This book was sent to me via Bookbridgr for an honest review.

“In the 18th century, Dawnay Price is an anomaly. An educated foundling, a woman of science in a time when such things are unheard-of, she overcomes her origins to become a natural philosopher.
Against the conventions of the day, and to the alarm of her male contemporaries, she sets sail to Portugal to develop her theories. There she makes some startling discoveries – not only in an ancient cave whose secrets hint at a previously undiscovered civilisation, but also in her own heart. The siren call of science is powerful, but as war approaches she finds herself pulled in another direction by feelings she cannot control.”

This book was not what I expected it to be; the idea of a young unmarried woman setting off unattended for a foreign climate in the 1700’s is quite shocking, and would have been thought scandalous at the time. I know that there were instances of women running off to fight in wars dressed as boys, but for Dawnay Price to shirk convention and follow her dreams, as a woman, shows quite a strength of character.

I expected there to be a lot more about how the society of the times reacted to such an independent woman, but the author focused more on Dawnay’s scientific observations and descriptions of the environment. In my opinion it seemed almost too easy for her to get her benefactor to agree to the scheme.

The author clearly did a lot of research when writing this novel, and it shows in the references to the customs and well known characters of the times.

I would describe this as a situational rather than character driven story, and to be honest it’s not really my cup of tea. If you like detailed historical fiction then you will enjoy this book – I will be passing it onto my mum.

If you’ve read this book, or are thinking or reading it let me know in the comments.

Travel the journey here: Booktrail of the Sea Maid


A poor woman makes an important scientific discovery in times past but will she be remembered or ridiculed?

From London to the islands of Portugal, this is the story of a woman on the biggest mission of her life

Dawnay’s journey of discovery takes her from the poverty of a London orphanage to the stunning Berlengas archipelago, the island of Minorca and the cool crisp blue waters of the Mediterranean of the 18th century.

Travelling by boat in a time where single women did not travel alone and where travelling in explored territories was risky and dangerous. Her soul is described as a ‘nomadic one which cannot be cured by reading from the Arabian Nights’ like the son of her tutor, Mr Applebee.

This journey is one of discovery, exploration, wonderment, scientific importance and wonderful evocative images of seeing new lands, plants, animals, people and a whole new world.

‘They have slackened my rope and given me a taste of the world beyond my fence. And I will have more of it, mark my words’

From the heartbreaking days in the orphanage to the series of events which sees her boarding a ship to Portugal, I was with Dawnay all the way. Her voice, vision and intelligence puts others to shame and you just know she’s getting to Portugal one was or another

What would have happened had this lady and others like her had not made their discoveries? Would Darwin and other male scientists which followed have been able to do what they did? The author calls her the wrong person at the wrong time of history and that in itself is a sobering thought when reading the novel.

The research is outstanding but never gets in the way of plot. I was there with a notebook wanting to discover things as she did, marvelling at the pictures which formed inside my mind. The historical notes at the back of the books simply added to the overall excitement that this was based on real facts.

The clever weaving of real life historical events, such as the Lisbon earthquake really added to the overall atmosphere and time of the novel.

Quite a discovery!

What a disappointing ending...

Interesting idea about a female scientist ahead of her time, how female biology affects opportunity and postulating Darwinism before Darwin. The protagonist Dawnay is a determined character where war or natural disaster will not stop her. How realistic she is for that time is debatable but without these characteristics the plot would flounder. She does get involved with a Naval Captain and this I wasn't sure about as would he want to be involved with someone below his station?
Certainly worth a read for its originality but there is a nod to Remarkable Creatures as Dawnay collects fossils on an un-named west country Beach.

"The system of society is weighted against [me] completely. It is me who created this clever woman." I read this with no expectations & was pleasantly surprised! It follows Dawnay Price, an orphan who, through ambition and smarts, becomes a biologist in Victorian England. Mascull crafts the setting expertly, and it's exciting to follow Price as she defies gender conventions and conducts research in the Mediterranean. Though not outstanding, "Song of the Sea Maid" is a solid tale about the scientific pursuit while emphasizing the relentless exclusion of female scientists from history.

This review can also be found here on my blog.

