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The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

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The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

By: Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Narrated by: Kate Rudd
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About this listen

In a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic, a desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial lady find a connection on the high seas.

Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don't trust, don't stick out, and don't feel. But on this voyage, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is headed to an arranged marriage she dreads. Flora doesn't expect to be taken under Evelyn's wing, and Evelyn doesn't expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian. Neither expects to fall in love.

Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, double agents, and the all-encompassing Sea herself.

Deftly entwining swashbuckling action and quiet magic, Maggie Tokuda-Hall's inventive debut novel conjures a diverse cast of characters seeking mastery over their fates while searching for answers to big questions about identity, power, and love.

©2020 Maggie Tokuda-Hall, original book published by Walker Books US, a division of Candlewick Press. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Action & Adventure Fiction Literature & Fiction Magic Science Fiction & Fantasy Fantasy Pirate

Critic reviews

"Tokuda-Hall infuses this adventure with fantastical word play and [Kate] Rudd is the perfect match as the storyteller. The story is almost melodic in nature and that rings true with Rudd’s sing-song tone, varied character voicing, and matched pacing." —Booklist

"Narrator Kate Rudd creates unique voices for mysterious mermaids, powerful witches, and evil pirates in this fantasy adventure.… Rudd imbues her narration with a creepy menace when voicing the villains and brings the courage--and doubts--of both heroines to life. Her lilting voice is rich with the magic of stories and the rhythm of the sea. This audiobook will please listeners looking for a queer love story that celebrates female power and the diversity of gender expression." —AudioFile Magazine

All stars
Most relevant
A moving and gripping story with both binary and non-binary characters. a very well written book

Fantastic refreshing read

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Pirates, adventure, consequences of the people’s actions…. Some of the characters were a little flat and undeveloped (looking at you, Fox) but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it in any way.

It ticked all my boxes

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I loved this! Such an epic journey with pirates, mermaids, the sea & a witch.
Highly recommend this for anyone wanting to escape to a life on the ocean waves

What an adventure!

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Nice concept and some unique approaches, however, some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out better.
Parts of the story progress too quickly, with certain sub-plots being thrown away or under-utilised, and a rushed ending.

The book does have some good commentary on imperialism and misogyny, but the latter is through the overly malleable viewpoints of the two protagonists, whose personalities seem to change to fit the storyline rather than the story working through them - including the rushed romance.

Despite my criticisms, I found the book to be an average read, though I did become progressively more annoyed with Evelyn (one of the two protagonists).

Interesting concept but some issues

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I bought this having seen the author (Maggie Tokuda-Hall) speak on a webinar about the book and the reason she wrote it. It sounded like the perfect fantasy for me - pirates, mermaids, queer characters.

It didn't disappoint!

When I first started listening to the book I thought it might take me a little while to get into, but I was wrong - I was hooked very quickly. I absolutely loved the two protagonists (Flora/Florian and Evelyn), but what the author did really well was make each character interesting - leaving me wanting to know more about them all.

The world-building was excellent - the descriptions of the ship and the sea itself was beautifully done. I'm so happy to hear there is a sequel and will definitely be getting it.

In regards to the narrator - her voice sounded a little robotic to me at first but I quickly got used to it and actually ended up really enjoyed her narration.

Enchanting, Exciting, Enthralling

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