I was so pumped for this book because it sounded right up my alley! I mean a queer pirate book with themes of colonialism and misogyny, but sadly everything else fell flat for me, especially the romance. I did love the diversity of the story. It included characters of all different races and sexualities, and I loved seeing this in a YA Fantasy! However, like I mentioned, everything else just fell flat to me. All the characters felt underdeveloped and almost one dimensional. All the decisions they made made them feel unreal because I felt like nobody reacts the way the characters do. The characters and the pacing overall gave me a strange feeling, and I found myself really put off. Another thing that was woefully underdeveloped was the romance. This was the thing that had me the mot excited, and reading The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea felt so underwhelming. I was more invested in the side characters than with Flora and Evelyn. Overall, this book was a big let down, which I really sad about because I was so excited about it initially.

I adored this! It was maybe one of the weirdest book I've ever read, but weird in a good way. The ending made me squeal with happiness. There's really no way for me to even describe it, just take my word for it and give it a shot! You won't regret it!

I don't often enjoy books written about the sea. makes me sea sick but this one is different. It takes all the overdone material and mixes it up until it is fresh and salty. I love the cover too. It is a bit middle grade but only enough that it will appeal to all teens and preteens. I highly recommend this book!

In the beginning of this book, it was a little hard to know where it was going, but once I managed to grasp the story, I found it to be very interesting and I was much intrigued till the end.

With a dynamic plot, I found the story to be quite exciting. There were many ups and downs to the story with different complications and peaceful moments which I enjoyed. It was hard to find a part that was dull.

I also found the world building to be pretty unique though there was not much detailed description of the various cultures in the story. Even so, I was lead to believe that this was largely influenced by the Japanese culture as there were terms such as kimono, Imperial and Emperor throughout the story.

Honestly, I was very drawn to the politics happening between the pirates and the imperials too. The struggle to gain control of the sea for different motives was distinctively evident. It was largely part of the conflicts and complications in the story which I thought was most interesting.

Besides that, the role of the witch in the story was pretty unique even though it took up only a short part of the story. The idea that magic craft could be learnt and weaved through stories was a very interesting concept. Unfortunately, I felt like this part was a little monotonous at the same time rushed through which I thought was a pity.

As for the characters, I actually really enjoyed each character’s development. Although I felt like there could have been more depth and expansion, I was quite satisfied with what was revealed. There was so much growth in the main characters as well which is always a plus.

In addition, the writing style of this book was quite different. The book was divided into three parts; The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea – exactly like the title. So for the first part, the author wrote it from the two main character’s POV. But as we progress further, the author gradually added two minor character’s POV which surprised me! It was a very refreshing experience and I loved it.

Lastly, I was quite pleased that there were queer representations in this story. I thought the author introduced this element quite uniquely too.

At some point, I did feel that the story was a little odd but no matter how I try to identify it, I just couldn’t pin point what exactly made me feel that way. But overall, I think this was a pretty good read and I enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Candlewick Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Musings:

I greatly enjoyed this book. I loved so much of it. The structure, the characters, the magic! It was so well-constructed.

What I loved:

The discussion of gender. Flora is both Flora and Florian. Flora the girl who struggled alongside her brother Alfie to survive and Florian the boy who becomes a pirate of his own right. As far as I could tell reading Flora embraces both and I really loved seeing that in this novel. Also, The Pirate Supreme is non-binary and such a badass. They are also straight up called The Pirate Supreme and every-time their mentioned it’s full of badassery and I love them! I just liked that it’s there and that I’m seeing it so much more now then before. It makes me happy to see.

The way the story broke into parts. I loved the structure of this book. I rarely fall in love with pure structure, but this book does it so well. Each section was clearly defined and told the narrative well. It just fit neatly in a way I really appreciated.

Flora and Evelyn together. These two my lord! I love them together. They have this amazing bond that starts from Evelyn wanting to share books and stories with Florian and teach him how to read. To fighting together and loving each other later on not just as Florian but flora. This made my heart so happy. Especially, the ending which I refuse to spoil. It’s too good!

