Goodreads Book Giveaway

Adrift by Elizabeth A. Reeves

Adrift

by Elizabeth A. Reeves

Giveaway ends October 01, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts

Friday, September 28, 2012

RavenzReviews Gives Adrift ***** on Goodreads!


's review 
Sep 27, 12

5 of 5 stars false
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!

Monday, September 17, 2012

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.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Selkie Legend

Long ago the selkie came to shore, seeking lovers among the mortals. They would linger with their families until the call of the sea became to great for them to bear... then they would don their seal-skins and disappear into the mists... or so the selkie legend says.

I assume that I am descended from a selkie myself. I come from an Irish line with curly dark hair and a strong affinity to water.

I've never been able to stay away from water. I'm the kind of person who stands out in the rain, no matter how cold it may be. My brother and I would swim from February to November every year as we were growing up. My parents had to instate a rule that we had to get out if our lips turned blue.

The ocean, of course, has a magic all of its own. The waves, the colors, the hiss of the water cresting onto the sand... I am very much in love with the sea.

I have always wondered if I might actually be a part of the selkie legend. What if one of my ancestors really came out of the water and lived as a mortal? Would s/he have stayed with the family or left when the call of the sea became to strong?

I dream of swimming in the depths of the ocean all the time. In my dreams I am quick and supple in the water. I don't have to hold my breath because I am so at one with the element.

I live in a desert, far away from any beaches, far away from the sea... but I am pretty sure I have saltwater in my veins.

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?