The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea rises on the waves of lore, politics, love and magic. With a Japanese woman and a gender-fluid Black pirate, this sapphic adventure is filled with intrigue and essence of mutual pinning that romantic enthusiasts would definitely appreciate. A lyrical writing enhances both the not-so-simple scenes of finding oneself and being ambitious to the explicitly complex themes of colonialism, imperialism, and misogyny.

rating: 4.5 stars

If you were thinking of picking up The Mermaid, The Witch and the Sea, then do yourself a favour and pick it up. Not only was it the best “pirate” themed book I’ve read this year, but it also was the most memorable one.

There are many books nowadays featuring mermaids, pirate ships and the promise of an epic adventure but not every one of them lives up to the expectations it sets. And frankly, I was quite hesitant going into this book for the fear of being disappointed. But that fear quickly dissolved away because man did I like the beginning! You could directly tell that this was not going to be a light toned book, but one that wouldn’t be afraid to spill some blood and drag you to the finish line.

This was everything I wanted in a young adult fantasy book. It had the well crafted characters, the heart warming romance and the high stakes that all put together make you compelled to keep reading this book.

We follow two characters: Flora – an orphan who takes on the identify of a boy to gain the respect and the protection of her crew – and lady Evelyn whose parents can’t wait to get rid of her by marrying her off to man she doesn’t know to save her family’s honour. They both end up meeting on the deck of The Dove all the while secret conspiracies brew below the ship’s deck. It’s action packed, not a boring moment in sight and so fascinating.

I honestly loved the characters so much. I found myself more than once rooting for them and hoping for their safety. And it didn’t help at all how they were constantly thrown into one conflict after the other. But I guess that’s why makes a book so interesting to read, right? Plus, the other characters felt real and so well written as well that it really amplified the weight of these conflicts.

Which brings me to my next point. The writing in this book is wonderful. It wasn’t boring nor was it too flowery. It was easy to read and very hooking to say the least. The author does an amazing job at making you so engrossed in the story that end up reading this book super fast. Like, I ended up finishing this book in a day. And that’s something I haven’t done in a few months because of my reading slump!

I really recommend this book! It is great if you’re looking for a fresh YA Fantasy that isn’t mediocre and straight out boring.

I can't say what I want to say without giving away spoilers. However, I can say that this is a beautiful and fascinating story. I absolutely adore Florian and Evelyn. I really felt for Alfie, he's been through so much, he deserved better, as did Florian of course. I even found myself caring for characters that I didn't like to begin with. The chapters about the sea were my favourites, and I was so intrigued by the mermaids. I couldn't have asked for a better ending, it was wonderful.

This story will take you on a wonderful adventure, filled with danger, magic, pirates, sea creatures and of course romance. The storyline is imaginative and the world-building is great. The setting is fascinating, and the gradual reveal of other details, such as certain histories, is staged at the right pace so as never to overwhelm you. Flora/Florian gets a good heroic arc, with some interesting developments later on. This book is fast-paced, action-packed and very brutal at times, it's also told from multiple POVs which can be a bit confusing but overall it worked well for this story. All in all, it was a solid read and I'm looking forward to reading more books by the author.

I strongly considered DNFing this book at one point. Now I'm not saying this book was bad. But it wasn't terribly good either. It was very middle of the road for me, and those reviews are often super hard to write. I'm going to try my best to use more descriptive words than "meh".

Characters
Let me start off by saying that this book is wonderfully queer. We have a queer MC (she might be pansexual but I'm not sure), a genderfluid MC, a character that uses they/them pronouns, and many other queer characters. I loved that about this book, and I really enjoyed the diversity among the characters. I won't get too much into their characters though, and I would recommend reading some ownvoices reviews for the different identities used.

However, I do want to comment on the relationships between these characters. They all felt really shallow. Especially the romance between Evelyn and Flora/Florian. I just didn't feel it, and it didn't add much to the book for me.

