In Melissa K. Magner’s OF THE SUN AND SEA, 19-year-old Marina Oliver still blames herself and her turbulent anxiety—her “storms”—for the accident that took her parents’ lives. As she tries to figure out what’s next for her in life, she finds that decision made for her. Dreams of ocean waves invade the real world and whisk her away to Elsudra: a sister universe whose inhabitants use magic. However, for more than a decade the Elsudrans have been enduring “dead years”: a time without magic or growth. With Marina’s arrival, Elsudra comes alive again—for she houses the Omnia: the godlike power that serves as the source of this world’s magic.

Tasked with protecting a world in which she’s an alien with a power she feels unfit to wield, Marina must grow beyond her past, embrace her strength, and learn to open her heart again. Her journey is divided into two books. In the first, she learns to harness the power of the Omnia with the help of the cold but talented Aeric. In the second, war breaks out in Elsudra as Marina and her new friends attempt to put an end to the machinations of Kieron, a mad dictator who craves power beyond even what Omnia can offer. At first, Marina’s goal is to relinquish the Omnia and go home. But as the book continues, she begins to rethink what “home” really is.

OF THE SUN AND SEA pulls no punches in its examination of Marina’s interior life: she is a legitimately hurt and grieving individual, but her future is overshadowed by her unreadiness to move on. The book never descends into “therapy speak,” meaning these mental health concerns are addressed in a real and heartfelt way. Aeric is blunt but observant; Marina is openhearted but prone to misspeaking; and everyone feels genuine, human, and flawed. In a story like this, that’s a very good thing.

The worldbuilding is excellent without being overwhelming, and Marina is the reader’s guide to this new setting. As she learns, the audience learns, building a view of Elsudra bit by bit while still having plenty of time to focus on the plot.

OF THE SUN AND SEA could be read very surface-level as a magical YA adventure and be perfectly satisfactory. However, it’s in the story’s deeper metaphor that Magner’s work really shines. Marina’s turbulent inner life, envisioned as a stormy sea, is only a weakness if she perceives it that way. As she learns to control her magic by embracing and moving through those storms, her heart and mind also become stronger. This book is a poignant reminder that navigating grief isn’t about no longer being unhappy, but rather embracing that troubled sea within.

Dense and dramatic yet heartfelt and relatable, Melissa K. Magner’s OF THE SUN AND SEA is both a beautiful fantasy adventure and a poignant metaphor for grief and mental health.

~Kara Dennison for IndieReader