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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic paranormal romance, June 14, 2009
This review is from: Sea Change (Hardcover)
Miranda Merchant of New York City is a girl of science, fact, and rational thought. So when she's introduced to the legends and myths of surrounding Selkie Island off Georgia's coast, her summer destination, she easily dismisses them. Why would a logical girl believe in the kraken and other such made up frivolities? Instead, she tries to focus on cleaning out her deceased grandmother's familial summer home and navigating the awkwardness of Southern formalities. But meeting Leo changes everything. Leo, the deeply mysterious local boy from the wrong side of the island, challenges all Miranda knows from friendship and love to her very perception of reality. But what happens when this scientist-in-the-making leans that what she dismissed as just stories of Selkie Island might actually be true and closer than she thinks?
Sea Change is a beautifully crafted mystical romance. My interest in this novel was piqued before I so much as read the summary because the cover art for Sea Change is some of the most beautiful and alluring I've ever seen. I'd classify this novel as mythological rather than paranormal, but there's no denying that the story, if not the characters, is magical. Friedman has a way of creating such a believable and likable heroine in Miranda; her affinity for logic, feelings of being the odd one out, and determination not to show her weaknesses make her particularly easy for me to relate to. There is a thick sense of mystery that pervades this story, especially surrounding Leo, which fueled my interest in this story further. The reader, along with Miranda, is kept guessing until the very end, and all the twists and hidden secrets maintain a high level of suspense and excitement. Although all the little clues point in one direction, I can't help but both love and hate how Friedman never actually states what Leo is; the mythology buff in me squeals over discovering such a cool creature, but my skeptic side writes if off as all coincidence. Unfortunately, I can't come out with my suspicious because the journey to these is half the story, but I can say that Sea Change will warm your heart, open your eyes to all of life's possibilities, and make ever the hardest headed person start to believe in true love and myths.
Fans of Friedman's writing in The Year My Sister Got Lucky will be similarly delighted in this fantastic and romantic tale. Readers will also enjoy this novel is they liked Evermore and Cruel Summer by Alyson Noël and Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodriguez Wallach. I really hope there will be a sequel to Sea Change so I can follow the rest of Miranda and Leo's relationship and see some of the loose ends tied up.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lore, history, and southern hospitality, July 5, 2009
This review is from: Sea Change (Hardcover)
If I could be on Selkie Island I would never want summer to end. What a history of sea creatures, heirs and southern hospitality this island has. Magnificent.
I loved Miranda, me and her, we'd get along. It was tough watching her struggle to fit in with the other girls on the island, the southern belles. But it was nice seeing her find a little group to hang out with. I really liked that she wasn't dropped into the story and she had this nice backstory of a boy that had once been more than a friend and a best friend that was no longer even a friend. It made Miranda seem more realistic.
Like others have said it would have been nice to just have a touch more about the mermaid/merman lore of the island, it was hinted at repeatedly but nothing ever was for sure. I wanted that for sureness. But I found Miranda and Leo's summer love really fun and interesting. I do wonder if their story will continue?
I also loved Miranda's family history, her parents story, her grandmother's story, that definitely helped take the story to another level. It helped create this beautiful world for the characters to exist in. This is definitely a wonderful summer story!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 11, 2009
This review is from: Sea Change (Hardcover)
Most people think that mermaids and mermen, aka "Merfolk," are creatures of myth and legend and that they don't exist. But what if they do exist? We rooted for Ariel and her prince to live happily ever after, so with that in mind allow the fantastical aspect in your brain to take over for a moment and you have Aimee Friedman's newest book, SEA CHANGE. With an air of mystery and some romance, this book will suck you in with the cover alone. It's just gorgeous, foreshadowing things to come.
Miranda is spending the summer on Selkie Island, a small island off the Georgia Coast. She is helping her mom pack up the house her grandmother left to her mother when she died. You ask anyone who lives around there about Selkie Island and they can tell you all sorts of interesting local legends and lore.
The most interesting one is about the Merfolk. According to the legend, Captain McCloud fell in love with a mermaid, married her, and they lived on an island he named Selkie, which is the Scottish word for a creature than can turn from a seal into a human. They had several children, who took after their mother and were Merfolk - human on land and fish-like in the sea. Many of their descendants are still living on the Island today.
But Miranda is a girl of science who needs proof and knowledge to proceed forward. Did I mention she is headstrong and stubborn, as well? She is not one of the those girls that swoons at the sight of a gorgeous guy. But then she meets Leo......
There is something about Leo. He is not like the people that flock to the Island over the summer. Leo is a local - he lives on the Island year-round. Miranda is instantly drawn to him, but remember, she is a girl of science, and this so goes against her logical nature. There is just something about Leo, and no matter how attracted she is to him, it's just not sitting right with her.
Just go for it, girl! I know many girls who would love to have a guy like that. But could Leo possibly be hiding something, or is there really something to the stories Miranda has come across?
To put it simply, I liked this story because I really enjoyed Miranda and Leo and the realm of possibilities. It was the magical possibilities that drew me in. I would have been very happy leaving the other characters out and just reading about Leo and Miranda. It was implied what Leo was, but never said outright, and this just made the story all the more enjoyable. Friedman leaves you hanging at the end, too. I would like to see a second book that delves deeper into Miranda and Leo's relationship.
All in all, this book is absolutely a great summer read.
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
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