Rake. At first I wasn’t sure if I even liked Rake, but as the story went on I realized how much of a strong character he was. He’s one of the good guys as difficult as it is to be good in the circumstances of the novel.

The magic. I love a good magic system and I swear a magic system that uses stories to create magic is so beautiful. I loved the many stories the witch told in this book. I’m obsessed with it. It was amazing.

The mermaids. I loved how mermaids were portrayed in this book. I love what they eat. I love how Evelyn connected to the mermaid she wanted to save and saw how wrong it was for the sailors to take mermaid blood for their own. It was so cool. I don’t want to spoil the awesomeness of it.

All in All:

If you want to read a magical swashbuckling romance that is beautifully queer and just amazing in every way pick up The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. I loved every moment of it. So amazingly written.

TW: Sexual assault (referenced, a non-POV character was assaulted previous to the start of the book), mild a-phobia

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were great, I loved the plot, and it had some solid messages. Flora/Florian was a complex person that went through some major change over the course of the book. Evelyn is idealistic in a way that makes her somewhat naive. It adds to her character's charm, but means that she is woefully unprepared to face some harsh realities. There was occasional POVs from other characters, but my favorite was probably the interludes from the POV of The Sea. Those sections felt almost poetic in nature. There was enough going on in the story that it probably could have been 100 pages longer and still felt fast-paced.

The enjoyment was soured slightly by some lines in the beginning though. Both main character describe feeling like they are unable to love in the book. While I understood the sentiment, it struck me as poorly worded and soured what would have otherwise been an amazing experience. Especially since the author dealt so much care to other aspects of LGBTQ+ identities, it hurt to feel shortchanged on my own identity. That said, it didn't feel purposeful. It was mainly a couple lines by each character that could have been written differently to express a similar sentiment of feeling different/unworthy without being harmful to some readers.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea follows a pirate named Flora/Florian and an aristocratic lady named Evelyn. Their paths intertwine on the Dove, a pirate ship, and when they fall in love, they must escape, deal with witches, the Sea, spies, mermaids, and more.

It is with a heavy heart that I must admit that the face in the sea on the cover—which I will never stop pointing out, by the way—is exactly what I look like right now: sad, vaguely whiny-looking, and most of all, ugly. (That’s in general, though, not from the book.)
I’m going to start out with the positives! Because I’d like to begin on a good note before I start, you know, completely dissing it.

This book has a lot of good commentary on colonialism, imperialism, and misogyny! The setting is inspired by our world, specifically as Japan being the colonizer/imperialist force. It also has some great representation, with a Japanese-coded sapphic main character and a Black genderfluid main character!

I also was not expecting this to be a story on the darker side—and I loved it!!! (Whatever that means about me... we are ignoring that.) I enjoyed the aspects of the world where the Sea is a protective, vengeful force, like a mother, and the different, fun stories told about witchcraft.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much it for everything I liked.
My first problem with The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is that the romance is woefully underdeveloped. In my notes, I wrote “their relationship was like: [rich girl teaches pirate how to read] BAM they’re in love” and... I am not wrong.

The romance was a big part of the story, and it was in fact a large motivator for both of the main characters. So it was disconcerting when their relationship was written with a lot of finality and gravity when we had only seen them have Full Conversations approximately six times.

My second problem, which I noticed when I was about halfway through the book, was that I... didn’t really care about the characters? In fact, when there were side characters whose POVs were included near the end, I was more invested in them than the actual protagonists. Which is an issue, to say the least!!

I liked Flora and I thought her backstory and arc were both great, but I didn’t care a lot for Evelyn. And the ending is definitely supposed to make you feel emotion or touch you in some way, but I read the entire thing with an absolutely straight face because I 1) didn’t care, and 2) just wanted to be DONE with the book.

The pacing was also terribly, weirdly off. The book is divided into three different parts, and it felt like each had their own separate mini arcs that didn’t mesh well together as one overall plot. For example, in the second part, witchcraft was introduced and it was actually so cool and one of the only things I was interested in reading. But nothing happened to it... like it was introduced and then used only two times... so what was the point...

