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The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding
From international bestselling author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Holly Ringland, comes a haunting and magical novel about joy, grief, courage, and transformation.'On the afternoon that Esther Wilding drove homeward along the coast, a year after her sister had walked into the sea and disappeared, the light was painfully golden.'The last time Esther Wilding's beloved older sister Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. In the wake of Aura's disappearance, Esther's family struggles to live with their loss. To seek the truth about her sister's death, Esther reluctantly travels from lutruwita, Tasmania to Copenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands, following the trail of the stories Aura left seven fairy tales about selkies, swans and women, alongside cryptic verses Aura wrote and had secretly tattooed on her body.The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is a sweeping, deeply beautiful and profoundly moving novel about the far-reaches of sisterly love, the power of wearing your heart on your skin, and the ways life can transform when we find the courage to feel the fullness of both grief and joy.
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First published September 30, 2022
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About the author
Holly Ringland
7 books1,255 followersHOLLY RINGLAND grew up in her mother's tropical garden on the east coast of Australia. When she was nine years old, her love of landscapes, cultures and stories was deepened by a two-year journey her family took in North America, living in a camper van and travelling from one national park to another.
In her early twenties, Holly worked for four years in a remote Indigenous community in Australia’s western desert. Moving to England in 2009, Holly obtained her MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester in 2011.
After wanting to be a writer since she was three years old, Holly’s debut novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart was published in 2018 when she was 37 years old, and has since become an international bestseller. Publication rights have sold in 30 territories. In May 2019, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart won The Australian Book Industry Award General Fiction Book of the Year.
In February 2020, Holly signed a new two-book deal with HarperCollins Publishers Australia. Her second novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, will be published in October 2022.
Throughout 2020, Holly travelled Australia to film Back To Nature, a new, visually stunning 8-episode factual lifestyle series she co-hosts with Aaron Pedersen. Back To Nature premiered on ABC TV + ABC iView in August, 2021. All episodes are now streaming on ABC iView.
In May 2021, Amazon Prime Video announced their commission of a television series adaption of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, to stream globally. The seven-part series, a tale of female resilience, friendship, and the power to overcome tragedy, will star Sigourney Weaver, produced by Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios and Endeavor Content. Production is underway with filming currently taking place in Australia.
Prior to the pandemic, Holly divided her time between Australia and the UK, where she had Australian native flowers growing in both places. In 2020, Holly bought a 1968 Olympic Riviera caravan, named ‘Frenchie’, her Plan B writing office based on Yugambeh land, southeast Queensland. In which Holly currently spends most days writing Esther Wilding’s story.
In her early twenties, Holly worked for four years in a remote Indigenous community in Australia’s western desert. Moving to England in 2009, Holly obtained her MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester in 2011.
After wanting to be a writer since she was three years old, Holly’s debut novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart was published in 2018 when she was 37 years old, and has since become an international bestseller. Publication rights have sold in 30 territories. In May 2019, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart won The Australian Book Industry Award General Fiction Book of the Year.
In February 2020, Holly signed a new two-book deal with HarperCollins Publishers Australia. Her second novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, will be published in October 2022.
Throughout 2020, Holly travelled Australia to film Back To Nature, a new, visually stunning 8-episode factual lifestyle series she co-hosts with Aaron Pedersen. Back To Nature premiered on ABC TV + ABC iView in August, 2021. All episodes are now streaming on ABC iView.
In May 2021, Amazon Prime Video announced their commission of a television series adaption of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, to stream globally. The seven-part series, a tale of female resilience, friendship, and the power to overcome tragedy, will star Sigourney Weaver, produced by Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios and Endeavor Content. Production is underway with filming currently taking place in Australia.
Prior to the pandemic, Holly divided her time between Australia and the UK, where she had Australian native flowers growing in both places. In 2020, Holly bought a 1968 Olympic Riviera caravan, named ‘Frenchie’, her Plan B writing office based on Yugambeh land, southeast Queensland. In which Holly currently spends most days writing Esther Wilding’s story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,181 reviews
September 18, 2022
Such a beautiful story about loss, grief, sisterhood, family and forgiveness. When it comes to depicting natural imagery set in Australia, Holly Ringland is hands-down my favourite author. There is such a magical quality to her writing--this book was so very atmospheric and I loved the settings of the novel to bits.
November 16, 2022
There are some parts of this book that are beautiful and lyrical but I really struggled connecting with the main character and her family. I found them incredibly irritating for the most part. It was all a bit airy fairy and cliched.
July 18, 2024
If I met my traumatised dead sisters ex-fiancé with who they had a dead baby I would simply Not fall in love with him and fuck him in their old bed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2022
A good story, but way too long and some aspects of the storytelling would probably have worked a lot better on the page than in the audiobook format that I read. Narration by Emmanuelle Mattana was good, handling both the Australian and Scandinavian accents well. Having read and loved the author's previous novel, and even though I could see some evolution from that book to this, I expected to enjoy this one more than I did.
February 6, 2023
Esther takes her foot off the accelerator and slows down to admire the sun turning the sea gold. This had been Aura’s, her elder sister’s favourite time of year. March, this time one year ago she walked into the sea disappearing into the same golden waves.
The tragic loss of Aura finds Esther and her family struggling to move on. Esther especially finds it hard to understand what happened to her sister. They used to be inseparable, more twins than sisters. Aura dropped out of university and travelled to the Faroe Islands where she lived for three years before returning. It was only a year ago that Aura disappeared, but to Esther it feels like she disappeared from her life long before that.
Esther has closed herself off and repressed thoughts and memories of her sister, her method of dealing with the pain and loss. However, her parents convince her to travel to the islands and try to find out what happened. Why Aura came back a different, broken shadow of herself.
Travelling down the length of Aura’s spine were seven tattoos, each one an enigmatic verse. The tattoos appear to tell the story, or some fantastical version of Aura’s life.
