Selkie Girl By Laurie Brooks

This is the original cover.

Book type: novel
Author: Laurie Brooks
Pages: 262

Summary(goodreads.com):
Elin Jean has always known she was different from the others on their remote island home. She is a gentle soul, and can’t stand the annual tradition of killing seal babies to thin the population. Even Tam McCodron, the gypsy boy to whom she is strangely drawn, seems to belong more than she does.
It’s just a matter of time until Elin Jean discovers the secret of her past: her mother, Margaret, is a selkie, held captive by her smitten father, who has kept Margaret’s precious seal pelt hostage for 16 years. Soon Elin Jean faces a choice about whether to free her mother from her island prison. And, as the child of this unusual union, she must make another decision. Part land, part sea, she must explore both worlds and dig deep inside herself to figure out where she belongs, and where her future lies.

                                                                        My Review:

This is the new cover, which clearly
fits the story better

I have been reading this book for about two weeks, and I have to say when I first looked at the cover, I said to myself, "How does this have anything to do with selkies?" As I have mentioned in a previous post, selkies are a type of water creature or mermaid, that are seals when they enter the ocean, but they are human and can shed their seal skin while on land. If you look at the cover, you can clearly see this looks nothing like a selkie, and looks more like a mermaid story. Thankfully, they did chose to make a different cover. However, when I first started reading this, I couldn't put it down. Brooks really used a rich and descriptive way to describe scenes and characters and I was able to become sucked into the tides and currents of the words on the pages. I really recommend this for someone who is in a difficult time of transition. The main character, Elin Jean, transforms from a stubborn girl into a mature young woman, and I loved reading about her transition into adulthood. This is also a great book for someone who loves to read about selkies, and from experience, I know there are not many books written on this mysterious creature. I must say though, the ending was bittersweet, having elements that were quite violent and sad, but also beautiful and happy. I give this book (****) 4 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie