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Eelgrass
In Eelgrass, a lesbian reimagining of Irish folktales, Efa and Bettan spend their days roving the sea and shore. The other selkies in their village say it will soon be time for them to settle down and find husbands. Then Bettan disappears into a rainstorm. Despite the other villagers’ reassurances, Efa can't shake the certainty her friend’s been taken.
To rescue Bettan, she must leave behind the shallow waters of her home and find the fishwives. These half-human fish seduce men with song and devour them with sharp teeth. She doesn't expect to find Ninka, an outrageous young woman who makes her feel giddy and who might be the key to unlocking her own courage.
_____________________________________________________
They’ll stop at nothing to save her skin.
To rescue Bettan, she must leave behind the shallow waters of her home and find the fishwives. These half-human fish seduce men with song and devour them with sharp teeth. She doesn't expect to find Ninka, an outrageous young woman who makes her feel giddy and who might be the key to unlocking her own courage.
_____________________________________________________
They’ll stop at nothing to save her skin.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2016
3 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 21, 2017
This book was November's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
I don't know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it succeeded in captivating me with the plot, getting me invested in the characters, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. On the other hand, it was hideously stressful to read and I was upset at most of the characters for about 80% of it. I can't decide if I want to give it a two or a four, so I'm going with an uncomfortable 3/5 stars.
The main character Efa, her friend Bettan, and the two fishwives that we get to meet during the story are very compelling characters. I empathized with them a lot, I was distressed over their distress, and I thought that they all had extremely relatable, well-written, and distinct feelings, motivations, and personalities. The book did a fantastic job of communicating the dire emotions motivating the main conflict - saving Bettan from the man who stole her sealskin - as well as showing the depth of how messed up the process was for the victims and how frighteningly efficiently these tragedies are reinforced by society and general conservative and heteronormative societal values.
Unfortunately, however, while the novel did a good job depicting all of these things, the narrative was frustratingly ambivalent about sticking with its values. Efa's brother, for example, consistently prioritizes maintaining the status quo over people's well-being, autonomy, and happiness, and Efa (who is conservative, mild, and maintains strong family values) understandably comes to terms with that and doesn't call him on it - but neither does anybody else, the narrative, or even Bettan herself. For all that Efa wonders how Bettan could kiss a man who kidnapped and mind-controlled her into a marriage, she doesn't seem particularly bothered by the thought of Bettan dating a guy who was either actively or passively supportive of her kidnapping throughout the novel. She also at one point states that children are always a good thing despite having been extensively shown by the narrative as previously having understood how negatively bearing the child of their rapist impacts selkies, and this statement is never contested. The characters have distinct values, but they are not always consistently stuck to by those characters, and I believe that there were plenty of opportunities for the narrative itself to maintain its portrayal of the morality of taking selkie wives even while maintaining the integrity of characterization.
Much more minor, but I also felt like much of the side-plot involving the fishwives didn't contribute excessively much to the main plot so much as it acted like a break from it - though I did personally enjoy reading it.
Overall, while the characterization and writing were great and I felt captivated and invested in this book and read it through all in one day, the captivation felt more like I was being held under threat of never resolving the distress and frustration that the narrative was heaping on. I think I could have given this novel a full five stars if it didn't uphold the very distressing values and behaviors that it is intentionally portraying as terrifying and abhorrent, but in the end I was too uncomfortable with the aspects of the novel that were never resolved or even discussed as amoral or terrible.
Also, as a parting nitpick: I'm not sure why the character on the cover is white when the main characters (and all the selkies in her community) are explicitly described as brown-skinned.
April 29, 2018
This book was provided for free as the November's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by sapphicliterature
Eelgrass is a kind of book I haven't read before, so I was looking foward to it. The mythology surrounding selkies is fascinating and I really liked that Tori Curtis didn't just stay with the humans and the selkies as characters. She also brought in half-selkies or humans born from selkie+human marriages AND the fishwives, a species similar in some ways and at the same time in contrast to the selkies.
The book is very easy to read, too. It has a special aesthethic and a nice flow to it, so I ended up finishing the book a lot earlier than I anticipated.
But the reason my review is for only 2 stars is that although it was all immensly interesting and nicely written, the mindset of everyone regarding the kidnapping of selkies was deeply frustrating to me.
Eelgrass is a kind of book I haven't read before, so I was looking foward to it. The mythology surrounding selkies is fascinating and I really liked that Tori Curtis didn't just stay with the humans and the selkies as characters. She also brought in half-selkies or humans born from selkie+human marriages AND the fishwives, a species similar in some ways and at the same time in contrast to the selkies.
The book is very easy to read, too. It has a special aesthethic and a nice flow to it, so I ended up finishing the book a lot earlier than I anticipated.
But the reason my review is for only 2 stars is that although it was all immensly interesting and nicely written, the mindset of everyone regarding the kidnapping of selkies was deeply frustrating to me.
November 22, 2017
"This book was November's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature
So I must say for the selkie genre this is the best one I have read so far. For anyone who reads books about selkies or mermaids, it has this common trope where the creature of the sea falls in love with people on land. But for anyone who knows the lore of selkies, it's often a dark love story. Eelgrass has been described as a story about rape culture and frankly, it's a breath of fresh air. I won't spoil too much of it because you need to go on this rollercoaster of emotions.
The story surrounds Efa, a selkie, who's looking for her best friend Bettan (also a selkie) who goes missing; everyone comes to the conclusion that her seal coat was stolen. No one is too worried since they all want Bettan to settle down and think it's just the risk of being a selkie. Eva however knows that Bettan wouldn't want to be some housewife held against her will until she's forced to fall in love with captor to survive, and searches for her.
