The Little Selkie

Title: The Little Selkie

Rating: 3/5

Author: K.M. Shea

Pages: 318

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Synopsis:

Dylan is a selkie which means she has the ability to change from a human form to a sea lion form as long as her sea lion pelt remains safe and undamaged. She also has a special connection to the ocean and a duty to protect it. When the waters are tormented by a wicked sea witch, Dylan brashly races onto land to confront her. Too late she realizes the severity of her mistake.

The selkie is captured and her pelt stolen from her. She’s certain the sea witch will force Dylan to use her special powers to help aid her in her wicked plans. But Dylan’s powers only work through her ability to sing. When Dylan stumbles upon a passing enchantress, she begs her to seal her voice. Now, unable to speak and fearing that she may never retrieve her pelt, Dylan must discover the sea witch’s plot and do whatever she can to thwart it before it’s too late.

My Reaction:

Recently, I saw a book list full of books with strong female characters, so I know that’s something some readers are looking for. If that’s you, than K.M. Shea may be the author for you. One of the positive things about both of her books that I’ve read so far are female protagonists who get the job done!

Aside from that, The Little Selkie was another enjoyable read. However, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Beauty and the Beast. I appreciated the fact that she was a selkie instead of a mermaid. It changed the dynamic of the story a little bit as her motivations are different than say Disney’s version of the tale. Also, there’s no turning into sea foam involved, so that’s a plus for Dylan. I kind of would have liked a just a little more information on selkies. I mean, you can figure out the concept, but I found myself wondering if they spent more time in seal bodies versus their human forms since Dylan thinks of things like all her sister’s books or sleeping on straw mattresses which didn’t really match what I was picturing in my head (waterproof books, perhaps?). But, you’ll understand the important bit—a destroyed pelt equals bad news for a selkie.

Also, I will admit that I googled “selkie” because I wasn’t sure what it was as opposed to a mermaid. See? Reading is good for you. You learn stuff.

You may notice that this book as well as Beauty and the Beast are part of the series, but fear not. You don’t have to read them in order. In fact, you could just read one book out of the series and still be fine. From what I’ve seen, they are stand alone books that may make subtle references to each other just to let you know that they are in the same universe.

Oh! I nearly forgot to mention that there is still a love story in there. Don't worry about that :)

Reader’s Guidance:

I can’t think of anything.

Similar Books:

I feel like I’ve run out of fairy tale books to tell you! Here’s an idea: what are your favorite fairy tale related books out there?

Next Book:

So, I started reading another fairy tale, but then thought, “Maybe I need to shake this up and come back to this one.” But the first few pages seem interesting, so I may just keep reading it anyway. It’s called Goldheart by Kenley Davidson, and it’s a retelling of Rumplestiltskin. I was a little hesitant to start reading a retelling of that particular story as I read Rump last year and absolutely loved it! Based on the first little bit though, I think they’re going to be totally different in both style and twist on the original tale.

The other books I’ve been thinking of are The Prydain Chronicles. You may not know that name, but perhaps you’ve heard of The Black Cauldron, which is one of the books in the series (and not one of Disney’s finest adaptations into film). I read the series some years ago now. I was talking to my husband about Disney’s take on the book and found that I couldn’t remember much about the series as a whole except that I liked it. It’s sitting on my shelf ever so patiently waiting to be read again.

Basically, I’m claiming to be reading two books now, though in all honesty I probably won’t read them simultaneously. I don’t think I’ve ever been successful with that. Usually one book falls by the wayside. Well, I’ve committed now. You’ll be expecting reviews on both. Let’s do this.

Also, does anyone else feel in need of another baking post? Perhaps I need to bake something… I

mean, I bake usually once a week at least, but I should maybe document it. Ha!