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melstinylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Sadly, I found this book quite boring. I didn’t really care for the characters or the story that much :(
anikaaas's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Perfect book to read on a beach vacation. I loved the sea as a character.
megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
2.0
disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
rep: sapphic genderfluid Black m/c, sapphic Japanese-coded m/c, secondary Black characters
content warnings: multiple mentions of rape, colonization, torture, murder, violence, sexism and homophobia, slavery and human trafficking
Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora becomes Florian in order to earn the respect and protection of the crew. The Dove isn’t just any old pirate ship though, it is also a Slaver that tricks Imperial passengers aboard in order to sell them. Florian owes the Dove their life, it has helped and taught Florian how to survive. When Florian unexpectedly falls for one of the ships unsuspecting passengers, things are set into motion. Florian and Evelyn’s adventure soon leads to freeing mermaids, escaping the ship, fighting a much larger battle, coming in contact with an opportunistic witch, and even coming in contact with the all-encompassing Sea.
I am so conflicted about The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea for many reasons. There were plenty of positives but also plenty of negatives. One main thing I want to point out though is that I thought having the Black character working on a Slaver ship was a bad move, despite the ship only trafficking their colonizers, and while Flora’s role on the ship was a relatively minimal part of the novel, it still did not sit right with me.
The characters were both the positive and negatives of this book. Our main protagonist is genderfluid, happy being referred to as either she/he/them and by either Flora or Florian and I thought they were a really great character. They were a morally grey character and had a really interesting character arc – from orphan to pirate to witch. Evelyn Hasegawa though? I could not care less for her. Evelyn is a Lord’s daughter and she is Imperial. She is being sent off to one of the colonies to marry. There could have been so much potential for this character, and the romance, but my god, her chapters were mind-numbingly boring.
The romance was such a disappointment. I am a real fan of enemies to lovers and this one could have been so good but, and I don’t say this lightly, the insta-love was very strong in this one. Pretty much within the first 50 or so pages, Evelyn decides to teach Florian to read and then they are pretty much in love and it was, unfortunately, extremely underdeveloped that it made it hard to really care or root for the couple.
Now the world-building is probably the strongest element of this novel. The nuanced discussions about colonialism and imperialism, and the consequences of it, were really good. But I think my favourite part was probably the little snippets we got of the Sea – a mother, a protecter, an absolute force to be reckoned with. They were fantastic and I really wish more focus was put on that element. Honestly give me a whole novel that takes place in this world’s sea, please.
Overall, I was super excited for The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea – a sapphic pirate adventure?? Unfortunately though, it was a pretty big letdown.
rep: sapphic genderfluid Black m/c, sapphic Japanese-coded m/c, secondary Black characters
content warnings: multiple mentions of rape, colonization, torture, murder, violence, sexism and homophobia, slavery and human trafficking
Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora becomes Florian in order to earn the respect and protection of the crew. The Dove isn’t just any old pirate ship though, it is also a Slaver that tricks Imperial passengers aboard in order to sell them. Florian owes the Dove their life, it has helped and taught Florian how to survive. When Florian unexpectedly falls for one of the ships unsuspecting passengers, things are set into motion. Florian and Evelyn’s adventure soon leads to freeing mermaids, escaping the ship, fighting a much larger battle, coming in contact with an opportunistic witch, and even coming in contact with the all-encompassing Sea.
I am so conflicted about The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea for many reasons. There were plenty of positives but also plenty of negatives. One main thing I want to point out though is that I thought having the Black character working on a Slaver ship was a bad move, despite the ship only trafficking their colonizers, and while Flora’s role on the ship was a relatively minimal part of the novel, it still did not sit right with me.
The characters were both the positive and negatives of this book. Our main protagonist is genderfluid, happy being referred to as either she/he/them and by either Flora or Florian and I thought they were a really great character. They were a morally grey character and had a really interesting character arc – from orphan to pirate to witch. Evelyn Hasegawa though? I could not care less for her. Evelyn is a Lord’s daughter and she is Imperial. She is being sent off to one of the colonies to marry. There could have been so much potential for this character, and the romance, but my god, her chapters were mind-numbingly boring.
