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A review by perpetualpages
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
CWs: blood, injury, and graphic violence; murder; references to slave trade; allusions to rape and rapists; alcoholism; some descriptions of torture
This book opens with a very intense scene aboard a hostile pirate ship, and let me tell you, it does not let up from there for one second. If you're looking for a very queer story about pirates, and magic, and storytelling, this is absolutely the book for you!
What I love about this story is that it keeps turning on its head and surprising the reader in innovative ways. By the end, you've been introduced to all the titular entities—the mermaid, the witch, and the sea—and they're not at all what (or who) you expect. I have such a deep appreciation for stories that play with character and imagination to bring about these unforgettable adventures, and that's definitely what this book is at its core.
Probably what hit me the hardest in this book is how it plays with the idea of stories as magic. It explores how memories are stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, how we can use stories to both obfuscate the truth and reveal the truth, and how the truest stories we possess are a literal form of magic that can change the world around us. This is a story that gives power to emotion and truth, and shows in both literal and metaphorical ways how those things can change and effect our world. I can say with absolute certainty that some of the lines in this book are going to echo in my head forever, simply because they are true.
At the end of the day, this is a story about characters trying to rewrite their stories against impossible odds, in a world that is determined to confine them to a single narrative, when they are so much more than that. There's queerness, there's romance, there's adventure, there's magic, there's pirate battles—what else could you possibly want from one book?
I can honestly say I was hooked from the first page and ended up getting so much more out of this story that I ever expected. This is an unforgettable fantasy adventure that has to be read to be believed, and I'm already looking forward to the day I get to experience it all over again.
This book opens with a very intense scene aboard a hostile pirate ship, and let me tell you, it does not let up from there for one second. If you're looking for a very queer story about pirates, and magic, and storytelling, this is absolutely the book for you!
What I love about this story is that it keeps turning on its head and surprising the reader in innovative ways. By the end, you've been introduced to all the titular entities—the mermaid, the witch, and the sea—and they're not at all what (or who) you expect. I have such a deep appreciation for stories that play with character and imagination to bring about these unforgettable adventures, and that's definitely what this book is at its core.
Probably what hit me the hardest in this book is how it plays with the idea of stories as magic. It explores how memories are stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, how we can use stories to both obfuscate the truth and reveal the truth, and how the truest stories we possess are a literal form of magic that can change the world around us. This is a story that gives power to emotion and truth, and shows in both literal and metaphorical ways how those things can change and effect our world. I can say with absolute certainty that some of the lines in this book are going to echo in my head forever, simply because they are true.
At the end of the day, this is a story about characters trying to rewrite their stories against impossible odds, in a world that is determined to confine them to a single narrative, when they are so much more than that. There's queerness, there's romance, there's adventure, there's magic, there's pirate battles—what else could you possibly want from one book?
I can honestly say I was hooked from the first page and ended up getting so much more out of this story that I ever expected. This is an unforgettable fantasy adventure that has to be read to be believed, and I'm already looking forward to the day I get to experience it all over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Rape