January Banned Book Club: The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea

Author Maggie Tokuda-Hall will join RWB to discuss her award-winning novel, The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. This is a fantasy novel about a pirate named Flora (disguised as Florian) and a highborn lady, Evelyn, who fall in love aboard a ship where the crew plans to sell the passengers into slavery. Evelyn and Florian form an unlikely bond while the novel weaves magic, betrayal, romance, and a daring escape that challenges oppressive power and rigid societal roles. The story explores themes of colonialism, gender identity, and survival. The book has been challenged (and in some cases removed) from school and library collections primarily because it contains graphic violence, sexual themes, and LGBTQ+ content.