This reads like a Miyazaki film.

This book came highly recommended, and I was prepared to really like it. When I started reading it, it reminded me of The Last Unicorn. As the story progressed, though, I found that it seemed to lack the depth that I was hoping it would have. It could have been really good, but I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters. I liked that Kir was so desperate to get into the sea, but he was also aloof and unreachable, and I found his relationship with Peri rather forced. What reason did he have to love her, or her him? It seemed to be convenient for the author for them to be in love, but the story didn't back it up, and because of that, any sense of loss that should have come at the end of the story was missing, and I found the end rather unsatisfying, since the whole book pointed to exactly what would happen (but not how) all along, and there weren't any surprises once we got there, except perhaps, for the magician's sudden attraction to Peri.

This is a gorgeous, bittersweet, perfect, completely unsatisfying story. It's a fairytale that feels real. All of those things at once? Yes.

I didn't like the other book by this author I've read nearly as much -- perhaps not at all, I can't remember. But this is lovely. It's a story about longing, really, longing and love. It spellbound me, and managed to capture something I love about the sea: its beauty, humans' fascination with it, its danger... Dar Williams' The Ocean comes to mind here, somewhat.

It's not really a story tied together by plot, but by emotion, and Kir's longing, Peri's love and hope, the king's sadness, it all got to me. The book is short, but I'll be thinking about it for a while. Another comparison that comes to mind is Susan Cooper's Seaward.

Beautifully, breathtakingly woven, as one would expect from Ms. McKillip. The characters are exquisitely fleshed-out and complex, mysterious and lovely, infused with emotions and heart expected of an everyday person, yet with just the barest hint of magic running its current beneath. The prose is absolutely spellbinding, and the conversations compelling, riddled with that simple, effortless, alluring ease that flows so naturally from the author's hand.

May expand more on character thoughts later, but all in all, this was entirely lovely; a book I cherished and felt and swallowed every step of the way back to the sea and beyond, with eager eyes, fingers, and heart.

(❧"What have you done?” she asked herself aloud. "What have you done?" She answered herself a few moments later. "I’ve gone and fallen in love with the sea.")

What a beautiful, magical, soft story! I adore soft magic systems and stories set by the sea or in the sea, and all that combined with breathtakingly beautiful writing style easily made a 5-star read.

My friend said this story is amazing for those who loved Howl's Moving Castle. While I did enjoy HMC a bit more, I must admit she was right - it has similar vibe to it.

I believe I will be talking about this book for a long time in months, maybe even years to come.

This is a gem of a book! It's compelling, magical and very unpredictable!
It is the 4th book I've read from Patricia A. McKillip and I love the dreamlike quality of her writing.
I am wavering between 4 and 5 stars and deciding on 4 only because I usually only give 5 stars to books that I reread and still love.
It is absolutely beautiful and Id recommend it to everyone who loves fairy tales.

I loved this fairytale-style fantasy novella. I've enjoyed McKillip's writing ever since I read The Tower at Stony Wood, and I've enjoyed this, The Changeling Sea, the most to date.

McKillip's writing is beautiful and clever and poetic, but at times hard to follow due to its dream-like flow. The Changeling Sea was the perfect length.

For most of the book I couldn't imagine where it was all going or how it was going to end, but those feelings are typical when reading McKillip. Then it ends and you think, "Of course, it couldn't have ended any other way!"

This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...

I picked up a tattered paperback of The Changeling Sea at a used book sale in part because I love McKillip’s ethereal writing style, and in part because of the gorgeous Michael Whelan cover. Like most of McKillip’s work, The Changeling Sea reads like a fairy tale or a bedtime story; it’s short, enchanting, and filled with wonder.

Peri (short for Periwinkle) lives in tiny fishing village. Her father died at sea, and ever since, her mother has been listless and distant. Peri spends her time living in a local witch woman’s cottage until she too disappears. Frustrated by her own feelings of loss, Peri decides to hex the sea. As she is constructing her hexes, a bedraggled Prince Kai appears and asks her to include a message to be carried to the sea. Peri doesn’t really believe that her hexes will work, but she agrees. The next day, a sea dragon appears wearing a chain of gold. But who on earth could be powerful enough to chain such a being?

I’m not normally about love triangles, but there is a love triangle in this story, and it is done well. Peri finds herself developing feelings for Kai, but we know from the very start that their love is both passionate and doomed, because Kai is drawn to the sea and loves it more than he could possibly love a mortal woman. Meanwhile Peri builds a companionship with another character that gradually develops into something more, even though it’s not the same kind of love that she experiences with Kai. And there’s so much acknowledgment of how much doomed love can hurt, even if a relationship isn’t practical or feasible or good for the people involved. The entire message is delivered with both elegance and melancholy.

I read The Changeling Sea in one sitting, as it was both short and impossible to put down. It reminds me nostalgically of the stories that I read as a child. I’d highly recommend this, or any of McKillip’s novels. Once again, her work does not disappoint.

Periwinkle's father drowned at sea. Her mother is lost in her grief, staring out to see. Periwinkle herself works at the inn -- which is very busy when the king stays in his summer home, and still has to be kept neat by winter -- and lives in the hut of an old woman who vanished not long after her mother died. She starts to hex the sea in revenge, which is where the king's son, Kir, happens on her.

He gives her a message to give to the sea when she hexes it, and more consequences ripple outward. Involving a chained sea dragon. An old jealousy. A magician named Lyo who knows that periwinkles are flowers as well as snails. Fishermen finding strange catches -- after the few first get laughed at and told they mistook it, people stop laughing. Accidental magic.

As enchanting as ever her work is.

The Changeling Sea - Patricia A. McKillip
YA Fantasy; reread; 10/10
When I realised I couldn't manage to read some of the more detailed books I had on the TBR at this time, I went down to the library room and pulled out some old favourites that I'd like to reread. The Changeling Sea has always been my favourite Patricia McKillip novel but I hadn't reread it in years. I was a little concerned it might not stand up to a reread, but it it absolutely did. This is just a gorgeous story about love and loss, told in beautiful, lyrical language that is a delight to read. I still think this is McKillip at her best and highly recommend it to anyone. And if you like dragons (and princes), you'll just love this one. It's beautiful and soulful and wonderful. (This book was my last read for the Here Be Dragons challenge that finished today and it was a great way to finish it.)

Comments from Here Be Dragons challenge: This book contains one of the most wonderful dragons. A sea dragon, it appears out of the sea chained by a golden chain. When the folks of the nearby fishing village find a magician to set it free, young Peri finds herself caught up in the fate of dragons, princes and kings. It is a beautiful book, beautifully and lyrically written and I highly recommend it to anyone. Don't let its YA designation put you off as it is a delight for anyone and a wonderful introduction to McKillip's beautiful writing.

3.5 stars

"Come out of the sea and into my heart
My dark, my shining love.
Promise we shall never part,
My dark, my singing love."

This is no ordinary book. It is a key to another realm. I journeyed through the labyrinthine pathways of her heart to enter a secret world full of magic and beauty. And I am forever changed.

I have always been a creature of the sea. My soul heard her song and found it's way to her shore. She gives me shelter from the storm. Her heart keeps me warm.

Thank you, Lia, for sharing this precious treasure with me.

------------------------------

Note: I listened to this on repeat throughout. It fit so perfectly and added even more depth and wonder to my experience. ♡