Description
An astonishing debut novel about friendship, trust and survival, perfect for fans of Skellig.
Sunny waited until her mother was asleep before she went back for the monster . . .
All her life, Sunny has known three things about the creatures that prowl the seas off her tiny coastal town. They are dangerous. They are violent. They are monsters.
But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected connection, Sunny discovers just how wrong she has been. The monster she meets - Mo - is intelligent, gentle, and searching for his lost brother.
Sunny desperately wants to help, and to keep her new friend a secret. But other people are keeping secrets too. And as hunger grips the town, new truths will emerge about the real monsters in Seawaren . .
Review
When Sunny and her three friends venture beyond the limits of their village they stumble across a monster from the sea, trapped in a snare. It is clear that it’s only a young monster, but they have all been taught that monsters are dangerous and violent so they leave it alone.
But Sunny can’t get the trapped monster out of her head, so late that night she sneaks back to free it. Despite her terror, she starts talking to the monster and then gets close enough to free him. As she does she unexpectedly touches him - and they both realise that they can communicate through their thoughts!
Everything Sunny has been told about the monsters is wrong. Mo is gentle and intelligent and has come ashore searching for his missing brother. Mo learns that not all humans are what he has been told either. Sunny promises to help him find his brother but she will have to keep him a secret from the rest of the village - especially from her three best friends who think she is acting even weirder then usual.
Sunny’s village is finding it hard to grow enough food as a poison is slowly spreading across the land. When Sunny starts a new apprenticeship with Flint, the desalination expert, she learns that he is trying to find ways to save the village. He has found a strange goo that seems to stop the poison, but he won't tell Sunny where it comes from. When she realises that it comes from the skin of the monsters she knows that Mo and all his kind are in danger.
Will Sunny, Mo and her friends be able to convince the village - and Mo’s family - that they can be friends, and maybe even help each other?
This is a beautiful story of friendship and trust. Sunny is a character full of curiosity. It inevitably gets her into trouble, but she sees the world around her differently to most people and wants to help. Mo is a wild animal that is intelligent and incredibly gentle and capable of complex thinking, and together they provide a wonderful link to see into each other's world. People are always scared of the unknown but Sunny shows that taking a chance on friendship can make all the difference. This book will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who like a fantasy adventure with environmental themes. Best suited to readers 10 years and up.
