Book Review: The Selchie's Seed

I just finished The Selchie's Seed by Shulamith Levey Oppenheim. A mysterious white whale shows up near the shore one evening during a storm. The whale's flipper is torn. Fifteen-year-old Marian finds him, and along with her brother Graeme, they beg their mother to heal him. With just a bit of salve, she heals the white whale.

Marian is drawn to the whale. She can't stop thinking about him. One evening she comes home with a necklace of pearls and a shell, a gift from the white whale. Why is she so drawn to him? He brings Marian's magical heritage to light, much to her father's dismay. For they are a good Christian family. Not pagan.

I love books with faeries, especially selchies. They are a favorite of mine. This novella was amazing. It was beautifully written, and the story itself gorgeous. I fell in love with it so much I had to force myself to put it down and read it in two sittings. It's short, a bit over 80 pages, and it has lovely illustrations by Diane Goode.

It is currently out of print, and I've not been able to find it new. So if you happen to find a copy, pick it up.

Short Story Review: Love Struck

Sure, love is hell. But it’s totally worth it.

In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers—Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Scott Westerfeld (Specials), Justine Larbalestier (Magic or Madness), Gabrielle Zevin (Elsewhere), and Laurie Faria Stolarz (Blue is for Nightmares)—love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.

From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever.

"Love Struck" is Melissa Marr's contribution to the anthology Love is Hell. Alana leaves a party on the beach and meets Vic, a hot guy with dreadlocks. He scares her. And the moment she gets away from him, she meets Murrin, another hottie. Both offer her their pelts, and it's then that she realizes that she met two selchies. Both of whom try to trap her. Selchies (or selkies) are seal people from folklore.

In all of the stories she's heard, it's the selchies who are trapped. But she realizes that it's the other way around. It's the selchies, the fey, who trap humans. Can either of them be trusted? She's going to have to figure out which one is more trustworthy and hope she picks the right one.

I love this story. And one of the selchies in this story is my favorite male character that Melissa Marr has written. While it's not set within the Wicked Lovely series, it is faery, so it very well could be set in that world. One of the things I find most interesting about this story is the flip from what I usually hear. A selchie woman's pelt is stolen, and she is stuck with the person who stole her pelt, until she can find it and escape. Not only is it the men in this story that are selchies, but they're the ones doing the trapping. Which makes complete sense to me. They fey are magical and cunning, and it seems more likely that they would do the trapping instead of being trapped.

Be sure to check this story out. Don't want the anthology? You can find "Love Struck" by itself in ebook form.