*I was fortunate to receive an eARC of this book before release via NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton. Thank you!*

Read that description, see that cover, and then tell me you're not interested in this book. I was hooked before I even read the first page, and when I had read the first page, I knew there was no turning back. We are introduced to an orphan, unnamed and happy with her brother, roaming the streets of London. It's the 1700s and the world is full of disease, ruled by religion, and suspicious of anybody interested in 'new' ideas. After a fast-paced introduction, our orphan is now named Dawnay Price and living in a home for children, designed to educate them so they can be send out into the world as apprentices. She is brotherless and scared. For girls in the home, they are to become maids or fulfill other domestic roles, but Dawnay becomes inquisitive, eager to learn to write as well as read, and finds the natural world fascinating. It is a this point our story begins as Dawnay strives to become the natural philosopher her heart, and head, wants her to be.

Song of the Sea Maid is beautifully written. In her endnotes for the novel, Rebecca writes about how she was inspired by and used the style of eighteenth-century prose in her construction of the narrative. She uses '&c' instead of 'etc'. spells 'Menorca' as 'Minorca', and other such period quirks, which I really enjoyed and was surprised I did actually pick up on as I read through the text. Researching the book after reading I also came across a Pinterest board she made whist writing the book, using images of fishing villages, naval battles, and uniforms to help increase the accuracy of her world she harked back to. Fortunately she chose to omit the annoying prose styling of the time of capitalising a huge amount of words in the middle of sentences!

As you can probably tell at this point, I adored this book. Dawnay Price is possibly one of my favourite characters I've ever read and I loved seeing her journey from ignorant (in the sweetest way possible) orphan girl to woman of science. Her story isn't always a happy one, but that's what makes it such a believable tale. I yearned for Dawnay to have her happy ending and to become the natural philosopher that she wanted to be because, by the end, she felt like a friend to me. Her narrative voice was humorous, emotional, rational, strong, and scared all at once, which it was made her feel real to me. I'm very much looking forward to reading Rebecca's debut The Visitors now as her writing was such a comfort to me over the duration of reading this novel.

Song of the Sea Maid is released on June 18th 2015 and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing female character, loves stories set in the depths of nature, or suffers from a bit of wunderlust. You can almost feel the sun shining through the pages. Five stars from me!

Science has often been seen as a man’s endeavour, even today there are few women in the more ‘masculine' fields of physics or engineering. But that is nothing compared to science in the 18th century, where it was near impossible for a woman to live an independent life, let alone pursue scientific research. Rebecca Mascull’s second novel ‘Song of the Sea Maid’ explores these issues, taking a young girl with an inquisitive and intelligence mind and following her as she becomes a natural philosopher, determined to travel the world and conduct her own research free from the constraints of men.

This book is beautifully written. The words are lyrical and the plot is compelling. While it is not a quick read, or one that is particularly adventurous, it is peaceful and the slow-pace allows you to get involved with Dawnay’s story and come to understand her without having to navigate external threats and action. Dawnay, herself, is a brilliant lead. You can’t help but love her from the moment she is introduced, something that continues throughout the novel. You are on her side.

There were a couple of instances where this loyalty wavered, however, as I could not get behind the main romance of the novel. The very nature of it went against what I knew of the age this novel is set and my own, personal, opinions about relationships – essentially, I cannot connect to a relationship with someone already married. Had he not been married, it would probably be different, as there was obviously a connection and one that was believable.

I also really enjoyed reading about some of the problems Dawnay came up against for the sheer fact that she was a women. I do wish there was more of these instances as it felt that the main men in the novel were very accepting of her pursuits, despite it going against the very nature of society at that time. As a result, there were sections which felt very convenient and unbelievable.

That being said, I did enjoy this novel. It was very different to my usual reads and so it was a very refreshing read. The writing was wonderful and the two main climactic events were thrilling and terrifying – it felt like you were there. I do think, however, that it is a book which you need to be in the right mind-set for, as the slow pace can seem boring at times, if you are not feeling that invested in this type of novel.

I received a copy of this to review from Netgalley.

Changed from 4.5 to 5 stars!

Right book at the right time is what Song of Sea Maid is for me.
I won this book several months ago but somehow it crept under several other books.
I have recently craved more plots with strong independent characters full of intelligence particularly women.

I thoroughly enjoyed how Rebecca has included Science, she makes an important point in the acknowledgements.

We need more authors like this. I can't wait to see what Rebecca has next.

Highly recommend.

This is a bit of a slow-burner; I initially wasn't really grabbed by either the setting or voice, however Dawnay's coming of age in the most extraordinary way made for a really interesting story. The style is a little reminiscent of Dickens, and although the setting is 18th rather than 19th century, I thought there were similarities, which is obviously a compliment, despite the fact that I don't love Dickens!

Song of the Sea maid has many stereotypical elements, but Mascull develops them in unique ways, particularly through Dawnay's education, intellectual prowess and sense of adventure.

I received a free, digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.