Sea Witch by Sarah Henning is definitely a book to add to your TBR this summer. I’m not normally a big fan of mermaids, but when I heard that there was a book about Ursula’s origin story, I had to check it out. Sea Witch did not disappoint me, and I enjoyed the main character’s rise to evil. There is also some beautiful writing in this book, and I would definitely recommend it.
Title: Sea WitchSeries: Sea Witch #1
Author: Sarah Henning
Also by this author: It's All in How You Fall
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Rating:
Series Rating:
Everyone knows what happens in the end.
A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss.
But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends.
One feared, one royal, and one already dead.~~~~~~~~~~
Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.
A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.
But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.
The rise of Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic villainess is a heart-wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, and a girl pushed beyond her limits—to become a monster.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
This book is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but it focuses on the villain’s origin story. I love a good villain, and I was excited to pick this one up and get into Evie’s head. There are certain elements that are familiar from the original story, but there are also many fresh ideas, which is exactly what I like to see in fantasy retellings. I enjoyed the theme of friendship throughout the book, and it is nice to see the villain live a pretty normal life. There are some interesting twists in the story, although I did find them a bit predictable, but overall, this book captivated my interest.
❀ A Likeable Villain
I enjoyed Evie’s narration in the book. She is a witch, and witches are burned in her society, so she must hide her abilities. Evie actually seems pretty normal throughout the story, which is what I was hoping for, and I found myself sympathizing with her since she is from a lower class. As I was reading, I was hooked wondering what would push her over the edge and turn her evil. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that by the end of the book, it makes sense why she becomes a villain.
❀ Descriptive and Vivid
One thing that stood out to me while I was reading was the writing style. The book is written in a very descriptive manner, and everything seems so vivid. The world is also developed, and I found the Denmark setting so unique. The aspects such as cultural traditions and festivals really made the story believable. The literary style of the book surprised me, and I would say it captures the essence of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale very well.
❀ A Villain Origin Story
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning is a villain origin story of the renowned sea witch, Ursula. I enjoyed the main character’s seemingly normal lifestyle and the descriptive writing style. If you are a fan of The Little Mermaid, I would definitely recommend this original take on the story.
About Sarah Henning
Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, novice New Yorker, & professional bibliophile.
The book sounds AMAZING
Fantastic review! <3 I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this book so much – I have heard great things about it overall and I'm kind of interested in that villain origin story. I'm not usually a fan of mermaids things, well, I haven't read loads of these, but after loving To Kill A Kingdom so much, I'm definitely ready to read more retellings like that 🙂 I'm so happy you found the writing so great, too 😀
Marie recently posted…Review: Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo
It is such a fantastic book! I hope that you do enjoy it if you give it a try. 🙂
I am a big fan of The Little Mermaid, so I’m excited about an Ursula origin story! I didn’t realize this story took place in Denmark – I’m glad to hear the setting was well-developed!
Angela recently posted…Backlist Fiction/Nonfiction Mini-Reviews: The Royal Edition
It is a really cool story! I think that you might enjoy it. 🙂
Great review! I’ve heard mixed reviews about this book but I’m glad to hear that you loved it. I haven’t read it yet but I might give it a shot because I love mermaids.
Raven recently posted…Kiss of the Royal By Lindsey Duga [Review]
Great review! My excitement for this book just got higher. 😀
I’m glad you enjoyed this one! I also found some of the things a little predictable and, I’ll admit, I didn’t see Evie as a villain. I also really enjoyed the writing style! Great review!
Tracy @ Cornerfolds recently posted…Book Review: The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson
Sounds like such a unique book! My daughter was in a play where she was one of Ursula’s eels — I should get her this book so she can compare it to the “original” story!
Dianna recently posted…Elmer’s Glow in the Dark Glue for back to school, literature notebooks, slime #Giveaway @elmers
That would be a really interesting way to compare a book! 🙂
The Little Mermaid was my time! I remember that story from my childhood, and love it.. i am super interested in this retelling, especially learning more about the awful Ursula. i love that you loved it!
I love a great villain! 😉
AAAHHH This book is one of my anticipated reads! It sounds amazing!
Yay!! I hope that you love it, too! 🙂
I’ve been hearing a lot about this book lately. This is one of the books I’d like to read someday… but my TBR keeps piling up!
Brooke Lorren recently posted…July Monthly Wrap-Up
Well, I hope that when you get a chance to read it that you love it! 🙂
I just finished reading To Kill a Kingdom and I am ready for more YA set under the sea! We get a lot of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast retellings, but there aren’t many spin-offs of The Little Mermaid (at least not in my experiences). I also love that we are getting Ursula’s side of the story, seeing everything from a different perspective. It reminds me a lot of the concept behind Fairest by Marissa Meyer, creating sympathy for the devil and complicating a classic story. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed this one since it has been on my TBR for a while. Hopefully it lives up to the hype for me too!
Tessa recently posted…It’s the Little Things in Life | July 2018 Wrap-Up
I totally agree! I hope that you love it as well! 🙂
Lovely review ♥♥♥♥♥ I loved the book
I’ve heard great thing about this one and To Kill A Kingdom. I can’t wait to read both of them. They are on my priority list. Loved your review! I can’t wait to read this!
Mary
I hope that you love it as much as I did! 🙂
This sounds like a fantastic read. Great cover.