Angie
Written on Jul 19, 2020
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.
- ISBN10 1406395501
- ISBN13 9781406395501
- Publish Date 3 September 2020 (first published 5 May 2020)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Walker Books Ltd
- Format Paperback
- Pages 416
- Language English
Reviews
Inkslinger
Written on Jun 18, 2020
ARC provided by Candlewick Press and Maggie Tokuda-Hall via NetGalley. All opinions are mine and freely given.
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"She had often thought of casket girls with pity -- that their parents would be so crass, that their lives would be so transparently close to death, that their futures would be so blindingly arranged."
06-19: '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.
"Know your truth, not your story."
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.
"She was not a creature of courage, but she was one of spite. This one little rebellion would sate that, at least."
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.
"She'd tried to love him out of it, nagging and begging and pleading with him. But there was nothing she could do, and she'd long since lost the energy to fight the currents so bent on drowning him."
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.
PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOOGLEPLAY BOOKS | KOBO | WATERSTONES
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06-18: Read it straight through. Review to come!
06-17: So excited to read this book! I'm in love with the cover.. plus pirates and mermaids? What's not to like?
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Jun 2, 2020
Wow.
This book was a ride.
You guys already know I pick up pirate books like a robin plucking up fat wriggling worms – I can’t get enough. The grisly reality, the call of the sea, the code of the Brethren… bring it on. Requesting The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea was an easy call, and I’m so glad I did.
At first, I wasn’t sure I would like this book. I immediately did not love Evelyn – I found her stiff and selfish. But I did like Flora/Florian, and so I was pulled in anyway. And I wasn’t really, really sold on the book until about halfway through, when things started getting a bit gritty. Every few chapters or so, and with increasing frequency toward the end, something shocking happened. Shocking, like, something bad and cruel and gut-wrenching and unexpected. But handled well. And… refreshing in its utter reality. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is quick, blunt gore in this book and while it’s a bit gruesome to admit it, it definitely held my attention.
And you know what? It should be a bit dark and gory. It’s a pirate book. Many authors are quick comfortable with graphic, extended sex scenes. I’m actually surprised there’s not more gore as well.
For those who can’t stomach that sort of thing, I understand, and I am warning you they are there. Loss of body parts, loss of life. However, these scenes are short and to the point – no drawn out discussions of suffering, just the blunt reality that bad things happen. I respected that about The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. Maggie Tokuda-Hall did not coddle her darlings, and as such, the stakes felt higher.
Ultimately, there ended up being five POVs in this book. Everlyn and Flora/Florian were present the entire book, but Rake and Genevieve came in during the second half. The Sea interjected here and there, but for the most part made for a transitionary chapter as the action turned. I felt Gwenivieve’s POV was mostly unnecessary, but the other three were good. If Maggie Tokuda-Hall is planning a sequel (and I do think there is room for something like that), including Gwenivieve would make a little more sense for a smooth transition. The other three POVs are fantastic. And the rep is really intersting. There’s commentary on colonialism, racism, homophobia… casual hate plays into this book like it does in the real world, and it is handled so well. It’s beautifully refreshing to see a gender ambiguous character in a starring role, and each of the characters are well-written (even Evelyn proved herself in the end).
The plot is riveting, the pacing good. The stakes were high. The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is part adventure story, part fantasy, part folklore, and part high-seas action. There’s so much going on in all the best ways. Unlike many books with similar titles, mermaids, witches, and the sea are all key and important character. And I liked the ending, because it was bold and unexpected.
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is an easy book to recommend. Chock full of diversity and with a plot that will keep you hooked, it’s a wonderful new release and perfect for YA fans who like their books with a bit of romance and a dark twist.
Liam
Written on May 12, 2020
CN: mentions of rape, slavery, violence, death
What I liked:
• I’m in love with this cover! It’s so beautiful!
• Mermaid! Pirates! Witches! Queerness! This is everything I ever wanted in a book!
• Seriously, the queer representation was amazing. Sapphic couples, nonbinary pirates, Flora’s gender exploration – there was so much casual queerness, and I loved it.
• The writing was really, really beautiful – especially the stories that one of the side characters tells Flora.
• The worldbuilding was great! And so diverse!
• I really liked that this book was told in multiple POV, because the characters were so interesting! I hope there will be another book about some of the other characters in the future.
What I didn’t like:
• The love story was a bit underdeveloped. In my opinion Evelyn and Flora went from „Maybe you’re not that bad…“ to „You’re the love of my life!“ a little to fast.
• I wish there were more scenes about the witchy part of the story! I would have loved to learn more about how the magic works.