Will I love The Brides of Rollrock Island?

This young adult novel knocked me out.

It takes place on a small, rocky island, but its themes are huge: revenge; desire; love; jealousy; power; bondage, and transformation. It’s a multi-generational tale that traces an infinitesimally slow-bending arc toward compassion, catharsis, and the restoration of order.

There is a witch who can summon beautiful women out of their bodies as seals; there are the seal-women, themselves, and the men who love them; there are the children, part-selkie, part human.

I loved that, though much evil is done, none of the principal characters are purely evil or good. The prose itself… show more.

I adored this book’s eerie, atmospheric vibes, which center around selkie legends—beautiful half-seal, half-human women who live in the sea. The story is told over several generations of Rollrock residents and is such a deliciously dark exploration of human motivation, loneliness, and what can happen when we avoid reality in favor of our own wild, magical fantasies. (Spoiler alert: magic always has a cost!)

This book is a slow burner and can be a bit confusing at first (lots of pesky POV jumps). However, it comes together beautifully and is well worth the effort for any lover of Celtic mythology… show more.