Review of "Adrift" by Elizabeth A Reeves

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Adrift (The Last Selkie)Meg is herself adrift following the death of her father. She never knew her mother, having been told that she  drowned when Meg was very young. Having never been to the coast before, she finds herself suddenly drawn there, to Trinity, Newfoundland. Whilst there, events unfold that see her discovering her mother for the first time. She meets a man called Devin and falls in love with him along with a man she sees in her dreams. Her dreams are vivid and are of Faerie.

It transpires that Devin is the Guardian of the Gateway. He's in charge of keeping the gates of Trinity closed so that humans and supernatural beings remain separated. It is Devin who informs Meg of her mother and how a selkie came to fall in love with a mortal man. Meg's world is turned upside down as truths are uncovered and a new reality dawns.

Meg's mother wants her to make the journey to Faerie. She is faced with the ultimate dilemma -stay and live peacefully with Devin, whom she has grown to love or leave the mortal world and be reunited with the only family she has left. Ultimately, can she resist the call of the sea?

The author makes use of the first person narrative, conveying a sense of immediacy, drawing in the reader. The plot is well constructed and the narrative flows throughout. Reeves uses poetic language which is rich, vivid and rhythmic, enhancing the narrative and lifting it out from the ordinary. Vivid imagery evokes visual scenes, characters and places. The language, with an air of mystique at times, conveys the reader into the 'other' realm where supernatural beings exist.

This is a multi-dimensional novel which deals with more than one problem; coming of age, loss, identity crisis and love. It's a fantastic book for a wide ranging audience, whilst stating it is YA, I'm certain that any adult would discover the magic in the words.

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