What makes this story shine is the topic of selkies being forced into wives. I have never seen a book debate this so thoroughly while not being preachy to those who have made peace with their situation. But it hangs on to that unease of the whole arrangement, since in this world the existence of selkies isn't a secret.
I would highly recommend for something new in the selkie/mermaid genre. I'm definitely going to be looking out for Toni Curtis's next book.
November 11, 2017
Eelgrass was provided for free as the Sapphic Book Club's book of the month for November. You can check out the book club here!
I love just about everything about this book. The writing was lovely and evocative and made me feel like I was reading this by the sea (even though it’s autumn and cold and I’m in the Midwest). Curtis knows how to balance the emotional scenes with the more humorous ones, and I never felt bored while reading.
Efa’s friendship with Bettan is central to the story, and even when they were apart, it was never pushed to the side. I really appreciated that, since in some books, friendships get dropped in the name of romantic relationships. In Eelgrass, Efa is allowed to have strong friendships alongside her blossoming romantic relationship, and it’s refreshing to see. I also really enjoyed Efa’s character development, and her more active role at the end of the novel was very satisfying.
The only part of the book that I didn’t really enjoy was the ending. It wasn’t a bad ending; it was happy, which I enjoy in books, especially in books with gay relationships. It just seemed abrupt to me and left me wanting some more closure.
I really enjoyed reading Eelgrass, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
November 27, 2017
This book was November's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature
Overall I really enjoyed reading Eelgrass! I found the writing style easy to read and the story kept me interested. I think the book was an interesting look at rape culture and patriarchy set in a fantasy world to make a point. So while everyone but Efa's indifference to Bettan's disappearance was frustrating, I think it was a good reflection on some real-world situations that women face. I found Efa's struggle to get people to take her concerns seriously very relatable. And that made the climax all the more satisfying!
I also appreciated that Efa never once lost sight of her care for Bettan, even among the drama with the sirens and her budding feelings for Ninka. It was nice to see her trying to balance her care for both girls, and not wanting to compromise her ideals for her love interest.
December 24, 2017
Originally appeared on The Lesbrary. Eelgrass by Tori Curtis is an intimidating book to review because reading it was such a powerful experience that I’m scared of failing to do it justice. It mirrors its protagonist’s span of two worlds — she’s a selkie so both the sea and the shore communities are home — inasmuch as it comfortably straddles Irish historical fantasy and literary fiction (as well as lesfic!) It’s firmly woman-centered; most of the characters are women whose motivation is keeping other women safe.
This is the kind of book where a selkie asks a siren the What are we relationship question. I will reproduce the following deliciously incongruous quote here: “Around here, people decide they want to get to know each other and they — they court. And if that goes well, they marry. Are we courting?” This juxtaposition of conservative, period-piece village daintiness with a literal seal-woman and a bloodthirsty mermaid, I mean, freaking sign me up and sell me the Extras package.
The core of the story is Efa’s drive to rescue her best friend and fellow selkie Bettan from the fate every selkie woman knows about from birth–if a human man gets a hold of your sealskin, you become bound to him. When we finally get to see this up close, it’s a sort of emotional slavery that’s as subtle as feathers but harsh and binding below the surface.
Bettan and Efa’s relationship is the foundation of the book’s story, and I’m very drawn to stories of women as rescuers, especially of each other. I also really like how intense but platonic they were together, because it reaffirms that f/f and f-f friendship stories can support and coexist each other rather than threatening each other. Bettan and Efa literally promise to be best friends forever, which felt good to read.
I loved all the care and thought Curtis put into the details of her worldbuilding. For example, the selkie civilization on human land is more suited to their biology than human villages would be — the houses are very simple, shops are run out of the houses instead of being in separate buildings, etc. In the nearby human village, selkies are accepted as real–they’re othered and exoticized a little, but they’re a familiar presence. In contrast, sirens (called “fishwives” by the humans) are treated as more fantastical. As Efa says:
“I didn’t know fishwives were real,” she said, barely able to form the words over her blush. People told stories about them, but then, people told stories about kings, too. She’d never known anyone who met one.
As for Ninka the Siren/Fishwife herself, here she is in one quote: “Whatever I want. I go exploring, and fish, and bother sailors and seduce young women on the seashore.” Sounds like a nice life! I’d ask where I can sign up, except violins are easily waterlogged.
Ninka is described as “so beautiful Efa didn’t know how she’d ever thought she’d want boys.” Speaking of which, I loved the worldbuilding’s approach to queerness. For example, here’s a conversation between Efa and a male siren:
“I was with a human once. It didn’t end well.”
“With,” she repeated.
“A blacksmith,” he said.
Efa scrunched up her nose. “That’s as human as you can get without being a miner,” she said. And then frowned. “Are all sirens – do men always fall in love with other men?”
“A lot of us do,” he said, “but she was a woman.”
I like the creative decision to have selkie culture and siren culture show different approaches to male-male and female-female love—Efa’s community never presented it as an option, but it’s totally commonplace in Ninka’s. I don’t think I’ve run into this before, this contrast between two different fantasy creature communities. Usually it’s all “how does this group differ from humans.”
The entire book draws heavily on symbolism that can easily parallel real-world sexual assault, domestic violence, or bisexual women coerced into permanent relationships with allo cis hetero men rather than pursuing happiness with any gender wherever life leads them (which, yes, may happen to be a man like that but that’s different from ending up with one through social pressure.)