Characters = 6

Atmosphere
I love pirate stories. There's nothing hotter than a pirate. The time we spent on the Dove was amazing and I loved seeing the daily workings of a pirate ship (even though it was in disguise). The rest of the worldbuilding was a little lacking. Most of the world has been colonised by a Japanese-inspired Empire, and it would have been amazing to dive into some of those finer details.

This book tried to be too many things at once, and as a result, we don't get very in-depth with most things.

Atmosphere = 4

Writing
I had no issues with the writing, but it, unfortunately, didn't hook me enough to enjoy this book. We also follow multiple POVs in the book and I felt like some of them weren't really necessary. I wasn't a big fan of Genevieve's POV, and I did not like her as a character. Rake, on the other hand, was my favourite and I would read an adventure with him and the Pirate Supreme any day.

Writing = 6

Plot
Sigh. It was eh. We follow what is essentially three parts with three self-contained arcs. If we had spent more time with the first part and the first character arcs, I might have cared for them and the plot a lot more. Unfortunately, I didn't.

Plot = 5

Intrigue
The cover and the description initially pulled me in, which is why I requested the book in the first place. The middle of this book really drags and the ending frustrated me so much that I wanted to DNF it with just 20 pages left. I was just annoyed and I can't really say why.

Which is why I recommend reading some five-star reviews of this book, and ownvoices reviews.

Intrigue = 4

Logic
The magic system doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It's only really introduced in the second part of the book, which is about 40% in. Magic is only really used twice in the last part, which makes me wonder what the point of the magic studying scenes was.

Logic = 4

Enjoyment
I feel very blah about this book, as you can tell. It was not bad, and it has some great qualities. As promised, here's a positive review for you to read to get a full picture of this book! Enjoy!

Enjoyment = 5

CAWPILE = 4.8/10

Stars = 3

*4.5 Stars*

I went in this book not knowing anything about it and I think that's how you should do it too. Just jump in. I'll just tell you that it has pirates, queer people, mermaids, witches and annoying men.

I loved this. I really loved this. I loved the characters, the story, all of it. I never saw anything coming and I just was all in from beginning to end. It made me feel a lot and the characters were so very layered and captivating.
It was my first book from Maggie Tokuda-Hall but it, for sure, won't be my last.

I received an E-ARC of The Mermaid, The Witch & The Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall for free on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much Maggie, Walker Books and NetGalley for this opportunity. This review is also available on my blog - Book, Blog & Candle.

I've heard so many good things about this book - especially from Twitter! - and loved the look of it so much! I was so excited when I saw it was available on NetGalley, I requested it straight away and was so surprised and happy when I was approved.

In The Mermaid, The Witch & The Sea we follow our protagonists Flora/Florian and Evelyn as they are thrown together on a tumultuous journey across the seas. They have to overcome many obstacles including secrets, betrayals and magic that comes with a price. They discover more about themselves, love and the wonders of the sea. They may even begin to realise that the worlds they come from may not be as different as they once thought.

Flora/Florian is a gender-fluid pirate aboard the ship Dove and can I quickly just mention how much I LOVED writing that sentence! I'm not 100% sure about Flora/Florian's pronouns as in the book they said that 'she/he/they all feel right' so for the purposes of this review I'm going to be referring to Floria/Florian as 'they'. I'm so sorry if I am wrong, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to come back and correct it!

Flora/Florian is doing anything they can to survive. With a survival of the fittest mindset they're going along with the horrors that occur on the ship so they can save up enough money to get them and their brother, Alfie, off the ship for good. They've both had a hard childhood and they learnt to be tough so that they would never be disappointed, Flora/Florian knows that they haven't got time for something as silly as love until the fateful day when they are ordered to guard the Lady Evelyn from the other crew mates on their voyage.

Evelyn is a Lady under the new regime spreading across the world where the Emperor rules over all. She's fun, headstrong and empathetic. She has a rough relationship with her parents and is being wed to a random man high in the Empire in order to save the family from financial troubles. She just wants to make new friends and experience everything the world has to offer. Plus she loves books which as a fellow bibliophile and book blogger I can definitely relate to that!

