Wicked meets “The Little Mermaid” in the captivating origin story of the sea’s most iconic villainess, perfect for fans of Heartless and Dorothy Must Die.Ever since her best friend Anna died, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. Hiding her talents, mourning her loss, drowning in her guilt.Then a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears on the shore, and the two girls catch … an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears on the shore, and the two girls catch the eyes of two charming princes. Suddenly Evie feels like she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.
But magic isn’t kind, and her new friend harbors secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad—or on two legs—without Evie’s help. And when Evie reaches deep into the power of her magic to save her friend’s humanity—and her prince’s heart—she discovers, too late, what she’s bargained away.
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This book reminded me of the magic inherently present in the best kinds of stories. Mystery and wonder abounds in SEA WITCH, and I fell in love with Evie’s sharpness and her strong sense of self. Prepare to be lost in these pages for hours on end.
All hail a new Queen of the Sea! Mystery, romance and revenge sweep you in — and there is magic on every page.
I loved the story telling. Sarah Henning set the novel in Denmark where it was from originally. She brought to life the Danish coast, and a fishing village rich in customs. There were moments that were so vivid, and I loved the fresh take on a classic fairy tale.
There wasn’t a happily ever after. I really wanted to see her with the crown prince & show those snobs that their love is more powerful. But, I guess I should have expected it. I kept looking at the cover and wondering where the famous sea witch was, and she was Evie.
The sea witch is usually the villain but in her own story she wasn’t. I liked Evie and I felt sorry for her fate. I’ll have to read book 2, Sea Witch Rising, to see if things improve for her.
Henning’s dive into Little Mermaid lore is equal parts dark and tantalizing. Like the sea it sings of, this story has a strong pull. I found myself unable to set it down!
I’m picky about fairytale retellings (especially of the young adult genre) so I wasn’t sure I would like this. Sea Witch did not disappoint and kept me listening (audiobook) long into the night. It has the original, dark Scandinavian feel that always pulls me in (of course that may be because I’m half German and grew up on the dark fairytales).
The whole story is nothing like I’ve ever seen in a fairy tale re-telling. I didn’t see the big plot twist coming or who the main character actually was until the end which I really like.
It is a quick read/listen, only 8 hours, so I was able to finish it in a couple days. I borrowed the audiobook from Overdrive. I will definitely be reading the sequel. Happy reading!
I was looking forward to reading this one…
The prologue is captivating.
Then it falls flat. The flashbacks don’t add to the story as they should – instead of building tension about the how’s and why’s of Anna’s death, it just irritates as one tries to figure out Evie in the present.
As for the love story… It has no substance. Evie has more of a connection to the sea than the boy she’s supposedly been in love with for years.
Geography isn’t my strong suit, and this is fiction, but how can one family rule Denmark and Sweden at the same time? And how did Evie’s parents meet (her father is supposedly Italian) and why does she have a British name her mother had fallen in love with in Brighton if they are simple fishermen?
Which brings us to Evie’s friendship with the crown prince: why would he be allowed to even come near a girl of such lowly status?
And then the mermaid appears. Evie immediately shares secrets with her – secrets that would see her burned in her little village. Nik immediately falls in love with her. Seriously? Evie gets jealous: over Nik liking the mermaid or because the mermaid likes Nik? Illogical.
The world building is illogical – in a time of steamboats, why would each “town” have their own royal family (Havenstad, Copenhagen, etc.), Nik’s family go from ruling two countries hundreds of kilometres apart to only ruling this one small fishing village (why would a fishing village have a royal family?), and why would a prince mix with commoners (in any time)?
Gorgeous cover. Great prologue. Disappointing read. I couldn’t read past chapter ten. There was nothing that hooked me to continue reading.
DNF.
First of all, I love this cover. I think it fits a sea witch retelling wonderfully. Secondly, I am left distressed by the conclusion and will need to read the sequel soon.
I expected Evie to be unlikeable and unapproachable, deserving of the Ursula feelings I have from childhood. I am sad for Evie and her good heart. I’m hoping that the next book allows for her redemption and happiness. I don’t know why I hoped for her HEA, but I blame Sarah for garnering my sympathy for a well-known villain.
The prose is well written and the narration is great. I really like the way Sarah built the story around flashbacks. It allows for greater anticipation and understanding.
Even though the book is based on a classic story, the re-telling is imaginative and original enough that the reader can’t be certain how things will play out. It was a fun read and I particularly liked the ending.
Sarah Henning created a whopper of a world with Sea Witch. The picturesque setting made it feel as if I was there with them. I love fairytale retellings. Sea Witch captured a new side of The Little Mermaid as I’ve never seen before.
Sea Witch kept me guessing until the very end! Very well done.
Excellent retelling of The Little Mermaid, from the POV of the villain of that tale, the Sea Witch. In her backstory, the Sea Witch is a mortal girl with witchy powers, whose tragedy is that she is only trying to save those she loves. Unfortunately, every step she takes to save one kills or wounds another. The ending is completely unexpected!
I’m conflicted over this one. I have to say I wasn’t all that invested in the story and never really got into the story fully. It didn’t get interesting until the very end. I’m not really sure why I didn’t feel all that much for this book. Maybe not enough was going on for me and I really didn’t understand the plot. Even when I got to the end and it got a little better, I felt it came a little too late, and the turn the story took was kind out of the blue. I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t get into it.