The most poignant and pithy representation of these connections is when Bettan asks Efa, “What if he turned me human?” What if he changed me irrevocably? What if I’ve lost something that made me fundamentally me? This works for all of these real-world parallels. Another quote: “You think people can’t do those kinds of things to you, but obviously they can.” And then, when Efa says, “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re free now.” I’m probably making this sound heavy-handed, but it’s really not. It’s exquisite.
After all–
“But no one will take this seriously. It happens all the time.”
“I don’t see why we don’t stop it,” she said. . . . There were selkies who came home ten years, twenty years later, their sealskin won back, and never spoke of what had happened while it was kept from them. There were mothers so determined not to be trapped that they abandoned their sons and daughters. Efa knew people, a dozen of them at least, who stayed away from their human forms forever out of fear that their sealskin might be taken again. She couldn’t imagine losing one world to save the other, but they did it, and trembled at the thought of shedding their sealskins.
There may be some awkward and unintentional racial coding going on in the selkies having slightly darker skin than the human characters–between that and the “lol you’re sexy but exotic and othered” treatment from the human fishermen, plus all the themes of escaping coercion, one could see symbolism for women of color. However, as a fairly light-skinned white Jew, I’m still darker than the white Irish people in my life, so the selkies could still be white if thinking of them any other way gets awkward. A WoC will be better able to speak to this than I can.
Speaking of marginalization, though, the book had a neat moment where Efa forgets about the existence of Deaf people and Ninka (the siren) corrects her. Again, here for a siren “calling in” a selkie as if they were both, like, activist friends of mine or something.
I’m not sure if I was reading an earlier draft because I was given a review copy as a Lesbrary reviewer, but halfway through the book random hyphens started appearing in words that weren’t at the end of lines on the mobile version. It happened at least three or four times and I just wanted to give a heads up that other than this, the book was impeccably edited and didn’t have any other artifacts of Indie Life. Also, I’m not a fan of the cover and feel that it gives the wrong impression of the contents; it looks too modern to me and almost looks like a beachy wedding shoot. Would love to see it with the kind of sweeping fantasy art the story cries out for.
The ending is a little bit unresolved as far as relationships go – there’s an unambiguous f/f ending for Efa that seems like it could lead to future complications (but I’m pretty sure there’s a sequel in the works) plus a m/f resolution for other characters that seemed like a giant maybe. But life itself is unresolved and in continual flow, so I don’t have a problem with this. The plot and adventure part of the story are definitely resolved and complete, and overall this was a riveting read that I’m awarding five stars for quality and being thoroughly absorbing.
Trigger warning for on-the-page controlling husband behavior and “underwater fantasy violence”, as the MPAA might phrase it. These are not Lisa Frank mermaids.
Also, this book will make you thoroughly hungry for fish (if you eat fish.)
This is the kind of book where a selkie asks a siren the What are we relationship question. I will reproduce the following deliciously incongruous quote here: “Around here, people decide they want to get to know each other and they — they court. And if that goes well, they marry. Are we courting?” This juxtaposition of conservative, period-piece village daintiness with a literal seal-woman and a bloodthirsty mermaid, I mean, freaking sign me up and sell me the Extras package.
The core of the story is Efa’s drive to rescue her best friend and fellow selkie Bettan from the fate every selkie woman knows about from birth–if a human man gets a hold of your sealskin, you become bound to him. When we finally get to see this up close, it’s a sort of emotional slavery that’s as subtle as feathers but harsh and binding below the surface.
Bettan and Efa’s relationship is the foundation of the book’s story, and I’m very drawn to stories of women as rescuers, especially of each other. I also really like how intense but platonic they were together, because it reaffirms that f/f and f-f friendship stories can support and coexist each other rather than threatening each other. Bettan and Efa literally promise to be best friends forever, which felt good to read.
I loved all the care and thought Curtis put into the details of her worldbuilding. For example, the selkie civilization on human land is more suited to their biology than human villages would be — the houses are very simple, shops are run out of the houses instead of being in separate buildings, etc. In the nearby human village, selkies are accepted as real–they’re othered and exoticized a little, but they’re a familiar presence. In contrast, sirens (called “fishwives” by the humans) are treated as more fantastical. As Efa says:
“I didn’t know fishwives were real,” she said, barely able to form the words over her blush. People told stories about them, but then, people told stories about kings, too. She’d never known anyone who met one.
As for Ninka the Siren/Fishwife herself, here she is in one quote: “Whatever I want. I go exploring, and fish, and bother sailors and seduce young women on the seashore.” Sounds like a nice life! I’d ask where I can sign up, except violins are easily waterlogged.
Ninka is described as “so beautiful Efa didn’t know how she’d ever thought she’d want boys.” Speaking of which, I loved the worldbuilding’s approach to queerness. For example, here’s a conversation between Efa and a male siren:
“I was with a human once. It didn’t end well.”
“With,” she repeated.
“A blacksmith,” he said.
Efa scrunched up her nose. “That’s as human as you can get without being a miner,” she said. And then frowned. “Are all sirens – do men always fall in love with other men?”
“A lot of us do,” he said, “but she was a woman.”
I like the creative decision to have selkie culture and siren culture show different approaches to male-male and female-female love—Efa’s community never presented it as an option, but it’s totally commonplace in Ninka’s. I don’t think I’ve run into this before, this contrast between two different fantasy creature communities. Usually it’s all “how does this group differ from humans.”