On the Faroe Islands Esther slowly starts to piece together the puzzle of Aura’s life and why she felt the need to end it. As the novel unfolds Esther finds out more and more about Aura’s life, and the tattoos start to form a semblance of meaning.
I loved this novel. From slowly learning about Aura while experiencing the heartbreak and devastation her loss inflicts on Esther. The sisters are great characters. Aura, although passed, feels alive and is very much as important a character as Esther. Esther in her search for meaning and closure to Aura’s actions, finds hidden truths about herself and family.
This is a novel about relationships between siblings and family. It is also about perception and secrets. How many times we keep our pain to ourselves, sometimes from the loved ones who would share that pain, ease the burden. It is about grief and how easily and quickly it can consume if not dealt with. I guess what I took away from this brilliant novel is that tragedies happen, there are many happening as I write, but we cannot change that. What we can change is how we deal with the tragedies, not let them consume us, but with time wash over us. You never really get over a tragedy, but you must learn to live with it and move on with life for it will not stop for you.
When a novel can make you stop and think about life like this, it is normally something special and this novel is indeed something special.
The tragic loss of Aura finds Esther and her family struggling to move on. Esther especially finds it hard to understand what happened to her sister. They used to be inseparable, more twins than sisters. Aura dropped out of university and travelled to the Faroe Islands where she lived for three years before returning. It was only a year ago that Aura disappeared, but to Esther it feels like she disappeared from her life long before that.
Esther has closed herself off and repressed thoughts and memories of her sister, her method of dealing with the pain and loss. However, her parents convince her to travel to the islands and try to find out what happened. Why Aura came back a different, broken shadow of herself.
Travelling down the length of Aura’s spine were seven tattoos, each one an enigmatic verse. The tattoos appear to tell the story, or some fantastical version of Aura’s life.
On the Faroe Islands Esther slowly starts to piece together the puzzle of Aura’s life and why she felt the need to end it. As the novel unfolds Esther finds out more and more about Aura’s life, and the tattoos start to form a semblance of meaning.
I loved this novel. From slowly learning about Aura while experiencing the heartbreak and devastation her loss inflicts on Esther. The sisters are great characters. Aura, although passed, feels alive and is very much as important a character as Esther. Esther in her search for meaning and closure to Aura’s actions, finds hidden truths about herself and family.
This is a novel about relationships between siblings and family. It is also about perception and secrets. How many times we keep our pain to ourselves, sometimes from the loved ones who would share that pain, ease the burden. It is about grief and how easily and quickly it can consume if not dealt with. I guess what I took away from this brilliant novel is that tragedies happen, there are many happening as I write, but we cannot change that. What we can change is how we deal with the tragedies, not let them consume us, but with time wash over us. You never really get over a tragedy, but you must learn to live with it and move on with life for it will not stop for you.
When a novel can make you stop and think about life like this, it is normally something special and this novel is indeed something special.
November 17, 2022
DNF at 30% . Just goes to show that a pretty cover doesn't make a book. Frankly, it was just boring and full of characters I found utterly unpleasant (especially Esther) and therefore, hard to care for.
November 13, 2022
I was lured to the book by the title, I kind of hoped it would be a saga to match “The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo.”?
Swans and Tattoos, iced Vo-Vos and Russian caravan tea, Tasmania and Copenhagen… a Curious mix.
A Slow start, and even slower story telling, long winded, with way too many adjectives, like a never ending high school essay.
Around half way, I struggled to keep going, but succumbed to my original commitment, I’d invested hours already, what harm in giving it a chance to liven up, to eventually feel a bond with the key characters, their plight, the whole damn family history. But that didn’t happen.
I’d actually like to see a rewrite, it could be a far better book. Slim it down, tell a more compelling story, add a few more dramatics, passion and fervour, bring the characters to life, I didn't feel a connection with any of them from the get go.
2 stars for the kernel of a potentially great book
Swans and Tattoos, iced Vo-Vos and Russian caravan tea, Tasmania and Copenhagen… a Curious mix.
A Slow start, and even slower story telling, long winded, with way too many adjectives, like a never ending high school essay.
Around half way, I struggled to keep going, but succumbed to my original commitment, I’d invested hours already, what harm in giving it a chance to liven up, to eventually feel a bond with the key characters, their plight, the whole damn family history. But that didn’t happen.
I’d actually like to see a rewrite, it could be a far better book. Slim it down, tell a more compelling story, add a few more dramatics, passion and fervour, bring the characters to life, I didn't feel a connection with any of them from the get go.
2 stars for the kernel of a potentially great book
July 26, 2022
Well this was beautiful.
This is a story about sisters, family, and a journey through grief. Yes, it is sad. But life is sad, and there is always beauty to be found. It took me a bit of time to get into, but once I was in I was there, in the moment, loving the adventure. The thing about Holly’s books, for me, is that I can always relate to them in one way or another. I feel included.
It’s not a binge read. It’s one to sip slowly. The closer I got to the end, the slower I read, because I didn’t want it to be over. I’m sad now, because I miss my new friends. I keep wondering how they’re going. It reminds me of Still Life in that way.
Some other fun themes include: tattoos, fairytales, story telling, Denmark adventures
If you loved Alice, you will love this equally ❤️
This is a story about sisters, family, and a journey through grief. Yes, it is sad. But life is sad, and there is always beauty to be found. It took me a bit of time to get into, but once I was in I was there, in the moment, loving the adventure. The thing about Holly’s books, for me, is that I can always relate to them in one way or another. I feel included.
It’s not a binge read. It’s one to sip slowly. The closer I got to the end, the slower I read, because I didn’t want it to be over. I’m sad now, because I miss my new friends. I keep wondering how they’re going. It reminds me of Still Life in that way.
Some other fun themes include: tattoos, fairytales, story telling, Denmark adventures
If you loved Alice, you will love this equally ❤️
April 21, 2023
I was so close to rating this 4/5, despite the fact I don't enjoy Holly Ringland, and then she had to go and fuck it all up.
