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!

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 ***** 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