Remember how the ocean was such a good character in Moana? I certainly do. My favorite parts of this book were when the Sea got to have her own point of view, and it was as mysterious and powerful as I wanted.

Overall, this book was a very fun adventure, and takes the trope of the girl disguising as a boy to go on adventures to very new places, gender-wise. One thing I really liked about this book was that the two main characters made a decision early in the book that I wasn't really on board with, and they actually fix it by the end! It's hard to say more without spoiling.

I think this is a great book for readers who want to read adventure novels who want books that question a lot of what has come before in these kinds of books when it comes to endorsing systems of power, gender norms, etc. The book does that without feeling preachy or didactic; it's still a ripping seafaring tale.

And for readers whose expectations have been set by the tropes used in this book, it's quite delightful to think you see what's coming and then have it subverted.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

Whoa, did TMtW&tS ever help me escape the world we’re in right now. I loved it so much and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve already told eleven friends in the two days since finishing it that they must read this book. And when my eight-year-old daughter asked me what I was doing while I was writing this review, I said “I’m writing about a book that I can’t wait for you to be old enough to read.” I am seriously stoked for her and her little sister to read about these badasses some day.

As much as I’m sad it’s over, I’m excited too because the epilogue hints at a sequel. I will be ready and waiting, probably having reread this one a few times, because I so want to go back to this world.

Full review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-mermaid-the-witch-and-the-sea-by-maggie-tokukda-hall/

I had mixed feelings about this book.
The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea presents a gorgeous world-system that is both lyrical and unique. The delicate balance between the Sea and the political systems of the Empire and of the Pirates was clearly well-thought out and executed. The world-building here is just impeccable and captivating.to behold. I also appreciated the variety of fierce women that permeate this novel. I was intrigued by the mythology and lore of this culture too. From kind Evelyn, the resilient Flora and so many others, it is clear that The Mermaid the Witch and the Sea is strikingly feminist. Women are not just held in a high regard, but they are championed and they kick butt and take names. Another thing I liked was the vast amount of representation and diversity in this book as well.
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did., but I didn't. This book, while beautifully written and obviously was the product of good, hard work, just seemed to read slow to me. The plot dragged on and never really jumped out and grabbed me like my favorite books do. Perhaps it is the writing style, or it is just the way it was plotted, but I would have enjoyed seeing some more action and big twists in it. Also, some of the characters fell flat. I really liked Florian and thought her storyline was compelling, but characters like Evelyn just got on my nerves. I recognize and appreciate the latter's development, but she fell flat for me and I didn't have enough to really like her. So while The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea wasn't a bad book and I didn't hate it, I didn't quite love it.

The Story and Plot
I picked up this book based on the synopsis and even then I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for what happened in this book. It was unique and mixed with themes of mermaid lore, magic and ship politics. As the synopsis says, the story is about Flora, who disguises as Florian to earn the respect of the crew aboard the ship, Dove. The passengers who come on this ship are unsuspecting victims of slavery. Then comes Lady Evelyn Hasegawa who is being shipped off to her husband. Florian is attracted to Evelyn and they soon find themselves bonding. Florian is navigating between her duty and her heart when certain events happen and then the story moves forward.

The plot was unpredictable and you never really know what’s going to happen next which keeps you invested and doesn’t bore you. I do not want to say much about the book lest I give away spoilers but the things you can expect from the plot is a Witch, a Pirate Supreme and the Sea itself, which play like actual characters in the story. It was really well-done and I fell in love with the way the story was wrote.

The Characters
The two main characters were Flora, who disguised herself as Florian and Evelyn who was a noblewoman travelling on the ship. They were well-fleshed out characters with really well explored character arcs. This book took both of these characters on a self identity journey to discover and more importantly accept themselves.

Flora was a street urchin along with her brother and they both were accepted on the Dove to be members of the crew. She pretends to be Florian as she is only woman on board and needs to earn the respect of the crew. She quickly climbs ranks and it is only when she meets Evelyn does she start evaluating her life. The character arc was simply amazing. Flora is a hustler and the kind of person who never gives up. Her strength is admirable.

Evelyn was a noblewoman whose parents have neglected her their whole life. As she comes of age, they arrange her marriage to a high ranking official in another place far away. Evelyn was kind and it was this kindness through which Florian and she bonded. She was resilient in the face of danger and you can clearly feel the growth she goes through from a scared noblewoman to a brave person.

