Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Shelter the Sea 
SERIES: The Roosevelt
AUTHOR: Heidi Cullinan
NARRATOR: Iggy Toma
PUBLISHER: Self Published
RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2017
LENGTH: 7 hours, 27 minutes
BLURB:
Some heroes wear capes. Some prefer sensory sacks.
Emmet Washington has never let the world define him, even though he, his boyfriend, Jeremey, and his friends aren’t considered “real” adults because of their disabilities. When the State of Iowa restructures its mental health system and puts the independent living facility where they live in jeopardy, Emmet refuses to be forced into substandard, privatized corporate care. With the help of Jeremey and their friends, he starts a local grassroots organization and fights every step of the way.
In addition to navigating his boyfriend’s increased depression and anxiety, Emmet has to make his autistic tics acceptable to politicians and donors, and he wonders if they’re raising awareness or putting their disabilities on display. When their campaign attracts the attention of the opposition’s powerful corporate lobbyist, Emmet relies on his skill with calculations and predictions and trusts he can save the day–for himself, his friends, and everyone with disabilities.
He only hopes there isn’t a variable in his formula he’s failed to foresee.
REVIEW:
Roosevelt Blues Brothers to the rescue
After reading this book I was honestly a bit disappointed. I had been looking forward to this book ever since I finished Carry the Ocean, but I feel like this was a bit of a let-down. Maybe that’s just me having too high hopes – who knows?
When reading Carry the Ocean I fell in love with Emmet, Jeremey and eventually I came around to liking David as well and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next in their lives. I was absolutely giddy when I started reading Shelter the Sea.
So obviously I have some mixed feelings towards this book. On one hand we have these wonderful and amazing characters, inspiring friendships and a love that can change lives. Overcome anything. It tells you to be brave, to have hope and fight for what you believe. And I just adored the first half of the book. One of my absolute favourite moments in this book was when Jeremey first met Mai. It just melted my heart and you just knew they were meant to be together.
she’d been waiting my whole life for me to show up, and now I was here and she was too.
But on the other hand, in the second half it was just too much crusading and preaching. I feel like the core of the series was forgotten. And there were some things that were never really dealt with in a good way. I just wanted more Jeremey and Mai, more Darren and David, more Jeremey and Emmet together. More of their friendships and everyday lives. More fun Roosevelt Blues Brothers and a bit less saving the world. However noble cause that is, it’s not what I was looking for.
Then we have the incredible Iggy Toma added to the mix. I love his narrations and NA/YA books fit him like a glove. He brings life to these characters, and he truly perfects them all in a way that not only lets them have different voices, but those voices reflects their personalities to perfection. I’m truly in awe.
All in all, I did end up enjoying this book and I am looking forward to both Unleash the Earth and Shatter the Sky, I just hope there will be more focus on the people and not so much on the cause.
I’d had it wrong all along. I didn’t have to shelter the sea. I had to find the way to let the sea shelter me.
Story: 3.5 hearts
Narration: 5 hearts
RATING: 
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