Esther Wilding, our title character, has been living a scattered life since her sister Aurora (called Aura throughout) walked into the ocean and was never seen again. Her parents, Freya and Jack, lure her back from the western coast of Tasmania (constantly called 'Lutruwita. Tasmania.' throughout the entire damn book) under the guise of hosting a memorial for her sister. From there, Esther is compelled to go to Copenhagen to unravel the mystery of why her sister killed herself.
This book is too fucking long. That's it. That's the entire problem. It's trying to be coy and whimsical and all the female characters are trying to be dream girls, but it doesn't work.
If you're wondering what Aura's whole deal is, it's this:
It's never explained why Aura wanted nothing to do with her family after she moves to Copenhagen. Jack is a psychologist- shouldn't he be able to reach out to her? Also, holy fuck on her for not revealing she's a) pregnant or b) engaged to her parents.
So Aura dies. Esther goes, at her parents behest, to Denmark.
The entire novel, Esther talks about feeling like she's living as Aura's ghost/in her shadow. So what does she do?
She sleeps with her dead sister's fiance.
For fuck's sake...
It should have been the best friend she sleeps with- if she had to sleep with anyone. Florin, I believe his name was? They had more chemistry. He called her Moon Moth, for crying out loud. Took her to his glasshouse. Spent time with her. But no, she creates the double backed beast with Sophos the antivirus.
Don't be lured in by the pretty cover or title.
Esther Wilding, our title character, has been living a scattered life since her sister Aurora (called Aura throughout) walked into the ocean and was never seen again. Her parents, Freya and Jack, lure her back from the western coast of Tasmania (constantly called 'Lutruwita. Tasmania.' throughout the entire damn book) under the guise of hosting a memorial for her sister. From there, Esther is compelled to go to Copenhagen to unravel the mystery of why her sister killed herself.
This book is too fucking long. That's it. That's the entire problem. It's trying to be coy and whimsical and all the female characters are trying to be dream girls, but it doesn't work.
If you're wondering what Aura's whole deal is, it's this:
It's never explained why Aura wanted nothing to do with her family after she moves to Copenhagen. Jack is a psychologist- shouldn't he be able to reach out to her? Also, holy fuck on her for not revealing she's a) pregnant or b) engaged to her parents.
So Aura dies. Esther goes, at her parents behest, to Denmark.
The entire novel, Esther talks about feeling like she's living as Aura's ghost/in her shadow. So what does she do?
She sleeps with her dead sister's fiance.
For fuck's sake...
It should have been the best friend she sleeps with- if she had to sleep with anyone. Florin, I believe his name was? They had more chemistry. He called her Moon Moth, for crying out loud. Took her to his glasshouse. Spent time with her. But no, she creates the double backed beast with Sophos the antivirus.
Don't be lured in by the pretty cover or title.
May 13, 2023
Oh my God, could this be any more drawn-out and dull?
I only finished it because I'd already put it down on my Goodreads challenge.
I think Aura died just to get away from the protagonist.
Anyone would.
I only finished it because I'd already put it down on my Goodreads challenge.
I think Aura died just to get away from the protagonist.
Anyone would.
November 27, 2022
I so wanted to like this book, but was very disappointed. It was too long, too wordy, with incredibly long pointless descriptions of places and people that did not relate to the main storyline. The characters were, in general, not likeable. I almost didn’t finish it but pushed on.
October 9, 2022
‘You are everywhere,’ Esther whispered. ‘And nowhere.’
This was an utterly magical experience to read. I enjoyed Holly Ringland’s first novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, but this one, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, was on a whole other level of brilliance. It tells the story of a sister searching for truth, meaning, and a reason to live her best life after the loss of her older sister. It’s a big novel that takes the reader on a long and emotional journey, but I loved every page of it. It was so beautiful to read a novel this long and this engaging, one that seemed like it had the space for the author to really tell the story she was setting out to tell, no rush, no cutting corners, no fitting into a commercial page length; rather, allowing the reader to exist within this other world for as long as it took for the story to be completely told.
Music plays an important part within the telling of this story, as does the meaning people ascribe to the tattoos they get inked into their skin. The mythology of fairy tales is embedded throughout the narrative, with an emphasis on feminist Nordic tales. I adored this aspect of the novel. As well as paying tribute to sisterhood, this novel also pays homage to the trauma of pregnancy loss, and the often-complicated relationships that can exist between mothers and their daughters. This is very much a novel to sink into, to take your time with; to delicately tiptoe through rather than race around the edges in. There is much to be contemplated throughout and the beauty of it lies in the unfolding. What begins as a journey to discover truths about her sister ends in Esther discovering so much about herself. The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is beautiful, bold, and brilliant. All the stars and then some.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
This was an utterly magical experience to read. I enjoyed Holly Ringland’s first novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, but this one, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, was on a whole other level of brilliance. It tells the story of a sister searching for truth, meaning, and a reason to live her best life after the loss of her older sister. It’s a big novel that takes the reader on a long and emotional journey, but I loved every page of it. It was so beautiful to read a novel this long and this engaging, one that seemed like it had the space for the author to really tell the story she was setting out to tell, no rush, no cutting corners, no fitting into a commercial page length; rather, allowing the reader to exist within this other world for as long as it took for the story to be completely told.