The middle of the book suffered from boring-dragging-middle syndrome, and the ending was rushed, which made the events that occurred feel tacky. I also hated how Florian’s love for his brother was made to be really important but then was also thrown away so many times. And I also didn’t like how a lot of things in general were left unresolved—it felt like lazy writing!!

Overall, I’m quite sad that I didn’t love this book. It had a lot of potential, especially with the messages and representation it offered. But it lacked in a lot of areas, notably the characters, romance, and the plot itself. I really wish I loved this at much as I love the cover, but alas! I am but a moaning face in the sea.

Lady Evelyn Hasegawa is bound for the fiancee she has never met, accompanied by her own casket, a tradition that ensures she will never return home. Pirate Florian, born Flora, does whatever it takes to survive, that is until she is commanded to guard Lady Evelyn. The two grow closer, and that makes what Florian must do as a pirate even harder. When the two take a chance to escape and free a mermaid, they take it, but that may not be the hardest part of their journey.

This bok. Was a lot. There is so much plot in here, I got a bit overwhelmed at times. That doesn’t take away from my enjoyment at all, but I took lots of breaks in between character and plot shifts to let it all sink in before moving forward. There is the story of Flora and Evelyn, but we also follow the stories of the wtich, the other pirates, the sea, and other side characters. It shifts so quickly sometimes I felt as if I got mental whiplash. I loved the characters so much, though, and the world that Tokuda-Hall built, that I wanted to stick with it.

The pace is break-neck, so if you like your fantasy high action with lots of twists and turns, definitely pick this one up. It’s a great choice for Pride month as there are queer relationships and characters who do not identify on the binary. Some longstanding Lore blends seamlessly with Tokuda-Hall’s own worldbuilding, and I’m a sucker for witches and mermaids, so when they were both in the title, I was immediately sold.

I enjoyed the romance and the fact that mcuh of the time, it took a backburner to the story. I love stories where the plot is at the forefront, and the romance develops within that without being its sole focus. The perfect beach read, or couch read, if you’re staying home as much as possible like me, so keep an eye out for it.

4/5 Stars

If you're seeking adventure on the high seas, mystery, magic, and more, then The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea should definitely be on your reading list. Maggie Tokuda-Hall has crafted a compelling story with a rich, unique world, and characters that will draw you in. Both teens and adults alike will enjoy this one.

While the book starts off slow in introducing the main players and world, there is a build up that lends itself to sucking the reader in. The scale of the story grows as the plot unfolds and the author adds layer upon layer to the narrative. Readers might think that with pirates, mermaids, witches, and spies there would be too much to comprehend. Thankfully it's a beautiful balance that makes this book shine.

Florian's journey is one fraught with turmoil yet tender at every turn. They are all at once dealing with survival and self-discovery while attempting to do what is right. Evelyn, at first, appears plain as she recognizes the wider world is nothing at all as it seems. It is her compassion and kindness that make her stand out as the story progresses. These two lead a cast of wily characters that are more then meets the eye.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is about identity and love. A tale of human connection and choosing which battles to fight. Maggie Tokuda-Hall's fantastical novel tackles imperialism, addiction, and the difficult realities of sacrifice. While there's a lot packed within these pages, I'd totally recommend diving into this adventure.

A queer Pirates of the Caribbean by way of A Princess Bride. Lady Evelyn Hasegawa boards the Dove with a coffin full of all her belongings, shipped off to her betrothed, a man she's never met. But the Dove isn't what it seems. The passenger ships is actually a front for pirates who sell its passengers into slavery--and Evelyn will fetch a fair price. The Nameless Captain orders the youngest crew member of the Dove, Florian, to guard her until the ruse is up. Evenly has no clue of the danger she's in--nor the fact that the boy Florian is actually Flora in disguise. And Flora/Florian is unprepared for the pretty young Imperial to be so charming and king. Certainly not prepared to fall in love with her. But how to save her from the fate that awaits all the unsuspecting passengers? And how to save the both of them when a vengeful sea and the Pirate Supreme are out to get the entire crew of the Dove for drinking Mermaids blood. It'll take a lot of kindness and courage--and a little magic--to see them through.

