Adrift: A Reader's Review

S.M. Blooding rated it 

This book instantly drew me in. The emotion was written very well in the opening scene. The imagery was crisp throughout the book, and there were times when I honestly felt like I was at sea.

This book has all the right structural elements. The plot was great! It really felt original! I love how Ms. Reeves entwined Devin and Meg’s lives together. It’s a whole lot more than just boy meets girl! This boy has a heavy weight of responsibility, and a really huge failure with grim consequences riding on his shoulders. Poor Meg is just trying to figure out how to swim in this new world she suddenly finds herself in.

The characters are great! I love Maura! LOL! I want a Maura. Poor Meg. Man! She’s in a really tough spot as she unravels just how much trouble she was born into.

And Omyn? OMW! That added so many layers to the characters and to the plot. I couldn’t stop reading! I love the mythology, the history, the build up! It was great!

Ms. Reeves, however, missed a few key emotional transitions, I think. When emotional transitions are missed, then you have whiplash-like mood swings, and/or unexplained behaviors. It was honestly nothing more than a missing sentence or two here and there. The ride could have been smoother, but it wasn’t like trying to ride a horse in an awkward trot either.

All in all, GREAT story! I definitely recommend it!

RavenzReviews Gives Adrift ***** on Goodreads!

Tammy Schweiger's review 

Sep 27, 12

Read in September, 2012

I can't say enough good things about this book! Adrift is the first book in The Last Selkie series and promises to deliver with each new installment. Adrift introduces us to Meg. Meg was raised by her father after losing her mother to a drowning accident when Meg was 16 months old. Now, at 20 years old, her father suddenly dies, leaving her with nothing. Once she finds a home for her Shetland, Coal, Meg leaves the only home she's ever known with no destination in mind except the direction her car was facing when she left, east and north. Once she reaches the Canadian border, she boards a ferry and finds herself in Newfoundland; Trinity to be exact. While hiking out of town, something changes within Meg. Something, or someone, is calling to her from the ocean. The pull is so strong and having nothing left to lose, She leaps into the freezing water. Her last conscious thought is that she is drowning. When she awakens, she thinks she is in heaven. There's a young girl standing over her, bathed in golden light. She wonders, is this an angel? Taking in her surroundings, Meg realizes she is in an old cottage wearing an old long dress. She's plagued with confusion. Where am I? is her primary focus. Once outside, she surveys her surroundings further and from a distance can see a man, not much older than her. He's not overly handsome but has a certain aire about him that makes him mildly attractive. He approaches Meg and introduces himself as Devin, then wants to know who she is, where she came from and why she's in the cottage. Other than the who and the where, she is unable to give a rational explanation for how she came to be in the cottage. She further explains that she has no home or family, and nowhere to go. Devin's mother Maura has a home nearby and offers Meg room and board in exchange for help in the garden, with the chicken coop, and around the house. Not wanting to impose, Meg graciously takes Maura up on her generous offer. 

Maura reminds me of an old hippie witch who lives out in the middle of nowhere and lives off her land. I like Maura. She quickly fills the void of not having a mother. Now, Devin, he's a prickly fellow. He's often moody and unpredictable. He clearly has a problem with Meg, though at first it may seem he is a little bit jealous of her. As the story progresses, Reeves explains more in depth why Devin is the way he is. 

Meg continues to feel the pull of the ocean and is now dreaming of a man, Omyn, who lures her deeper into who she truly is. Upon realizing that they can no longer allow Meg to go on not having the answers she needs, Devin and Maura decide to tell her everything. 

Twenty years ago, the gateway between Fairie and our world was breached and Devin's father died. It was during that breach that a selkie maiden came through the gateway. Devin and Maura believe that maiden was Meg's mother and that she didn't drown but infact was unable to resist the call of the sea and went home. Meg's father must have known this because he did everything he could to keep Meg as far from the water as possible. When her father died, there was no one left to protect her from finding out who she really is, the last selkie.

This story is riveting and powerful. It is about a girl, so lost in this world, coming to terms with who and what she is. She discovers love for the first time and struggles between the two things she wants most, the man she loves and the mother she never knew. Adrift is a must read!

A Great Review from Tales of Gideon

Review of Adrift

Normally I wouldn't do another review so soon after the last, but I tore through this book and finished in record time.  As you can see from the review, that's a good thing.

Adrift (The Last Selkie, Book One) by Elizabeth A. Reeves—êêêêê stars

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book one Amazon, then decided to review it. 

