The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

Books | Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Historical

3.9

(3.5K)

Maggie Tokuda-Hall

In a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic, a desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial lady find a connection on the high seas.Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don’t trust, don’t stick out, and don’t feel. But on this voyage, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is headed to an arranged marriage she dreads. Flora doesn’t expect to be taken under Evelyn’s wing, and Evelyn doesn’t expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian. Neither expects to fall in love.Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, double agents, and the all-encompassing Sea herself.Deftly entwining swashbuckling action and quiet magic, Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s inventive debut novel conjures a diverse cast of characters seeking mastery over their fates while searching for answers to big questions about identity, power, and love.

Romance

Fantasy

Lgbtq+

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More Details:

Author

Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Pages

368

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Published Date

2020-05-05

ISBN

1536214531 9781536214536

Community ReviewsSee all

"I really just loved the FEEL of this world. Idk how else to put it. The love story is very fairy tale-esque. "

Meagan Khatthaname

"A fantastical journey that leaves you breathless. I loved the emotional depth and complexity of each character—so amazingly written! I love seeing representation for the LGBTQ community in more than just simple romance novels. The themes of gender exploration are truly inspiring, as well as the characters’ will to do good and atone. Not everyone is a good person, but they can be. I was happy to see these characters all find their place of belonging, somewhere that they could just be themselves. "

Ashtyn (They/Them)

"Found this on a Likewise list and wow am I glad I did. It’s very rare to come across a fantasy book with such real characters. I love the justifications in the minds of the “bad” characters and the way that the harshness of life is portrayed. Another really cool thing was the gender fluidity stuff. I like the way it was shown. Also stick around to the end heck of a plot twist. I found out after reading that this was the authors first book and I sure hope it isn’t the last. 27/30 "

Cole Johnson

"I loved this! It held my attention throughout the entire book and I enjoyed the plot twist. Flora/Florian was one of my favorite characters out of all the books I've read so far."

Tootsie_Roll 💗

"A lot more angsty than I was expecting, but the romance was adorable and very refreshing. I also really enjoyed the non-binary representation. "

Dylan Thomas (she/her)

"This was so fun to read! All of the characters were really well developed and even the villains felt like real people. I also really liked the way gender was explored. Also, something about the storytelling made it feel really cozy, even when bad things were happening."

bookfrog

"Marvelous book! I was enraptured by page one, and can’t wait to read book two. "

Quinno Wuinno

"It was like watching the characters on the other side of a one way window and being unable to touch, talk to, or emotionally connect. I had no one to root for, only characters to root against. "

Erin Hinkes

"Fantasy, Pirates, gender fluid representation (maybe) WLNB or WLW. Reading difficulty level 2/5. Trigger warnings (major) Torture, Violence, Death (Moderate) sexual assault/harassment, slavery, homophobia. 4.5/5 stars"