Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

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Title: The Sea of Tranquility
Author: Katja Millay
Publisher: Atria Books

Publication date: June 4, 2013

Genre(s): New Adult (Contemporary)

Source: Publisher 

Format: ARC

Pages: 448

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Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

I tried starting this review in a way that would show you how in love I am with The Sea of Tranquility, how gripping, captivating, and addicted this book is, but my writing can't do this book justice. In actuality, The Sea of Tranquility is already a diamond among a sea of pressed coal. I am so in love with this book, the writing, the emotions, the characters, the relationships, and even down to the full stops. Katja Millay's The Sea of Tranquility officially owns my heart. 

I can't say I wasn't expecting an amazing book when I started this because... have you looked at the ratings of it?, however I am usually in the minority when it comes to popular books so I had my reservations. Instantly, I was enthralled by Nastya's world, her reason for not speaking at all, and whether it is a physical disability, an emotional one, or a choice. It is glaringly obvious that something horrifying has happened to her, especially when we see a glimpse of who she used to be, a piano prodigy who dedicated all her life to the instrument. Now, Nastya could be described, in a nice way, as a goth girl with uh.. a style that requires as minimal clothing articles as possible. However what I loved about Millay's characterization is that she didn't turn Nastya into a typical rebellious lost girl.. yes on the outside you might think she is, but she is the most innocent person you'll ever meet. People automatically judge her wrongly and that is what happens when she enrolls at a new school, one close to where her aunt's house, and now hers, is. 

That is where we meet Josh and his "invisible force field". To say that he has his own issues is an understatement because death seems to follow him everywhere until he has no one else to taint. Josh was so mature and I loved him to bits. The way the relationship progressed between Josh and Nastya was slow but also full of mystery and frantic page flipping on my end. The scenes between both had me holding my breath each time. Each time they were together, I kept praying to find out more about each one through the other because Millay had a way of wanting the reader to find out the mystery but at the same time enjoy not knowing it too. Does that even make sense? 

Also, a good book is never without amazing secondary characters. At first look, we judge Drew as the douche that went after Nastya as soon as he saw her. At the beginning I really disliked him and sensed that his character was going to create unnecessary drama that would push this book into the typical NA territory. However, brace yourselves, Drew is one of my favorite characters in this book! I also loved Drew's parents, they were the sweetest parents ever and truly love Josh and extended their love to Nastya later on. To top it all, the banter and dialogue between the characters was freaking brilliant. My favorite scenes always had Nastya, Josh, and Drew together.. *sigh* those three together were a recipe for hilarity. 

I can't seem to stop giving this book high praises or saying how much I love it but Katja Millay's debut has everything I would ever want in a novel: addicting plot, unforgettable characters, witty dialogue, and a unique and lyrical writing style. This book does contain swear words, however I personally think it is tamer than most NA books I have read. This book left an imprint on my heart, and the emotional connection I have with its characters won't ever be severed. If you are looking for a book that you will never forget, well this is the one. 

yup, I brought out the infinity rating!