The entire book draws heavily on symbolism that can easily parallel real-world sexual assault, domestic violence, or bisexual women coerced into permanent relationships with allo cis hetero men rather than pursuing happiness with any gender wherever life leads them (which, yes, may happen to be a man like that but that’s different from ending up with one through social pressure.)
The most poignant and pithy representation of these connections is when Bettan asks Efa, “What if he turned me human?” What if he changed me irrevocably? What if I’ve lost something that made me fundamentally me? This works for all of these real-world parallels. Another quote: “You think people can’t do those kinds of things to you, but obviously they can.” And then, when Efa says, “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re free now.” I’m probably making this sound heavy-handed, but it’s really not. It’s exquisite.
After all–
“But no one will take this seriously. It happens all the time.”
“I don’t see why we don’t stop it,” she said. . . . There were selkies who came home ten years, twenty years later, their sealskin won back, and never spoke of what had happened while it was kept from them. There were mothers so determined not to be trapped that they abandoned their sons and daughters. Efa knew people, a dozen of them at least, who stayed away from their human forms forever out of fear that their sealskin might be taken again. She couldn’t imagine losing one world to save the other, but they did it, and trembled at the thought of shedding their sealskins.
There may be some awkward and unintentional racial coding going on in the selkies having slightly darker skin than the human characters–between that and the “lol you’re sexy but exotic and othered” treatment from the human fishermen, plus all the themes of escaping coercion, one could see symbolism for women of color. However, as a fairly light-skinned white Jew, I’m still darker than the white Irish people in my life, so the selkies could still be white if thinking of them any other way gets awkward. A WoC will be better able to speak to this than I can.
Speaking of marginalization, though, the book had a neat moment where Efa forgets about the existence of Deaf people and Ninka (the siren) corrects her. Again, here for a siren “calling in” a selkie as if they were both, like, activist friends of mine or something.
I’m not sure if I was reading an earlier draft because I was given a review copy as a Lesbrary reviewer, but halfway through the book random hyphens started appearing in words that weren’t at the end of lines on the mobile version. It happened at least three or four times and I just wanted to give a heads up that other than this, the book was impeccably edited and didn’t have any other artifacts of Indie Life. Also, I’m not a fan of the cover and feel that it gives the wrong impression of the contents; it looks too modern to me and almost looks like a beachy wedding shoot. Would love to see it with the kind of sweeping fantasy art the story cries out for.
The ending is a little bit unresolved as far as relationships go – there’s an unambiguous f/f ending for Efa that seems like it could lead to future complications (but I’m pretty sure there’s a sequel in the works) plus a m/f resolution for other characters that seemed like a giant maybe. But life itself is unresolved and in continual flow, so I don’t have a problem with this. The plot and adventure part of the story are definitely resolved and complete, and overall this was a riveting read that I’m awarding five stars for quality and being thoroughly absorbing.
Trigger warning for on-the-page controlling husband behavior and “underwater fantasy violence”, as the MPAA might phrase it. These are not Lisa Frank mermaids.
Also, this book will make you thoroughly hungry for fish (if you eat fish.)
May 5, 2019
This book was November's Sapphic Book Club read by @sapphicliterature. This is now one of my favorite books. The characters are just the right combination of flawed and likable to make them extremely compelling. The worldbuilding is interesting, and while it's a deeply flawed society, the book tends towards the hopeful and determines "we can and will do better than this" rather than the grimdark "the good have no future" that some authors write. Overall it's a realistically optomistic and beautiful novel.
December 4, 2017
I feel like this either should have been longer and focused more on the sirens or left the sirens off completely (even though I loved them) because they ultimately didn't do all that much that someone else couldn't have done. Especially Afrit, I'm not sure why she even was there. In general the plotlines felt..very disjointed. I think it'd be better if it just focused on the search for Bettan.
I love Ninka she deserves a book that focuses more on her. Considering how the siren plotline ended ("ended") I'm hoping there might be a sequel in the plans.
Also, this is the third lesbian mermaid(or otherwise sea creature) book I read this year and I gave all of them three stars. I think overall I did like this one more than the others despite all.
I love Ninka she deserves a book that focuses more on her. Considering how the siren plotline ended ("ended") I'm hoping there might be a sequel in the plans.
Also, this is the third lesbian mermaid(or otherwise sea creature) book I read this year and I gave all of them three stars. I think overall I did like this one more than the others despite all.
March 25, 2023
This was a sweet story. A selkie gets her sealskin stolen and her friend goes after her. Along the way she meats a siren who she starts falling for. I just wish they'd kissed more haha
July 16, 2019
This book November's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
Rating: 3,5
When Bettan gets kidnapped, her best friend Efa is ready to do everything to get her back to safety.
Tori Curtis, with an amazing writing style, throws us into the world of selkies and fishwives. She uses the myth of stealing the selkie's skin as a metaphore for a rape culture. The story does a great work of showing it along with accompanying it heteronormativity; however, it was not explicit enough with condemning it and at times I was left thinking it contributes to harmfull tropes.
The driving force in this story is friendship and it was refreshing to see a narrative focused on the importance of non-romantic relationships. Efa's goal to rescue her friend was her priority even after connecting with her love interest. All the main characters are relatable, interesting, and ranging in personalities. Nevertheless, all of them can be at times a bit annoying while struggling with some concepts which we assume as common truth. This makes the book a little harder to read but also shows that in the patriarchal society it is often hard to realise there's something beyond blindly going along with the injustice.
I found the romantic part really scarce but it's understandable since Efa's heart was mostly set on freeing Bettan as well as she has only began realising her attraction to girls.