Music plays an important part within the telling of this story, as does the meaning people ascribe to the tattoos they get inked into their skin. The mythology of fairy tales is embedded throughout the narrative, with an emphasis on feminist Nordic tales. I adored this aspect of the novel. As well as paying tribute to sisterhood, this novel also pays homage to the trauma of pregnancy loss, and the often-complicated relationships that can exist between mothers and their daughters. This is very much a novel to sink into, to take your time with; to delicately tiptoe through rather than race around the edges in. There is much to be contemplated throughout and the beauty of it lies in the unfolding. What begins as a journey to discover truths about her sister ends in Esther discovering so much about herself. The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is beautiful, bold, and brilliant. All the stars and then some.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
October 12, 2022
Sisters of seal and swan, all her life Esther has looked up to her older sister Aura, from running along the beach together playing She-Ra and raising their swords, to watching her leave home to study fairytales in Denmark. That is until Aura returns home, a shell of herself and 6 months later disappears, last being seen walking into the ocean calling out Eala. A year after her disappearance Esther returns home for Aura’s memorial. It’s been a year of burying her grief and running away, away to the west coast of Tasmania and hiding from the pain with the help of vodka and sex, which suits Esther just fine thank you very much. Whilst at home Esther is given her sister’s journal, and discovers seven secret cryptic verses in Aura’s handwriting that she also had tattooed on her back. What does this mean? What happened in Denmark that changed Aura so much? Asking herself this Esther travels to Copenhagen to find out with Aura’s journal and a photograph of Aura and a mysterious man as her guide.
I just finished this, after a few days of love / hating this and I have some thoughts. This was beautifully written, I loved the links between the fairytales and folklore of Tasmania, Denmark and the Faroe Islands. I also loved the atmosphere created by Ringland, her prose immediately brought to my minds eyes the copper boulders of The Bay of Fires and set me dreaming about Copenhagen and The Faroe Islands…. I just had difficulty connecting with the protagonist Esther and her family. So often in the book I kept asking myself, why?? Why?? Why??? As she continued to cut off her friends and family, drowning her sorrows in alcohol and the arms of strangers. And I fully understand this is true to her experience of grief, it just really frustrated me.
A lovely book, equal parts frustrating. One to read for some armchair travel to the lands of Vikings, selkies and magic
I just finished this, after a few days of love / hating this and I have some thoughts. This was beautifully written, I loved the links between the fairytales and folklore of Tasmania, Denmark and the Faroe Islands. I also loved the atmosphere created by Ringland, her prose immediately brought to my minds eyes the copper boulders of The Bay of Fires and set me dreaming about Copenhagen and The Faroe Islands…. I just had difficulty connecting with the protagonist Esther and her family. So often in the book I kept asking myself, why?? Why?? Why??? As she continued to cut off her friends and family, drowning her sorrows in alcohol and the arms of strangers. And I fully understand this is true to her experience of grief, it just really frustrated me.
A lovely book, equal parts frustrating. One to read for some armchair travel to the lands of Vikings, selkies and magic
November 13, 2022
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
This gorgeous cover of The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland is a beautiful edition to my shelf and it’s even more stunning in the hand and reflects the connection of nature in the story.
The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is totally absorbing with threads of magical and mythical elements, written in a beautiful and lyrical prose. The story is by no means a fast read, it’s a chunky book full of exquisite detail, mystery, fairytales and folklore.
We follow our broken protagonist Esther Wilding who is living with the loss of her beloved elder sister Aura, who it seems has disappeared last seen on the beach walking into the sea, presumed dead.
Aura has left behind a journal and Esther sets out to follow in the footsteps of Aura’s recent life overseas to seek answers for her family and closure. She travels from Tasmania to Copenhagen and then onto the Faroe Islands to follow her sisters trail before she returns home.
I love the connection to nature, culture and the travel in this book. There are themes of grief, loss of innocence, self-discovery, healing and fractured family relationships.
A beautifully and passionately written captivating, dream-like and poignant read.
Publication Date 30 September 2022
Publisher Harper Collins Australia (Imprint 4th Estate AU)
Thank you to the wonderful team at @harpercollinsaustralia for a copy of this beautiful book.
This gorgeous cover of The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland is a beautiful edition to my shelf and it’s even more stunning in the hand and reflects the connection of nature in the story.
The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is totally absorbing with threads of magical and mythical elements, written in a beautiful and lyrical prose. The story is by no means a fast read, it’s a chunky book full of exquisite detail, mystery, fairytales and folklore.
We follow our broken protagonist Esther Wilding who is living with the loss of her beloved elder sister Aura, who it seems has disappeared last seen on the beach walking into the sea, presumed dead.
Aura has left behind a journal and Esther sets out to follow in the footsteps of Aura’s recent life overseas to seek answers for her family and closure. She travels from Tasmania to Copenhagen and then onto the Faroe Islands to follow her sisters trail before she returns home.
I love the connection to nature, culture and the travel in this book. There are themes of grief, loss of innocence, self-discovery, healing and fractured family relationships.
A beautifully and passionately written captivating, dream-like and poignant read.
Publication Date 30 September 2022
Publisher Harper Collins Australia (Imprint 4th Estate AU)
Thank you to the wonderful team at @harpercollinsaustralia for a copy of this beautiful book.
November 17, 2022
I so badly wanted to love this book. I did love the atmosphere and the feelings of nostalgia and magic wrapped up in the landscapes and homes described.
However a lot of the dialogue felt stilted and played out, like I was reading a script from a bad play. And I found the behaviour of the protagonist mystifying and frustrating. Making it difficult to relate to her.
However a lot of the dialogue felt stilted and played out, like I was reading a script from a bad play. And I found the behaviour of the protagonist mystifying and frustrating. Making it difficult to relate to her.
April 13, 2025
(3.5*) A moment of appreciation here for the Romanian edition cover, which is one of the most beautiful I've seen in a long while (the original is not too bad, either).
We have here an atmospheric, culturally rich, fairy-tale-infused novel that made me want to hop on the next plane to the Faroe Islands and buy a sheep called Shagorney Weaver. But it was also frustrating in part, mostly because it's extremely and unnecessarily long and full of plot holes. Also, some of the characters - the central ones, in fact - made me want to scream.
