The cover is alluring: nice readable font, rendered in shades of silty blue. A black mermaid has her back towards viewers, while a whale and other sea creatures swim in the background. Great introductory hook: we've got Amaba, the mother, scolding her daughter, Yetu, for doing something foolhardy: jeopardizing herself by lurking in shark-infested waters, weeping over one of the first wajinru. The term is deliberately undefined, therefore a bit disorienting, but it hooks the reader: what's a wajinru? What memory could be so compelling that it'd make you cry for days and possess you to the point where you lose your instinct for self-preservation? I enjoyed the introductory pages and the way that characters are introduced and defined via dialogue: I can hear these conversations taking place.