I could instantly feel the chemistry between Flora/Florian and Evelyn and it was magical watching their bond blossom. I loved how they started off wary of each other which turned into a tentative friendship and eventually develops into them falling in love with each other. I was blessed with how sapphic this book was and it is the perfect way to start off Sapphic September! The story is so well written and so cute that it gave me all of the feels when reading. It was so enjoyable and full of action, if you like Pirates of the Caribbean this is on a whole new level - you'll love it!

The Mermaid, The Witch & The Sea is a story of love, hope and daring adventure, it was a joy to read!

An interesting story full of great characters and representation, I just wish I’d felt a bit more of a connection between Flora and Evelyn, I just felt it lacked chemistry, just my opinion, I loved everything else about this I just felt there seemed to be a lack of magic between them. But beyond that I enjoyed the story overall.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

3.5
For a book with mermaid in the title there isn't that much mermaid and only a witch about part way through but hey, there's definitely plenty of sea in this! There is more pirates than anything but thankfully I'm happy with that so it didn't ruin it for me.
The romance between the main characters Flora/Florian and Evelyn is pretty much the main focus and while it didn't annoy me, it was sweet if a bit bland, it didn't make me swoon unfortunately.
The main thing I enjoyed was the mythology of the world and the pirate laws/structure. The fact that the sea is sentient and the mermaids are her daughter's is really interesting. The magic that the witch uses is something that I've not come across before.
The pacing was a bit strange, most of the plot happened in the second half, the first half was pretty much just them getting to know eachother, it was a lot of build up.
Flora/Florian is a complex main character, they identify as male in order to survive on the pirate ship with their brother so I'm not sure how good it is as genderfluid rep. Flora/Florian's relationship with their brother is more developed than the romance, the love/resentment they feel towards him adds a deeper level, I would have liked there to have been more focus on their relationship. I felt most sorry for him out of the two of them.
Evelyn is the usual rich girl that has horrible parents and is being forced to marry some bloke she's never met. She isn't particularly complex as a character and it was the situations she got into that made her pov interesting rather than her personality.
My favourite character had to be Rake, he was by far the most complex and interesting character. Until he starts having his own pov later in the book you don't quite know his motives other than he seems to care for Flora/Florian. He's not a nice guy, he's morally grey (as are pretty much all the characters in this) and he does what he needs to do to survive and do his duty.
There is also a side character who is non-binary but they are mostly just referenced by others for most of the book until near the end which is a shame since what we hear makes them a very intriguing character that I would have liked to see more of.
Overall this had an intriguing premise but the lack of character development sometimes let it down in places.

An excellent and entertaining story: great world building and character development, excellent storytelling.
I loved it and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

3.5 stars

THE MERMAID, THE WITCH, AND THE SEA (I am so happy there’s an Oxford comma in the title!) is a debut adventure set on the high seas. Full of pirates, vicious mermaids, and double-crossing characters, this is an f/f high-seas adventure who want a book at sea with a difference.

It is not your typical pirates-of-the-Carribean world. From the gorgeous settings to the mythology, this book Is deeply rooted in an East Asian setting (neither Goodreads nor the author’s site specifies which, so I don’t want to presume.) There are lots of “boat-books” (as I term them) out there, but this setting felt so different, a much-needed change.

There’s a lot of double crossing and betrayal, which naturally I loved. So many factions with conflicting goals, and Evelyn and Flora were caught in the middle of it. There are the slavers, the Imperials, the Supreme Pirate – and that’s only the major players. There are lots of smaller characters the girls cross paths with who have their own adgendas.

The middle act felt rather aimless, and very different in tone. The book was split over two locations and the Evelyn/Flora story line didn’t have an obvious goal or location. Flora’s story line was basically all exposition as she was told stories of the world. It didn’t really add to the plot, but was a nice stylistic choice. Evelyn at least was learning things and had a bit more of a goal. However, this section felt like it could have been significantly reduced.

