Well, this was lovely!

It was like reading a dream. A beautiful fairytale that whisks the reader into a lovely story of magic and friendship and love.

This is a lovely little story. There’s something of the fairytale about it, the ordinary young woman caught up in a story of kings and magic and sea-people, especially when delivered in McKillip’s polished, timeless prose. But there’s also an essential groundedness to her writing, particularly here, that makes it all feel real: the sensory details of life at the edge of the sea, the practicalities of cleaning.

I loved the sheer ordinariness of our heroine, Peri, a 15-year-old girl from a small fishing village. Her father was recently lost at sea and her mother sunk into depression; Peri has responded by moving into an abandoned house, and rarely interacts with others except as required by her job scrubbing floors at the local inn. Most fantasy protagonists are portrayed as better than those around them, whether through lineage or abilities or personality or some combination, which is a rather toxic worldview if imbibed too often and uncritically. Peri is decidedly not, though some unusual things happen to her and she does discover her magical talent (which is not the story’s focus). She’s believable as a poor villager: she doesn’t have a big dreams, she doesn’t read for enjoyment, she works for a living and is often seen doing so. Her firmer and more articulate coworker, Mare, seems perhaps the more natural heroine. But in the context of this story, Peri’s baffled acceptance of whatever comes works well; she’s endearing and easy to sympathize with. The supporting characters meanwhile are deftly drawn and engaging, and their dialogue brings them to life despite the book’s short length.

Though at 137 pages this is a very short novel, it feels complete, and probably double the length of recent novelettes that are stretched through various formatting tricks to reach that same page count. It also has that ageless quality of books written from before YA was an established genre with its own expectations and tropes. Peri is 15, but I think this could be enjoyed at any age and isn’t written specifically to teen concerns. Indeed, Peri ultimately moves back in with her mom, rather than out as one might expect in a teen novel!

Notably for me, this is my fifth McKillip, and her writing hasn’t gone sour for me yet! The climax and ending here make perfect sense, unlike some of her others, although I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Peri’s getting romantically involved with Lyo; the age and experience gap feels very large. I’d rank those of her books I’ve read as follows:

1) The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
2) The Changeling Sea
3 & 4) Ombria in Shadow and Alphabet of Thorn
5) The Bards of Bone Plain (the only dud so far)

While I don’t expect this book to stick with me, it’s beautiful and bittersweet and expertly written, and I didn’t want it to end. A little gem of a story.

Simple, linear, and magical.

Goodreads tells me I read this in January 2011 - I have no memory of it, except in the faintest brushstrokes, like a faded dream. This doesn’t actually say anything, and there’s really no conflict, but it’s beautifully - if barely - drawn.

From this book I learned that water dudes are totally HAWT! To hell with vampires!

A magical little story about a brooding, grieving girl who sets into motion a strange series of events and falls into a charming adventure, tinged with romance, mystery and magic.

I was drawn in by McKillip's atmosphere and world-building, not to mention her beautiful prose. Her sentences flow seamlessly, painting a vivid picture of the events and the characters and, most of all, the setting: a poor fishing village on a small island, with the sea playing a major rule in the story, so much so that it almost becomes a character who is driving the fates of the village folks.

As far as actual flesh-and-bone characters are concerned, my favorite one was Lyo, who got very little time on the page, but he was perhaps the most interesting of the three male characters, with his unexplained magic and his quirky ways of being and his cute moments with Peri. I liked Peri's portrayal, too—the angsty teen who's all wrapped up in herself, vengeful and wanting to strike back at the sea.

On the other hand, there's Carey's minor character presented as a foil, dreamy and dissatisfied in her own way, loudly pining for an adventure and a fairy-tale romance—something that ends up happening instead to the quieter, almost obscure protagonist who wanted none of it.

Plot-wise, I expected there to be greater complications, more twists, more conflict in the story. It's shorter than the average length of a novel, however, with neat story-lines for the major characters, all wrapping up in happy endings, making it sound more like a short fairy-tale than a full-length novel.

I don't think there was an actual antagonist per se (except the sea, perhaps, if we consider Peri's animosity toward it, and the way it haunts many of the characters). The bulk of the tension in the story comes from the magical aspects and the underlying mystery that unfolds slowly, sweeping Peri along for the adventure.

