The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

This young adult fantasy novel follows Flora, an orphan who has adopted the male identity of Florian to survive as a pirate. Her world collides with Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, an imperial daughter being sent to an unwanted arranged marriage. As their paths intertwine, they discover a deep bond and conspire a daring escape, leading to the rescue of a magical mermaid and confrontations with powerful figures like a witch and the mysterious Pirate Supreme. The book explores significant themes of gender identity, colonialism, societal expectations, and finding freedom, all set against a backdrop of high-seas adventure and burgeoning LGBTQ+ romance. It's a compelling read for teenagers interested in complex characters and social commentary within a magical, action-packed narrative.

A desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter find a connection on the high seas in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic. 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, as the pirates prepare to sell their unsuspecting passengers into slavery, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is en route to a dreaded arranged marriage with her own casket in tow. 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. Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood, which causes men to have visions and lose memories) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, and the all-encompassing Sea itself.