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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
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
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm going to be honest I didn't expect there to be so many pirates in this book. I'm definitely not mad at it, but given how the title emphasizes mermaids and witches and the sea I figured those would be the focal points of the book. I found the world building to be very straight forward and very obviously inspired by the real world. But that honestly helped me get into the book faster than other fantasy books. I really like how the book would follow different characters and how halfway through the book new character perspectives were added. That really helped keep me engaged and interested as the book went on. I am actually obsessed with the magic system within this book. It really brings to life the concept that stories are magic and takes that sentiment to the extreme. I will admit I would have liked if Xenobia was in the story more. I still have no clue why she kept Flora or why she sent Evelyn away. She just kind of felt like a plot device to develop Flora and less of a character with her own agency. Also, I kind of felt the same way about Alfie. It just seemed like he could have easily been written out of the story. You expect me to believe that Flora took all that time and effort to do that magic to get back to Alfie and then she just abandoned him at the end of the book? It just didn't sit right with me. Loved the gay little love story it was so sweet and endearing I want what Evelyn and Flora have. Also obsessed with the mermaids they were so cool and mystical I can't decide if I want to be friends with them or be them. I have to admit I was also quite a big fan of Rake. I want him so bad it's not even funny. I enjoyed the happy ending, and I thought this was a very cool little fantasy read.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
you know a book is bad when you read the last page and the only thing you have to say is... "bruh".
and boy, was this bad.
i really wanted to like this book, but it just did. not. hit. in ANY category.
the prose was bland and unoriginal, and the writing was simplistic and deeply unsophisticated. the author had a message she really, really wanted to covey, and she just needed to ensure that the reader understood it no matter what. it's the worst case of "telling not showing" i've ever seen. she just keeps hitting you over the head with the point. like, believe it or not, i'm actually capable of independent thought and critical analysis of text. i don't need everything spelled out for me - i'm more than capable of figuring out ideas for myself, thank you very much.
the characters were terrible, imo. the main characters were annoying and (even worse) bland. their dynamic was SO unbelieve - like talk about instalove?! evelyn's pov was so grating to read, and flora's was just a drag. the villains were so boring and one-dimensional, they were honestly just cartoonishly evil. while their actions may have been plausible, the ways in which they conducted themselves were unrealistic and wholly unbelievable. their dialogue especially is some of the worst in the book.
the worldbuilding was terrible. the world was barely fleshed out, and the nation and city names were incongruent. like what do you mean a nation based of off japan would have a capital named crandon. huh? and what was quark supposed to be? ireland? england? if you're going to base your fictional nations off of pre-existing ones, at least ensure some sort of consistency.
the plot was stupid. everything just worked out perfectly for the characters, and it was both asinine and unimaginative. the foreshadowing was SO heavy-handed. i actually rolled my eyes when i read that sailor's song that is supposedly the "only one flora knows". like yeah, real convenient. i also thought the prologue was extremely weak and poorly written, and was a poor tone-setter for the rest of the novel.
this book had so many accolades and honours, and somehow let me down on every front. this was supposed to "bring back my love for fantasy" - but i'm still waiting for an actually good high fantasy novel in 2025.
the lady ayer was hot, though. what can i say? i love me a villain.
(sorry to @berbs for giving a shitty review to a book you lent me 😠i cannot promise it won't happen again <3)
and boy, was this bad.
i really wanted to like this book, but it just did. not. hit. in ANY category.
the prose was bland and unoriginal, and the writing was simplistic and deeply unsophisticated. the author had a message she really, really wanted to covey, and she just needed to ensure that the reader understood it no matter what. it's the worst case of "telling not showing" i've ever seen. she just keeps hitting you over the head with the point. like, believe it or not, i'm actually capable of independent thought and critical analysis of text. i don't need everything spelled out for me - i'm more than capable of figuring out ideas for myself, thank you very much.
