Mundie Moms

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SEA by Heidi R. Kling / Book Review

I am so thrilled to be able to share some exciting book news of Heidi Kling's later this morning. To celebrate that news, I thought it was fitting to -re-share my review of her debut, SEA, which I originally shared back in 2010, here on Mundie Moms. 


By: Heidi R. Kling
Published by: Putnam Juvenile 
Released on: June 10th, 2010
Original Rating: 5 stars
Purchase from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder-something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.


But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn't think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.


It's hard to believe that Sea is Heidi Kling's debut book. Sea is a richly written story that will capture the readers attention and pull them right into the wonderful world Heidi has created. It's both real and captivating. Woven with a beautiful, sweet summer love story, Sea is one read I highly recommend.

Fifteen year old Sienna Jones is still grieving over the death of her mother, when her father, a psychiatric Doctor surprises her for her birthday with a trip to go with his Team Hope back to Indonesia. Sienna's parents started Team Hope, to help bring relief to the orphans who are still grieving and coping from the traumatic tsunami that devastated Indonesia. In reluctantly going to Indonesia for two weeks, what Sienna doesn't expect to do is fall in love with the little girls she's there to help, discover the truth in her mother's death, and find love in an intense 17 year old Indonesian boy, named Deni.

Set in both Angel Miguel, CA and in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sea's rich setting is both breathtaking and hauntingly beautiful. Heidi's vivid description of Indonesia made me feel like I was there with Sienna seeing Indonesia for the first time. From the way Sienna describes what she sees when they land, to the orphanage they are there to help out, to seeing the sites with Deni, everything about Indonesia's descriptions were beautiful, and delicately written. What I enjoyed most, is the relationships that Sienna made while there.

The characters and their relationships are real and their emotions so strong and engaging that my heart ached for them. Sienna and her father's relationship is a real father and daughter relationship. Their trip brings them closer together and brings some closure from the death of his wife and Sienna's mother. Like Sienna, I fell in love with the little girls at the orphanage as she formed a lasting bond with them. There to help them cope with their post traumatic stress disorder, Sienna finds they helped her, more than she has helped them. As Sienna was moved by their stories from when the waves hit, I found myself feeling the same ways she was. 

The romance is beautiful and pulled at my heart strings as Sienna has to choose between the boy she's grown up with and the one she's grown to love and wants to help in Indonesia. The relationship Sienna has with her best friend back home is Ca, Spider, and the immediate connection she has with Deni, left me breathless. How do you choose when both are equally wonderful? Spider knows everything about Sea (Sienna's nic-name), and Deni has lost everything, but finds hope with Sienna. When Sienna decides to help Deni look for his father, who has been missing since the waves, she learns that love is also about letting go. 

Sea truly had it all. Strong emotions, vivid descriptions, characters who I completely fell in love, and relationships that I want to see more of. The story is moving, and brilliant. I am looking forward to reading more about Sienna, Deni and Spider. Brilliantly written, moving and a captivating love story mixed in, this is a must read! 

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