I read several young adult, fantasy novels over the course of a year. My daughters prefer fantasy, paranormal and science fiction to most other genre. And, as a mom, I like to read the possible books on their reading lists before I turn them over to the girls. This week, I read A Thousand Salt Kisses, the first book in Josie Demuth's Salt Kisses series--and followed it up with A Thousand Salt Kisses Later. Today, I'm sharing my review of A Thousand Salt Kisses (and will have a review of the sequel posted tomorrow!) We have also joined the book tour giveaway--so be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the giveaway at the end of this post!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for use in my review. All opinions are my own.
Quick Summary of A Thousand Salt Kisses. Seventeen-year-old Crystal White is the new girl on Starfish Island. Dragged to the remote community by her environmental activist father, she is eager to find fun that doesn’t involve touching fish guts or listening to local folklore.
During a midnight swim with some new friends, Crystal is pulled out to sea by the waves. Convinced she’s going to drown; Crystal is rescued by Llyr, a handsome stranger. As she searches for him in the following weeks, she finds there may be more truth to the Starfish legends than she thought.
Over a sizzling rollercoaster summer, Llyr introduces Crystal to magic she’d only ever dreamed of. But as Crystal comes to love Starfish Island, it begins to drive her family apart. A nearby power plant is devastating local marine life, and her parents are stuck in the middle. As the magic and mundane parts of Crystal’s life converge, she finds herself risking everything to save Llyr, her family and herself.
A Thousand Salt Kisses is a Teen Fantasy Romance. Adult readers or older teens may find some of the character interactions and scenes worthy of eye rolls--but, I think the book is written well for its audience. This book is intended for teen romance fans--and younger teens will not be daunted by the immediate love interest--nor the superficial characters.
The Author Brings the Beach to Readers. Caught in the winter blahs right now with snow and cold; I did enjoy the author's attention to setting and details. She was able to transport me into Crystal's world-and into a warm, summer season for a summer romance.
Readers will Need to Read the Series. This is not a stand-alone novel--it ends quite abruptly--and readers will need to read further into the series to find resolution.
Would I recommend A Thousand Salt Kisses? I didn't love any of the characters enough to form strong attachments to them--and I never felt that any of the characters were really all that attached to one another. While the relationships were truly complicated (on nearly every level)--the complications, as presented, didn't really draw me into the characters' futures. I did find myself; however, drawn enough to Demuth's writing style that I wasn't quite ready to give up my visit to Crystal's world--and I wanted to see how the story continued in the next book. Fans of mermaids, mythology, fantasy and paranormal romance novels will like the story line--with younger readers enjoying it probably more than adults. I think it is a well-done, quick, summer, beach read that light, teen romance fans would also enjoy. Keep in mind, it's also more of a PG-13 novel with language and sexual situations--but, none of the scenes are graphic or too explicit for younger teens.
Meet the Author:
Josie Demuth is an author based in London. First published on Wattpad, her Salt Kisses series has garnered nearly four million reads and are now serialised on Radish Fiction. The second of this series, A Thousand Salt Kisses Later is her fourth novel.
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