Warning: There are spoilers and hints of spoilers in this review.

Meg is left bereft and alone when her father dies of cancer.  After giving away or selling everything of value, she gets in a car and heads in random direction.  After driving until she’s out of money, she finds herself in Newfoundland, on the coast.   The sea calls to her, and Meg gives herself to it.  When she wakes, she’s in a cottage with a strange woman.  Without speaking, the woman disappears.  That is just the start of the weirdness that becomes normal for Meg.

This book deals heavily with the Fae.  I always approach those books with trepidation, because it’s so easy to make the Fae into humans with pretty magic, when the old legends are so different.  I always wonder which I’m getting when I start reading.  I shouldn’t have worried in this case, because the Fae in Reeve’s story are those dark creatures of legend.  They are presented as wonderfully not-human—not evil, just not us.  The world is richly described, with care given to immerse the reader in the world.  I found the characters interesting, even the ones we only catch glimpses of. 

As for the negative, I found only a few typos, nothing too glaring.  The story itself certainly didn’t put me off.  The only real “negative” was the ending, as in, the book ended!   The end was bittersweet and set with a cliffhanger, yet was written in such a way that I felt like the story being told in Adrift (a very apt title, I’ll add)  was finished, and Meg was getting ready for a new adventure.

I dithered between four and five stars on this.  The final question was, “Would I read this story again?”  When I answered yes, I felt that it has the fifth star in my book.

Adrift: Another Wonderful ***** Review

5.0 out of 5 stars Textured...., September 10, 2012 By  Peg Lewis "Grammy Peg" (Anacortes WA USA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adrift (The Last Selkie Book One) (Kindle Edition) This book is fun to read and engaging. But what really stood out to me was how textured it is. And how balanced. First, about the balance: you have setting, from landlocked Oklahoma and a certain two dimensional barrenness to three-dimensional Newfoundland, or maybe it's four-dimensional. You have dry and wet. You have flat and wavy, choppy and still, trees and caves, air and water, busy and unmoving. And then you have inside and out, comfort and danger. One of the main characters traverses the two worlds with and at ease, the other is never easy. You have alive and dead, the gardens and the inevitable sea, the bright and the dark. Second, about the texture: wet and dry, yes; but also the texture of hair, yarn, rocks, wood, seaweed, oilskin and sealskin. The texture of smells, of what the hands are doing, of sleep and wakefulness and back again. Of edgy loyalty and smooth enticement. And all of it with an undercurrent of danger, of no simple answers, of the easy way never being the chosen way, of conflict between need for comfort and accepting comfort. And of loss, always of loss. This book is fundamentally about loss and the toss-up between surviving loss and losing the will to survive. While you're having your good read, you will be walking dangerously close to another world. Is it real? I wonder when I'll find out.

Adrift FREE on Kindle: Sept 9th-14th

I am offering Adrift for free over the next few days on Kindle. Please download/read/review and tell your friends!

Like the new cover?

Adrift ***** Review!

Thank you for my readers who are sending me such wonderful reviews!

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like Twilight, you'll love Adrift September 8, 2012

By homeschoolingmom

Format:Kindle Edition

Meg's story pulls you in from page one and doesn't let go until you finish. It is beautifully written and makes you want to visit Newfoundland. The characters are very likeable and you grow to care for them quickly. The story shares some loose similarities with the Twilight series: YA fantasy/sci-fi/romance, supernatural beings, a beautiful nineteen year old brunette torn by having to choose between two worlds and two loves. The similarities end there, but I think that if you like the Twilight series, you'll like Adrift. I'm looking forward to Book Two!

Another ***** Review for Adrift!

Knowing that I have readers is fantastic, but when those readers reach out and reward my hard work with a review? That is pure magic!

Adrift on Amazon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing! September 3, 2012

By jaki36

Format:Kindle Edition

From the start, the story is mesmerizing. You walk with Meg through every step of her journey and feel every emotion and experience. A wonderful cast of characters with well-written dialogue and captivating story. I couldn't put it down and can't wait for Book 2!

Review From Amazon *****

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful! September 2, 2012

By munchk

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

As soon as I started reading Adrift I knew that I wouldn't be able to put it down until I was finished. I was right. From the very beginning I knew that I was going to enjoy this story. I really like the fact that it is all age friendly. I will be sharing it with my daughter and other family and friends. It is refreshing to find a book that you can share with your friends and family. I contacted the author as soon as I was finished and asked her when the next book in the series will be finished. Having the book downloaded to my kindle made it easy to read right away. Thank you, Elizabeth A Reeves for an amazing reading experience

Available for Nook!

