by Jamie Webster, M. Dalto
Book: Arms of the Ocean
Publisher: Parliament House
Pub Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: Fantasy/New Adult
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle
Nineteen-year-old Tristaine lived a life of bitterness. When her mother abandoned her family, and her father began drinking, Tris discovered the only thing that truly brought her happiness: the sea.
It called to her like a lover and flowed through her like a life force. When her only peace is threatened to be taken away, Tris realizes there is nothing she wouldn’t do to remain with the ocean.
Even if it means taking her own life to do so.
But the sea isn’t done with her -not yet- and Tris soon finds herself submerged in a world where love, betrayal, and honor stand stronger than any other force of nature.
My Review: Tristaine is stuck in what seems like a permanent life of misery taking care of her drunken and angry father when things take a turn for the worse. In a drunken fit, Tristaine’s father sells her off to the last person in the world she would want to marry, Lord Fiero. In a fit of despair and desperation, Tristaine towards the only thing in her life that makes her feel safe: the sea.
After she throws herself in the ocean, she wakes up in the magical underwater city of the Inara where she meets Prince Imriel and learns of her own connection to the selkie community. But danger lurks as Tris and Imri grow closer, and a traitor threatens their happiness forever.
So, this story stole my heart simply because it’s based on Selkie lore. I’ve always been deeply interested in the freedom and tragedy behind the idea of Selkies and the authors manage to create a story that skillfully explores both aspects. The main focus of this book is the love story, which isn’t my typical read, but the plot was too tempting to resist. I’m not one to enjoy romantic storylines where it’s love at first sight or destined by fate but I was endeared by Tri and Imri’s relationship. They provided many emotional, charming moments and really made the story. However, even more than their relationship, I was invested in the other relationships in the book. Friends, family, foes…there is no connection that is left unexplored and exposed. Throughout the book’s many twists and turns, we learn that people are not always what they appear and not every story is true, and then we get to explore how people react to these truths. It’s riveting to watch the characters navigate these new and old relationships.
The book explores plenty of dark topics such as suicide, alcoholism, rape, and abuse. It would be easy for these ideas to take over the story and turn it into something dark and unenjoyable, but that line was carefully treaded and, despite the heartbreaking moments in the story, I came away from the book feeling at peace with the story. (Well, as much peace as is possible after having my heart broken and mended several times over the course of the novel)
I would absolutely recommend this book to any readers who enjoy a good dash of romantic fantasy. I think there’s lots of potential in the writing and I’m excited to see what these authors produce next. As for a possible sequel, I know I certainly wouldn’t mind learning what the future looks like for Tris and Imri, and I think anyone else who reads this book would agree with me.
My Rating:
✪✪✪✪
