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The Skin (Black Hind's Wake Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

‘You cannot fix this world alone, Selkie.’

‘I know. But, when we die, all that is left are shadows of our lives preserved in the memories of those who remain. I plan on leaving an exceptionally long shadow, filled with ripples of moonlight for those I helped, and darker than the worst of nightmares for those who wronged us.’

How far would you go to save your skin?

I’m a selkie, trapped above the waves until I can recover my skin. Humans used to call us seal-wives many years ago – before they broke the planet. I thought that less humans, after the warming, would mean less danger. My kind believed our world was finally recovering.

We were wrong.

Up here, the magic is fading and Old Ones like me are being traded as trophies for rich and powerful humans to display in collections.

Without the Old Ones, the magic fades, without magic, the planet dies.

Humankind has gone too far and someone has to put a stop to it. I just wasn’t expecting it to be me.

Far to the south on his enormous pleasure ship, Barge, Lord Sal hunts for missing Old Ones – with a grand plan to leave his own mark on the world. But, Icidro and Prince Ulises are searching for them too, and this is a world where money talks louder than morals.


What reviewers are saying:

"An amazing debut dripping with secrets and myth. A spectacular fantasy as unpredictable as the sea at storm"
Graham Austin King, Author of Fae, Faithless and Lore of Prometheus, Book Blogger's novel of the Year 2020 winner.

"The Skin hooked me from the first chapter and neither the story nor the characters would let me go. The Skin is a story that kept me guessing and clamouring for more. With The Skin, J E Hannaford has created a vivid world with compelling characters that I can't wait to get back to."
Alex S Bradshaw, Author of Windborn.

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From the Publisher

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Editorial Reviews

Review

'An amazing debut dripping with secrets and myth. A spectacular fantasy as unpredictable as the sea at storm'

Graham Austin-King Author of Faithless and Lore of Prometius, Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award 2020 winner.



Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09F3QS88K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Blazing Wren Books (October 18, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 18, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3764 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 418 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

About the author

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J E Hannaford
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J.E. Hannaford is powered by coffee, dragons and whisky. She teaches Biology in the real world and invents fantasy beasts to populate her own.

She lives in Suffolk, UK, and pines for the coast and mountains of Wales.

A love of nature and the ocean washes through the pages of J E Hannaford's stories and pours out of the characters who live in it.

Her debut series is The Black Hind's Wake Duology. ...more

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
68 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging with a compelling message and beautiful nature. They appreciate the unique characters and their personalities, though some find the storyline difficult to follow at times.

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6 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality. They find the premise interesting and the message compelling. The writing is described as magic, and the story of hope, perseverance, and struggles is incredible. Readers describe the book as fun mythological fantasy with a wonderful retelling of Celtic folklore. It's a must-read nature fantasy with an awesome world and post-apocalyptic setting.

"...manages to weave all the storylines and plots into an incredible story of hope, perseverance, and struggles to right the wrongdoings that have..." Read more

"...Definitely worth giving a read if you’re looking for something maybe a little different. I will be hunting down the next book in the near future!" Read more

"An awesome story with many characters to become attached to. The only reason that I didn't finish this book in one sitting is that I needed sleep...." Read more

"An interesting story. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either...." Read more

3 customers mention "Personality"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the characters' personalities. However, they find the storyline difficult to follow.

"...on their varying backgrounds, the story was filled with an interesting mix of characters and personalities, some of which I enjoyed rooting for a lot..." Read more

"An awesome story with many characters to become attached to. The only reason that I didn't finish this book in one sitting is that I needed sleep...." Read more

"Lots of characters with unique personalities but it was hard to follow the storyline...." Read more

I stayed up all night reading this!
5 out of 5 stars
I stayed up all night reading this!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first book in this debut and will look forward to reading the second book in the two book series.Two selkie sisters are out of their skins playing on an island when some sees them. One sister, Tellin, and one skin is caught while the other slips away in a skin.Old Ones, such as the selkie are being caught and sold to the rich to hold in captivity. Without the Old Ones, Magic is fading on the earth as humans are slowly killing the planet.Tellin makes new friends and with their help, she searches for her skin while also searching for Old Ones in captivity.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022
    Do you love to read the old Celtic and Norse folktales, but from a slightly different perspective? If so, this series is definitely for you! Selkies, sirens, there may even be dragons! Loved how during the beginning of the story the author wrote from the characters points of view - which can be a daunting task. But J E Hannaford manages to weave all the storylines and plots into an incredible story of hope, perseverance, and struggles to right the wrongdoings that have damaged the living world. There was one character, who became two in one body, that I dearly loved - Cor. No spoilers though, so I will say no more of his/their important part in this amazing story! I highly recommend this story!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
    This was an interesting fantasy/mythology mix that I quite enjoyed. I really didn’t know much about the mythological creatures that are our focus here, so it was a learning experience for me. Based on their varying backgrounds, the story was filled with an interesting mix of characters and personalities, some of which I enjoyed rooting for a lot. I enjoyed some of the mystery and interesting scenarios that we find ourselves following here as well. All in all, a very enjoyable read that I’m very glad I gave a shot. Definitely worth giving a read if you’re looking for something maybe a little different. I will be hunting down the next book in the near future!
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first book in this debut and will look forward to reading the second book in the two book series.

    Two selkie sisters are out of their skins playing on an island when some sees them. One sister, Tellin, and one skin is caught while the other slips away in a skin.

    Old Ones, such as the selkie are being caught and sold to the rich to hold in captivity. Without the Old Ones, Magic is fading on the earth as humans are slowly killing the planet.

    Tellin makes new friends and with their help, she searches for her skin while also searching for Old Ones in captivity.
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars I stayed up all night reading this!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first book in this debut and will look forward to reading the second book in the two book series.

