Reviews

Sealkeeper by Ria Rees

misthios_pat's review

5.0

The kind of book you can trust to judge it by its cover, which is beautiful btw

the sweetest read. No, for real, it was lovely, got me on edge for a while but in the end delivered the so deserved HEA both MC/LI deserved.

nanu_nanu_narnett's review

5.0

Received an ARC in return for an honest review.

I'm not sure how unbiased I can be here. MM Jobbins is a sweetheart who deserves to have this book blow up, and I know they put in a lot of effort into research to make the representation respectful and legitimate. What we got was a cute, coming of age story with an adorable LGBT relationship and an interesting magic system that makes for a sweet and compelling story

wblove's review

3.0

Sealkeeper is a tale about a Sealkeeper; beings who watch over dreamers dream realms and ensure they’re safe and stay contained, who accidentally lets a windigo escape into the waking plane. Things from individuals dream realms, be they nightmares or pleasant dreams, are supposed to stay in the dream realm, not spill over into the waking realm or the keepers realm. Tegwen is on her last cycle of checking her dreamers realms before graduation….when her favorite dreamer Namid, has some trouble. Every night Namid has nightmares, a very specific nightmare of a windigo. Tegwen is supposed to make sure her seal is secure and get out, but on her last night the Windigo attacks her and everything falls apart.

I mostly enjoyed this story. I understand it was part of a series of stories and therefore was supposed to be a short story but I wish more of the story had been fleshed out. I would have enjoyed more backstory on Tegwen and the SealKeepers, and more on Namid and her history. Also the “relationship “ that develops happened really fast with almost no preamble , which made me not connect with it as much as I normally would have. The story had a good basis and pretty strong bones, there were just a few things I would’ve liked to see more of. All in all an ok story.

I received an advanced copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

drewsbooklist's review

5.0

The premise of this novella is SUCH a cool idea! Tegwen is basically a protector of people’s dream realms so that they stay separate from reality, but when something goes wrong she has to deal with totally unexpected situations. It gets kind of scary at points, and super adorable at other points. Absolutely love how the story incorporates some native stories and ideas!
My main issue is that this story would definitely have benefitted from being longer. It was well-written considering the length of the story, but I just wish we could have delved deeper into it at various points. Honestly, if this was twice as long I would have been super happy! But of course the story was super enjoyable as-is and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the idea of other realms, dreams, myths/lore, or sapphic romance. Loved it!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

srivalli's review

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

4.0

4 Stars

One Liner: Enjoyable read

Tegwen is a guardian of the dream realm. Her job is to keep the seals safe and prevent the nightmares from entering the waking plane. Making a mistake could mean demotion if she gets caught. 

Namid has more nightmares than dreams. The Windigo doesn’t seem to leave her alone. Tegwen tries to repair the seal in her first solo shift but creates a mess. However, she decides to fix it on her own. Turns out that her decision puts more people in danger. Tegwen is still trying to find a way out when she has her first dream. 

Can she prevent further harm, or will her decisions lead to more chaos and terror? 

The story comes from Tegwen’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts:

This is a short novella that reads at a steady pace. It’s neither slow nor fast and has the right amount of pacing to understand the setting and feel the terror. 

There aren’t too many details about the sealkeepers and their roles. It’s more enjoyable to go with the flow and take things in stride. A few things get revealed towards the end, but the setting is very much a work in progress. 

Tegwen is our narrator, and while she is brave, capable, and talented, she isn’t super easy to like (for an adult who dislikes characters making stupid decisions). She grows a little, but she’ll be my third favorite in the book. 

Namid is an Ojibwe girl with spunk, attitude, and vulnerabilities. TBH, I loved Namid more than Tegwen. She is more grounded despite the things in her life. Her character arc is really good. She’s my first favorite (if you haven’t figured it out). 

Ravi is Tegwen’s trainer and superior. He has a limited role in the story but shines whenever he makes an appearance (my second favorite). 

The book deals with themes of how things in real life reflect in our nightmares. I like the presentation of the concept and how it blends with the treatment of indigenous people. 

I first marked the book as MG fiction but realized it would be closer to YA. There isn’t information about their ages, so we have to guess it based on their voices and actions. 

To summarize, Sealkeeper is a lovely fantasy with interesting characters and an intriguing plotline. The ending is perfect for a sequel. I sure would love to read it. 

Thank you, Book Sirens and author Ria Rees, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.