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

adventurous emotional 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

3.75

This book is a story of magic, piracy, the bonds of family, the power inherent in stories, and fighting for something better than fate wants to give you, featuring a black genderqueer pirate and a lesbian noble lady. It had plenty of action, magic, and emotion, quite a few twists (albeit minor ones), some she-loves-me-she-loves-me-not drama, and was overall very entertaining. However, the worldbuilding was confusing - there wasn't a lot, and the parts that were there were a very discordant combination of generic fantasy and Imperial Japan - and the story itself felt disconnected. Part one was the longest and set up a plot and relationships between the protagonists, part two separated the protagonists and taught one a new skill that's never used again, and part three rushes to the conclusion of the setup in part one. The pacing felt weird - a nice slower-but-not-slow at the beginning, rushed at the end - and most of part two could have been cut without affecting much of anything. It was a good read overall, but most definitely not perfect. 
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