There were also two new POVs added in the second and third acts. I really liked the inclusion of Rake’s POV. He was on the ship, detailing all the betrayals and pulling in the different pieces of plot line that lead towards the finale. His was the POV that kept the middle act going, the one that kept me reading to find out what happened next.

The final POV had only two or three chapters, and really didn’t feel necessary. The scraps of information that came from her POV could have come out elsewhere. Instead, it was rather jarring to suddenly have this new POV to contend with.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Allusions to rape, substance abuse/addiction, torture, and slavery

3.5/5

I know that the blurb of this definitely sounded like I was going to get dark, but it just started dark right from page one! That's not a bad thing, it just surprised me. I really liked Tokuda-Hall's dark writing style for this, very whimsical with this hint of darkness on every page that's not outright dark itself. That being said that also means the plot is quite heavy and this story is plot-driven rather than character-driven, despite being a love story. The middle section also felt heavy like filler which made it drag a bit.

Unfortunately, I was not sold on the love story, there was little to no character development with Evelyn and because of that I really just was not invested in her at all and I wasn't even that invested in Flora and Florian but I did really like their character. I loved that Flora and Florian was genderfluid too.

I did feel bad for Alfie and I found myself way more interested in the side characters such as Rake or the Pirate Supreme but I also loved the ending, it was pretty amazing and perfect for the story, it just couldn't help sell me on the true love of Evelyn and Flora/Florian.

Thank you so much to Walker Books and NetGalley for a chance to read this swashbuckling love story in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really like this book, a great story and plot. The charac where likable and the world buloding was great.

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea was one book that I kept seeing mentioned earlier throughout the year. So when I got the chance to read the UK release for review I of course grabbed it. And I am a little mixed in my feelings. 

For the most part I liked the book. It is a quick easy read. The pacing is a little off however. There are a few arcs throughout the book and they don't seem to have even that much to do with each other. The first arc  is about our characters meeting and a mermaid. The next arc is about one using their dormant witchcraft. And the other is about a rescue. But it doesn't really come together at the end. 

And I wanted so much more from this book. About the pirate council, the floating islands, the witchcraft and how that is still a part of community even if others want to throw it away.  All of these things grabbed my attention but then didn't end up delivering on it at all. In the end it needed more world building. 

This book does have a dark vibe,one that I wasn't completely expecting. But of course that fits with a true pirate book. Pirates aren't romanticized in this book at all. There is gore, low morals, mentioned rape, hints at intentions of sexual assault,  murder on the page etc. It very much appealed to me. It is why the idea of the pirate council appealed to me about following the rules of the sea. 

All in all I am a little disappointed, but I would certainly read another book in this world or a complete other book by this author.

Lady Evelyn Hasegawa is being shipped off with her coffin full of books to a far away land and her arranged marriage to a man she’s never met.

Flora has taken on the identity of Florian on board the pirate ship, the Dove where strength, brutality and courage are essential for survival.

As Florian guards Evelyn’s cabin, the two form an unlikely bond and discover they have more in common than they first thought; most notably a rebellious spirit. The pair strive for freedom from their imposed destinies and justice for the true and good in the world.

On their mission they rescue mermaids, escape Imperial guards, are told folktales and taught magic by a witch and ultimately find true love in the powerful arms of the sentient sea.

I loved the twists and turns the story took; the espionage, the fight to end colonialism and capitalism. The witch telling folk tales made my heart sing, I love stories within a story, particularly when it’s done as well as this. Maggie Tokuda Hall writes beautifully, weaving a rich tapestry and tangible fantasy world.

This captivating, queer, swashbuckling adventure had me turning pages non stop! I’m not a big YA fantasy reader but this one has me hankering for more. There’s so many characters and adventures within this novel that I world love to go back to. The mermaids, the witch and the sea all deserve a sequel to come into life once again!

