--- title: "Review: The Girl From the Sea, by Molly Ostertag and Maarta Laiho" description: The Girl From the Sea is a beautifully illustrated sapphic YA graphic novel about a selkie and a teen human girl who lives by the sea. image: https://www.loveinpanels.com/hubfs/the-girl-from-the-sea.jpg --- [![LoveinPanelswhite.png](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LoveinPanelswhite.png?width=640&height=225&name=LoveinPanelswhite.png "LoveinPanelswhite.png")](http://loveinpanels.com/) Search ![The Girl From the Sea Cover](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/the-girl-from-the-sea.jpg?height=500&name=the-girl-from-the-sea.jpg) **Title**: The Girl From the Sea **Creators**: - [Molly Ostertag](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?creators=Molly%20Ostertag) - [Maarta Laiho](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?creators=Maarta%20Laiho) **Format**: EBook Print **Color**: Color **Romanceiness**: Definitely a Romance **Heat**: PG13 **Tags**: [queer](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=queer) [lesbian](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=lesbian) [selkie](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=selkie) [magic](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=magic) [young adult](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=young%20adult) [coming out](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=coming%20out) [coming of age](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=coming%20of%20age) [first love](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comicsearch?tags=first%20love) **Where to Buy or Read**: If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of these links to support the site: ** [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3pxdip6) ◊ [Barnes & Noble](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-8814288-12366831?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%2Fthe-girl-from-the-sea-molly-knox-ostertag%2F1137578709%3Fean%3D9781338540574) ◊ [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/116/9781338540574) ◊ [Kobo](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fthe-girl-from-the-sea-3)**  **Synopsis from the Creator**: From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love. Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has *a lot* of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore.But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not. **Love In Panels' Review**: [Review of The Girl From the Sea](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/the-girl-from-the-sea) # [Review: The Girl From the Sea, by Molly Ostertag and Maarta Laiho](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/the-girl-from-the-sea) [fa icon="calendar"] Jun 8, 2021 11:38:05 AM / by [Suzanne](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/author/suzanne) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *The Girl From the Sea* is a sapphic young adult graphic novel with a summer romance between a human teen and a selkie. Ostertag's recognizable art style is rendered here more clearly than in *The Witch Boy* series and Maarta Laiho's colors are beautiful. But yet again, I'm annoyed at a publisher for putting [only one name on the front of the book](https://amzn.to/3crjRUZ) when it's a collaboration. Colorists are so important and deserve credit, dammit. Worse, Laiho isn't listed anywhere on the [book page on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3crjRUZ). Here's why it's especially important in this case: I think Laiho did a better job than Ostertag usually does and therefore this is a better product. It feels almost abusive. *shakes fist at Scholastic* Moving on. This book was definitely a book. I liked it well enough. I want to say I was transported, felt all the things, etc. But I didn't. The ending in particular wasn't what I wanted and while I think it works for the story, I wanted an HEA and didn't quite get it. The art, especially the ocean scenes, was lovely, but the characters themselves felt somewhat flat and I wasn't rooting for the central relationship the way I should have been. I rushed out to buy it, was so excited to find it a couple days early at Barnes & Noble... but I read it in two sittings because I wasn't inspired to finish it. I'm not sure how Ostertag's rep was, but it felt like maybe it was limited to a last name and chopsticks in one scene. I want to be able to yell positive things about it but the best I've got is "it's sooo pretty." And because my favorite thing about this book is the art... CREDIT THE COLORIST. *** If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of these links to support the site: ** [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3pxdip6) ◊ [Barnes & Noble](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-8814288-12366831?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%2Fthe-girl-from-the-sea-molly-knox-ostertag%2F1137578709%3Fean%3D9781338540574) ◊ [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/116/9781338540574) ◊ [Kobo](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fthe-girl-from-the-sea-3)**  *** Content Warnings: seals and ecosystem in peril, absent father/divorced parents, fear of coming out (everyone is totally on board) *I purchased this book.*   Topics: [review](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/review) ![left.png](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/left.png?width=640&name=left.png "left.png") ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Support Love in Panels [![Buy an eBook From Kobo Today](https://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&bids=551651.109&subid=0&type=4&gridnum=0)](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&offerid=551651.109&subid=0&type=4) [- Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [review (102)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/review) - [comics guide (9)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/comics-guide) - [interview (6)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/interview) - [announcement (5)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/announcement) - [kids comics (4)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/kids-comics) - [guest post (2)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/guest-post) - [new releases (2)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/new-releases) - [cover reveal (1)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/cover-reveal) - [excerpt (1)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/excerpt) ](http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-8814288-11820649) ### Posts by Topic - [review (102)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/review) - [comics guide (9)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/comics-guide) - [interview (6)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/interview) - [announcement (5)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/announcement) - [kids comics (4)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/kids-comics) - [guest post (2)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/guest-post) - [new releases (2)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/new-releases) - [cover reveal (1)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/cover-reveal) - [excerpt (1)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/topic/excerpt) [see all](https://www.loveinpanels.com/comics/the-girl-from-the-sea#) ### Recent Posts #### About Us Love in Panels is two blogs, each with their own searchable database. 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