Sea Witch (The Sea Witch, #1)

by Sarah Henning

The fairy tale you thought you knew…

The story of the Sea Witch, the villainess from Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale The Little Mermaid, told from the viewpoint of the Sea Witch when she was a twelve-year-old girl…

Evie has been wracked with guilt ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned. So when a girl appears on shore with an uncanny resemblance to Anna, Evie befriends her in an effort to make amends. And as the two girls catch the eyes – and hearts – of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at happy ever after. But is Evie’s new friend really who she says she is?

A gripping story of friendship, betrayal and the power of hope…

• ISBN13: 9780008300845
• Publish Date: 31 July 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 October 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: HarperCollins Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Angie]

YES!
+The Little Mermaid retelling!
+It's not from the mermaid's POV, which is interesting.
+Witches! And witch trials!
+An interesting twist.

NO!
-Is this Historical Fantasy? An alternate universe? It's unclear.
-Not very much going on during the first two-thirds.

[Amber]

I received Sea Witch as a review copy from Edelweiss. Obviously, these are my honest thoughts and feelings about the book. I also posted this review on my book blog if you'd like to check it out!

Sea Witch had a lot of potential, and I think with some fine-tuning it could have been really good. Unfortunately, I was all hyped up for a dark Ursula origin story, but this book turned out to be more of a romance that really dragged in the beginning.

I feel like Sea Witch really suffered from pacing issues, which is a shame because I think I would have enjoyed the plot if it had been better laid out. I really liked it when things picked up at the end, but that was the strongest point. It felt like there were a lot of scenes in the beginning that weren’t fleshed out enough, and therefore they were rushed, and there were also plot points that were dragged out for no reason. A more even pacing would have benefited this book massively.

That said, the ending got good. Like, really good. I’m almost considering reading the sequel, Sea Witch Rising, which came out on 6th August. I’m very intrigued by Evie’s character and where she could go next. Having said that, I’m not entirely sure where she could possibly be going next, considering the way this book ended. I think that’s the thing that is intriguing me the most, because I have no idea!

I really liked Evie’s character. Someone called her a Hufflepuff queen, and I have to agree. She’s sweet and loyal and all she wants is for her friends to be okay and to get along. Obviously, this is an Ursula origin story, so as you can imagine, not everything works out for her, but Evie doesn’t deserve any of that nonsense. I was rooting for her throughout this entire book.

The romance… I’m not really going to touch upon it but it was sweet, I guess? It’s very, very rare that I enjoy YA romance plots, so you’ll just have to forgive me for sliding over that one. It was cute, it had an emotional bit at the end, and I didn’t hate it.

While I feel Sea Witch is an average book, I think Henning has a lot of potential. So much so that I might read the sequel even though I’m only giving this book three stars. I think her writing will develop into something great, if the ending of this book is anything to go by!

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[HekArtemis]

To be honest I was a little bored for most of the book, wishing it were a little darker, a little less let's make doe eyes at princes. For a book called Sea Witch, there wasn't much in the way of witching.

But then it got to the final quarter and everything changed. Darkness, witching, mermaidiness, yay. I actually started to care a little about the characters, especially Evie and her dad. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the delicious ending that was finally actually becoming possible. And come it did, not as good as I wanted, but good enough to make up for the first 3/4 of the book.

So yeah, an average book with a great final quarter and a good but not great ending. It hit the "need more dark retellings" spot anyway.

[leahrosereads]

Oh man, this was ALMOST my favorite retelling I've read. So close. I just felt like it was missing something...an actual twist! Haha, the "twist" I guessed real fast.

However, I loved the characters individually and the plot. Thought it was all really good. I didn't love the interactions between the characters all the time since it didn't feel believable. But, when it's a retelling can it even be believable?

[Ace]

As the prequel to The Little Mermaid, I expected a lot of similarities and I wasn’t let down. That isn’t to say it was bad, in fact the book was an enjoyable easy read. Henning does a wonderful job of crafting the characters and their backstories to connect with the story we all know so well. Nik, the crown prince is slightly naive but hopelessly romantic who wants to believe the best of his friends, even knowing that he must one day marry for duty.