I shall definitely be recommending this book, I loved it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @walkerbooksuk for my eARC. Published in the UK on..... 3rd September!

Thank you to Net Galley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows the 2 main characters Flora/ Florian, and Evelyn as they come together aboard a pirate ship where Florian is trying to survive as a pirate and keep her brother safe, while Evelyn is an aristocrat attempting to rebel against an arranged marriage. The story takes them on a fast paced, thrilling adventure in which they try and escape The Dove, save a mermaid and traverse The Sea.
What I Liked:
Characters. This was an impressive book in that it was both character and plot based. Sometimes fantasy books can sacrifice developing characters for the sake of plot, however this was not the case here. Instead, both Flora and Evelyn were nuanced characters with a complex history and understandable motives. Not only are the protagonists well fleshed out, the supporting cast has a wide range of interesting and unique personalities. I particularly enjoyed the character, Rake, as his backstory and the choices he made were intriguing and original. I felt very attached to the characters and they evoked many emotions in me.
Themes. This was a very dark book for YA in terms of the topics it tackles and I really enjoyed the discussions around these under represented subjects. It looks at the ramifications of sexual abuse, substance abuse, the class system and how hard survival can be for the lower classes, the impact of colonialism and gender fluidity and discovering your identity. All these topics were so well discussed especially considering this is a stand alone fantasy novel. None of the themes felt rushed or underdeveloped.
World building. The book created a magical and brutal atmosphere that was a brilliant setting for the story. I loved the personification of The Sea and the chapters that were "from" The Sea were unique.
What I Didn't Like:
Pacing. Despite this being a relatively short book, the first third of the novel felt slow and hard to get through, whereas the final third was extremely engaging and emotional. This meant that I much preferred the second half and I felt a lot could have been cut out of the first half.
Overall, this was an extremely impressive debut with tangible characters and beautiful world building and imagery. I loved that it didn't shy away from difficult themes and the atmosphere it created did a fantastic job of pulling you into a world of pirate brutality, adventure, and magic.

Let not the beautifully whimsical cover fool you, The Mermaid, The Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda- Hall is not afraid to address dark or difficult themes and is definitely not for younger readers.
The book follows the adventures of Flora/Florian, a young orphan girl who assumes a male persona to gain a spot on a vicious slaver's crew, along with her brother. Life on the sea is often harsh and she finds herself having to do things she never thought possible in order to blend in and survive. The slavers use a clever trick, masquerading as a passenger vessel , they entice passengers on board and then wait until they are out to sea before revealing their true purpose. On this latest voyage the Imperial Lady Evelyn is travelling to the home of her future husband, and Florian is assigned to guard her, as the Captain hopes to sell or ransom her for a very high price. Evelyn and Florian begin to develop an unlikely friendship, which is further cemented by their determination to free a mermaid the crew have captured to sell for her blood which has magical qualities. They decide to make a break for it, and set into motion a daring escape plan.
I was initially drawn to this book by the cover, and who doesn't enjoy a sea adventure every now and then, but I have to say this book really exceeded my expectations. I thought the setting was interesting and enjoyed the world the author had created, but what really kept me engaged were the characters, not just Flora/ian and Evelyn, but others like the pirate Rake, the mysterious Pirate Supreme and most interestingly of all, the Sea itself. Making the Sea a character, and allowing brief chapters from it's perspective was a brave and unique idea and one that I thought worked very well. The pacing of the book was good, plenty of twists and turns and lots of suspense, though it did slow down a little in the middle. I thought the ending was perfect, while not exactly a traditional happy ending , it was perfect for the complex story being told, and the characters involved.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own. .

Thank you to Netgalley and Walker books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book simply based on the synopsis and the gorgeous cover art. I expected it to be a standard YA read, perhaps edging on middle grade but wow was I wrong! This novel contains all the gritty bits of a Pirate’s life and is as far from Neverland pirates and mermaids as you can get.

