Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea | 
I‘m alternating between ebook and audio. Kate Rudd does a wonderful job as narrator. I originally picked it up at Queer Liberation Library for the diversify the rainbow challenge. I will be reading everything else this author has written!
pickAnother winner from the #AuldLangSpine list of @peanutnine
A gripping fantasy adventure tale with pirates, mermaids, and witches that also tackles issues of colonialism and gender identity. I thought the middle section dragged a bit, but the thrilling final section more than made up for it. I absolutely loved both Flora and Evelyn. Also! A sequel is coming out in September!
TW: torture, slavery, abuse
“‘Yes, of course, man, you can still hunt your quarry of choice. When I return with reports of your good behavior, the Emperor will surely legalize the hunt of mermaids, and you‘ll do so on an Imperial stipend. So long as you deliver us your Supreme.‘”
“‘Hear me, Evelyn. Wives are replaceable. You are replaceable. And if you ever fail to remember that, it will be your undoing.‘”
I generally enjoyed this but it wasn‘t amazing. Pacing is not great & based on the title I expected more witches & mermaids. Evelyn is sold to a man she‘s never met for marriage by her parents but inadvertently ends up on a pirate ship, where gender fluid, Flora/Florian, is tasked w/ guarding her. When their insta-love for each other kicks in, they have to fight their way back to each other & protect the others they care about. Love the cover tho
“But even as she tried to lose herself in the softness of Keiko, of her mouth and her legs and her neck and her cheek, Evelyn couldn‘t help but wonder if her parents‘ choice to deprive her of her most beloved lady‘s maid was not just frugal but calculated.”
“And Florian, who still had Mr. Lam‘s blood on his sleeve, smiled into the darkness.”
Starting another from @peanutnine #AuldLangSpine list. Only read the prologue, but it really sets the atmosphere! 🏴☠️ 🔪
so-soAlthough I generally enjoyed this novel, the title signals one of its flaws: mermaids and the sea are major components of this story, but witches put in a tangential appearance, one that lends little to the story. Florian/Flora and her brother are taken on a members of the pirate crew of the Dove who traffic in people and in mermaids (for their blood) Lady Evelyn has been sold to a husband she‘s never met. Their lives become the stuff of legend.
so-soSO MUCH potential! I‘m giving it a so-so bc despite keeping me interested the whole way, some of this book was plain bad (it felt way too rushed, prob shoulda been a series; references felt a bit butchered, altho I admit I‘m not 100% familiar with the cultures this was supposedly based on; the writing was not great; etc)
It‘s just frustrating bc this coulda been great! Bonus points for diversity of characters but I def wish this was better :(
Thank you so much, Jenna, for this fun Slice of Summer package. My apologies that I I didn‘t post on July 1… being my birthday, it completely slipped my mind. Then I was caught up in holiday weekend festivities. At any rate, I love everything!! #sliceofsummerswap
If your on Insta or YouTube, my friend @TheBrightSideGirl is hosting her upcoming #mermaidmerathonreads ! These are my TBR picks, what's yours? #beachread #summervibes
pickI was hooked from the very start: A pirate girl, who tries to survive as a boy, another girl sent off to be wed and their unlikely love and friendship caught somewhere in between.
The world-building is quite original and just the right amount to make the story work. It's full of intriguing characters to love and hate! And the Sea!
It's told from different perspectives, I think two of them would have sufficed, it just doesn't add much.
🐚🐚🐚🐚/5
Somehow my outfit matches my book today😆
Just one of those things😄
Last day of winter break before school starts again, so I'm treating myself to breakfast out at my favorite coffee shop
pickThis book was great! This was recommended to me by @Lovelylottereader and so I thank you! I also blame you for me emotional pain now. 🖤 getting back to point, I would recommend this book to people love a good pirate love story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Love does not come in terms of convenience. Or any kind of sense.”
“It doesn‘t do to pretend this life isn‘t what it is.”
“You think the world of men is so complicated? It isn't. You're all the same. Weak, and small, and eager to push your own failure off on others while pretending I couldn't possibly understand the great forces at work that forced your hand. Half a woman's life is spent pretending she doesn't notice just how stupid and prone to failure you all are!“
pickThis might be my new favorite book! I loved it so much, I loved the characters, the storytelling, the perspectives, the action scenes and much more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Love does not work in terms of convenience. Or any kind of sense."