I loved this seafaring adventure book full of heart and magic. I thought Flora's genderfluidity was handeled really beautifully (though as I'm cis take that with a grain of salt) and loved the development of the relationship between her and Evelyn. And the fact that having the courage to do the right thing played such a big role in the characters finding redemption and a happy ending was really wonderful--not something you always see in books about pirates. Definitely a great read for fans of pirate and fantasy stories, and I can't wait to see what Maggie Tokuda-Hall comes up with next!

This book was excellent! From the sapphic/enby romance to the adventure and action! I enjoyed every moment reading this book. Flora is a very well flushed out character who made me like her from the get go. Evelyn, while just as flushed and layered, was a bit harder to grow to like. Her attitude towards some things really bothered me. I absolutely adored that she was as precocious as she was though!

The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea follow two girls as they attempt to navigate the pirate world: one by choice and one by force. Add in a sentient sea, a mermaid with a lust for drinking blood, and a witch who only looks out for herself - this was a wild ride! The character arcs for each was well worth the build up, and the ending blew me away.

One of the things I really loved about the book was the mermaid origins. I also loved how the mermaid changed and became something grotesque out of the sea but when in the sea water was as stunning as we picture a mermaid to be.

There was so much about this novel that I could talk about for ages, so instead I'll just say - read it, listen to it, devour it 5 stars read for this enthralling, magical stand alone!

When an orphan girl takes on a male persona and boards a pirate ship, adventure, danger and even romance are a given. Throw in a witch, a mermaid and pirate antics and you have an entertaining and fun read.

Note: the main characters in this book are queer, so if you are one of those people that does not enjoy queer romance stories or LGBTQ fiction, give this one a pass.

I enjoyed this story. It was a fun, entertaining read. I love anything with pirates, so this was an easy plot to enjoy. At times the main characters were a bit hard to like. They both have a tendency to be selfish jerks at times. But the cool, magical world filled with mermaids and pirates pretty much carried the story past any personality issues.

Nice mix of magic, adventure and romance. Fun read! The front cover art is amazing!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

'The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea' by Maggie Tokuda-Hall is a dramatic adventure filled with characters struggling to define themselves, while surviving a world that seems bent on destroying them.

This shifting narrative told from multiple viewpoints, mainly focuses around a somewhat wild imperial lady.. Evelyn and the pirate Florian.. assigned to guard her.

Flora, one half of a pair of desperate orphans and crew member of the pirate ship, the Dove.. has taken on the identity of Florian. In part, it's a matter of survival amongst the men, but it's also part of their journey of self-discovery.

Lady Evelyn Hasegawa is a casket girl. She's been sold into an arranged marriage by parents who seem to have little regard for her. Sent with her things packed neatly into her coffin, a provision offered to the husband to be. She's always been rebellious and 'crooked' in her mother's eyes. Never quite ladylike enough, but to be separated from her only friend.. sent away across the sea to assume the role of wife suddenly, is more than she can fathom.

Inexorably drawn to one another, Evelyn and Florian attempt to escape the ship and free a captured mermaid who is coveted for the effects of her blood. A prize worth a pretty penny.

Tokuda-Hall did a fantastic job of merging swashbuckling fantasy with a brooding sea magic that almost feels like it's infused with primordial Titan mythology. I loved the author's take on mermaids and their connection with the sea itself, as well as all the complex layers of deceit happening amongst the cast.

We do get to meet some other great characters like Alfie, Florian's soul broken brother.. and boy is his a story. There's also Rake, the first mate, Lafayette, the Nameless Captain.. known as such from a unique over-indulgence, Lady Ayer, a childhood friend of Evelyn's mother who sticks close on the voyage, and Xenobia, a healer they meet on a far away land. Fawkes is particularly nasty, but in the most basic of ways.. there's the Pirate Supreme, Xoan, who is loyal to the sea first, and I found Evelyn's betrothed.. the Commander, to be intriguing as can be.

