Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Donnerstag, 8. Mai 2014



The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Published: September 5th 2012 
Number of pages: 380 (Kindle edition)
Series: No 

   I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk. 
   Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.
   All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.
   Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.
   The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.
   Please Note: This book contains mature content including profanity, drug/alcohol use, and sexual situations/language. (goodreads)

   So, according to GoodReads I read The Sea of Tranquility back in August 2013, which means that by now I might have forgotten some of the details but there are certain things I remember very clearly.

   One of these things is the overall beauty of this novel. It’s very slow paced and, just like the title might suggest, it’s very calm. As the story unfolds and the characters start to interact more, you realize that this book doesn’t need action packed scenes or anything like that, just the way it is written and the reader experiences what the characters go through, is more than enough. Because of the slow pace of the book it seems much more real and believable, unlike other books in which everything happens super-fast.

   Nastya is the type of girl that prefers to keep her struggles and problems to herself, especially by not even talking to everyone around her. No matter how hard others try, she won’t speak, but not because she can’t but rather because she just doesn’t want to. Her past and what has been done to her seems always to linger around the corner as a reminder that this is why she is the way she might be. Yet, despite her desire to be left alone she is a very likable character that seems very real, like someone you might really happen to know one day.

"Josh F**king Bennett. By now, I'm pretty sure that if I were to find his birth certificate that is exactly what it would say." (Nastya)

   And also Josh, the boy that keeps to himself and likes to work in his garage, was a very likable character. I found it very funny to see him try to understand Nastya and how he’s sometimes irritated by her. 

"I'm going to say this and it probably won't sound good or eloquent or whatever and I'm probably going to ramble, but just let me say it, okay? Will you listen?" (Josh)

   Also, I just love the cover! I think it’s one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen and it somehow for me also, in a way, mirrors the story itself. I know, this might sound just a little weird, but that’s just my opinion.
   All in all, if you are looking for a book that is beautifully written and about realistic problems and such, I would definitely recommend you this book. It might be sad and calm, but surely one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The Sea of Tranquility is a novel full of raw emotions and soulful dialogues. It touches your deepest emotions and might break you, just a bit, yet at the same time it will help you heal.

   The Sea of Tranquility is one of those books that reminded me that books aren’t just here to entertain us, but that there is something more to them. Something that reaches deep inside of you, it touches your soul, while almost becoming a tiny part of you. I was thinking about this book for a long time, I mean it’s been over half a year since I read it and it is still on my mind at times. It’s a book you will not forget.

If I could I would give it at least 10 stars, but that isn’t possible, and so I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

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