The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

cole_johnson_2480 shared a tip "Found this on a Likewise list and wow am I glad I did. It’s very rare to come across a fantasy book with such real characters. I love the justifications in the minds of the “bad” characters and the way that the harshness of life is portrayed. Another really cool thing was the gender fluidity stuff. I like the way it was shown. Also stick around to the end heck of a plot twist. I found out after reading that this was the authors first book and I sure hope it isn’t the last. 27/30"

LoverOf_Crows shared a tip "I loved this! It held my attention throughout the entire book and I enjoyed the plot twist. Flora/Florian was one of my favorite characters out of all the books I've read so far."

dylan_thomas_7132 shared a tip "A lot more angsty than I was expecting, but the romance was adorable and very refreshing. I also really enjoyed the non-binary representation."

zoey07 shared a tip "Slow burn!! I personally found most often times boring and hard to continue. The last 100 pages were the best. And I just adore the reunion at the end! ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5"

erin_hinkes shared a tip "It was like watching the characters on the other side of a one way window and being unable to touch, talk to, or emotionally connect. I had no one to root for, only characters to root against."

marielanne_daniels shared a tip "I’m glad I stuck with this one! After a bit slower first third, the author rewards us with a beautiful unfolding of adventure, heartache, and love."

emma_pimer shared a tip "Fantasy w/ queer romance. Many aspects of the book critique Japanese culture - genuine issues that get overlooked so it’s really refreshing to see it explored. There’s magic, love, and a strong theme of family. Many themes and topics taken on in the book are complex and not seen a lot, and it was all wrapped into a really captivating story and world. I also really liked the characters, their motivations, personalities. It felt very literary and purposeful, which I really appreciate."

karlee_gong shared a tip "It was okay. More about pirates than witches or mermaids. I think the story could have been great, but overall fell flat for me. #genderfluid #wlw #sapphic #lgbt"

abigail_rose_9043 shared a tip "So good! Its got witches, and pirates, and lesbians! The world building is great and it flows very well with the story without being choppy. The universe this takes place in is equally enchanting, romantic, magical, but also harsh for the people who live in it. The characters are all amazingly written and Maggie does a great job of portraying their emotions so you feel just as scared or just as in love as they do. This book really satisfied the the lesbian in my soul, and then it made me cry."

coralie_dansereau_5755 shared a tip "Really good book about magic and romance. It is both a light tale and a very profound and mature story about LGBTQ+ love and life. The world is wonderful and it’s like we would have liked 3 others books to explore it more. Some questions stayed unsolved at the end. Might have found the book a little too slow in tempo at the middle, but the other pages where rich of action and tension and I craved to know what was going to happen ! I was looking for a good pirates book and I got an amazing one !"

spicydadnoora shared a tip "This book had the perfect pacing, great depictions of violence, and wonderful character dynamics. I adore the magic and the fantasy, but beyond that the book itself keeps you so engaged!"

annie_donnell shared a tip "such great queer representation! the plot feels very whimsical without being too cheesy (just the perfect amount of cheese). Unexpected ending that i’m actually really happy with. overall great read"

kay_7237 shared a tip "A wonderful read for those who love adventure and romance! The plot twist at the end was amazing and I was up for nights wondering what was going to happen next. Beautiful character development and creative formatting in terms of parts. While I feel a lot of topics were left untouched that could have been amazing, it was still a great read that satisfied my hunger for a good, romantic and adventurous lgbtq+ book!!"

ash4 shared a tip "this is one of my favorite books. it’s about a pirate who has to go under an alias to be accepted on a famous ship. she presents as a boy—to earn the respect of the men aboard—and throughout the book she discovers her identity whilst falling in love with a princess. it’s beautifully written and has some great representation and characters:)"

Banavegii shared a tip "9/10 Kept me up at night wanting to know what was next. Especially in the second and third part. I found the first part less exciting than the remaining two but, it was engaging nonetheless. Would completely suggest giving this a read."