Adrift is now available on Nook! 

It's Almost Here!

Adrift will be released at Midnight tonight (Arizona time)! Come one over to our facebook or twitter (@SelkieHorse #Adrift) parties to hang out, learn facts, and get some neat prizes. Do you want a free copy of Adrift? Tell me your favorite childhood Fairy-tale to be entered in a drawing for a free Kindle edition of Adrift.

This is the cover you selected! Thank you!

Adrift Contest: Awesome Prizes, Easy Entry

Contest is open from NOW until Adrift has been available for 8 days. Adrift will be available soon!
*$25 Amazon gift certificate
*Free Kindle edition of Adrift
*Free Nook edition of Adrift

How to play:
Tweet with hashtags #LastSelkie and #Adrift @SelkieHorse (1 entry per tweet)
Buy Adrift and comment below (10 entries per purchase, enter unique quote from book to verify)
'Like' my Facebook page (5 entries)
Review Adrift (on blog, Amazon, Goodreads, or BN, then post link here) (10 entries/review)
Review Avow (on blog, Amazon, Goodreads, or BN, then post link here) (5 entries/review)
'Like' and Share the Adrift book trailer on YouTube (1 entry)

You can enter as many times as you want. If we reach 500 sales on premiere week, I will give one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate to their bookseller of choice.

Results will be randomly drawn.

Make sure you comment with what you have done!

What is Adrift?

Meg Tanner is afraid of water because her mother drowned in the ocean. Ever since then her father has warned her to stay away from the sea.

Upon her father's death Meg is set adrift in the world with no belongings and no place to go. Her only option is to hop into her beat-up old car and go wherever the road takes her.

All alone and blinded by grief she emerges in Trinity, Newfoundland, where she is approached by Devon Horan. Devon is fascinating man who immediately threatens everything she assumed about her life.

Soon Meg has nothing left but haunting questions:

What are selkies? What do they have to do with her dead mother?

And why does Devon despise Meg?

Reader Reviews for Avow

Avow is a prequel, taking place twenty years before Adrift (coming Aug. 2012). It is currently available on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.


A Last Selkie Short Story.


Twenty years before Adrift, a young man named Ethan Tanner found out he had a inoperable malignant brain tumor and had less than a year to live.


Impossibly, help comes in a mythical form.


Here's what readers have to say about it:


Review by: MB Crandell on July 17, 2012 :      I liked your story. You did a great job fleshing out your characters and even though the story was short, you had an excellent plot. I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. Thankyou for sharing!

Review by: THG StarDragon Publishing on Aug. 04, 2012 :      I really enjoyed this short prequel and am looking very forward to when I can read the following tale. I adore selkie stories, and they are a type of merfolk that I think really could use more attention, as most think of the fishy sort when thinking "mermaid" and none of the other varieties. The story itself had me tearing up in sympathy, as the emotions of facing death are perfectly captures (I have had very close experience, having nursed my father in his last days and assisted in his spiritual care). I also very much like the deviation from the usual "selkie bride" motif.

Review by: Peg Lewis on July 26, 2012 :       This prequel promises an interesting yarn. There are plenty of paranormal creatures out there (and for the most part I don't like reading about them), but the selkie here has an agenda that will have implications for future generations. And she exists in an utterly believable, in fact real, world, and so she seems actually quite real, too. There's promise here for the main work, and I'm keeping my eye out for it.

Review by: Faye Hollidaye on July 24, 2012 :      A five-star short story, but not entirely perfect. Very emotionally intriguing!

Adrift

The full-length Selkie novel Adrift is coming out soon! I am excited to share this, my latest work, with my audience. I hope everyone will read it and enjoy it!  I love feedback, so I am looking forward to seeing lots of reviews.

Adrift will be available soon on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I will also have copies available on Smashwords.

Adrift is the story of Meg Tanner.

Meg Tanner was nineteen years old when her father suddenly slipped into a coma and died. Meg was forced to sell all of their belongings just to settle his medical bills. With little more than a junkie old car and a few clothes to her name, she has no relatives, not family, nothing to hold her in one place.

She got into her car and started to drive. She ended up in Newfoundland, where she quickly learned that everything she knew about herself and her past are much different than the truth.

And truth, as we all know, is stranger than fiction.