Their relationship was full of mutual pining and it was so good! It was beautiful to see them together and their relationship arc was just *chef’s kiss*. There are other characters as well which play an important role and their backgrounds have also been told but it never feels like an information dump at any point. Everything progresses naturally which makes this a good read.

Beautiful Writing Style
The writing style was so beautiful. There are definitely moments when I was so in love with the writing. The writing also gave the perfect vibes for the book: magical with a hint of suspense and intrigue mixed with the sea journey magic. This was my favourite part of the book.

Good exploration of various narratives
The book apart from exploring Flora and Evelyn’s journeys also explored various other themes. It has a nuanced exploration of colonialism and imperialism, class differences and misogyny. It also focuses on substance abuse, alcohol addiction and trauma and how it affects people’s lives. There are also themes of self-discovery, sacrifice, ambition and survival. It is the story of a genderfluid black pirate and a queer Japanese noblewoman and it is done so well.

Stunning Ending
If it hasn’t been clear till now I loved this book. But the last few chapters truly blew me away. I read them without stopping and I did not even realise when it ended. It was smooth and it was awesome. This is exactly the kind of book which leaves you happy with the ending but also leaves you with wanting more.

Overall, The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea was absolutely stunning in its story, its characters, its writing and the vibes. If you’re searching for a book with magic, mermaids, pirates, witches, love and resilience, this is the perfect book for you! I would definitely recommend it! Buddy read this wonderful book with my wonderful friend Lili from Utopia State of Mind!

Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing an eARC through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Alright, so, first of all, this was some mad adventure and I am 100% about that. The rep was epic (characters of colour, a whole bunch of queers) and the pace was fast without feeling too rushed and there was always something happening. I loved it.

That being said, and this is my biggest grievance with this book, the romance-bit felt a tad too insta-lovey. Basically Evelyn, a fancy lady, teaches Flora/Florian, a pirate, how to read, and suddenly they're just madly in love. There is some buildup, but definitely not enough to justify how they're practically living for each other by the half-way mark.

Other than that I quite enjoyed this. I'm always here for adventure, and this was just that. The ending took a little bit away from my delight in this story, but that's more of an it's-not-you-it's-me thing and not necessarily relevant to most other readers. There's a bit of a set-up for a possible spin-off with another character than the mains which I will 100% be all over should it ever happen, but if not I'm content with what this book gave me.

This is the kind of books that makes me love fantasy above all genres.

I liked this book a lot! It's a tale where pirates, love, adventures, and magic converge.
I struggled a little reading the first chapters but then started falling in love with the world and the romance. Something I want to mention is the diversity and representation. Flora, one of the main characters, is gender fluid and I loved how the author portrait them.

Maybe is not a book for everyone, but if you are looking for a queer love story that take place among pirates and the sea, this is what you need to read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me this ARC.

I wish I loved this book as much as I thought I would, but I found that it fell flat in the end. The pacing and the writing style was just not for me. There were moments where I would love certain scenes and then there were many chapters where I wanted to just move on. I wasn't sure I would finish it in the end but I'm still glad I did. The characters were I guess interesting (though the love story I felt was very rushed), as was the world building and I kind of enjoyed how it was laid out into parts. I think the mermaid scenes were my favorite parts of the story and I wish we saw more of the magic aspects of the world too.

Sad I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to, but still thankful for the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this!

I have really mixed feelings anout this book. I love any pirate books, and I was really excited to dive into this one. (Also forgive me this mess of a review, becuase some monster devoured my notes and they disappeared into the abyss).

I watched an online panel of YALLWEST with Maggie Tokuda-Hall, and The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea has apparently been in works for nearly 7 years. And on top of it, she's apparently a perfectionist, and honestly knowing that going into this book really put things in perspective. I really loved the first half, and I probably would have rated it a good 4.5 stars if it had continued that way, but it went a really weird direction.

The writing turned a bit of a strange corner, and I felt like the book lost its energy. Ugh, I dunno, I've felt like so many of these May and June books are just hit or miss! I'm sure if you like a more detached 3rd person with odd magic and the like, you might like this one, but it just wasn't for me!

Queer pirates, mermaids, and witches! Need I say more?

Summary

Flora, also known as Florian, became a pirate aboard the Dove to survive. She's had to harden her heart to live on the seas, but when the Nameless Captain's latest scheme brings Lady Evelyn Hasegawa on board, Flora decides to make a break for it with the woman she loves and the mermaid they want to save. Their escape brings them into contact with a witch, and the Pirate Supreme and the Sea itself loom over them all.