As it is a first book in the series, I hope for the story, the relationships, and the characters to grow because there's a potential for sure.
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June 25, 2021
Ugh, this book just didn’t click with me. It’s fine. It tries very hard to tackle a lot of topics in very nuanced ways, where the answers are never simplified for the sake of coherency... but it’s also not very, you know, coherent.
February 27, 2017
I'm not usually a reader of fantasy, but the plot of this had my attention. It's more folklore than genre fantasy, and this is a well-written novel with an unusual theme. I don't believe I've ever read any lesbian selkie fiction before.
I will admit that I am not the target audience for this novel. I'm long past the age of the main characters, and it's out of my range in terms of preference. However, the writing is so beautiful and the setting so captivating that it hardly mattered. Reading it took me back to a time when I was the age this book is intended for, and I would have treasured it then. I wish it had existed at the time it would have spoken most to me, and I hope that it gets into the hands of many young people who need to see themselves reflected in such a story.
There is an ebb and flow to the story that perfectly matches the seaside setting and the characters. One of the things I loved about this is the way in which Efa is changed by her experience. She comes away from her search for Bettan having found her courage, and her knowledge of the world has expanded (not always in a good way). But she is not fundamentally a different person. She remains true to who she is at her core.
My only reservation was the end. Without giving spoilers, I was unclear on what the message of the story was meant to be. I respect that we are seeing Efa's perspective on the events, so this appears to be her assessment. However, it left me confused as to what readers were supposed to deduce from her viewpoint. There seems to be an underlying commentary on the real world through the lens of the imaginary one, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. There's an element of cautionary tale here, but I couldn't decide exactly what we're being cautioned against.
Aside from that, this is a wonderful, well-written story. Although there's a little romance, readers shouldn't look for that to be the primary focus here. At its heart, this is a book about friendship and family and bravery.
For beautiful writing, an unusual bit of folklore, and a thought-provoking story, this gets 5 stars.
I will admit that I am not the target audience for this novel. I'm long past the age of the main characters, and it's out of my range in terms of preference. However, the writing is so beautiful and the setting so captivating that it hardly mattered. Reading it took me back to a time when I was the age this book is intended for, and I would have treasured it then. I wish it had existed at the time it would have spoken most to me, and I hope that it gets into the hands of many young people who need to see themselves reflected in such a story.
There is an ebb and flow to the story that perfectly matches the seaside setting and the characters. One of the things I loved about this is the way in which Efa is changed by her experience. She comes away from her search for Bettan having found her courage, and her knowledge of the world has expanded (not always in a good way). But she is not fundamentally a different person. She remains true to who she is at her core.
My only reservation was the end. Without giving spoilers, I was unclear on what the message of the story was meant to be. I respect that we are seeing Efa's perspective on the events, so this appears to be her assessment. However, it left me confused as to what readers were supposed to deduce from her viewpoint. There seems to be an underlying commentary on the real world through the lens of the imaginary one, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. There's an element of cautionary tale here, but I couldn't decide exactly what we're being cautioned against.
Aside from that, this is a wonderful, well-written story. Although there's a little romance, readers shouldn't look for that to be the primary focus here. At its heart, this is a book about friendship and family and bravery.
For beautiful writing, an unusual bit of folklore, and a thought-provoking story, this gets 5 stars.
September 16, 2022
I'm surprised that this is the author's first novel. The writing is clear, descriptive, and beautiful. The worldbuilding is so seamless that you barely notice you've been transported away to another place and time. I will be following for sure, hoping for more from this author.
I usually read m/m or m/f and have very little exposure to f/f, but I am drawn to the mythology of selkies, problematic as it may be in the modern day and age. Stealing a selkie's skin to trap her as a slave in the socially acceptable guise of "wife" is terrible and awful, misogyny at its worst. The trope itself seems outdated in modern times when most women (at least in developed countries) have more freedom and choices. But there are some psychological parallels to modern times and relationships; maybe we know a woman who's in a relationship and thinks she can't leave, maybe we have read real life stories about child brides sold off, about women traded like property in some cultures, and we wish the solution was as simple as stealing back their skins so they can go back to the sea.
That's exactly the premise of this book. A young selkie's carefree best friend is stolen, so she sets about a truly life-changing adventure in order to save the other selkie. In the process she encounters sirens, who are very opposite the selikes: more independent, more open, more free, stronger, more savage ... it's a culture clash that brings about an awakening that's recognizable for any woman (of any age) who's questioned her place in society and her family, and been uncertain of how much of her own future she's really allowed to choose. The adventure outweighs the romance in this one, so the plot drives forward without long introspective pauses for thinking about one's feelings or mooning over whether or not those are requited. Everything is as seen through the eyes of Efa, the selkie protagonist, and her POV is limited to what's in front of her plus she lacks some life experience, so you have to read between the lines to understand why certain things happen - between Bettan and Efa's brother, for example, or between certain mer-people politically and socially (and perhaps, biologically) as a catalyst of certain turning points in the story. Efa sometimes rather passively observes things happening around her and the author leaves it to the intelligent reader to be attentive enough to connect the dots on your own.
Caution for some violence and bloodthirstiness: the fishwives are definitely not Disney mermaids. And let's not forget that a seal, cute and doe-eyed as it may be, is still an ocean predator. The ending seems ambiguous and was likely set up to allow a sequel if positively received. But even if left where it is, there is no cliffhanger, it is a satisfying read as a standalone.
