“The Girl from the Sea” is a graphic novel which follows the romance between two teenage girls, Morgan and Keltie. However, there is a twist that is revealed when they first meet. The story starts out when Morgan goes to have some time for herself at night by the ocean, when all of a sudden she falls in and cannot swim due to the strong tides and stormy weather. Luckily, she is saved by a mysterious girl. Morgan, in shock from almost drowning, thinks that she is experiencing a dream, and kisses the girl who saved her. The next morning, Morgan steps outside to find that the girl she kissed was real. The girl introduces herself as Keltie, and explains that she is a selkie, which is a person who usually appears in the form of a seal but can become a human if they are loved by one. Morgan is confused, but goes along with it because she likes Keltie. Over the next few days, they get to know each other and their romance develops, but because of this, Morgan is spending less time with her friends because she doesn't want anyone to know that she’s gay/dating a girl. Despite Morgan’s efforts, her brother sees them together and tells the rest of their family. Upset, Morgan runs off and goes to tell Keltie what happened. When Keltie finds out about this, she gets upset because she doesn't want to be a secret. The two girls start to talk about things that are upsetting them and Keltie mentions that she needs to find a way to stop a large party boat (that happens to be the venue of Morgan’s best friends’ birthday party) from driving over a coral reef in the ocean because it will hurt her seal family. Morgan then also gets upset because she feels like Keltie wanted to use her as a way to stop the boat. They both walk away mad and Morgan goes home, only to find out that her family supports her being gay, which makes her feel better. After taking some time to think, Morgan decides to apologize to Keltie by making her a dress and bringing her to the birthday party on the boat. When they arrive at the party, Morgan finally tells her friends that she is dating Keltie, and they support her. Later in the night, Morgan tells her friend who owns the boat that she needs to change the course. Her friend, thinking that she’s lying, doesn't do anything. Keltie then decides to steer the boat herself, and when she does this, the friend falls out into the ocean. Keltie wants to save the friend by going into her seal form, but knows that if she does, she’ll have to stay that way. Morgan and Keltie talk for a second and Keltie decides to do it. Once back on the boat, Morgan’s friend apologizes to her and they all go and have a nice night at the party.
I quite liked this book. There were some moments that were a bit awkward writing-wise, but I loved the art style and characters. Usually, I quite dislike sad endings, but I think this book is an exception because it felt very real emotionally.
In conclusion, “The Girl From the Sea” is a very cute romance novel with some good emotional moments. I’d give it a 8/10. If you like love stories with healthy relationships, fantasy, and the ocean, I’d for sure recommend this book.
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