The Lure of ShapinsayDescription:
Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant.
Unexpectedly, Kait is awoken by a beautiful, naked selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure.
Kait obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?
- Quoted from Goodreads.com
–
Title: The Lure of Shapinsay
Author: Krista Holle
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Romance
Self Published, December 16th 2011
–
Note: Contains spoilers, sorry!
When Holle contacted me about her book and invited me to review it, I read the first two chapters of this book that she posted on her blog. I was curious. Selkie? I’ve never read anything on that before, I didn’t even know that word existed until Wiki told me that Selkies are “mythological creatures which can shed their skin from seals to become humans.” The skin you see on the book cover is not really accurate. I was confused at how the skin could “wrap around” and keep its owner warm when it was just… it seemed like a hand towel. Anyway, readers should google “The Selkie Folk of Orkney Folklore” to see a more convincing image of the Selkie skin.
The Lure of Shapinsay is a unique story of love that keeps you reading till the end. Kait is a stubborn girl who is unafraid of confessing her love for Eamon, and Eamon is a selkie who simply cannot resist his attraction for Kait.
It was difficult for me to get through the first chapter, even though I’ve read it before on Krista’s (The Author) blog. After I’d gotten used to the language, the story flowed smoothly and became really enjoyable. Love between a human and any mythological creatures has always been difficult, and the same goes for this book. Kait was determined to gain the love of Eamon; she had fallen so deeply in love that she claimed she’d go “mad” without him. She would swim far, even risk her life, just for a chance to see him again. I find her brave enough to call out for her lover when she stumbled upon a group of Selkies. The story introduced Selkies to be really nasty. Kait was forceful, and desperate, it was something like… “I want that boy and nothing will stop me”.
Although up till now I’m still confused why the “lure” didn’t affect Kait (or did it?), I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading paranormal romance. It is not the best, but certainly a worthy read. I liked it.
“—and I’d not be returning to the sea. Ever.”
After reading the entire book, I believe this is the sweetest thing I’ve heard from Eamon.
My favorite part of the book was when Eamon grew weak on land, because I was expecting a twist and heartbreaking scenes. The least favorite part of the book was when everything was solved just by a skin. I was hungry for more.
Honestly, I do not like the idea of this book having an “end” to it yet. I long for a continuation of the story. There’re still so much more to be told. I wanted to read more about the history of Selkies. I wanted to know what Eamon was talking about when he mentioned that Kait reminded him of someone, and from my memory, this part was only briefly touched on. I wanted to know what it felt like actually living in the sea. I wanted to know what would happen to the “old” woman selkie. I wanted to know if there was a story for the “old” woman selkie and her lover that’s still waiting for her in the sea. Would he come for her when Kait finds him? How would Kait get along with other Selkies? What would her brother’s reaction be? Why wasn’t she affected by the lure?
I’d vote for a book 2 if I could.
P.s. Sshh… I secretly wished there was a map to visualize Shapinsay and the areas around it.
I give this book a rating of 4/5.
