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

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

 Flora/ian is my favorite kind of adventure protagonist: scrappy, conflicted, wise, and confused about their gender. Their counter is Evelyn, a noble girl embarking on what is supposedly her life’s purpose. Her things packed into her future casket, she is to sail to the Floating Islands to marry a conveniently wealthy man she’s never met. She boards a ship called The Dove. Despite her dread at the uprooting of her life, she expects this passenger vessel to safely get her where she’s going. Florian and the crew know that at some point The Nameless Captain, his memories rotted from mermaid’s blood, will round up the aristocratic passengers, plunder their possessions, and sell them into slavery. This has been their con for a few voyages now and Florian, growing up cold and hungry meters away from a palace full of food and finery, has found it very possible to push away any sympathy for these privileged marks thus far. When they’re ordered to guard Evelyn, Florian is taken aback by her humor and openness. Tokuda-Hall switches perspective by chapter, mostly between Florian and Evelyn but we also hear from the first mate of The Dove, Rake, and even The Sea herself. While that can be a treacherous route, the author has maintained a depth of voice and character with each of them so that the narrative is deeper for it, not spread thin and shallow as some sprawling fantasy can get. This book is definitely for older teens, but any fantasy/adventure fan would certainly get a lot from this book - it has moral quandaries weaved in, intrigue, lore, and romance to die for! The sequel comes out fall ‘23 and I’ve been blessed to read it, the follow-up is just as strong and lovable.  
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