Sea Change is a YA fantasy romance by Aimee Friedman, best-selling author of a couple of the SimonPulse romantic comedies, among other books.
The most bare-bones, spoiler-free summary I can give you is thus: Seventeen year old Miranda is suddenly ferried to Selkie Island when her estranged grandmother dies and leaves her mother a manor. Miranda postpones her summer internship and comes to help her mom pack everything up and try to sell the place. But before much packing is done, Miranda realizes there’s a lot more to her Mom’s past on Selkie Island – that there are secrets here that have been long kept and an magnetism about the place that seems to change her Mom’s behavior… and maybe even her own. When she meets a mysterious (not to mention hot) guy, Miranda finds her science-driven, reality-focused mind begin to go a bit cloudy.
First off, I want to say that I really, really liked it. And here’s why: Miranda is a very relatable main character, she’s not fighting off boys, she doesn’t have the best self-image, but she’s smart and level-headed in a way that teenage girls are so often not portrayed. But one of the main enticements Sea Change had for me was what could be called the true main character of the novel: Selkie Island.
Now, Aimee Friedman made me feel this island. As I turned pages, I could smell the sea air, feel the grittiness of the sand beneath my feet, taste the fish in the local restaurants. It had that heavy, thickly layered atmospheric quality that I think Stephenie Meyer excelled at in the Twilight Saga. It was really incredible. So, I felt like I was with Miranda, truly in Selkie Island as I read Sea Change.
The plot is rather light, I’ll admit, and the end is somewhat unsatisfying… but I almost feel it’s unfair to say that. Because with Sea Change you almost feel like things end the way they should – better not say any more about the end or I’ll give something away!
Romance plays a fantastic role in Sea Change – it’s intense, captivating, and hypnotic – yet still believable to me. I found the airy fantasy touch just subtle enough to be ignored or embraced – the reader’s choice.
I could almost say I wish there was a sequel to look forward to, a chance to mingle yet again with the high society of this Georgia area island and their fancy ways, with the locals who are derided by the summering wealth, yet perhaps way more intriguing than you would first guess, but most of all… to linger in the languor of the foggy haze of Selkie Island once more.
The most bare-bones, spoiler-free summary I can give you is thus: Seventeen year old Miranda is suddenly ferried to Selkie Island when her estranged grandmother dies and leaves her mother a manor. Miranda postpones her summer internship and comes to help her mom pack everything up and try to sell the place. But before much packing is done, Miranda realizes there’s a lot more to her Mom’s past on Selkie Island – that there are secrets here that have been long kept and an magnetism about the place that seems to change her Mom’s behavior… and maybe even her own. When she meets a mysterious (not to mention hot) guy, Miranda finds her science-driven, reality-focused mind begin to go a bit cloudy.
First off, I want to say that I really, really liked it. And here’s why: Miranda is a very relatable main character, she’s not fighting off boys, she doesn’t have the best self-image, but she’s smart and level-headed in a way that teenage girls are so often not portrayed. But one of the main enticements Sea Change had for me was what could be called the true main character of the novel: Selkie Island.
Now, Aimee Friedman made me feel this island. As I turned pages, I could smell the sea air, feel the grittiness of the sand beneath my feet, taste the fish in the local restaurants. It had that heavy, thickly layered atmospheric quality that I think Stephenie Meyer excelled at in the Twilight Saga. It was really incredible. So, I felt like I was with Miranda, truly in Selkie Island as I read Sea Change.
The plot is rather light, I’ll admit, and the end is somewhat unsatisfying… but I almost feel it’s unfair to say that. Because with Sea Change you almost feel like things end the way they should – better not say any more about the end or I’ll give something away!
Romance plays a fantastic role in Sea Change – it’s intense, captivating, and hypnotic – yet still believable to me. I found the airy fantasy touch just subtle enough to be ignored or embraced – the reader’s choice.
I could almost say I wish there was a sequel to look forward to, a chance to mingle yet again with the high society of this Georgia area island and their fancy ways, with the locals who are derided by the summering wealth, yet perhaps way more intriguing than you would first guess, but most of all… to linger in the languor of the foggy haze of Selkie Island once more.
But, alas, I know not if a sequel is to be. And if not, well, thank God there’s always rereading!!!
Comments
And I agree with you on the cover! It's really gels with the hypnotic feel of the book, doesn't it?!