SOLVED. Y/A Islander girl grows black wings, plays a flute to distract death, a romance interest is a guy who lives in the ocean. Possible Spoiler ahead. [s]

[Emma]

The book opens with this young girl sitting on the beach, watching her first period flow away into the water. Then she has this womanhood ritual where she dives into the ocean to find a pearl/gemstone, and the one she finds is special and rare. I think it was blue. Later in the book, she grows black wings and everyone is frightened of her because they think she symbolizes Death.

I read the book sometime in 2008-2012. I don't recall much of the setting but I don't think it was based too far in the past. I never saw the original cover. It was published in English. I remember when I found it online, it had a sequel, if that helps at all! This is killing me.


SPOILER (?)








She works for a witch I think, who places a curse on her to save her mother maybe, and that's why she grows black wings. She falls in love with an ocean prince, but because she's now bound to the air and can't swim with wings, they can't date. The details are so vague now. I think she played a flute to lure Death into certain situations/keep him from killing her.

[Ayshe]

Racing the Dark maybe?

[Emma]

Ayshe wrote: "Racing the Dark maybe?"

You are my favorite person in the world. That's the one.