The Lure of Shapinsay

by Krista Holle

As seen at: Miss Book Reviews

The Lure of Shapinsay was a story that surprised me. I have never read a story on Selkies before so it was interesting getting to read this. Selkie Lore is very interesting and I found this story intertwined information about it as it progressed, it didn’t dump a whole load of information right at the beginning. I liked it this way, getting to learn about it more and more as I read.

Holle has a way of writing that it brings you straight into the world. I felt like I was really there as I was reading, I felt Kait’s struggles, I felt the sea air, I smelt the sea air. This story is completely brought to life. That’s what I really loved about it. I was pulled into Kait’s world and was utterly captivated.

When I first started to read this story it took me a few chapters to get used to the Scottish language but once I got used to it I found that I was able to really get stuck in to the story and really enjoy it.

The romance at first is only the ‘Lure’ that Kait feels to Eamon. She can’t help feel those feelings simply because he is a selkie and that is the effect that selkies have on humans. As the story progresses I first started to think Kait has really gone crazy and will probably kill herself to get to Eamon. But the longer they spend together the more I start to see that they really do fall for eachother. It’s an interested dynamic.

The ending wasn’t what I expected, there was a twist that compltely surprised me. And I loved it!

Overall, The Lure of Shapinsay is an interesting and intense read. I couldn’t put it down, the more I read about Eamon and his Selkie world the more I wanted to understand.

The Lure of Shapinsay pulls you in to the beautifully described world of the Kait and Eamon that leaves you breathless when you leave.