It’s a journey fueled by grief, across continents and oceans. Esther is mourning the death of her sister, Aura, who disappeared into the sea. Everyone assumes she’s dead, and the family has built a shrine out of her memory - Aura was "the golden child" for her parents, and no one seems to be capable of moving on. So Esther, still battling trauma and parental neglect, sets off on a sort of treasure hunt to find out what happened to her sister, following cryptic clues Aura left behind in her diary. The journey takes her from Tasmania to Denmark and the Faroe Islands, in an adventure sprinkled with fairy tales, 80s songs and tattoos, with a hefty side of "WHY are you making that choice??"
Characters? Oh dear. Esther is well-meaning but... not the sharpest tool in the emotional shed. She seems to both idealize and envy Aura. As a big sister, I understand sibling dynamics and that it's normal, to some extent, to have such feelings for one's siblings. But hers go too far - Girl. Get. A. Grip.
And don't get me started on the parents. I feel that they were at least partly responsible for the outcome of what happened to Aura and for Esther's emotional state. They didn't parent, didn't see, didn't intervene. The mother basically acts like she only had one daughter, and she's clearly still parenting the ghost of Aura while ignoring the living, breathing daughter in front of her. The father is a therapist, which is ironic because he’s largely passive. I understand that Holly Ringland wanted to focus on female characters rather than on the male ones, and point out their journeys and influence, but he could have done more for both his daughters. I don't blame the parents for hiding things from Esther - children are not entitled to know everything about their parents' lives, but I blame them for gaslighting Esther while also ignoring her existence. And manipulating her into retracing Aura’s steps? Please.
I refuse to go into the whole Sophos story, because my blood is still boiling. Nothing made sense on that front, and the relationship is both barely believable and creepy. He's a walking red flag, and their meeting and subsequent events jump right into soap opera territory. I don’t care how emotionally vulnerable you are or how poetic the Nordic light is; there are boundaries, people!
The main characters, in fact, are a hot mess. But the other women. Oh, the women. Honestly, they’re the saving grace of this book. I loved the rational Abelone, who holds her pain like an anchor and still has the power to move on with her life. Sophos’s mom and aunt are warm, wise, sharp, no-nonsense queens. And the women back in Tasmania, the side characters who quietly show up, speak truths, and get on with things while the main family spirals, are the emotional backbone of the novel. These women aren’t here for drama; they’re here for healing, art, stories, and survival.
Because I grew up with fairytales and still live in that world occasionally, this was probably my favorite part of the novel. It's where the book gets truly magical. The novel is infused with folklore: selkie stories, transformation myths, tragic sisters, women who drown, disappear, or become something else entirely. Every story Aura leaves behind is a breadcrumb, but also a symbol. They speak to themes of identity, grief, self-erasure, survival. And they mirror the characters’ journeys perfectly, even when the characters themselves are emotionally constipated and miss the point.
Also, the book shines in the atmosphere department. Holly Ringald reminded me a lot of Kate Morton, an author I love for exactly this. The settings are absolutely beautiful and made me want to make travel plans. I started researching Tasmania, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands, searching for the statues mentioned in the book and wanting to see them with my own eyes. Windswept shores, disappearing seaweed forests (the varec thing is a real environmental issue), and the absolute vibe of Denmark and the Faroes - they all felt immersive and mythic. The cultures of these places are respectfully woven in, and the inclusion of music adds richness to the story. Then there's the tattoos theme, which, as a lover of tats who also has multiple, I greatly enjoyed. The tattoos in this novel aren’t just cool decorations; they are sacred, sometimes ritual. The book reminds us that stories live not just in books but also in bodies. The skin remembers and ink can be spellwork.
And let’s not forget the sheep. Bless them, they are hilarious, peak comfort in a book full of people making questionable life choices.
So, would I recommend it? Yes, with a big asterisk. Go in knowing you might be frustrated, yell at the characters, and want to shake Esther at least three times. But you might also be swept up in the myth, the music, and the beauty of the scenery. You’ll want to light a candle and tell a story. And if you can survive the pacing and the questionable ex situation, you might find something beautiful here. Possibly even tattoo-worthy.
We have here an atmospheric, culturally rich, fairy-tale-infused novel that made me want to hop on the next plane to the Faroe Islands and buy a sheep called Shagorney Weaver. But it was also frustrating in part, mostly because it's extremely and unnecessarily long and full of plot holes. Also, some of the characters - the central ones, in fact - made me want to scream.
It’s a journey fueled by grief, across continents and oceans. Esther is mourning the death of her sister, Aura, who disappeared into the sea. Everyone assumes she’s dead, and the family has built a shrine out of her memory - Aura was "the golden child" for her parents, and no one seems to be capable of moving on. So Esther, still battling trauma and parental neglect, sets off on a sort of treasure hunt to find out what happened to her sister, following cryptic clues Aura left behind in her diary. The journey takes her from Tasmania to Denmark and the Faroe Islands, in an adventure sprinkled with fairy tales, 80s songs and tattoos, with a hefty side of "WHY are you making that choice??"
Characters? Oh dear. Esther is well-meaning but... not the sharpest tool in the emotional shed. She seems to both idealize and envy Aura. As a big sister, I understand sibling dynamics and that it's normal, to some extent, to have such feelings for one's siblings. But hers go too far - Girl. Get. A. Grip.
And don't get me started on the parents. I feel that they were at least partly responsible for the outcome of what happened to Aura and for Esther's emotional state. They didn't parent, didn't see, didn't intervene. The mother basically acts like she only had one daughter, and she's clearly still parenting the ghost of Aura while ignoring the living, breathing daughter in front of her. The father is a therapist, which is ironic because he’s largely passive. I understand that Holly Ringland wanted to focus on female characters rather than on the male ones, and point out their journeys and influence, but he could have done more for both his daughters. I don't blame the parents for hiding things from Esther - children are not entitled to know everything about their parents' lives, but I blame them for gaslighting Esther while also ignoring her existence. And manipulating her into retracing Aura’s steps? Please.
I refuse to go into the whole Sophos story, because my blood is still boiling. Nothing made sense on that front, and the relationship is both barely believable and creepy. He's a walking red flag, and their meeting and subsequent events jump right into soap opera territory. I don’t care how emotionally vulnerable you are or how poetic the Nordic light is; there are boundaries, people!