"We don't just read to imagine
better lives. We read to be introduced to all kinds of lives. Any kind. Not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us. To understand others better. It's escape, and it's also a way to become more connected to everyone around you. There's power in that, you know. In understanding.
It's like magic."
“There‘s freedom in stories, you know. We read them and we become something else. We imagine different lives, and while we turn the pages, we live them. To escape the lot we‘ve been given.”
pickExciting, pacey fairytale. Loved the non traditional gender roles
pickPirates, mermaids, magic, and high-seas romantic adventure! Quick and fun read. :)
Finished with work today and now I‘ve got a good, long holiday break. Starting this one now.
pickI had this saved and vaguely remembered it had been suggested for gender queerness, which was nice, present but not necessarily central. I feel like The Witch part could have been it's own book, but it was well written to have so much happen in a stand alone.
Would like to think that the story would have ended the same, had Flora been born Florian.
pickThis was a sweet powerful book about the magic of stories and love. Flora finding herself, how who she believes she is differs from the truth. You need the truth of yourself. Then you have sweet Evelyn. How all she wants to do is the right thing. Rake is such a complicated character. Loved all theses twists and turns of who is actually who is disguise.
1/2 way thoughts. Such a nice quiet, calm story so far. We‘ve met the mermaid, now we‘ve met the witch. Little confused on the main goal of the book. I get that the pirates want to be free of the Imperials colonization, but there‘s not much else mentioned. Yet. There is also a new perspective and view on Rake.
I still enjoy Flora and Evelyns different views on life. It really alters the route of the story of the Pirate Supreme
First impressions are good and fair. We have Evelyn, the imperial sent across the ocean to marry a man she has never met. And Flora, who is marauding as a man upon a pirate ship with her brother that Evelyn boards
I really like the diversity of these two young ladies. Such different ways of life and perspectives. There‘s so much going on to be said already
pickI liked it. The end went by a bit fast for me, and a few unfinished ends, but overall I enjoyed the fantasy world, 4 stars!
Read my full review at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51710973-the-mermaid-the-witch-and-the-sea
#netgalley #currentread #honestreview
pickA queer Pirates of the Caribbean by way of A Princess Bride. Lady Evelyn Hasegawa boards the Dove with a coffin full of all her belongings after being betrothed to a man she's never met. She doesn't realize the Dove is a front for a pirate ship. Nor that the boy Florain charged to watch her is actually Flora in disguise. They fall in love but a vengeful sea and cruel reality almost tear them apart for good. But the mermaids are on their side.
"She wanted to take Evelyn in her arms and kiss her the way a pirate ought to be kissed."
On the agenda for this evening
pick"There's freedom in stories. We imagine different lives, and while we turn the pages, we get to live them. We don't just read to imagine better lives. We read to be introduced to all kinds of lives. Not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us. To understand others better. It's a way to become more connected to everyone around you. There's power in that. In understanding. It's like magic."
This book was SO GOOD! A sweet LGBT fairytale! ??
It's warm enough to have all the windows and balcony door open tonight, so I'm enjoying the cool breeze along with my tea, popcorn, and book! 😀💕📚🍿☕ Happy Friday night, littens!
My boyfriend surprised me with this one today! I had not heard of this before but after doing some research I am MEGA excited to start it! Pirates! Mermaids! Witches! LGBTQ Romance! What more could you ask for?! 😍💕📚🏳️🌈
pickThis was a wild adventure from start to finish and I adored it. The world-building was really neat, you can tell it's based on the actual real world but it just /works/, and the rep was just.. *chef's kiss*. If, however, you're allergic to slightly insta-lovey romance plots, this might set off some sneezing. Maybe. But do give it a try anyway!
This is on my TBR. I love the cover and I am excited to read the story.
May 4, 2020
#CoverLove #YAedition
Kiwi really is loving the entire “my human is always available“-thing. Bless her furry heart ♥ (also I was a bit spooked by how gruesome the first chapter of this book was. most unexpected. am loving the world-building so far, though!)
pickI enjoyed this book quite a lot. In form and structure it‘s a lot like the romantic adventures I loved as a teen in the 90s, but more inclusive than what was available back then, centering a queer romance between two POC. I also particularly enjoyed the way magic is constructed in this story—that is, storytelling *as* magic. As someone whose young life was so deep in books, that felt right to me.
pickI don‘t think I‘ve ever read anything like this before. The author has taken what should have been a standard fantasy/romance and turned it into a non-binary magical adventure love story. Exceptional. The book comes out in May. Watch for it. (6)
