Maris Thorne inherits more than her grandmother's seaside cottage - she inherits a conservancy for magical sea creatures, a talking puffin with far too many opinions, and an ancient pact between selkies and humans that's beginning to fray. With only three months until the autumn equinox, Maris must learn what it truly means to be a Keeper: protecting tidepools that hum with old sea magic, earning the trust of wary townsfolk, and uncovering why the selkies have started appearing on shore again after years of silence. Between a stubborn puffin named Pip, a mysterious key that opens doors she didn't know existed, and a marine protection officer who seems to understand more than he's saying, Maris discovers that healing what was broken means finding where she truly belongs. A heartwarming cozy fantasy of found family, coastal folklore, and gentle seaside magic - perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, The Spellshop, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries .