By Megan Gaudino
The Sea Became Restless (ARC Book Review)
Cult novels have taken the world by storm in the past few years and I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for it, which is exactly why I picked up “The Sea Became Restless” by Megan Gaudino.
This contemporary YA novel follows Nixie, a young girl who has lived on a beached boat for nearly her entire life. Although she’s forbidden from seeing it, Nixie knows there’s an entire world beyond her little home. After all, many of those in her community came from the shores beyond her home and speak of how lucky she is to never have experienced its horrors for herself. Yet, she can’t help craving the freedom and fresh air. But when their deserted slice of beach begins getting visitors and the outside world comes knocking at Nixie’s door, she’ll be faced with more than freedom and inevitably find herself searching for answers that will change her life.
This book had a lot of interesting elements. The ship/cult setting is enticing to say the least and a cast of quirky characters (and cats) invites readers into a story full of mystery and secrets that propel the plot forward. However, these storylines more or less take a back seat to what seemed to be the least interesting trajectory of all: a mushy teen romance.
In many ways, this book had all the ingredients to make something beguiling and deliciously dramatic, but it gave the wrong one’s attention. The bits of the synopsis that sound the most interesting feel more like bait to get readers interested in something that was otherwise quite bland and forgettable much of the time.
Most of all, the ending is what knocks everything down a peg. The main character’s reactions to everything that happens to her seem extremely unbalanced and consequences are unfairly dealt, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I completed the book. Although, in some ways, I could believe that these decisions were realistic to the situation, they don’t give the darker aspects of what this novel contains their fair due. There are a lot of grittier parts to this story that just don’t get the attention or unpacking they deserve as the plot evolves.
Overall, this story was just a bit unmemorable with a disappointing ending tacked on. I rated “The Sea Became Restless” 2.5 out of 5.
Thank you to Netgalley and Evernight Teen for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Kidnapping, alcoholism, bullying, near-drowning, abuse/assault, cults/brainwashing
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