The book certainly holds plenty of surprises for its readers and you won't be disappointed if you're looking for something original, that's smoothly crafted, and poses questions of identity.. both in who we believe ourselves to be and how others see us. I found every character led a bit of a brutal life, when you looked closely at them. It was simply the way of their world.

The characters are incredibly diverse and I found myself deeply invested in the outcome for several of them. I enjoyed seeing them reach understandings about themselves and their predicaments.. conclusions about how.. even when.. to take action. In some cases, being figuratively blasted out of complacent lives in a moment of realization that they needed to make a decision because no one else was going to.

I received an e-ARC from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.

Flora has lived on the Dove since she was around 9 or 10 years old. She took on the name Florian as a way to fit in with the men on board. When the Dove takes on passengers headed towards the Floating Islands to meet Evelyn's, an aristocrat aboard the <em>Dove, soon-to-be husband, Commander Callum. Evelyn changes Flora's life forever when they go on the adventure of their lifetime. On this adventure, they learn more about themselves. This novel is a story of love, betrayal, friendships, and brotherhood.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea had a slower start to it, but it did pick up to the point where I read half of the novel in one day. I really enjoyed learning more about Flora's story and Rake's background throughout the novel; information dumps at the beginning of novels usually are too much world-building at one time for me. My favorite part of the novel was the character growth in all of the main characters. Flora learned to do magic and found out she was more than just a slave to the nameless captain on the Dove. Evelyn learned what her purpose was after she saved the mermaid near the beginning of the novel. Alfie realized he could live on without his sister and set her free to the sea. Rake became a better man after he saved all three of the main characters. I liked the adventure of The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea and are excited to see where everyone's storylines will go next if Maggie Tokuda-Hall writes a sequel.

I definitely do want to check out more of Maggie Tokuda-Hall's work in the future.

This was very average for me. I really wanted to love it but it just fell flat for me. I just wanted more and I didn't get it. I think it may have been a "it's not you it's me" thing. The writing just didn't mesh well with me. I will say there is potential here and I could see how someone would actually really enjoy reading this. I would recommend at least picking it up and giving it a chance.

This was a really cool, inventive story that I haven't seen before! Mermaids are pretty hard to find in YA, so I was super excited for this release and it didn't disappoint! The romance in this was great and I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to anything Maggie Tokuda-Hall releases next!

It was interesting enough to keep me at the edge of my seat and the characters' interactions put a smile on my face. It's the story of a pirate in a crew who steals rich people and a Lady who is travelling to meet her fiance falling in love and running away together.

A bittersweet, lovely, melancholy, hopeful book full of magic and the ocean. The characters are vibrant and it is one of my favorite parts of a story well-told to see them all barreling towards each other as the plot tightens. It’s a hard book but it’s also magical and filled with love- familial, romantic, self. Not sure how Florian/Flora identifies but they are presented as nonbinary, and they are not the only character that is. The evils of colonialism are plain to see but Evelyn is so much more than “not just an Imperial”. There are a couple loose threads I would have like tied up but overall it was quite satisfying and a fascinating world. Plus, the Pirate Supreme is just a badass title

2.5 stars

To understand the different stages of emotions I'm going through while thinking about how to review this book, you have to keep in mind the kombucha girl TikTok, except make it ten times milder because I wish this book inspired the level of emotional investment as kombucha girl went through.

This weird intro to say: I have....some? good things to say about this, and the rest was a big mess, but I also can't bring myself to hate it because that would be too strong of an emotion to apply to this.

The premise of this was what drew me in, the female/nonbinary romance with a side of piracy sounded too good to be true, and, well. You get where I'm going. The romance was just there, I guess. It was okay? It was too fast to be believable, but that often is with sapphic romance, and I was willing to not let it bother me. I wasn't even bothered when the romance caused the nonbinary lead to take some pretty hasty and drastic decisions like leaving behind her only family, because I felt like that was part of her character arc in escaping what is essentially a codependent relationship with her brother. Other than that, I never felt much for the romance at all.

With that premise I was still willing to see what else was there, and as it turns out, there was a lot.

