostly it just immediately jumped into the story and continued post 6-months after the events of last book. I also thought the pacing was a bit off in places. I’m also confused on if there’s a third book in the series or not.
Verdict: It was good!
Book: Soul of the Deep
Author: Natasha Bowen
Book Series: Skin of the Sea Book 2
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Nigerian based MC and characters, Black characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, African mythology and lore, mermaids, retellings, romance
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Relevance: 15+ (slavery, death, violence, gore, PTSD, prayer and religion, romance, parental death)
Explanation of Above: There are mentions and some showings of slavery. Death, violence, parental death, and gore involving blood are shown and mentioned in the read. There are scenes that show PTSD. There is some romance. There are some mentions of prayer and religious figures.
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304
Synopsis: One life.
One choice.
One sacrifice.
To save those closest to her, Simi traded away everything: her freedom, her family, and the boy she loves. Now she is sworn to serve a new god, watching over the Land of the Dead at the bottom of the ocean.
But when signs of demons begin to appear, it's clear there are deeper consequences of Simi's trade. These demons spell the world's ruin . . . and because of Simi, they now have a way into the human realm.
With the fate of the world at stake, Simi must break her promise and team up with a scheming trickster of a god. And if they succeed, perhaps Simi can also unbreak her heart along the way, and find herself again.
Review: I liked this sequel book to Skin of the Sea. I thought the book was a lot more straight-forward with what was happening, which I appreciated, and it featured more African mythology and lore. The book was beautifully written and I fell in love with Simi more than I did in the first one. The book continued with the well developed characters and continued to develop a beautiful world.
However, I did think that the book could have done with a bit of a reminder as to what happened in the previous book. There are some spots here and there that mention it, but mostly it just immediately jumped into the story and continued post 6-months after the events of last book. I also thought the pacing was a bit off in places. I’m also confused on if there’s a third book in the series or not.
Verdict: It was good!