Book Review: Sea by Heidi R. Kling
Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn't think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts. -from BN.com
My Review: 5 stars *****
I'm going to start off by saying that Sea is not something I'd normally pick up and read. I am a paranormal/supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy fan all the way. However, I appreciate a fun, original, well written story no matter the genre, and that is what Sea is. It was such a beautiful, fun, heart-wrenching, adventurous tale of love, bravery, and acceptance. So many adjectives for one book! I can't say enough how glad I am that I heard about this book from other bloggers and on twitter. I recommend this book to ANYONE, no matter your preferred genre.
One of my favorite things about Sea is the fact that its setting is new to me. I've never been to Indonesia, yet I can completely understand the story and setting because it's relevant (due to the very real tsunami and news coverage that followed). I loved that Heidi took a real life event and took into account the tragedy and hard times that the people of this wonderful place went through, and turned into something we can all access. I feel like I have a better understanding of it all just from reading this.
Sea was the perfect mix of adventure and romance. There are a few things that Heidi did with her novel that I was so happy to see. The ending for one thing, which I will not spoil, was perfect in my opinion. This novel is real and I almost felt like I was reading a completely true story rather than fiction. I loved learning little bits about the culture and way of life of Indonesia. That plus an adorable romance and a fun adventure kept me reading all night. For a debut, Sea really hit the mark and will hopefully only grow in popularity, for it is a book that I think everyone needs to read. I will most definitely be reading anything else Heidi R. Kling writes.
