This story resonated with me strongly. I've been to the locations in the novel and the descriptions brought me right there. The connection to the local mythology is delightful. And the story has all the required elements of romance, which is a great comixture with SF/F. This is a novel I have been returning to.

I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this book. It wasn't bad, but something about it just didn't keep me enthralled. It was however a fairly quick read even if it didn't have my full interest. This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys Gaelic folklore in a modern time.

I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited. ( )

Well, not exactly what I was expecting! I was thinking it was going to be an urban fantasy given the beginning, but it turned into more of a thriller with elements of the Laundry Files (but excluding Things Man Was Not Meant to Know bits). A student takes a vacation job as a chambermaid on Skye. Once there, she becomes involved with some of the less human locals - who have a treaty with the Navy and aren't happy with modern technology. It's a variant of the usual selkie legend - the selkie bride of a human returning to the sea.
Recommended.

I'm a MacLeod partisan. Not every effort has been a winner, but I love the Fall Revolution, Engines of Light, and Corporation Wars series each in their own way, as all were refreshing alternatives to the more staid, predictable and/or turgid classics that have come to define the genre of science fiction in the modern mind. Add to these three series some of his shorter works, like PM's The Human Front collection, and it's clear that MacLeod is quite capable of revisiting the classic tropes, flipping them on their head, and leaving you wanting more, too. As a result, MacLeod has become one of my top five recommendations for people who want to break into 90s/00s/10s science fiction (alongside Miéville, Vandermeer, Jemesin, and, unsurprisingly, MacLeod's comrade Banks). A good litmus test for whether you would enjoy the average MacLeod book is whether you still enjoy the works of William Gibson. I do, warts and all, and, at this point, I'm ready to gamble on anything MacLeod writes... And yet... I was definitely surprised to find a romantic urban fantasy grounded in Celtic mythology with his name next to it. That's not my usual jam, and, after reading it... It still isn't, possibly because of my own predilections. That being said, if my basic summary — romantic urban fantasy grounded in Celtic mythology — appeals to you, then you really should dive into it. You might find something lurking in the water.

Nicely written novella, girl meets boy with a twang.
What I liked most, was the fact that real life and myth are interwoven. The treaty of Kildare, a treaty between the Navy and the Selkies. Just the fact that you can think this up!
I did not see the end coming, I suspect a lot of other readers will. ( )