Trigger warning for rape, torture, and violence.


Review

I love The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea for so many reasons. First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Second of all, it reads like a fairytale, which is wonderful for escaping from reality. On top of that, it's a queer pirate story with fantastic POC representation.

The book is a bit unbelievable in terms of the love story, but I was willing to suspend my disbelief because of the characters and the adventure plot. The story is fast-paced and full of magic; I particularly love how the magic is based on story-telling.

Tokuda-Hall isn't overly descriptive, but I could clearly picture everything in my mind's eye: the Dove, the Floating Islands, the mermaids, etc. The imagery brought the story to life.

Other than the magic and the adventure, my favourite part of the story is the exploration of identity. Through Florian, Tokuda-Hall explores gender fluidity and self-acceptance, and through Evelyn, we see how class and privilege come into play.

If you can handle violence and allusions to rape, this story is a magical, queer, romantic adventure that will warm your heart.
Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc prepublication!

I really enjoyed this novel! Witches, pirates and mermaids... it really can’t get any better than that! I really appreciated the incorporation of gender diversity with a non gender conforming character as well. I found this novel really set the stage for world building and upcoming political intrigue and espionage. I think the next book will be a potential five stars! I can see this being a favourite novel for the younger end of YA (say 13-15) and I anticipate the series getting better with every book!

Huzzah for pirate ships and wealthy ladies who fall for their guards - where would we be without such things? 

No, but really, I enjoy this kind of story, I enjoy it even more when said guard's plotline is also an exploration of their gender identity and sexuality - YES. 

Add in mermaids, magic and even more weirdness and you have me hooked. 

I thought this book was a good read, I liked the characters and even though the set-up was familiar, I felt that the way things played out felt fresh and good. This wasn't just another YA pirate book (the fact that I recently re-read Daughter of the Pirate King is probably worth mentioning here), this book went to some much stranger places throughout the story, and for the most part, it worked in its favour. 

I liked the characters, which I wasn't expecting. At first, I thought I would find Flora/Florian to be far too much of a martyr - constantly letting their drunken brother get away with things and generally feeling sorry for themself, but they grew on me as the book went on. Likewise, Evelyn truly grows throughout the story, she loses a lot of her naivete and became a character I was truly interested in. Their relationship certainly does begin fairly quickly in terms of attraction, and it does have a little bit of that 'well she's your prisoner so how ok with this am I?' feeling to it, but it certainly isn't an insta-love or Stockholm syndrome kind of situation which was an initial concern. I grew to really enjoy the two of them together and I liked that they bring different aspects of themselves out of one another.

Another thing that I quite appreciated was the fact that Evelyn is aware of her own sexuality - at least to some degree - from the beginning of the book. That's not to say there isn't some room for her to explore within the story but it meant that there was some kind of queer foothold from which to climb - I appreciated it! 

As with a lot of books I have read recently, I felt as though things petered out towards the end of the book. No spoilers, but at one point our characters just happen to wash up near exactly where they need to be? Perhaps I was missing something but it did feel as though the magical 'plot' wand was waved more than once...and I think it was extra-disappointing in a book that had everything I should have loved?

Overall, I think that this is a good book,  and if someone was seeking out new YA that had queer characters I might point them this way, but for me it didn't quite stick the landing where the plot was concerned, which meant that my overall impression was a little bit meh. 

My rating: 4/5 stars (probably more a 3.75 but let's not get pernickety). 

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. 

The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea is out May 5th!

5 stars!!

I am just in awe of this novel, truly. Words escape me.

I think this may be one of my absolute favorite books of this year and maybe of all time. I was so enamored with it and am truly heartbroken that I cannot experience it for the first time ever again.

First off, I want to start with the characters.

Flora/Florian: a complicated and multilayered pirate if I ever did see one. Her journey was a beautiful thing to witness, from her self loathing to loving herself by loving others. She’s a gender fluid black pirate (I use she/her because that is how she presents herself for the majority of the book) and I feel as though the author did a wonderful job with describing her gender and her relationship with her gender. By describing herself as a man, she feels this confidence that she doesn’t feel as a woman and at first created “Florian” as a character to lose herself in. But by the end of the book, she comes to accept both Flora and Florian and knows that these are parts of her that she doesn’t have to choose from. I absolutely loved her and reading her point of view.

