Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
Release Date: June 5, 2018
My Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A magic passed down through generations . . .
Georgina Fernweh waits with growing impatience for the tingle of magic in her fingers—magic that has been passed down through every woman in her family. Her twin sister, Mary, already shows an ability to defy gravity. But with their eighteenth birthday looming at the end of this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never come.
An island where strange things happen . . .
No one on the island of By-the-Sea would ever call the Fernwehs what they really are, but if you need the odd bit of help—say, a sleeping aid concocted by moonlight—they are the ones to ask.
No one questions the weather, as moody and erratic as a summer storm.
No one questions the (allegedly) three-hundred-year-old bird who comes to roost on the island every year.
A summer that will become legend . . .
When tragedy strikes, what made the Fernweh women special suddenly casts them in suspicion. Over the course of her last summer on the island—a summer of storms, of love, of salt—Georgina will learn the truth about magic, in all its many forms.
I did not expect to love Summer of Salt as much as I did. I mean, I've been hyped for it since it was announced, because. Magic. Sisters. F/F relationship. All of that already had me so excited for this book, but once I actually started it, I feel head over heels in love with it. (TW for this book: rape)
The writing was definitely the aspect of this book that I loved the most. I've read one and a half of Katrina Leno's other books, but this one really blew me away. She really captured the sleepiness of the island and the restlessness of magic so well. If you've read Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, I'd say this book has the same vibe, writing-wise.
Also, I love that even though this is a small, secluded island, not everyone is white and straight. Georgina is a lesbian, Prue (the love interest) is bi, and Georgina's best friend, Vira is aroace (like. On the page aroace, not just implied). I don't believe that any of the main crew are poc, but they do reference a few poc on the island.
I will say that I thought there would be more of the romance, but honestly, I wasn't upset by it because this isn't really a romantic story at its core. It's a story of magic, of healing, of self-discovery, of love, and of course, of salt. Georgina and Mary's relationship is so visceral; they aren't the perfect siblings. Rather, they are flawed, they fight, but they still love each other wholeheartedly. I love that this is portrayed this way because I feel like a lot of books focus on the love but forget that you can still love someone and still know their annoying qualities.
Summer of Salt is definitely on my absolute favorites list now; there's just so much to love about it. The writing, the characters, the relationships, all of it is so beautiful and atmospheric. It's a perfect rainy summer day book, or really for any time.
About the Author: Katrina Leno is the author of Everything All at Once, The Lost & Found, and The Half Life of Molly Pierce. In real life, she lives in Los Angeles. But in her head, she lives on an imaginary island off the coast of New England where it sometimes rains a lot.
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