    Two selkie sisters are out of their skins playing on an island when some sees them. One sister, Tellin, and one skin is caught while the other slips away in a skin.

    Old Ones, such as the selkie are being caught and sold to the rich to hold in captivity. Without the Old Ones, Magic is fading on the earth as humans are slowly killing the planet.

    Tellin makes new friends and with their help, she searches for her skin while also searching for Old Ones in captivity.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2022
    An awesome story with many characters to become attached to. The only reason that I didn't finish this book in one sitting is that I needed sleep. Nature is beautiful. The message in this story is compelling. Hannaford's writing is magic.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2024
    An interesting story. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. The different POVs was fun at the beginning, but then you get the the halfway point and you learn that the three POVs we’ve been reading? The Selkie, Lady Gina and Georgie, are all one and the same person. Once it was revealed, I had to rewind the first half of the book in my head to try and make sense of the timeline. What happened first and so on. It was a little confusing, and while a unique idea, it was slightly annoying. The world was great though. As far as I can tell, humans and their technology had advanced so far that the earth was beginning to die, so it created some sort of catastrophic event that tired to set things right, but without the Old Ones, it couldn’t and humans and most of their technology survived. It was an interesting premise and a good story. The mythical creatures that were mentioned were unique as well, just enough to make this book stand out. Also, I kept mixing up selkies and Kelpies up in my mind, but that’s my own fault, not the fault of the book itself or the author.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2022
    A planet worn down and nearly destroyed by millennia of human abuse. The Old Ones remember, a few yet survive. The sea has risen and fallen, yet the land lies barren. The remaining people huddle in their small towns, squabbling over scarce resources. Few of them can see beyond their own desperate needs. However, there are those rare individuals who can.
    Enter a selkie, a seal that can shed her skin and become human for a while. That is, until she’s captured, enslaved, and her precious skin hidden away or destroyed. When she discovers she is not alone, that other Old Ones still walk the hidden shadows of earth, her fortunes turn. The hunted becomes the hunter. Thus, the story begins.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2022
    Its a good book about a world were the levels have risen and mankind has reverted too a simpler about 1600 year lind of life.
    I like that they dont explain a lot about this but let you discover it on your own.
    The story's good and a bit of violence but not to much and no sex
    Engaging but not too Me on my seat can't wait to read the next chapter exiting do that's why the grade is 4
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2022
    I loved the juxtaposition of the post-apocalyptic setting and ancient mythology. I also liked how the seemingly disparate plot threads came together at about the halfway mark. The Skin was well plotted and did a good job delivering tension throughout. Also, seals are among my favorite animals, so I have a soft spot for any book with selkies in it.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Rick Waugh
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fantasy book that retains that sense of wonder
    Reviewed in Canada on June 11, 2022
    I checked this book out because of the amazing cover. The blurb was also well crafted, and drew me in as showing something different.

    Different this book is, and wonderfully so. A selkie, a seal wife, is captured by humans, pulled out of her life in the ocean, and her skin is taken, so she can’t go back. The quest to find her skin becomes interlaced with other, much larger matters, in a world broken by humans.

    I found the number of characters and threads to be a little confusing at first. I wondered whether the writer simply wanted to add more beautiful, wondrous scenes, that had no relation to the plot, as new characters, creatures, places kept coming. But it was all pulled all together in the end.

    If you like your fantasy with that touch of wonder, this book is for you. It’s beautifully done. The characters are varied, layered, and pull you deep into their world, their needs. Sex is talked about, violence is present but never overdone. I find it difficult to classify what subgenre this book hits, but I do know I very much enjoyed it.

    I gave this 5 stars.
  • Laudinho
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful character-driven story
    Reviewed in Germany on May 23, 2022
    The Skin actually caught my eye because of the beautiful cover. I had not heard of the author nor did I know what to expect when I bought the book.

    The story follows a selkie and is told through three different characters: Selkie who lost her skin and is therefore bound to her human form; Georgie, who is on a rescue mission and acts as some sort of special ops; and Lady Gina, daughter of Sal Seawater, owner of a pleasure barge and information broker, who is prepared to support her father with his business.

    This was my very first story where the main character is a selkie. I think it was my very first story even including a selkie. So for me this aspect was something completely new and I was not too well versed in the lore about them. So, that alone made this book something special for me. But it is in general a very unique book imho.

    It is a beautifully written story with strong and very diverse characters. It is more character- than action-driven and the it just works perfectly.
    The setting is basically our earth in a distant (?) future where humankind had already messed up so badly that civilization as we know has receded and a maritime culture has evolved. Figures from folklore (i.e. selkies, spirits, sirens, ...the so-called 'Old Ones') have reemerged, but are viewed by many humans as fairytales. The worldbuilding is very well done and convincing. During the story a lot of times our failures as humans and their consequences for the environment are pointed out.

    I enjoyed this book a lot and am curious about the next part of this series.
  • Andrew Webb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully enjoyable tale...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2023
    I really enjoyed this debut novel, its a wonderful adventure based around folklore and legend, mixing in a wonderful quest, suspense, danger and mystery, add a little struggle for survival and trying to overcome injustice, and you have what it a thoroughly enjoyable read throughout. I've a very slow reader but it held my interest throughout, and I'm glad there is already another in the series to continue on.. The story is clever, well written and deep, the characters are relatable, each well written into the story.

    Highly recommend picking up this author, and looking forward to more...
  • Lori
    5.0 out of 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
    Reviewed in Australia on January 28, 2022
    Loved the story, very unique and entertaining. It is worth getting the audiobook version also, the narrator did a great job.
  • Mirien Silowendë
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really good story
    Reviewed in Germany on June 2, 2022
    I'm a big fan of selkies so had to read this. I thought it was a good story all round. I look forward to the next!

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