I usually read m/m or m/f and have very little exposure to f/f, but I am drawn to the mythology of selkies, problematic as it may be in the modern day and age. Stealing a selkie's skin to trap her as a slave in the socially acceptable guise of "wife" is terrible and awful, misogyny at its worst. The trope itself seems outdated in modern times when most women (at least in developed countries) have more freedom and choices. But there are some psychological parallels to modern times and relationships; maybe we know a woman who's in a relationship and thinks she can't leave, maybe we have read real life stories about child brides sold off, about women traded like property in some cultures, and we wish the solution was as simple as stealing back their skins so they can go back to the sea.
That's exactly the premise of this book. A young selkie's carefree best friend is stolen, so she sets about a truly life-changing adventure in order to save the other selkie. In the process she encounters sirens, who are very opposite the selikes: more independent, more open, more free, stronger, more savage ... it's a culture clash that brings about an awakening that's recognizable for any woman (of any age) who's questioned her place in society and her family, and been uncertain of how much of her own future she's really allowed to choose. The adventure outweighs the romance in this one, so the plot drives forward without long introspective pauses for thinking about one's feelings or mooning over whether or not those are requited. Everything is as seen through the eyes of Efa, the selkie protagonist, and her POV is limited to what's in front of her plus she lacks some life experience, so you have to read between the lines to understand why certain things happen - between Bettan and Efa's brother, for example, or between certain mer-people politically and socially (and perhaps, biologically) as a catalyst of certain turning points in the story. Efa sometimes rather passively observes things happening around her and the author leaves it to the intelligent reader to be attentive enough to connect the dots on your own.
Caution for some violence and bloodthirstiness: the fishwives are definitely not Disney mermaids. And let's not forget that a seal, cute and doe-eyed as it may be, is still an ocean predator. The ending seems ambiguous and was likely set up to allow a sequel if positively received. But even if left where it is, there is no cliffhanger, it is a satisfying read as a standalone.
February 8, 2017
So... How do I describe this book?
The writing is beautiful, careful and yet filled with clever writing and generous amounts of character development. The story unfolds gently, but with enough pace to keep you reading and... if I'm completely honest... I think this could well be one of my favorite books.
The characters, especially the main four (or at least, the ones I follow most), are cleverly described and written in a way that means you really can fall into their world and go with them on the journey they are taking.
This book may be the first of Tori's that I've read, but I'll definitely be looking out for more.
The writing is beautiful, careful and yet filled with clever writing and generous amounts of character development. The story unfolds gently, but with enough pace to keep you reading and... if I'm completely honest... I think this could well be one of my favorite books.
The characters, especially the main four (or at least, the ones I follow most), are cleverly described and written in a way that means you really can fall into their world and go with them on the journey they are taking.
This book may be the first of Tori's that I've read, but I'll definitely be looking out for more.
December 22, 2017
It could have been okay, it was okay for the most part, but then it had to keep pushing judeo-christian values of marriage and family until the very last words, despite the whole point being that coercing a woman into marriage and to bear children is evil (it never uses the term rape, mind you...).
I never got a clear idea of the era in which this story happens. I'm assuming somewhere around the 50s, when wives are basically maids and mothers, and when a kidnapped and raped and/or beaten wife is told to give it time to grow to love her husband, and that having babies will basically fix it all. Even the mythological creatures who should have a very different culture think that the rights of their women basically don't matter in the face of getting along with the human race.
The main character's brother is also the epitome of the good guy, gaslighting his sister, and "wanting what's best for her," and not actually caring at all about the fate of his kidnapped friend. And still, despite all this, he's still depicted as good people?
I did like that the commentary on what love is somewhat implies that it's more a spectrum from friendship to romantic love, even if it's all a little clumsy. But this is nowhere close to saving the book.
I never got a clear idea of the era in which this story happens. I'm assuming somewhere around the 50s, when wives are basically maids and mothers, and when a kidnapped and raped and/or beaten wife is told to give it time to grow to love her husband, and that having babies will basically fix it all. Even the mythological creatures who should have a very different culture think that the rights of their women basically don't matter in the face of getting along with the human race.
The main character's brother is also the epitome of the good guy, gaslighting his sister, and "wanting what's best for her," and not actually caring at all about the fate of his kidnapped friend. And still, despite all this, he's still depicted as good people?
I did like that the commentary on what love is somewhat implies that it's more a spectrum from friendship to romantic love, even if it's all a little clumsy. But this is nowhere close to saving the book.
March 19, 2020
The story is very interesting and the characters are compelling.
I also enjoyed how detailed the lives of the selkies, the sirens and the humans were and the complex relationships between characters.
The quiet violence selkie wives face and how both selkie and human society see and react to it was chilling and hit really close to home. It worked really well as a metaphor for violence against women.
My only complaint is that the end is very abrupt.
SPOILER
.
.
I was not expecting a simple happy ending given the rest of the story, but I wish we had the opportunity to see Bettan once she has healed a bit more and had been given a more certain conclusion to Efa and Ninka's romance.
That both Efa's quest and her relationship seems to have ended with the best outcome possible and yet everything feels heavy and dull made me really uncomfortable...
I also enjoyed how detailed the lives of the selkies, the sirens and the humans were and the complex relationships between characters.
The quiet violence selkie wives face and how both selkie and human society see and react to it was chilling and hit really close to home. It worked really well as a metaphor for violence against women.
My only complaint is that the end is very abrupt.
SPOILER
.
.
I was not expecting a simple happy ending given the rest of the story, but I wish we had the opportunity to see Bettan once she has healed a bit more and had been given a more certain conclusion to Efa and Ninka's romance.