The main characters, in fact, are a hot mess. But the other women. Oh, the women. Honestly, they’re the saving grace of this book. I loved the rational Abelone, who holds her pain like an anchor and still has the power to move on with her life. Sophos’s mom and aunt are warm, wise, sharp, no-nonsense queens. And the women back in Tasmania, the side characters who quietly show up, speak truths, and get on with things while the main family spirals, are the emotional backbone of the novel. These women aren’t here for drama; they’re here for healing, art, stories, and survival.
Because I grew up with fairytales and still live in that world occasionally, this was probably my favorite part of the novel. It's where the book gets truly magical. The novel is infused with folklore: selkie stories, transformation myths, tragic sisters, women who drown, disappear, or become something else entirely. Every story Aura leaves behind is a breadcrumb, but also a symbol. They speak to themes of identity, grief, self-erasure, survival. And they mirror the characters’ journeys perfectly, even when the characters themselves are emotionally constipated and miss the point.
Also, the book shines in the atmosphere department. Holly Ringald reminded me a lot of Kate Morton, an author I love for exactly this. The settings are absolutely beautiful and made me want to make travel plans. I started researching Tasmania, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands, searching for the statues mentioned in the book and wanting to see them with my own eyes. Windswept shores, disappearing seaweed forests (the varec thing is a real environmental issue), and the absolute vibe of Denmark and the Faroes - they all felt immersive and mythic. The cultures of these places are respectfully woven in, and the inclusion of music adds richness to the story. Then there's the tattoos theme, which, as a lover of tats who also has multiple, I greatly enjoyed. The tattoos in this novel aren’t just cool decorations; they are sacred, sometimes ritual. The book reminds us that stories live not just in books but also in bodies. The skin remembers and ink can be spellwork.
And let’s not forget the sheep. Bless them, they are hilarious, peak comfort in a book full of people making questionable life choices.
So, would I recommend it? Yes, with a big asterisk. Go in knowing you might be frustrated, yell at the characters, and want to shake Esther at least three times. But you might also be swept up in the myth, the music, and the beauty of the scenery. You’ll want to light a candle and tell a story. And if you can survive the pacing and the questionable ex situation, you might find something beautiful here. Possibly even tattoo-worthy.
August 5, 2023
It’s just too long. 2.5
October 17, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I didn't like the character of Esther, or her mother, this made it hard to become invested in their story.
March 4, 2024
Okay bear with me, I’m about to roast this book. I read half the book last year and I put it down and then I reread it again now and I remember why it kept making me groan. The main character Esther, is so annoying, she thinks everyone is out to get her and thinks she has it worse than anyone. She’s petulant, selfish and cannot communicate or show empathy to anyone. She is SO frustrating. She is rude to people and family being very kind and gentle with her, they go out of her way to help and she doesn’t even try to be understanding.
I’m so over reading about people who drink and run from their problems
And her inability to communicate.. she doesn’t even try! Or she lies. Or she thinks communication is yelling and raging when she finally snaps! She so madly wanted to be special with her pain. She makes everything so much harder than it needs to be, for herself, for everyone around her. She constantly makes bad decisions and does try to help herself. Then it’s all woe is me, I’m so alone, no one understands me. She loves to be a martyr, vowing to never swim in the sea again. Like she’s making it about her and so dramatic.
I just keep thinking “it’s not that deep” . I don’t love the cliches of biting nails until they bleed, biting her fist while screaming, digging nails into palms, constantly taking deep breaths, skipping meals, phone dying, always tears on the edge, clumsy, blood rushing in ears, fumbling just generally incapable. If I took a shot for every time she had “tears running down her face” after literally just the mention or Aura. And I’m sorry I know the verses are supposed to be deep and meaningful but they just sound like 12 year kid tumblr quotes. Also, you’d think they would be telling each other absolutely everything about the missing sister to help figure out what happened but inexplicably the characters hide vital information from each other? Like obstruction of justice babes. I should have read reviews before I started. They are either love it or hate it. Oh and the trope about child of therapist hates being therapised but like.. her dad is literally just trying to have a conversation. And girl, you need therapy anyway. She’s such a bitch for scoffing at pastor jasper who says he helped his grief with therapy. She is jealous of her sister, constantly comparing herself. Also why does everyone have super meaningful beautiful sea tattoos? Where are the dumb duck on a skateboard type tattoos? I honestly think that this book succeeded only because of the beautiful cover art. Also, adjective heavy. Describes way to much mechanics of movement that add nothing to the story. Could have been more succinct. Like it’s ABOUT loss and grief, but it doesn’t make me FEEL anything about loss and grief. I don’t feel any connection to aura or Esther. Like there is writing on paper, words that say Esther is so deeply impacted by everything, cos she’s crying over everything, but like.. it does make me feel anything. It just doesn’t hit the mark. I also don’t think she asked about anyone else’s health or life. Every character treated Ester like she is the main character, they are only there to support her. Maybe except for the mum, no one else has much storyline. I only finished it cos it’s a mystery and I wanted to know what happened.
It has so much stuff I’m into: tattoos, myths, magic, relationships, women’s stories, travelling.. but it was a flop for me. Only giving it two stars because I appreciated the effort of including stuff about other cultures including indigenous Australians culture. Otherwise, boooo
I’m so over reading about people who drink and run from their problems
And her inability to communicate.. she doesn’t even try! Or she lies. Or she thinks communication is yelling and raging when she finally snaps! She so madly wanted to be special with her pain. She makes everything so much harder than it needs to be, for herself, for everyone around her. She constantly makes bad decisions and does try to help herself. Then it’s all woe is me, I’m so alone, no one understands me. She loves to be a martyr, vowing to never swim in the sea again. Like she’s making it about her and so dramatic.
