Storm and Sea | Queer Mermaid? Book Review

This review might be a bit chaotic, but so was the book yet somehow, I still had a good time.

Title: Storm and Sea

Author: Tereza Kane

Genre: mm fantasy romance

Ages: NA

Volumes: 1/? (book 2 is already underway)

Release: April 6th, 2025

Order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Atreus has carved out a quiet, stable life among humans on the island of Baia Vita, earning their respect while hiding a dangerous truth: he is Mer. Exiled by his own people for the color of his scales, he has learned to navigate life as an outsider, finding solace in the rhythms of the fishing village. But his fragile peace is shattered when Nyel, a naïve and determined runaway Mer fleeing the suffocating traditions of his home, lands on the island.

Nyel’s arrival disrupts everything Atreus has built. Though they clash at first, their growing friendship—and the flicker of something more—forces both men to confront the prejudices and traditions that shaped them. But their personal struggles are interrupted when a powerful criminal family begins stripping Baia Vita’s bay of fish, threatening the village’s survival. As starvation looms, Atreus and Nyel must join forces to save the humans they’ve both come to care for. Yet, with their secrets on the verge of exposure, they must tread carefully. After all, the very people they hope to protect might destroy them first.

Storm and Sea is a heart-wrenching novel by Tereza Kane. If you enjoy found family, mythical creatures, and LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy, you’ll love this captivating tale of acceptance, betrayal, and finding a home in the unlikeliest people.

a new take on mermen?

I’ve never seen Disney’s Luca, but after some sleuthing, it looks like this is being marketed as a queer reimagining of it. So when I read, ‘Atreus retained all four limbs upon transformation but gained a powerful tail…‘ I was like, okay—that’s new.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the beautiful cover art—and honestly, if I’d taken a second to look at the artwork on the back, I probably would’ve had a much easier time picturing what the mer looked like. Lol, my bad.

This book had its fair share of issues, but overall, it was pretty charming. Once I let go of trying to make sense of the mermaid physics—like how exactly you’re supposed to set a table underwater—I found myself enjoying it a lot more

^^definitely check out this artist’s work on insta it is gorgeous omg.

Characters

I actually quite enjoyed most of the characters in this. Nyel was definitely my least favorite as he was the most insufferable/ignorant but it suits his character so it wasn’t such as huge deal for me. While Atreus and Nyel were the main focus, the other characters and their relationships actually got a decent amount of ‘screentime’ too, which I’m not sure was the right move.

My biggest gripe? Leo and Atreus were meant to be best friends for years, but they were just painfully lukewarm towards each other. Atreus honestly acted like he couldn’t care less about Leo?

Plot/Pacing

The pacing was kind of all over the place. I don’t usually read a lot of multiple POV books, and this one felt like it had a million. A lot of the time, it was just the same scene repeated from different perspectives, which made things drag.

As for the plot, it honestly gave me All for the Game vibes—but instead of college athletes dealing with the Yakuza, it was mers dealing with the mob? The mob plotline wasn’t fully fleshed out yet (I’m guessing that’s being saved for the next book), but the sudden shift was a bit jarring. There were just so many heavy issues flying around, and nearly every character had a tragic or abusive backstory. Also, I found myself second-guessing who was supposed to end up with whom for a chapter or two. I’m almost 100% convinced the author is a fan of the aftg series.

The author could’ve kept the mob storyline but removed the whole ‘pet’ subplot and just made the mob boss money-hungry instead of a sexual predator.

Thus, this definitely toed the line of fanfiction at first and then kind of went full-on towards the end, with all the trauma and hurt/comfort tropes happening. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it—I did, just wasn’t expecting it.

worldbuilding/setting

This is where I think the book struggled the most but also did its best? There were so many charming elements about the island and the different mer communities. But here’s the thing—the book was supposedly set in the 1960s or 70s (I think? The ARC’s already gone from my library, so I can’t check). Yet, the dialogue and characters felt very modern.

writing

I actually didn’t have any major issues with the writing. Aside from the above issues, I was pleasantly surprised by how it was written.

in conclusion

This book was kind of absurd, but I also didn’t mind it? If I saw a special edition with illustrations—especially if they were by the same artist who did the cover—I’d definitely be picking it up.

tldr: lots of issues but still enjoyable overall. I’d recommend it if you like slow burns, lots of hurt with your comfort, and a fanfiction-esque merman story. Lol.