That both Efa's quest and her relationship seems to have ended with the best outcome possible and yet everything feels heavy and dull made me really uncomfortable...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2017
Reading this story was like reading my younger self falling for my modern adult self: a Selkie raised in a very sheltered environment, with supportive-ish parents until she deviates from their expectations, who only hopes to raise a family one day, trying to rescue someone in a similar predicament from being consumed by the system, and meanwhile finding a charming and dangerous Siren with more modern and flexible definitions of love and adventure. If anything, this story is as much about self discovery and self determination as it is about the f/f light romance, but it's a sweet YA story and I recommend it.
December 15, 2017
I really liked the atmosphere; it somehow felt at once very normal and very magical. Historical and mythology mixes well, and Curtis has a timeless type of language that makes apperances of selkies and sirens feel almost everyday normal. I really liked how romantic and platonic love was portrayed as equal, and I also liked how a whole range of different types of women were represented (as well as various predjudices they faced).
Some things felt a bit unnecesary vague though: what was the whole deal with the sudden siren war? How will things end for Bettan? For Efa and Ninka?
Some things felt a bit unnecesary vague though: what was the whole deal with the sudden siren war? How will things end for Bettan? For Efa and Ninka?
January 11, 2018
this book .... it started and I struggled to read the prose, but I got into it and paused at about halfway, because sleep. so I was looking forward to reading more because the adventure and flirting and is a lot of fun. I don't know why but I feel like it didn't really finish anything. it starts a bunch of cool stories and has a lot of intriguing hooks... it felt like there was a bunch of scenes rather than a full tale. which is somewhat realistic I guess, everyone changes but for all the brief time they spend trying to change specifically they change in different more subtle ways.
March 6, 2018
This had some beautiful worldbuilding and slow but good setup of characters. The energy never quite gets going--or rather, I never felt fully in the moment as things were happening, like the tension was dampened. I kept reading both because I wanted to know the ending and because I kept waiting for it to pick up speed.
What I enjoyed were the choices made by the protagonist as she decides her fate without violating her basic personality, and how she balanced friendships and lovers. I liked her final, unexpected choice at the end of the book, and it made me hope there could be more.
What I enjoyed were the choices made by the protagonist as she decides her fate without violating her basic personality, and how she balanced friendships and lovers. I liked her final, unexpected choice at the end of the book, and it made me hope there could be more.
August 15, 2023
This was an interesting allegory for the "stealing" of women and keeping them trapped as wives and mothers to their captors and eventually learning to either break free or Stockholm syndrome.
I enjoyed the characterization of Selkies and Sirens and their relative strengths and weaknesses as individuals and societies, compared to humans and even partial humans (the children of Selkie women and human men).
I enjoy deeper characterization so this was a bit of a slow one for me. I wish we had exploited the characterization of Selkies expressing affection more closely to humans (warm and loving) as opposed to Sirens being more reptilian (cold) in their affection and interest was explored.
I enjoyed the characterization of Selkies and Sirens and their relative strengths and weaknesses as individuals and societies, compared to humans and even partial humans (the children of Selkie women and human men).
I enjoy deeper characterization so this was a bit of a slow one for me. I wish we had exploited the characterization of Selkies expressing affection more closely to humans (warm and loving) as opposed to Sirens being more reptilian (cold) in their affection and interest was explored.
January 4, 2018
Well-written fantasy takes a very real look at marriages and the unhappy women in them, whether human or selkie, from the perspective of a would-be rescuer who knows she doesn’t understand.
November 23, 2023
I really really wanted to like this but guess not.
January 25, 2018
Check out my book blog for more book reviews and other bookish posts!
I received a copy of Eelgras from the publisher’s in exchange for an honest review. As you might know, I really enjoy mermaid and selkie stories, so a story that has both selkies and mermaids sounded just to good to be true. I was also intrigued by the fact that it sounded like the selkie would fall in love with a mermaid, as it’s something different to the common non-human falling in love with a human trope.
This book is #ownvoices for lesbian representation.
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I expected something completely different from this book – a simple story of a selkie falling in love with a mermaid with a little bit of adventure mixed into it. It ended up being a lot of adventure and very little romance – just what I like!
Selkies and mermaids are usually described as having a very similar culture to humans, which wasn’t the case in Eelgrass. Selkie and mermaid culture are similar to human culture in some aspects, but very different in others. All cultures are very detailed, not only in major details (e.g. sexism) but also in minor details (e.g. footwear, moving in water). Efa, for example, uses the word “fishwife” first, and then learns that “siren” is more respectful, even though the mermaid she knows personally doesn’t mind either word. A small passage that I really enjoyed was when one of the selkies described changing from a human body to a seal body – this is something I would like to read about more in other books.
The romance is beautiful. I enjoyed the slow and calm build-up, how both people gave the other space for her own development, and how they were both respectful of the other person’s culture. I also enjoyed that the relationship grew out of a friendship.
A large part of the book focusses on sexism, marriage, and forcing women to conform to society. It is about how society influences what people think is correct to do. It also shows how so many aspects factor in to a person’s decision and that a decision that may seem easy to make to an outsider, is actually not that easy for the person that has to make the decision. There is a crucial side-plot where Efa and Ninka think they are rescuing one woman from a forced marriage, and the woman explains to them that she wants to be married to this man, thus they learn that not everyone who they suspect of being forced into marriage is actually forced into marriage.
I was so angry when I realised what had happened to Bettan, Efa’s friend. I forgot that is was fiction at some point, because it was written very realistically and it was heartbreaking.
