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booksnooksandcooks's review against another edition
I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the characters and the romance felt rushed and oversimplified. I also felt icky about a Black character being a slaver which, as someone who has taken a whole class on pirates, I understand was something that happened, but it didn’t seem necessary in a fantasy space.
The plot seemed interesting and would have kept me going if it didn’t feel like it was going to drag on by the time I DNF’ed. I really wanted to enjoy this novel, but unfortunately I couldn’t bring myself to continue.
Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, and Homophobia
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Rape
ezwolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Second, if you’re looking for a pirate story sort of similar to Our Flag Means Death this is for you. They’re similar but also quite different. It’s got gay characters and non-binary pirates and nobility escaping their duties.
I’m not usually one for alternating point of views but I thought all of these characters were great and even if you weren’t meant to root for them; they were still intriguing to read about and read their motivations.
Flora and Evelyn’s relationship and the stories of love and how they overcome the idea that all love ends in heartbreak was wonderful.
Graphic: Torture, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Homophobia, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse
cheesecake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
bookhoarderbea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Blood, Dysphoria, Slavery, Trafficking, Alcoholism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Racism, War, and Rape
malva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Death of parent, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Rape, Slavery, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, and Sexual harassment
kaytrain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, Slavery, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the setting and the atmosphere a lot. The world was very intriguing and magical. The book read like a fairy tale... although a gruesome one. I was really shocked by how gruesome this story actually was. There was violence and death and blood and torture on page, and implied rape and assault. Also, topics like colonialism, imperialism, and sexism were present.
What I absolutely loved was the queer representation and diversity. One main character is gender-fluid, the other a lesbian, there is a non-binary side character. And I liked how these were portrayed.
But the pacing and plot was kind of off. I wish we had more times to get to know the characters, and especially more time with the characters interacting with each other. They spend a lot of time together and get to know each other, but because most of it happens off page, the romance feels very instant and over the top dramatic towards the end.
The middle part was also weird. I loved the witchcraft element that is introduced, but the magic system is not really explained well. It's interesting, but very confusing. And it's not used enough afterwards to justify how much time we spend learning about it.
I liked the ending and how all the characters and plots came together. It just would have been more impactful if we had more time before to develop more feelings for everyone and everything that was happening.
I didn't mind all those things that much because of the fairy tale character of the book. It just could have easily been a 5 star for me with a bit more substance.
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Sexism, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Sexual content, Rape, and Sexual assault
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"There's freedom in stories, you know. We read them and we become something else. We imagine different lives, and while we turn the pages, we get to live them. To escape the lot we've been given."
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuoda-Hall is a stand alone fantasy that has everything you could ever want: pirates, mermaids (obvs), magic, nonbinary pirates(!), Sapphic love, spies, and sentient Sea. Do I even need to say more?
No. But I will 😆. We follow Flora/Florian, a gender confused pirate on the Dove who is assigned to watch over an Imperial girl, Evelyn. Evelyn is incredibly sheltered and doesn't really understand the danger she's in, but decides to teach Florian to read, and thus starts their love story. Flora and Evelyn escape with aid from the Sea, since Evelyn figured out how to save a captured mermaid, and though they end up separated, both go through transformations.
I loved the characters in this! Flora/Florian is one of the only Black people aboard, and I loved seeing their journey toward gender acceptance and understanding that they can contain both of their identities. Evelyn is spiteful af and I'm here for it. I love the way Tokuda-Hall uses the story within a story as a device to connect the plot as well as the circular nature of it. The magic being propelled by a story is a love letter to those of us who believe and hold stories in our hearts. Tokuda-Hall shows us that stories can and do change us.
I also appreciated the criticism of imperialism and colonialism and the governments who claim they are "saving" or "civilizing" other nations, when they are in fact the barbarians bent in war and conquest. I almost wish this were a series, so I could continue to follow Flora and Evelyn as well as the Pirate Supreme (who I'm pretty sure is agender 😍).
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape and Suicide
shadeyc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Side note - that cover is gorgeous.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Torture, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Grief, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, Trafficking, Lesbophobia, and Confinement
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Violence, Colonisation, Gun violence, Murder, Slavery, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Gore, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Confinement, Grief, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Misogyny, Outing, Pedophilia, Body horror, and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Self-injury for magical purposes. Misgendering of a side character.