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A review by erikaq
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
3.0
Mixed feelings on this one. As a concept I loved what this book could be and I think some parts of it are done well, but most parts are just subpar.
The characters are interesting to an extent but the romance is insta-love with very little development to the full devotion that they feel for each other and every single obstacle is resolved quickly and the characters get what they want without much struggle. Similarly the worldbuilding starts off well but then doesn't go anywhere to expand on the things we know from the very beginning.
Mostly, it feels disjointed to me and it's a book that had potential especially because of the representation it offers with a mix-race couple (but the book never even touches on that really), with the lgbtq rep that is mostly flimsy because at the end of the day the couple could have been het and I doubt it would have changed anything at all.
The characters are interesting to an extent but the romance is insta-love with very little development to the full devotion that they feel for each other and every single obstacle is resolved quickly and the characters get what they want without much struggle. Similarly the worldbuilding starts off well but then doesn't go anywhere to expand on the things we know from the very beginning.
Mostly, it feels disjointed to me and it's a book that had potential especially because of the representation it offers with a mix-race couple (but the book never even touches on that really), with the lgbtq rep that is mostly flimsy because at the end of the day the couple could have been het and I doubt it would have changed anything at all.