One issue I had, is that I didn’t understand what the reason for the betrayal was. One of the merpeople betrays their friends, and it’s never explained why they did that. Efa also still has internalised sexism, as she insinuates that women have better manners than men.
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This was a wonderful book, and a much sadder and more serious fantasy story than I thought it would be. I enjoyed it a lot!
Trigger warnings: rape, forced marriage, kidnapping, murder.
I received a copy of Eelgras from the publisher’s in exchange for an honest review. As you might know, I really enjoy mermaid and selkie stories, so a story that has both selkies and mermaids sounded just to good to be true. I was also intrigued by the fact that it sounded like the selkie would fall in love with a mermaid, as it’s something different to the common non-human falling in love with a human trope.
This book is #ownvoices for lesbian representation.
__
I expected something completely different from this book – a simple story of a selkie falling in love with a mermaid with a little bit of adventure mixed into it. It ended up being a lot of adventure and very little romance – just what I like!
Selkies and mermaids are usually described as having a very similar culture to humans, which wasn’t the case in Eelgrass. Selkie and mermaid culture are similar to human culture in some aspects, but very different in others. All cultures are very detailed, not only in major details (e.g. sexism) but also in minor details (e.g. footwear, moving in water). Efa, for example, uses the word “fishwife” first, and then learns that “siren” is more respectful, even though the mermaid she knows personally doesn’t mind either word. A small passage that I really enjoyed was when one of the selkies described changing from a human body to a seal body – this is something I would like to read about more in other books.
The romance is beautiful. I enjoyed the slow and calm build-up, how both people gave the other space for her own development, and how they were both respectful of the other person’s culture. I also enjoyed that the relationship grew out of a friendship.
A large part of the book focusses on sexism, marriage, and forcing women to conform to society. It is about how society influences what people think is correct to do. It also shows how so many aspects factor in to a person’s decision and that a decision that may seem easy to make to an outsider, is actually not that easy for the person that has to make the decision. There is a crucial side-plot where Efa and Ninka think they are rescuing one woman from a forced marriage, and the woman explains to them that she wants to be married to this man, thus they learn that not everyone who they suspect of being forced into marriage is actually forced into marriage.
I was so angry when I realised what had happened to Bettan, Efa’s friend. I forgot that is was fiction at some point, because it was written very realistically and it was heartbreaking.
One issue I had, is that I didn’t understand what the reason for the betrayal was. One of the merpeople betrays their friends, and it’s never explained why they did that. Efa also still has internalised sexism, as she insinuates that women have better manners than men.
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This was a wonderful book, and a much sadder and more serious fantasy story than I thought it would be. I enjoyed it a lot!
Trigger warnings: rape, forced marriage, kidnapping, murder.
January 14, 2022
I read this as part of sapphicbookclub on Tumblr, and I'm not sure how to feel about it! I love the main characters, and the way the three main groups- human, selkie, merfolk- are shown to have different cultures and the clashes between them, but... for all that, the plot was lacking! The entire journey to find the merfolk felt more like a reason to introduce a different contrasting culture, rather than to contribute anything to move the plot forward, and ultimately it felt like NONE of the characters really grew or learned anything from their ordeals, with the exception of Efa, who, while learning and growing, was also completely content to not have the people around her learn and grow with her at all. And the story leaves off on the edge of exploring a relationship that was growing all book, but never completely resolves, so I'm left feeling like there's more for these characters and there is a future story planned.
(I will say, however, that Efa's relationship growing slowly and without being explicitly spelled out was really nice, I highly enjoy not being beaten over the head with a blatant, forced, and unconvincing relationship. So while I wanted it to go someplace more, I wouldn't want the way it was written to be anything other than how it was!)
(I will say, however, that Efa's relationship growing slowly and without being explicitly spelled out was really nice, I highly enjoy not being beaten over the head with a blatant, forced, and unconvincing relationship. So while I wanted it to go someplace more, I wouldn't want the way it was written to be anything other than how it was!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
A great first novel and a lovely take on selkies and mermaids!
did-not-finish
December 18, 2017DNF @ 14%
I’m done, I can’t take it anymore.
This book keeps feeing like it’s excusing the stealing of Bettan’s sealskin as natural and normal, and saying she’ll be happy once she has babies and whatnot. I am not even remotely comfortable with these themes or messages. I haven’t even gotten past the first chapter, and this is the whole of the message I’ve been getting!!
I was really excited for this because I really like the idea of sirens and selkies and the mythology associated with both, but I never even saw the sirens and the attitude and culture of the selkies is making me hella squeamish. I much preferred - and recommend!! - SEVEN TEARS AT HIGH TIDE by CB Lee for a selkie story. It’s m/m with bi MC and I have a lot of feelings for it. Much more heartwarming and positive story than this one has been shaping up to be...
I’m done, I can’t take it anymore.
This book keeps feeing like it’s excusing the stealing of Bettan’s sealskin as natural and normal, and saying she’ll be happy once she has babies and whatnot. I am not even remotely comfortable with these themes or messages. I haven’t even gotten past the first chapter, and this is the whole of the message I’ve been getting!!
I was really excited for this because I really like the idea of sirens and selkies and the mythology associated with both, but I never even saw the sirens and the attitude and culture of the selkies is making me hella squeamish. I much preferred - and recommend!! - SEVEN TEARS AT HIGH TIDE by CB Lee for a selkie story. It’s m/m with bi MC and I have a lot of feelings for it. Much more heartwarming and positive story than this one has been shaping up to be...
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