Miranda was a completely different character than what I'm used to in YA. I've never come across someone who hates English/creative reading in a teen book (most people reading these books relate to those types of characters, so it makes sense), but Miranda does. She loves science, and is pretty closed-minded about the supernatural when she first arrives at Selkie Island. But all of the mystical, mysterious legend and lore of the island attracts her, as does a local boy, and her mind begins to open.I loved that the uniqueness of this book took me to a place that criticized the plot. That sentence may come across as negative - usually, I choose to praise a book that makes me forget everything and become immersed - but it was so different that it made me stop and think. In a good way. It broke an average YA mold and made itself it's own. It had a character who I disliked at first, which was unique enough to startle. By the end, that changed, but it caught my attention enough to keep reading.
I was really interested in the lore aspect - it's what made me even want to read it in the first place - which I wish had been more developed, but I liked it for what it was. Sea Change showed the most character growth I've read in a book since The Secret Garden, and it did it without being too obvious.
The summer romance Miranda goes through struck me as slightly unrealistic, but it was still enjoyable. I liked the summer-boy-changes-outlook concept, and I really did like Leo, but it seemed rushed to me. I hate, hate, hate when YA romances seem rushed. I need the chase and the catch and the chivalry. If two characters meet and then instantly fall in love, it doesn't seem authentic. Romance needs backstory, and I feel like part of that was lacking in Sea Change. But, then again, it's hard to manage in one short book. I think one single memorable scene can make a romance much more real - you have to get into the grit and emotion of it and just have one experience where you really FEEL sparks. I got some scenes with Leo and Miranda that I really liked, but none that I loved.
Sometimes I like endings that wrap up neatly, and sometimes I like an ending that gives the reader an imagination. This was one of the latter, and while part of me liked it, part of me wanted to know the exact truth. I'm just a curious person. But I think part of the meaning of the book was to make you curious. The fact that it didn't give you a straight answer to some of the mythological elements held a big meaning for the book. The lack of answers gives a spark of the unknown, and Miranda accepted that unknown (which, for a scientifically-based mind, is hard to do), so I found myself accepting it, too.
Regardless, I really enjoyed visiting Selkie Island, and I wish I could come back next summer. If the boat is sailing (*cough*, if Aimee Friedman writes a sequel), I definitely will be on it.