The romance was such a disappointment. I am a real fan of enemies to lovers and this one could have been so good but, and I don’t say this lightly, the insta-love was very strong in this one. Pretty much within the first 50 or so pages, Evelyn decides to teach Florian to read and then they are pretty much in love and it was, unfortunately, extremely underdeveloped that it made it hard to really care or root for the couple.
Now the world-building is probably the strongest element of this novel. The nuanced discussions about colonialism and imperialism, and the consequences of it, were really good. But I think my favourite part was probably the little snippets we got of the Sea – a mother, a protecter, an absolute force to be reckoned with. They were fantastic and I really wish more focus was put on that element. Honestly give me a whole novel that takes place in this world’s sea, please.
Overall, I was super excited for The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea – a sapphic pirate adventure?? Unfortunately though, it was a pretty big letdown.
tzipporah_mckissock's review against another edition
5.0
This book makes for a very entertaining read. It has great representation and stunning, original, and detailed world-building. This world is unlike any I have ever read about before and so well developed. I can't wait for the next book to come out!
bookgrrrlsclub's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a great story, but moved so quickly i couldn’t form an attachment to any of the characters
secondhandpages's review against another edition
5.0
This book was excellent! From the sapphic/enby romance to the adventure and action! I enjoyed every moment reading this book. Flora is a very well flushed out character who made me like her from the get go. Evelyn, while just as flushed and layered, was a bit harder to grow to like. Her attitude towards some things really bothered me. I absolutely adored that she was as precocious as she was though!
The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea follow two girls as they attempt to navigate the pirate world: one by choice and one by force. Add in a sentient sea, a mermaid with a lust for drinking blood, and a witch who only looks out for herself - this was a wild ride! The character arcs for each was well worth the build up, and the ending blew me away.
The novel had good commentary on colonialism, imperialism, and misogyny, as well as excellent representation and diverse characters.
One of the things I really loved about the book was the mermaid origins. I also loved how the mermaid changed and became something grotesque out of the sea but when in the sea water was as stunning as we picture a mermaid to be.
There was so much about this novel that I could talk about for ages, so instead I'll just say - read it, listen to it, devour it 5 stars read for this enthralling, magical stand alone!
The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea follow two girls as they attempt to navigate the pirate world: one by choice and one by force. Add in a sentient sea, a mermaid with a lust for drinking blood, and a witch who only looks out for herself - this was a wild ride! The character arcs for each was well worth the build up, and the ending blew me away.
The novel had good commentary on colonialism, imperialism, and misogyny, as well as excellent representation and diverse characters.
One of the things I really loved about the book was the mermaid origins. I also loved how the mermaid changed and became something grotesque out of the sea but when in the sea water was as stunning as we picture a mermaid to be.
There was so much about this novel that I could talk about for ages, so instead I'll just say - read it, listen to it, devour it 5 stars read for this enthralling, magical stand alone!
clara_ward's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
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
4.5
annineamundsen's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
This was a beautiful story and I really enjoyed it. It's harsh and sad at times, but it shows the power of doing the right thing. It's very well written, with a poetic fairytale influence that I really liked. I love how everything Evelyn does is to spite her parents/her society. Truly relatable.
Main characters are wlw and there are a couple of non-binary characters. It's also got pirates, mermaids and witches - what more could you want from a story??
This was a beautiful story and I really enjoyed it. It's harsh and sad at times, but it shows the power of doing the right thing. It's very well written, with a poetic fairytale influence that I really liked. I love how everything Evelyn does is to spite her parents/her society. Truly relatable.
Main characters are wlw and there are a couple of non-binary characters. It's also got pirates, mermaids and witches - what more could you want from a story??