Reviews with content warning for War - The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews for this book, but regardless I was still eager to read it as a lover of anything queer, fantasy and historical fiction. And I can say for me, this book was just what I needed.

This book covers some amazing social topics, and in my opinion has some great LGBTQIA+ representation, intersectionality, and an exploration of gender diversity/fluidity. I appreciated the nuances and consideration with how Florian/Flora was written, with varying pronouns depending on context/viewpoint. I think it's important not to get caught up expecting characters to always have everything figured out from the start, especially when they themselves are coming to terms with and discovering their own identity. So for me this felt like a very wholesome, honest and positive exploration of how it feels to explore gender and sexuality as a young person.

The book is relatively fast paced, I will say. And from that I can see where the criticism of the story and characters feeling unresolved by the end comes from. I like to think I have an active imagination, so this I'm lucky wasn't too much of a deterrent for me. Part 2 of the book in particular with

Xenobia

felt underdeveloped, and I wished there was a more complex dive into the society of The Floating Islands, and the themes of practical witchcraft, memories, and storytelling tradition. As mentioned in the acknowledgments, the book was originally scripted during NaNoWriMo, which I feel might be where it inadvertently limited itself. The characters and storyline I feel could've benefited from more in-depth explorations to make the book feel more developed and less jumpy.

Overall: an enjoyable and fun read, with the beginnings of some great world building, emotional, and featured themes I'd definitely like to read more of.

Content Warnings

charming_killerqueen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

3.0

Content Warnings

brielle's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

bbpettry's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings