Today for Ten Things I Loved About I’m reviewing THE MERMAID, THE WITCH, AND THE SEA by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. MERMAID is the story of Evelyn and Flora, whose fates collide when Evelyn’s upcoming arranged marriage puts her on the pirate ship Flora works on. There’s romance, adventure, magic and more, so let’s get into ten things I loved!
1. Evelyn Hasegawa
Evelyn is one of the two main protagonists. She’s the gentler of the two, having been raised by Imperial nobility. She’s kindhearted and compassionate, and just wants to do some good, and I love her for it.
2. Flora/Florian
Flora, also known as Florian aboard the pirate ship she works on, is our other protagonist. Whereas Evelyn is soft, Flora is hard. Flora has gone through a lot to survive, including taking up residence on a slaving ship. But despite all she’s done to get here, Flora isn’t without compassion. I love her resilience, and the journey she goes on.
3. Rich Backstories
A good number of the minor characters have richly crafted backstories that make the whole story feel deeper. The way these backstories intersect also remind me of a fairy tale, (and for me that’s always a good thing.)
4. Rich World Lore
Just as deep as its characters’ backstories is MERMAID’s world lore. Everything about the world- its politics, its different cultures and peoples and their relations to one another, its legends and its magic- is all like the tip of an iceberg, where you can tell there’s so much more beneath the surface of the story.
5. Magic System
The magic system of MERMAID works with the art of story itself, and I just think it’s so cool. I haven’t seen many magic systems like it, and I loved watching a character learn how to use it.
6. Spies Upon Spies
Secret agents, double agents, operatives and more! Schemes and counter schemes galore! (Don’t worry I’m done rhyming.) I loved the intricacies of different characters’ interlocking, opposing plans.
7. Unpredictability
There’s about zero detail that can be given here without spoilers, but suffice it to say that I could not predict all the ways this story went. To see what I mean, you’ll have to read for yourself.
8. Nonbinary Rep
One of the main characters is referred to by different genders throughout the narrative, depending partly on who is narrating and what part of the story it’s at. It was cool to see a nonbinary character in a fantasy story, whose gender is a part of the story, but only just a part.
9. What Goes Around Comes Around
This one is a bit hard to explain succinctly. The gist of it is that this story has this theme of the characters reaping what they sow. All actions have a consequence. Bad actions bite you in the butt, and good actions can come around to help you when you need it most. To understand what I mean, you’ll have to read for yourself, but it was a motif I loved to see.
10. Everything Comes Together
There’s many different moving parts throughout the story, but somehow it all comes together so well for a satisfying finale. The ending of MERMAID will not let you down.
So that’s THE MERMAID, THE WITCH, AND THE SEA by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. Let me know what you think, and what books you think I should do next!
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