the characters were terrible, imo. the main characters were annoying and (even worse) bland. their dynamic was SO unbelieve - like talk about instalove?! evelyn's pov was so grating to read, and flora's was just a drag. the villains were so boring and one-dimensional, they were honestly just cartoonishly evil. while their actions may have been plausible, the ways in which they conducted themselves were unrealistic and wholly unbelievable. their dialogue especially is some of the worst in the book.
the worldbuilding was terrible. the world was barely fleshed out, and the nation and city names were incongruent. like what do you mean a nation based of off japan would have a capital named crandon. huh? and what was quark supposed to be? ireland? england? if you're going to base your fictional nations off of pre-existing ones, at least ensure some sort of consistency.
the plot was stupid. everything just worked out perfectly for the characters, and it was both asinine and unimaginative. the foreshadowing was SO heavy-handed. i actually rolled my eyes when i read that sailor's song that is supposedly the "only one flora knows". like yeah, real convenient. i also thought the prologue was extremely weak and poorly written, and was a poor tone-setter for the rest of the novel.
this book had so many accolades and honours, and somehow let me down on every front. this was supposed to "bring back my love for fantasy" - but i'm still waiting for an actually good high fantasy novel in 2025.
(sorry to @berbs for giving a shitty review to a book you lent me 😠i cannot promise it won't happen again <3)
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was really original and fun, i liked how unpredictable i felt like the direction of the plot and the characters were. i wasn't prepared for this to set up a sequel tho, so the ending somewhat took me by surprise
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
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
Talk about ride or die from day ONE!!!! The lady hasegawa 🫶🫶
I really enjoyed this!! Incredible pacing and some of the best gender discussion I've seen in a book that doesn't feel saccharine or disengaging.
Very much looking forward to the next in the series! I'm a bit confused by some of the world building (specifically the naming conventions) so I look forward to finding out more.
I really enjoyed this!! Incredible pacing and some of the best gender discussion I've seen in a book that doesn't feel saccharine or disengaging.
Very much looking forward to the next in the series! I'm a bit confused by some of the world building (specifically the naming conventions) so I look forward to finding out more.
Review copy: ARC via publisher
I’ve been excited to read The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea ever since I first heard about it. Mermaids, magic, and queer pirates? Hell yes. So I was over the moon happy to receive an ARC to review. It ended up being a fascinating read that I definitely have thoughts about, so let’s dive right into it!
The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea follows several POVs throughout the story, the primary two being the genderfluid pirate Florian and Lady Evelyn Hasegawa. Florian is a pirate on the ship Dove, a ship that sells its noble passengers into slavery — but when Florian is assigned to guard Evelyn, sparks fly and they end up escaping into a world of witches, military schemes, and yes, mermaids.
The story is incredibly ambitious, with all the attendant advantages and disadvantages of an ambitious story. The worldbuilding is vivid, and the plot takes a number of exciting turns. Imperialism, gender, and class differences are just a few of the topics explored, with varying degrees of nuance. (Content warning: There is homophobia and mentions of implied assault.)
At times, character moments that would have made the story more immersive were upstaged by worldbuilding exposition and flashbacks. The book’s title has a fairy tale feel to it, and the story itself feels like a fairy tale being told — in novel form. Personally, I found this style of storytelling a little difficult to get into, but if that sounds like something that would appeal to you, then this book is a must-read for you.
For fans of pirate adventures and mermaid tales, The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea belongs on your TBR pile. For readers who aren’t the biggest fans of pirate adventures, then this may not hold as much appeal for you. This was a promising read, and I’m looking forward to what Tokuda-Hall writes next!
Recommendation: Get it soon if you’re a fan of magical pirate adventures! If that doesn’t sound like your thing, then borrow it someday.
I’ve been excited to read The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea ever since I first heard about it. Mermaids, magic, and queer pirates? Hell yes. So I was over the moon happy to receive an ARC to review. It ended up being a fascinating read that I definitely have thoughts about, so let’s dive right into it!
