Description
Order the sequel to this title _ available as of September 27th, 2022!
One life.
One choice.
One sacrifice.
Ages 14+
An Instant New York Times Bestseller
An NPR Best Book of the Year
A PopSugar Best New Book – November 2021
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Children’s Africana Book Awards – 2022 Honor Book for Older Readers
Bowen has built an impressive mythology to buttress her fairy tale, and it’s a pleasure to discover this world through Simi’s eyes. —The New York Times
An evocative debut. —Entertainment Weekly
Riveting . . . I’m sure that Simi has many ardent fans to await her further adventures. –NPR
Remarkable. —Buzzfeed
“Skin of the Sea is one of the most epic and original fantasies I’ve read. . . . Simi’s story will stay with me for a long time to come.” –Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Instructions for Dancing
“The most engrossing, thought-provoking, beautiful novel I’ve read in ages. Skin of the Sea knocks your socks off and leaves you wanting more. –Namina Forna, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones
“An enchanting, unputdownable fantasy. Bowen’s lush world building and beautiful prose will have you rooting for these characters from page one. A triumph of storytelling.” –Kalynn Bayron, New York Times bestselling author of This Poison Heart
★ “A story bursting with innovative inspiration . . . a divine debut. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ Reinvigorating the image of West Africa as not merely a site of human suffering but a historical place of great invention, fellowship, and hope, Bowen relays a story as lushly described as it is cinematic, centering a brave, headstrong protagonist coming into her own power in an age of change. —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ Any story about literal Black girl magic featuring a Black mermaid is sure to shine, but Bowen’s story swims to sparkling heights.” —Booklist, starred review
Give this book to everyone, but especially fans of mythological and well-crafted fantasy. —School Library Journal
Those who have been riveted by the many new West African-inspired novels of the last few years including Children of Blood and Bone and The Gilded Ones will find this a worthy addition to the genre, and readers new to an African fantasy setting have an excellent introduction here. –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
An inspired take on Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ that blends West African religion and history in an immersive adventure. . . . Skin of the Sea painfully entwines love and sacrifice to create a story as powerful and majestic as the sea itself. —BookPage
Bowen combines a classic quest plot with a rich and still-underrepresented mythology . . . [an] inventive supernatural fantasy. —The Horn Book
Natasha Bowen is a New York Times bestselling author, a teacher, and a mother of three children. She is of Nigerian and Welsh descent and lives in Cambridge, England, where she grew up. Natasha studied English and creative writing at Bath Spa University before moving to East London, where she taught for nearly ten years. She is obsessed with Japanese and German stationery and spends stupid amounts on notebooks, which she then features on her secret Instagram. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, watched over carefully by Milk and Honey, her cat and dog. Follow her on Twitter at @skinofthesea.
