Sea Magic - bookwyrm.cincodenada.com

Paperback, 380 pages

Published Jan. 30, 2023 by Bowker Identifier Services.

ISBN:: 9798987112212
ASIN:: B0BTJ6JS76

(1 review)

When an antique shop owner tracks a ghost through the mists of time, the treasure she discovers is worth more than gold.

She knows everyone in the quaint, seaside town of Penbrook, and everyone knows her—Madeline Hunter, the shy, quiet antique shop owner who whose idea of a hot date is snuggling up with a good book and her cat, Poe.

But she keeps one thing under her vintage hat—her ability to touch an object and connect with its history. Her new-age aunt says she should embrace her gift, but she'd rather pretend it doesn’t exist.

After buying an old box at an estate sale filled with rare items, Madeline started having dreams—startlingly vivid dreams about Maria, a young headstrong Puritan whose “knowing” could get her branded as a witch, and whose forbidden love for a poor sailor turned notorious pirate caused a scandal.

Together with Evan, an attractive history …

When an antique shop owner tracks a ghost through the mists of time, the treasure she discovers is worth more than gold.

She knows everyone in the quaint, seaside town of Penbrook, and everyone knows her—Madeline Hunter, the shy, quiet antique shop owner who whose idea of a hot date is snuggling up with a good book and her cat, Poe.

But she keeps one thing under her vintage hat—her ability to touch an object and connect with its history. Her new-age aunt says she should embrace her gift, but she'd rather pretend it doesn’t exist.

After buying an old box at an estate sale filled with rare items, Madeline started having dreams—startlingly vivid dreams about Maria, a young headstrong Puritan whose “knowing” could get her branded as a witch, and whose forbidden love for a poor sailor turned notorious pirate caused a scandal.

Together with Evan, an attractive history professor who tempts her to believe in love, she uncovers Maria’s story, helpless to stop its trajectory toward tragedy. She may not be able to change the course of history, but with Evan’s support, maybe she can lay the ghosts of the past to rest—including her own.

Filled with the magical allure of the sea, endearing characters and a mystical journey, this debut novel explores the depths of love, loss, and transformation.

1 edition

WhiskeyintheJar reviewed Sea Magic by Heidi McIntyre

Magic, mystery, and historical fiction

2 stars

2.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My knowing's neither good nor evil...it just is.

All her life, Madeline has gotten tingling sensations from certain items that lead to intuition that turns out to be eerily accurate. When she buys a box with trinkets from a local estate sale, she suddenly starts to have dreams about a Puritan girl from the 1710s. With the encouragement of her aunt Phoebe and friend Chelsea, she enlists the help of a History professor she had a connection with at a bar one night, Evan, to try and find out who this Maria girl was, and a mysterious old sailor, Noah, helps her explore her unearthly talents.

Normal was a boundary I'd worked hard to live within because it meant being accepted by society and loved by my …

2.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My knowing's neither good nor evil...it just is.

All her life, Madeline has gotten tingling sensations from certain items that lead to intuition that turns out to be eerily accurate. When she buys a box with trinkets from a local estate sale, she suddenly starts to have dreams about a Puritan girl from the 1710s. With the encouragement of her aunt Phoebe and friend Chelsea, she enlists the help of a History professor she had a connection with at a bar one night, Evan, to try and find out who this Maria girl was, and a mysterious old sailor, Noah, helps her explore her unearthly talents.

Normal was a boundary I'd worked hard to live within because it meant being accepted by society and loved by my mom.

Sea Magic started off as an intriguing fantasy mystery, mentions of the Penbrook Mermaid, Madeline's dreams that start off more watching a film observant but morph into time travel, veered into Historical Fiction, and then ended in the metaphysical. I liked the beginning mystery aspect of searching out who Maria was for Madeline. I am someone who went through a Golden Age of Piracy phase, so when Maria's full name (Hallett) popped up, I got my own tingling sensations and then when her suitor introduced himself as Samuel Bellamy, I knew all the spoilers. I still enjoyed Madeline working with Evan to put the puzzle pieces together and the tidbits about the Whydah incorporated into the story. However, at the midway point, that whole puzzle is parsed out and the second half went more into the metaphysical and began to lose me.

What was it about a woman's power that made men vilify her, turn her into something dark, dreadful?

There was a lot of co-opting different cultures spiritual practices (Evan's totem is a mermaid, Madeline does Shamanic conscious dreaming) along with characters adopting pseudoscience (astrology). The second half and especially the last 20% went metaphysical with Madeline's goal shepherding Maria's wandering soul into the afterlife, guided by Noah. It tied into Madeline's magical gift of intuition but not really the first half tone of searching out who Maria was mystery. The story was told from Madeline's point-of-view (the dreams start off from Maria's) making her the most filled out character but I felt all the other characters needed to be flushed out more, especially Evan since he had a romance with Madeline. The romance ended up feeling underdeveloped because it was pushed to the side and Evan's character just never developed for me. They kiss and have an open-door scene but it was dry more than emotional.

I enjoyed the historical fiction aspects with the Whydah (Screecham sisters get a shout-out, too) and the connection to Madeline searching out the mystery of who Maria was but the romance didn't evolve the emotions I was looking for and the metaphysical turn at the end lost me.