Simidele is one of Yemoja’s Mami Wata, mermaids who collects the souls of the dead tossed from ships and blesses their journeys to the beyond. But Simidele remembers her life as a human, in bits and pieces, she is the only one who doesn’t want to let the water wash away her memories as it buries the bones of the forgotten dead. So when a boy, Kola, is thrown overboard and turns out to be alive, she breaks the rules to save him. She didn’t think much of bringing him to a deserted island but her transgression has greater consequences to her ancestral goddess and the rest of the Mami Wata.

She must ask forgiveness from the creator oisa, Olodumare but there is a bitter obstacle that threatens her and the rest of the Earth.

Esu, the messenger god has harbored jealousy against the rest of the oisha’s powers, using his role to sewn chaos and dissent. The rings that will allow Simidele contact Olodumare are the same rings that Esu seeks to amplify his powers to rival Olodumare, himself.

Can Simidele save her fellow Mami Wata, Kola and the world she knows?

I love mythology and while I knew the basics of a few oisa like Oye, Shango and Mami Wata (who all appear in breathtaking description), seeing more of the mythology was magical. Bowen picks mermaids from Yoruba legend, the Yumbo which are a type of silver fairy, the oisa (gods) and so much more. It created a distinct, awe-inspiring world full of danger with lightning strikes, deals with the dead and devil-snakes, Ninki-Naka.

Of course, readers will enjoy the Little Mermaid-like essence, which Bowen admits was her favorite movie as a child. Simidele has the ability to change to human form when she’s on land and it’s when her memories are most firm. By returning to this state, she is unable to let go and even outright misses being human. She knows it cannot be but this journey further digs in the conflict between her grateful admiration and love for Yemoja and the returning feelings of emotion and connectedness that comes with being human.

Kola in particular made a fascinating partner in this journey after initally distrusting Simidale, scarred by his recent experiences on the slave ships. This pokes at Simidele’s own insecurity that she cannot be among humans when they will stare at her with fear or greed. But Kola’s wariness is soon revealed to have deeper meaning and surprising connections to the rest of the oisa and Esu’s malicious schemes. I cannot spoil it but I loved Kola as a person, his sense of honor, his kindness to children, his need to protect his family. He reminded Simidele of the best parts of being human and that what makes the romance even more bittersweet.

Kola’s friends, Bram and Yinka who join their journey in the second-half of the book have interesting potential yet are quickly shut out so Kola and Simidele can face off Esu alone. Actually, their fates are sort of a cliff-hanger, question-mark so I hope there’s more of them in the sequel.

Overall, this was a great fantasy adventure blending mythology with the darker aspects of the history of enslavement that darken Simidele and Kola’s pasts as much as Esu’s machinations. In fact, the presence of slavery is only a major presence in the first few chapters but it speaks to the darkness of humanity that the oisa shun and won’t interfere with because they see humans as a lost cause. It gives Simidele another reason to hold herself back as her memories return of the pain that being cpatured brought and the release Yemoja gave her from that fate. She knows being human has its tragedies but Kola almost makes it worth it.

Almost. Her little deal with a certain god of death made for an interesting sequel hook which I’ll get to tomorrow.

4 sea sapphires