The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea follows several POVs throughout the story, the primary two being the genderfluid pirate Florian and Lady Evelyn Hasegawa. Florian is a pirate on the ship Dove, a ship that sells its noble passengers into slavery — but when Florian is assigned to guard Evelyn, sparks fly and they end up escaping into a world of witches, military schemes, and yes, mermaids.
The story is incredibly ambitious, with all the attendant advantages and disadvantages of an ambitious story. The worldbuilding is vivid, and the plot takes a number of exciting turns. Imperialism, gender, and class differences are just a few of the topics explored, with varying degrees of nuance. (Content warning: There is homophobia and mentions of implied assault.)
At times, character moments that would have made the story more immersive were upstaged by worldbuilding exposition and flashbacks. The book’s title has a fairy tale feel to it, and the story itself feels like a fairy tale being told — in novel form. Personally, I found this style of storytelling a little difficult to get into, but if that sounds like something that would appeal to you, then this book is a must-read for you.
For fans of pirate adventures and mermaid tales, The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea belongs on your TBR pile. For readers who aren’t the biggest fans of pirate adventures, then this may not hold as much appeal for you. This was a promising read, and I’m looking forward to what Tokuda-Hall writes next!
Recommendation: Get it soon if you’re a fan of magical pirate adventures! If that doesn’t sound like your thing, then borrow it someday.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
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
adventurous
medium-paced
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
I really enjoyed how much in depth world building Tokuda-Hall was able to incorporate into this standalone book, and how much representation there was, with the Empire being a Japanese inspired imperialist colonizer, Evelyn was a Japanese(?) queer MC, and Flor(a/ian) was a genderfluid, black love interest. I wish the romance itself was better written; while I easily became invested in each character alone, there was no buildup or depth to their relationship. I wish Flora being a witch was a bigger part of the story, it seemed weirdly separate? from the rest of the story. A lot of unresolved character arcs as well. I also wanted the whole losing memories thing and the Sea gaining memories to be expanded upon a lot more, as mermaid blood being a taboo substance was such a large part of the book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
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
I’m never not in the mood for a pirate book. The only ‘genre’ I’ll always pick up if I see it’s pirate themed.
Really enjoyed reading this. Was sometimes a bit shocked that they actually killed/tortured people as if it were nothing. Loved reading about Flora/Florian’s struggle with themselves. She was my favorite pov to read and some of the things they said really hit home for me even though I’m not genderfluid. Just floating somewhere in between. But the moment that they could be both Flora and Florian was very nice to read.
Some parts were more engaging to read and others were a bit slower, especially the middle part on the floating Islands, but still liked this a lot. The good thing was around the slow paced part, another pov of Rake started. Because if that didn’t happen I don’t know if I would’ve liked it as much. His pov was filled with more action and was just more interesting to read tbh.
The plot was a bit difficult to understand with the whole imperial vs pirate supreme things. Would’ve liked it if this was a series so we get to know the world more.
- edit, there is gonna be a sequel!? Okay I’m excited!
Really enjoyed reading this. Was sometimes a bit shocked that they actually killed/tortured people as if it were nothing. Loved reading about Flora/Florian’s struggle with themselves. She was my favorite pov to read and some of the things they said really hit home for me even though I’m not genderfluid. Just floating somewhere in between. But the moment that they could be both Flora and Florian was very nice to read.
Some parts were more engaging to read and others were a bit slower, especially the middle part on the floating Islands, but still liked this a lot. The good thing was around the slow paced part, another pov of Rake started. Because if that didn’t happen I don’t know if I would’ve liked it as much. His pov was filled with more action and was just more interesting to read tbh.
The plot was a bit difficult to understand with the whole imperial vs pirate supreme things. Would’ve liked it if this was a series so we get to know the world more.
- edit, there is gonna be a sequel!? Okay I’m excited!