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

4.0

I read this book because 1) I found it miraculously in a used bookstore in San Jose minutes before I had to run to get my bus 2) I’d heard it was at least a little bit trans and 3) I liked the cover. I really did not like the writing, and I struggled with the violence, which felt too intense for YA, but there was enough that I liked a lot for this to be worth the read. Things I liked: queer and trans characters, mermaids, witches, magic, the ocean, the interesting alternative colonial world, some cute romance and adventure tropes, fairy tale-ish qualities