Jeff Sexton
Interesting Departure, Still A Love Letter To The Author's Homeland. Ackerman, at least in my time reading her works, has been a historical fiction writer before this tale. While there were generally some elements of romance to her tales that have always featured a female lead, that was seemingly almost there for realism and impact as much as trying to add in a romantic subplot.
Here, Ackerman goes instead for a more full-bore romance, still set in her native Hawaii. While not as impactful as some of her more recent historical fiction work, it still works well for what it is - a drama-filled romance tale set against the backdrop of a native Hawaiian and a mainlander surfer trying to become a surfing legend. Fans of most anything to do with Hawaii and/ or surfing will enjoy this work. Fans of the early 2000s era movie Blue Crush, since it just came up this week (great timing for Ackerman!) with the Weds, November 13, 2024 airing of The Masked Singer in the US and specifically who was revealed that night (though this is all I'm saying... it is likely still too much to avoid spoilers of *that* show... which I never guaranteed) will enjoy the callbacks to both the tropical scenery and the surfing competitions and their dangers.
More interesting, at least to me, are all the connections to the Avatar scifi franchise. Our female lead here is named Iwa Iwa, apparently for a native Hawaiian plant - and yet Eywa (which sounds similar to this Southern United States boy's ears) is the Na'vi goddess in the Avatar franchise. Similarly, when Iwa begins praying to the various natural gods early-ish in the book, the language sounds remarkably like the language spoken by the Na'vi in the movies (and in the Pandora world at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom, for that matter). Which shouldn't come as *too* much of a surprise, since James Cameron and staff openly admit they were inspired by Pacific Islander culture - including Hawaiian culture - in the creation of the Na'vi. Still, this is the first fiction book I've ever seen with such a clear and pervasive connection, and it was both interesting and jarring. Then there are the conservation connections, as both storylines feature at least some level of fighting to preserve nature from "greedy developers". (So yes, the anti-capitalist themes are there to a degree, but I personally didn't find them too be too preachy or overbearing here. Avatar is certainly *far* worse in that regard.)
This isn't a light romcom by any stretch, there are absolutely some very weighty subjects dealt with herein - including a serious injury that leads to opioid addiction - and this may hit harder for some readers than others.
Overall it really was an interesting departure from Ackerman's norm (again, at least in my own experience with her books), but one that shows that Ackerman is a strong enough storyteller that she will be able to give us a compelling story in any genre she chooses while also still allowing for some growth in these new adventures.
Very much recommended.