Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

67 reviews

kaiouelios's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, War, Vomit, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Cursing, and Alcoholism

sssssoup's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Dysphoria, Gore, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Vomit

Minor: Abandonment, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and War

matheo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, and Trafficking

Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, and Pedophilia

grets_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Colonisation, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

scarlettskyes's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Torture, Slavery, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexism, Trafficking, Murder, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Gore, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Lesbophobia and Transphobia

fairyollie's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

it was a lovely, lovely read. a bit slow in parts, a bit too fast at the end - but lovely nonetheless. I love Maggie's writing style. the story is of a Black genderfluid pirate and their Asian-coded lesbian love. there is pirates and mermaids, lesbians, witches, the sea as a MILF- what more could you want?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Xenophobia

the sea is a MILF. I have to make that clear. the sea. is. a. milf.

kelecoo's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Vomit, Trafficking, Gun violence, and Child death

baponthecob's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

There were actually a lot of things in this book that I dont usually like, but I let it slide here bc I was just enjoying the story as a whole.
There was instalove, so I didnt really understand the romance. It didnt really click for me, but the way their interactions were written were just really soft and sweet :) but yeah it was very much giving high school puppy love. Imo, at the end,

Flora/Florian should have had to move on from Evelyn's death instead of joining her as a mermaid. Family was supposed to be kinda important, so I just cant see why she has just obtained a father figure and reunited with her brother only to leave them to be with a girl.

The witch arc also felt really rushed despite it being the longest part of the book. Actually all the parts just felt really fast to me? 
I was also confused by the epilogue. But, overall, a fun read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Death, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, War, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Vomit, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Child abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Confinement, and Cursing

alouette's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

okay, so this was gorgeous, huh? absolutely breathtaking. i loved the simple things, like the relatively short chapter lengths and the representation and the magic system being loose, undefined and dreamy. and then i loved the epic, more complex things like the love and the gender feels and the pirating and the balance of darkness and softness and moral ambiguity. and of course, that ending (holy sh*t, that ending!!!)

the characters felt like i met them, the plot felt like i was living it, the intensity of emotion felt like a tidal wave wrought by the Sea herself. seriously, i'm obsessed with the beauty of how the world can bring two souls together and also tear them apart, but how broken hearts are not a destiny and love finds its ways. and then the themes of colonization and imperialism and storytelling and what it's like to live when you're not free?

can't say it enough, this book is spectacular.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

zarap's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was a very fun book and I'm glad I read it, but/and I also agree with what other reviewers have said about the book trying to cram too many things into one book and not developing the story elements, characters, or worldbuilding fully. I'm definitely interested in what Maggie Tokuda-Hall writes in the future! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Slavery, Trafficking, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Vomit, Rape, Misogyny, Colonisation, and Xenophobia