I just keep thinking “it’s not that deep” . I don’t love the cliches of biting nails until they bleed, biting her fist while screaming, digging nails into palms, constantly taking deep breaths, skipping meals, phone dying, always tears on the edge, clumsy, blood rushing in ears, fumbling just generally incapable. If I took a shot for every time she had “tears running down her face” after literally just the mention or Aura. And I’m sorry I know the verses are supposed to be deep and meaningful but they just sound like 12 year kid tumblr quotes. Also, you’d think they would be telling each other absolutely everything about the missing sister to help figure out what happened but inexplicably the characters hide vital information from each other? Like obstruction of justice babes. I should have read reviews before I started. They are either love it or hate it. Oh and the trope about child of therapist hates being therapised but like.. her dad is literally just trying to have a conversation. And girl, you need therapy anyway. She’s such a bitch for scoffing at pastor jasper who says he helped his grief with therapy. She is jealous of her sister, constantly comparing herself. Also why does everyone have super meaningful beautiful sea tattoos? Where are the dumb duck on a skateboard type tattoos? I honestly think that this book succeeded only because of the beautiful cover art. Also, adjective heavy. Describes way to much mechanics of movement that add nothing to the story. Could have been more succinct. Like it’s ABOUT loss and grief, but it doesn’t make me FEEL anything about loss and grief. I don’t feel any connection to aura or Esther. Like there is writing on paper, words that say Esther is so deeply impacted by everything, cos she’s crying over everything, but like.. it does make me feel anything. It just doesn’t hit the mark. I also don’t think she asked about anyone else’s health or life. Every character treated Ester like she is the main character, they are only there to support her. Maybe except for the mum, no one else has much storyline. I only finished it cos it’s a mystery and I wanted to know what happened.
It has so much stuff I’m into: tattoos, myths, magic, relationships, women’s stories, travelling.. but it was a flop for me. Only giving it two stars because I appreciated the effort of including stuff about other cultures including indigenous Australians culture. Otherwise, boooo
June 4, 2023
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**4.5 stars**
The Seven Skins of Esther Wildling by Holly Ringland. (2022).
The last time Esther's beloved older sister was Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. Her family struggle with their loss. To seek the truth about Aura's death, Esther reluctantly travels from Lutruwita, Tasmania to Copenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands, following the trail of the stories Aura left behind: seven fairytales about selkies, swans and women, alongside cryptic verses Aura wrote and had secretly tattooed on her body.
It is not often a book will genuinely bring me to tears, but this one did in a couple of parts. The author has such a way with words, depicting raw emotion so easily, that readers cannot help but be affected. I quite enjoyed the myths/legends/stories told throughout the book, with Aura having a special connection to them. I appreciated the exploration of tattoos being a way of women telling their stories. The storyline also looks at the complicated relationships we can have with our loved ones, and the things we hide to protect either them or ourselves.
Overall: an extremely well-written and highly absorbing story which interweaves loss and love.
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**4.5 stars**
The Seven Skins of Esther Wildling by Holly Ringland. (2022).
The last time Esther's beloved older sister was Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. Her family struggle with their loss. To seek the truth about Aura's death, Esther reluctantly travels from Lutruwita, Tasmania to Copenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands, following the trail of the stories Aura left behind: seven fairytales about selkies, swans and women, alongside cryptic verses Aura wrote and had secretly tattooed on her body.
It is not often a book will genuinely bring me to tears, but this one did in a couple of parts. The author has such a way with words, depicting raw emotion so easily, that readers cannot help but be affected. I quite enjoyed the myths/legends/stories told throughout the book, with Aura having a special connection to them. I appreciated the exploration of tattoos being a way of women telling their stories. The storyline also looks at the complicated relationships we can have with our loved ones, and the things we hide to protect either them or ourselves.
Overall: an extremely well-written and highly absorbing story which interweaves loss and love.
March 7, 2023
Had some great ideas and such a clever way to structure the book by tying directly into themes and through the use of fairytales and myth as a base. However, often there was too much unnecessary or repeating information, and the author seemed to feel the need to describe each hour with the main character which really grinded the pace to a halt at times (and I'm someone who likes slow pace). I found main character whiney and self destructive, even after character development (though much less so I'll admit) which was pretty annoying- I hate the wasted potential trope. The sister is equally as annoying- and I find her utterly unrelatable. The author kept hinting at this deeply traumatic event in her past that robbed her of all light in her life, but then when we find out what it is, it was kind of underwhelming? In my opinion the author seems to push this idea that if a woman can't have children she cannot be happy as it's the worst thing to ever happen, and nothing else in her life would ever 'return the light' which seems pretty degrading to me. Of all the nuances of women to make a comment on, it seemed an unusual choice to pick that one as central.
All characters refuse to communicate and there are all these secrets that create easily avoidable problems. Miscommunication trope, again, is the worst.
All characters refuse to communicate and there are all these secrets that create easily avoidable problems. Miscommunication trope, again, is the worst.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
Such wonderful lyrical writing! I was engrossed in the stories within the main story and it has inspired me to learn more.
May 9, 2023
DNF at 30%. Feels like YA trying to pass as grown-up.
November 11, 2023
DNF around 70%
I don’t know if I might have been apple to finish it if I’d been reading it, but I just couldn’t finish the audiobook. I stuck it out up to Esther and her sister’s ex fiancé being about to get together because they had a “connection” and couldn’t listen any longer. I had a lot of problems with the book, but that whole situation really tipped me over the edge. Firstly, the plot really seemed to be ramming home about Esther needing her own life, only for her to go on the same trip as Aura, meet all the same people, live in the same house and get into a relationship with the same man??? If this had been marketed as a thriller where a creepy sister takes over her dead sisters life, you wouldn’t have to change anything!! And just saying they have a connection, and making all his friends happy for you doesn’t make it better! I didn’t get to the big secret as to why Aura left but I read some other reviews so I think it’s cos their baby died? So it’s not even that she just changed her mind about the dude, she had a massive traumatic event and Esther is like, well he’s hot snd single now! If they have kids, will she tell them about their aunt and stepsibling/cousin that died?? Ugh
Another issue I had was that most of the characters are so unpleasant, Esther and her mother in particular. If my kid had committed suicide then I’d be a lot nicer to my living one, instead of expressing constant disappointment in her and pretending she doesn’t exist. The author tries to hand wave this away halfway through by giving the mum a POV chapter out of nowhere and take it all back but that doesn’t really make sense by then cos half the book has already happened. Esther is also an unpleasant main character to spend time with and while her trauma may be warranted you really just want to shout at her to DO SOMETHING ALREADY. You’re in a book, it’s not real life, get the plot moving!!
