Leo just wants to finish his degree but a sea witch possessing his roommate is not exactly part of the curriculum. Neither is falling in love...with both of them.

Introduction

I was lucky to receive this book as an advanced reader’s copy before the publication date. If I were not already familiar with Talia’s writing, I would have picked up the book based on the title and the cover alone! Both are stunning and very well represent the story. “The Sea Witch, His Ex, and the Human” is perfect for the fans of Little Mermaid who wished that it was queer with better communication between characters.

Release date: April 30, 2024

Synopsis

A college student meets a beautiful sea mermaid witch only to discover that his crush roommate is not entirely human, and there is a reason why he is afraid of the ocean. Exploring feelings and discovering families, while figuring out what it means to be a human (or not) and in a relationship with two persons, Leo has his hands full. No wonder he almost fails college, but hey - love conquers all, so there is a silver lining to it all.

Review

I love Talia’s writing. So, when I found out that they are self-publishing a queer polyamorous story about newly found families, love, and the ocean, I just had to request it! “The Sea Witch, His Ex, and the Human” is a cozy fantasy romance with a happy ending. It is primarily character-driven and even though there is a solid plot, the main focus is on the relationship and character development. I have read Talia’s works before and their main strength lies in dialogues and friendly banter. I live for those, honestly! And all of the cozy and domestic scenes between characters.

There were parts of the book where I felt that it would have been better to give more background stories to the lives of secondary characters. Some external conflicts were introduced well but then sort of fizzled out. I would have preferred to see those parts more developed through the characters’ perspectives and dialogues instead of just being told what happened and when. But once again, the main focus of the story is on the relationship and that was written very well. I just felt that there should have been more balance in some chapters.

I liked the side characters as well. There was one mention of a character that never reappeared again. That I found a bit confusing. Perhaps, there was an intention of linking that character to others but it never happened.

I must give the author a special applause for introducing Greek mythology elements into the story and for the choice of main protagonists’ names. Most of the names are gender-neutral and very well reflect the ocean dwellers’ relationship to gender. The main protagonists Leo, Quin (Quinlan) and Callias are all queer but fall on different sides of gender and sexuality spectra. I really enjoyed reading the way the characters navigated the aspects of the polyamorous relationship. There is a lot of honest and open communication and validation in their dialogues which, I feel, a lot of people in real life should learn from.

Overall, the book met my expectations and I really enjoyed the cozy romantic atmosphere of it. Highly recommend for the fans of “In Deep Waters” by F.T. Lukens and “Out of the Blue” by Jason June.

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase the book here - https://raincloudwrites.com/

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