Evelyn: EVELYN HASEGAWA THE NEW LOVE OF MY LIFE. She’s here she’s queer and she is just an absolute joy. She comes off as naive and oblivious, but by the end of the book she is one of the fiercest women I’ve ever read about. She has gone through so much during this novel and her relationship with Flora is absolutely adorable. What I love about her is her ability to stay true to herself. She’s funny and kind and caring and while she does not know much about the world she lives in, she strives to do better and that is something I really appreciated about her. Through Flora, she realizes her privilege growing up as an Imperial and wants to do right by her and by others that she comes across.

I do love me some strong women!

The dynamics of this book are also noteworthy. Obviously the sapphic relationship is the win for me since it was done so beautifully. Their first meeting was precious and their love story is just *chefs kiss*. What I also love is the familial bonds. While Flora and Alfie don’t have the best relationship, they are there for each other when it counts and are always there for each other in the end. Flora and Rake also have a found family thing going on which I’m a sucker for. While Rake wasn’t my favorite, he had his moments.

The plot of this book was so exciting, I have never seen anything like it. The sea being an immortal entity was something I wasn’t expecting but was pleasantly surprised. Mermaids and witches and pirates oh my!

The worldbuilding was absolutely breathtaking. The lore that’s shared in this novel is so exquisite that I had to put my kindle down to truly absorb it. It was like reading a fairy tale. I loved how the author wove in witches and mermaids into the story without it being corny. Everything fell into place and it was pure magic.

To sum up, this is an absolutely luscious book filled with hope and diversity that I cannot recommend it enough! A stunning debut novel.

This has quite a divisive plotline and I somehow feel that many readers will struggle with what these characters actually do. Flora is a pirate using magic so that others perceive her as the very male Florian. These pirates are not nice in any way but murderers and slavers and Flora has truly earned her place. Evelyn comes from a privileged background but she's unloved by all except her maid. The time comes for Evelyn to leave home and travel to meet the man it has been arranged for her to marry and here we get a glimpse of her true personality. I'm sure many will find her attitude cold and unfeeling but I could understand that she's in a situation with really no power at all. Once on-board ship Evelyn becomes friendly with her guard and in exchange for companionship tries to teach him to read but life at sea can be full of danger but does the danger come from those aboard or from the sea itself ?
Yes this has a romance running through it but for this reader it was the twists and revelations particularly in the second half that really brought this to life. I wasn't particularly enamoured by a trope that was used to bring the couple together and the relationship wasn't particularly engaging but the deception that fuelled this story was certainly original. Perhaps I would have liked more magic and the Mermaids element could have been explored a little more but I feel the all too human intrigue and lies did make up for that. Did I like the end ? Sadly no but that's probably because I'm a hopeless romantic and yes it made sense but still wasn't how I wanted it to end. Oh and as I'm referring to the end I was very surprised with how the author left a rather unpleasant character but then again as most of these are morally reprehensible maybe I shouldn't have been that nonplussed. This definitely had a clear ending but there is a way to return to this world so I wonder what the author will write next ?
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

“You are my love and my equal, and we will see each other through this.”
– The mermaid the witch and the sea

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is a book which evolves around two main characters and their ultimate pursuit of happiness. This comes at a cost in various ways some expected and some unexpected.

There are quite a few perspectives this book is told in, which is nice to get other characters input in the situations that occur. There are a few jems throughout this book, which I found nice. I liked knowing how everything is linked together in some way (characters are linked to others and even back to the Sea herself).
Ultimately, a majority of this book is based at sea and I quite liked that. I enjoyed the small history scattered throughout the book. I especially liked the role the Sea is given in this story- a mother of sorts. I enjoyed the characters that support the Sea and found them to be quite interesting. I would have loved to know more about the pirate supreme though. The book does end with another character’s perspective- a possible indication of a spin off book. That is intriguing and if so, I would like to know more about the Sea and the pirate supreme.

I liked the ending of this story, I found it to be cute. I enjoyed the mermaids and the Sea story line. I wish we could have gotten more content on the Sea and the leviathan though; it reminds me sort of its own version of Davy Jones. I currently ordered Fae Crates May book box which has this book in it- glad I did, its such a lovely tale. I am also interested to see where this story goes if the author continues a spin off!

This is my honest review of The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea novel. I was able to be able to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel from the publisher via an ebook through NetGalley.