As the title suggests, the book is tripartite, with each arc being almost self contained. I really liked the mermaid (as a creature, not so much the book part named after her), I didn't care about the witch and the sea would have been cool if it was explored more.

And here lies the key to my review: if anything had been explored more, it would've ended up being such a cool book, instead it tried to be so much that it became very little. I really see where it was trying to go, but I would have appreciated less elements added to the story and more exploration of the ones that could have made it a quite unique pirate book.

If I tried to mentally remove any particular element from this novel, I would end up exactly with the same book. I never felt like there was anything to it that was necessary to the story, not even the sea as the deux ex machina, not even the mermaid (although I liked her), the witch only to a certain extent. Magic was probably the best developed aspect of the middle section of the book, but then it was used twice and never again. The Sea only acted when it was convenient. The book started as a clear-cut dual POV then it kept adding POVs, one of which I understood the significance of and the other was just annoying.

But by far the thing I'm most disappointed with, that could have saved the whole book and kept me reading and hoping until the end, was all the big talk about the mysterious and probably sexy nonbinary Pirate Supreme, only for them to appear and speak like two sentences? And they didn't even do anything badass???? I feel cheated.

All this to say, there was so much and I think everything, from the characters to the plot, would have benefited from having less but better developed.

There were also things I personally really don't want to read in my queer romances. Without making any big or generalized statements, but speaking of personal preference I would like to never see another supposedly queernormative fantasy book use homophobia so casually. In the spirit of the rest of the book, this too was used once or twice without any development or raison d'être, and as a queer person reading it to, you know, do some escapism and consume a sapphic romance, I'm tired as fuck.

To add to this, of course the lesbian character is shipped away by her awful family to marry a man she's never met. Of course in the course of the book she meets said man and he's a piece of shit, as are all of the other men she meets. I cannot properly put this into words eloquently but when men (yes, all of them) pose a constant threat to your life as a (queer) woman, the constant threat of violence, sexual or otherwise, in a book that's supposed to be about a sapphic romance is not something I welcome. I have DNF'd a book with a very similar premise to this for this reason alone, and I have not done so here because I wanted to give a (new to me) author of color a chance.

I can't speak about the nonbinary representation, but I think it was nice to show that there is not one way to be nonbinary. The Pirate Supreme uses they/them while Flora/Florian uses she/he and exists as both a boy and a girl. I do wonder what Black and specifically Black nonbinary readers think, though, about this character being written by a non-Black author.

Overall, while reading I didn't have too many issues focusing or wanting to see where everything was going, and there were things I liked or things I wanted to see more of (and only by continuing I realized they wouldn't go anywhere). Most of my (mostly negative) thoughts in this review come from a post-reading analysis, whereas my main thought while reading was "this is perfectly average, there's only a few things that bother me". And I still think that, in a way: there is a place for average novels, and me reviewing it quite negatively shouldn't deter you from trying this book out yourself.

While this is a standalone, it left enough things open for a potential sequel, including, very annoyingly, an epilogue by the least-important POV character, but I don't think I will check it out if it ever comes out.


TWs: Torture, death, murder, mutilation, blood, violence, alcoholism

The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. The mix of queer representation and racial diversity appealed to me, and throwing it all in a pirate fantasy setting made it absolutely tantalizing.

Possibly my favorite aspect of this book was the Ocean. I love any novel that personifies the Ocean as a motherly figure, and you get that in this book. I liked the unique mermaids, and enjoyed the adventurous almost fairytale tone of the book, but unfortunately that’s pretty much the limit of my enjoyment.

Quite a few things about this book made me uncomfortable, beginning with the black character working on the crew of a slaver ship as well as early mentions of rape. The pacing of the book was another negative, as I felt like it didn’t seem totally cohesive, and almost seemed like each part of the book had separation from the others, even if they were all within the same story.

Overall this one felt like it had a lot of potential but it just wasn’t right for me. I was so looking forward to this one and I’m genuinely bummed to have to give it 2.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for the galley of this in exchange for my honest thoughts.