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea centres around the relationship between a high-born, queer, Japanese-inspired noblewoman, Evelyn and a pirate named Florian who is secretly a girl named Flora, disguising themself in order to gain the respect of their crew mates.

Evelyn and Florian instantly capture the heart of the reader. They are such an unlikely match and from completely different worlds but the way that Maggie Tokuda-Hall throws these two characters together and alternates chapters between their perspectives is so compelling. The secret attraction and the pining between Evelyn and Florian can literally be felt through the pages. These two are guaranteed to stay with you long after the book is finished.

In fact, the majority of Tokuda-Hall’s cast of characters are so well developed: we have Rake, the first mate who is a very closed character and keeps his own intentions close to his chest for most of the novel. We have a gender-fluid Pirate Supreme, an imperialist noblewoman who can kick ass and Flora’s brother Alfie, a tortured soul whose traumatic past is alluded to often.

The portrayal of mermaids in the novel is nothing short of inspired: hunted and captured for the properties their blood possesses, mermaids are quite ugly when imprisoned by pirates. These mythical creatures that are renowned for their beauty are only conventionally beautiful in the presence of their loving mother: The Sea. The Sea in turn will do whatever she can to protect her children, and will always reward those who help.

The other pirates are, as you would expect, a group of shady characters but they do not fade into the background at all. Tokuda-Hall reveals right from the beginning the true intentions of this crew and it creates an underlying tension throughout the whole voyage upon The Dove. The twists, secrets and revelations onboard that ship are captivating and create a page-turning first half of the book.

I will say that during the middle of the book, mainly during “The Witch” section, the pace slowed dramatically and it just didn’t flow as much.
I almost wanted more treachery and more suspense from the witch, more struggle by Evelyn and, dare I say, more pining from Evelyn and Florian. Their relationship up to this point had been so intense and slow burning that it almost seemed to cool a little.
I also feel that not quite enough was made of Evelyn’s discovery about the real reason behind her voyage. It was almost a convenient way for that side of her story to be resolved. Similarly, with Florian/Flora; their evolution from Pirate to Witch seemed quite acceptable and tame.

These factors, in my opinion, affected the ending of the novel where everything seemed quite rushed in its efforts to tie up all loose ends. Please don’t misunderstand, I LOVED the ending and how Evelyn and Flora/Florian finished their journey. I even shed a few tears. However, it was the lead up to this that just seemed too convenient and too quick.


Overall this is a wonderfully dark pirate novel that instantly creates a world full of magic and wonder whilst tackling the issues of identity, colonialism, homophobia, poverty and rape. A world where gender-fluid and queer characters fight against injustice alongside endangered mermaids and the Sea is to be respected almost as a deity.

I cannot believe that this is merely Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s debut novel! I cannot wait to see where she takes us next!

TW: homophobia, mentions of rape, brutality/murder/torture

THIS WAS AMAZING. It's the sapphic story of pirates and witches and mermaids that I always needed. It's a beautiful, imaginative story that, despite drawing on well-known fantasy elements, remains deeply original.

The world is amazingly complex. The characters are morally gray and you can't help but root for them. The action is fast and the whole book spans the events that in another YA fantasy would take an entire trilogy.

The stories! The mythology! Non-binary Pirate Supreme! Spies, deceit, double-crossing, magic, sea and mermaids. Strongly anti-imperialist and anti-colonial sentiments. And the sapphic love story at the heart. It's everything and much more than I wanted.

This was an interesting read. I’ve never read anything pirate-y before so that was a new and fascinating aspect for me, and I really enjoyed the variety and complexity of the characters. There was some gorgeous language used which gave the story an exciting and magical feel as well as adding authenticity. The only thing I didn’t like was the ending; it felt a bit rushed and I thought the outcome of the Flora/Evelyn storyline was not a satisfying one at all and seemed a bit random. I absolutely loved the chapters that were from the sea’s point of view though.