The book was unimaginably slow, the whole bit before Denmark where she’s just thinking about stuff could have happened while she was IN Denmark, and the journal her sister left was laughably thin for the amount of time she spent studying it
I tried really hard to finish because I’d put so many hours into it, but in the end I just couldn’t with the relationship stuff. The writing was ok, but I thought it was trying too hard to be poetic and lyrical and took away from the bones of the story. With a really good edit, the author has something here, it’s just massively too long and drawn out, and the main character really needs to find a guy who isn’t her sisters ex.
I don’t know if I might have been apple to finish it if I’d been reading it, but I just couldn’t finish the audiobook. I stuck it out up to Esther and her sister’s ex fiancé being about to get together because they had a “connection” and couldn’t listen any longer. I had a lot of problems with the book, but that whole situation really tipped me over the edge. Firstly, the plot really seemed to be ramming home about Esther needing her own life, only for her to go on the same trip as Aura, meet all the same people, live in the same house and get into a relationship with the same man??? If this had been marketed as a thriller where a creepy sister takes over her dead sisters life, you wouldn’t have to change anything!! And just saying they have a connection, and making all his friends happy for you doesn’t make it better! I didn’t get to the big secret as to why Aura left but I read some other reviews so I think it’s cos their baby died? So it’s not even that she just changed her mind about the dude, she had a massive traumatic event and Esther is like, well he’s hot snd single now! If they have kids, will she tell them about their aunt and stepsibling/cousin that died?? Ugh
Another issue I had was that most of the characters are so unpleasant, Esther and her mother in particular. If my kid had committed suicide then I’d be a lot nicer to my living one, instead of expressing constant disappointment in her and pretending she doesn’t exist. The author tries to hand wave this away halfway through by giving the mum a POV chapter out of nowhere and take it all back but that doesn’t really make sense by then cos half the book has already happened. Esther is also an unpleasant main character to spend time with and while her trauma may be warranted you really just want to shout at her to DO SOMETHING ALREADY. You’re in a book, it’s not real life, get the plot moving!!
The book was unimaginably slow, the whole bit before Denmark where she’s just thinking about stuff could have happened while she was IN Denmark, and the journal her sister left was laughably thin for the amount of time she spent studying it
I tried really hard to finish because I’d put so many hours into it, but in the end I just couldn’t with the relationship stuff. The writing was ok, but I thought it was trying too hard to be poetic and lyrical and took away from the bones of the story. With a really good edit, the author has something here, it’s just massively too long and drawn out, and the main character really needs to find a guy who isn’t her sisters ex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2023
The lost flowers of Alice Heart is one of my favourite books, sadly this doesn't come close to capturing the same magic. This book felt like one trope after another and I stuck it out as I thought surely it would get better. I really didn't enjoy the quest to find herself angle and the whole Sophus story line was bizarre. It's all been done to death and it's been done better. Way too many descriptive adjectives that would have made for a better read with some significant editing. Quite a slog to get to the finish. Disappointing follow up to a great debut.
October 9, 2022
I did my best to savour this book and read it slowly…and I failed, because Holly Ringland has written another page turner! A very moving tale about hidden trauma and secrets, grieving, courage, forgiveness, family and how the truth, however much one runs from it, will always help you to heal. Sumptuous, sensory and poignant writing from Holly, as always.
October 11, 2022
A wildly ethereal book with a beautiful narrative especially about the the Faroe Islands which I knew nothing about. The story was reasonably long and the main protagonist was mostly annoying so the landscape really carried this book for me.
Read
January 25, 2023Beautiful, heartbreaking, and powerful
Nature, grief, joy, rituals, the stories we tell, the places we go, connecting us all
I feel like this one is still settling in my bones
“My love will not leave you”
And for me, neither will this story
Nature, grief, joy, rituals, the stories we tell, the places we go, connecting us all
I feel like this one is still settling in my bones
“My love will not leave you”
And for me, neither will this story
July 1, 2024
4,5*
A aura de misticismo em que Holly Ringland envolve as suas histórias é fantástica. Absorve-nos e envolve-nos por completo.
A aura de misticismo em que Holly Ringland envolve as suas histórias é fantástica. Absorve-nos e envolve-nos por completo.
December 19, 2022
I loved The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart so I was super keen to see how Holly Ringland followed her up. I have to confess I struggled to get into Esther at first, but - contrary to some of the reviews I've read - I found Esther to be the most relatable character in the entire book. I too would be extremely annoyed if my mother and sister turned tattoos, Denmark and fairytales about seals into their primary personality traits and then shut me out of their secret business! Esther to me is deeply human - searching for comfort and escape in temporary intimacies, and resenting her sister for caring more about fairytales than her. Probably my major frustration is that - like Normal People, and some other books that were also very highly acclaimed but didn't quite do it for me and my taste - a lot of the tensions and conflicts in this story could have been resolved if the characters just communicated more effectively with each other? I understand Aura has had a major trauma but her family didn't do anything wrong by her so I find her frustrating as a character and how so much of this story is therefore resolving her decision to shut them out and making them suffer without sharing her life with them. So...it's beautifully written, it's Holly Ringland through and through, but I couldn't personally root for most of the characters so it's three stars from me.
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