The lack of complications, however, is more than compensated by the steady pace; events keep happening, and the story keeps moving on with a sense of adventure and excitement, which is why it was such a great experience to read this book. I felt like the story flew by very fast every time I sat down to read.

Final thoughts and rating:

3.5/5 stars.

I'd have preferred a thicker plot, but I'm very happy I read this book and discovered McKillip's works. I liked the steady pace of the story, the immersive, quirky characters, the magical atmosphere, and the strange series of events—adventurous, mysterious, and romantic—that befall the these people and come alive on the page.

Recommended for readers who like a fairy-tale atmosphere, rich settings, broody characters, sea-stories, and a dash of adventure to top it all!


***Writerly tidbit:

I was struck by the frequency and variety of McKillip's adverbs:

—"Amazedly"

—"Bewilderedly"

—"Puzzledly"

I'm a fiend for adverbs, always curious to see what kind of attitude different authors have toward this oft-scorned species in the English language. I very much respect and admire authors like Erin Morgenstern, Anne Rice, J. K. Rowling, John Green, etc. who love their adverbs and are, shall we say, completely unapologetic about them.

McKillip is one of them it turns out. I'm not sure if the quirky adverb use is her personal style and seeps through her other works as well, or if it's just an attempt at brevity for the sake of telling a short tale (or maybe it's because she's an older author writing at a time when a different style was in vogue). But I plan on finding out!

WOW! I really enjoyed this! The writing is absolutely beautiful. Pure poetry. There were lots of descriptions of the sea but I didn't mind them because I didn't feel like I was reading the same thing over and over. She made each one interesting and wonderful. I also quite enjoyed the characters. The plot was also quite good and I was surprised as when I saw how many pages it was I thought it wouldn't have enough time to actually have a plot with good conflict and developed characters but it did! The whole story was filled with a feeling of longing.
I really loved how they talked as well. It was all very straightforward but lyrical. It was like I was reading a story someone would tell in a book. A story within a story. A true sort of fairytale feeling.

Adult, fantasy romance. Very sweet and twisty!

I really enjoyed this one! The ending wasn't so obscure as some of McKillip's other works; I didn't have to re-read several times to understand what was going on.

A simple, quiet little story with lovely prose and atmosphere. A definite comfort read <3

This wonderful fairy tale (and yes, a bit of romance) is magical, bittersweet and compact. The characters are well written and the simple plot is a perfect fit. Extremely well done, highly recommended. I look forward to reading more from this author!

“the sea, it seemed, had lured them both into its dreaming. maybe there was no way out of the dream; they would be caught in it forever, yearning for a secret that was never quite real, never quite false…”



the sea is a mysterious kingdom and I long to enter its realms, hopefully not literally.

as I am sitting on my bed, I’m dreaming about how elusive and enticing the sea truly is. I could stare at it all day, wonder how to discover its waves of mysteries, but in the end, how much can actually be solved? and if they were to be solved, is life even worth living?

every so often, I let my thoughts permeate the room, not aloud, but in my head, I’m living in a world of fantasy. (nothing has to make sense, and maybe this review does not make any sense, but what even is logic?) now, I am surrounded by mermaids and undersea creatures that probably exist (or not), and in my hands lie a beautiful copy of The Changeling Sea. as I am about to enter the enchanting undersea kingdom once again, the sweet smell of periwinkles linger beneath my nostrils. I long for it’s aroma the moment it perishes, and wonder how it smelt like. I wreck my brains but I can’t recollect the smells as well as the words and so I dive into this novel and the lovely scent stays with me throughout.

this is the feeling of longing—sometimes you get it, most of the time you don’t. everyone longs for different things—for gold, for the sea, for love…but the fulfillment of one might be the opposite for the other. regardless of that, McKillip is a master of her craft. with lyrical prose—poetic even—and a beautiful storyline, this spellbinding novel left me full of longing and anticipation.

this is one of my favorite novels as it beautifully captures this feeling that periodically floods my head. this quote below, I feel, is the perfect expression (or analogy) of longing:


”I was swimming beyond the spires, trying to follow the light. But the faster I swam, the farther it drew from me; I followed it until it was gone, and I was alone in the deep water, in the darkening sea…”