What a wonderful world to step into, I loved dreamy, mythic quality of the author's writing. The fantastic universe the author has created allows us to examine social class, discrimination and gender fluidity (among others) in ways that reflect our society's issues. I highly recommend this book to young adults (ages 12+) as well as to any adults seeking a great fantasy read that touches on social issues.

Wow. I might say... WOW. This book really hooked me up from start to finish and I love everything in this book. I finished this book just one day and gosh... what to say. It’s a really mind blowing twist and plot. I can’t put this book down easily...The story of this book have 3 POVs and these POV have their own versions of struggles, they’re in different places and you can totally see how they’ll handle unfortunate situations. It’s really different from one another but they don’t forget each other in this story. As in the title: The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea, you can totally see the different flows of the story with these POVs. Jumping scenarios are also flawlessly good without any confusion. I love it. What I really loved the most in this books is “The Sea” interludes. It’s really amazing read then and I also I love the DOVE, it comes to the PIRATES! I’m a little biased but I think i’m inlove with Rake  .This was I think pretty different from other books that I’ve read. This is one of the fast paced book that I’ve ever read but with really detailed manner of plot. It completely nailed twisting scenarios in this book that I really can’t let go easily. I already love writing style of this book, i just love everything how it turned out in the end..The characters are pretty intense also in this book. Evelyn who is the Imperial that her parents sent to get wed to Callum and got a ride with Dove which she’ll met Florain. Florain is the young pirate that is destined to look after Evelyn. These two characters are really independent from theirselves, both of them are really strong characters and I really enjoy reading them. I already start shipping these two love birds from the start! Then we have Rake, the second command in the Dove and this guy is pretty soft in the inside but tough at outside. I love how he’s been written in this book and I also enjoy reading his version in this book (he’s also favorite part).Overall, this book really comes with a story of friendship, love and TRULLY betrayal. The flow of the story is connected to one another and you won’t got bored, i promise. No cliffhangers and the ending is justified. If you love the pirate-mermaid-witch combo read, this one will be perfect for you  ️

I wanted to like this book but it fell flat in many ways. The romance felt very poorly executed. I wasn't a huge fan of Evelyn. I wanted the book to focus more on Floria/Florian's relationship with their brother Alfie. The world building felt half finished. The romance part was a trope that wasn't executed to it's full extend. I think the themes of imperialism, gender and identity could have been more prominent and used to help the world building and the relationship between Evelyn and Florian.

Two stars because I think the ideas behind it were really great, but ultimately had issues with some of the execution. I almost gave up reading several times.

What an amazing book! Absolutely adored this one, the diversity and LGBT+ rep was perfection, not to mention how well-crafted the world and lore felt. The balance of dialogue and description was also well-thought out imo.

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so sad to say that I didn't really enjoy this. It sounded perfect and SO queer but it didn't live up to my expectations. I must say, high fantasy is not really my genre so this probably didn't help and that's not completely fair to the book.

What I liked:
- I loved that one of the main characters is gender fluid and that they were still struggling with finding that out about themselves throughout the book. Flora wasn't sure about their identity yet and I loved that part because I can relate heavily. A quote I especially liked was this one:

"There are those who are neither a man nor woman. Those who were born and called the wrong gender and must reshape their story for those around them. But you. You're something else. You're whatever is safe. Both, maybe, but not neither. Or interchangeable. Names are funny things, because they can feel like lies but tell our truths."

What I didn't like:
- The characters were all pretty unlikeable. I must say that I'm a pretty big character-driven book kind of gal and this book is more of a plot-driven one. That's of course not a bad thing but the characters still have to be likeable for me, and they weren't in this book.

- This is probably a me-thing but I felt that there was a lack of world-building. The things that were explained were really complicated and I often had to reread sentences multiple times because I just didn't understand. I really dislike it when this happens when I'm reading a book. I also had problems with imagining how the different parts of this world laid out so a map would have been nice maybe.

- I thought the whole witch part of this book was unnecessary. I didn't feel like the witches added much to the story and I just felt a bit mweh about it.

Overall I didn't really like this book and if this wasn't an arc I probably would have dnfed it :/

This just wasn't my speed. To be fair, I'm a 34 year old reading a book categorized as "Teens & YA". One of the MC's in this book is 15 (almost 16) and the other I'm not sure of their age. I wanted to like this book - it has a really intriguing premise - but I just couldn't bring myself to like either of the main characters and the writing style, while having nothing actually wrong or bad about it, just didn't pull me in.