4.5

Okay, that was beautiful. I loved the whole thing. I stayed up till 3 to read the first half, and then didn't finish it until a few weeks later, but aside from my weird reading process, I really enjoyed this story. Especially the ending. Like. It was really unexpected and beautiful. I'm not often surprised like I was with this novel.

My only wish is that Flora/ian and Evelyn was developed a bit more. I feel as though it could have been quite easily in the first part of the book, but it just didn't have the depth I wanted. Aside from that, this book would have five stars. The queer rep! The magic! Mermaids! Pirates! The Sea! Just! So magical and fun and beautifully written. But also very dark. So be warned, if you read this, it's not a light hearted read. But it's a meaningful one. This book doesn't back down.

I also just really loved Evelyn's character growth. She was my favorite. I want to watch her take down the patriarchy, please and thank you.