4.5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: fantasy, mermaids, gods, mythical creatures, African-inspired fantasy, magic
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
TW slavery
This was a book that I was absolutely entranced in from the first page. I had a busy day, so I couldn’t read it all in one sitting, but when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it. Bowen created a world of magic and gods with fleshed-out characters and an interesting plot.
We’re dropped into the story in the middle of one of Simidele’s soul-collecting journeys. While in media res can be confusing or bothersome at times, Bowen does a good job introducing us to the action in a way that makes it feel natural. I think it was helpful for the book to start where it does because it introduces Simi to readers in a way where we get to really get a feel for who she is without a ton of exposition. Her mission and her personality shine through immediately, as does the world’s magic and danger.
The world itself is lush, both when it comes to the people and to the magic. I’d heard of Mami Wata before but wasn’t really familiar with the legend, and the other gods, magic, and mythical creatures were new to me entirely. I really enjoyed that we got to see a variety of different magics in the book and liked learning about them. The yumbo were interesting and I’d like to see more of them, either in a sequel or in something else by Bowen. I’d like to get to know more about the other Mami Wata too, or perhaps some of the other shifters. I thought the realism of having pain from walking on two legs after so long in the sea (and also how it calls back to The Little Mermaid) was a nice touch, along with the seafoam thing.
For the characters themselves, Simi was compassionate and protective, determined to do what’s right seemingly no matter the cost. Even when she’s unsure of the people or situation, she tries to see things in a way that allows her to sympathize (generally) with those around her, which was a quality that I liked about her. While she wants to me Mami Wata, she also yearns for her human memories and life. This struggle is something that plays out during the course of the book and both desires tug at her.
Kola was a hard character to like at first. He seems reckless and impulsive, which I suppose he is, but paired with a temper it doesn’t make for a good combo. Despite this entrance, he does calm down a lot and expresses regret over some of his initial actions. Kola seems to be a good dude and actually becomes more thoughtful and less impulsive as the story goes on. I like that we get to see this side of him ebb away during the story as part of his character growth since his background does involve his impulsivity as something that gets him into trouble. Additionally, I like how his protective comes out from the get-go and we get to see that explored more during his journey with Simi. A lot about his character makes sense when we get to his background, which is always something that’s nice to see in books.
There were a number of side characters in the story that I also enjoyed. Yinka and Bem are two who end up journeying along with Simi and Kola. Yinka is very protective, to the point where she seems to be resentful and mistrusting of Simi, which I feel are two traits that I don’t often see in protective women in stories. I really liked that Yinka and Simi had a chance to bond and I enjoyed the friendship that started blooming between them. Bem is more of an open-hearted character who seems to rarely not have a smile. I liked that his character brought some lightness to the story, particularly since it does deal with some heavier topics at times. Issa is a yumbo and was another character who ends up journeying along with the group. He was very kid-like in nature, but eager to help and do a good job. His character was endearing in the way that such characters can be. The final main side character was Ifedayo, whom nobody seems to like very much. At first I was thinking his story would go one way, but then it veered off differently. However, both Issa’s and Ifedayo’s plots were fairly predictable and I was able to figure out fairly early on from their introduction how their roles would play out.
We also get to see several orisa/gods throughout the story. Yemoja is a given considering she made Simi into a Mami Wata and is the one she releases souls with. We also get to meet a husband-wife pair of storm gods who fight to destroy the slaving ships stealing around the coast. Toward the end of the story the Supreme Creator comes in, as does a god who was exiled to the bottom of the sea. Aside from Yemoja, the god that receives the most time is Esu, a trickster god who is plotting all sorts of nasty stuff in order to gain power and subjugate humans. I had an inkling his story was going to go one way, but Bowen surprised me with that one (in a good way) and something else ended up happening.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the story with its characters, mythical creatures, culture, and plot. I appreciated the author’s note that Bowen included with the book because it does give a little background about some of the magical creatures as well as something else that becomes integral to the plot, but stays subtle for a while. The half star off is mostly for the ending, which I felt was pretty abrupt and almost unfinished. Another reviewer here mentioned that there’s a sequel coming, which would definitely help with the ending, though I’m wary of that since it can still technically stand on its own as-is.
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