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.
