Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

luca marie

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Perhaps the dearth of love between them explained their lack of love for their daughter. 

Perhaps Evelyn was just trying to make herself feel better. 

She'd always told herself that she wouldn't be like them. That she'd find love, like the love she read about in her novels. But then, she didn't love Keiko, not the way Keiko loved her. She loved her, but she wasn't in love with her. And Keiko was lovely and perfect, kind and patient. If she couldn't love Keiko, maybe there was something wrong with her, something inherited from her loveless parents. 

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea quotes

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