The book focuses on Evelyn (Evie) and her life as someone who is basically living above her status and is ridiculed by the rest of the small town that they live in. Despite that, the novel is historically accurate and it is obvious that Henning has done a lot of research into Denmark and it’s history for this novel which I appreciated.

Along side of Evie is Nik, Annemette a mermaid who has a startling similarity appearance to their dead friend Anna who drowned for years ago and Iver, Nik’s cousin, fellow Prince & Whaler. Annemette, much like in The Little Mermaid has four days to capture the true love of Nik or die.

Despite that, it suffers from slow moving plot especially in the beginning, love square (Nik/Evie, Iver/Evie, (Nik’s cousin) Evie/Annemette, Nik/Annemette) and ‘instant-love’ much like The Little Mermaid as the Prince and Anna have four days to fall in love.

The book picks up a lot in the last third (last 50-100 pages) and was absolutely captivating and sucked me in. Before that, while it was interesting, especially from a historical perspective it fell slightly flat.

Honestly I think my biggest problem is that I was expecting it to be a lot darker than it was given how villainous Ursula is in the movie. It could have also done without half of the romance lines.

I struggled a lot on what to rate this but the ending is what tipped it up to the 3 stars that I’ve given it.

[Quirky Cat]

Sea Witch is Sarah Henning’s first novel, though it does pick up on the trend of reimagining the world around fairytales and their characters. I personally can’t get enough of that, so it’s fine by me. That being said – Sarah Henning absolutely blew me away with this book. So if you’re sitting there debating on whether or not you want to read another rendition of the Little Mermaid/Ursula’s tale…give it a try.
I have to take a minute to gush about this cover though. Honestly, I know I say this a lot, but the cover was the reason I stopped scrolling and stopped to read the description. It is absolutely striking, and without a doubt one of my favorite covers for the year. I almost don’t want to put the book on my shelf, since that would hide the cover…




I knew going into this book that it’d be a spin on Ursula, so right away I found myself trying to guess which character was which, comparing the characters in the book to the tale I know so well. I have to say, Henning did a wonderful job of keeping balance. There are elements of the original version, the Disney version, and her own all blended together. I couldn’t have asked for more.
Evie was such a sympathetic character, it was next to impossible to avoid getting attached to her. Even when you could see her making foolish mistakes, it was difficult to judge her for them - though I did cringe my way through a scene or two. It was hard not to – I would have loved to be in the book and have stopped her from making those mistakes.
But that’s just it – that proved how invested I was in the book, doesn’t it? I hadn’t expected to care so much for the characters, or the events going on, but I did. I couldn’t help it.
I loved all the unique twists and turns that were added to Sea Witch. I honestly never would have guessed the ending, which was oddly refreshing. I’m happy with that, and I’m also happy with some of the revelations made about mermaids in general. It fit oddly well with some of the original mythologies involving mermaids.
Along with magic, intrigue, and deception, there’s also a fair amount of romance. So really, there’s a little something for everyone in this tale. It’s also a fairly fast paced story, with almost no dragging along with the plot. There were a couple of points I wouldn’t have minded some more details, but on the whole I’m content with what I was given.
I looked up what Sarah Henning is coming out with next, in hopes that it would be another reimagining tale, but that isn’t the case. I’ll confess the book, Fight Like a Girl, still looks interesting…but I was hoping for more of the same vein as this, because she’s clearly very talented with it. Perhaps in the next book we’ll see another fairy tale or princess?

[emruth13]

I loved this book so much! I loved the Little Mermaid retelling and how Ursula came to be at the end. I liked the flashbacks that later became another POV. I love the twist of what was really going on. It was such an enjoyable read.

[Baroness Book Trove]

Can Evelyn have her happily ever after and a best friend too?

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning was a page-turner. The story is so original and I adored it. Mrs. Henning has woven an excellent book creating the villain origin story for The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. Not so much Disney but the original tale from Denmark itself. The main character is fantastic, and I loved the plot for the whole story. It was great to see what a fabulous tale the author created.

The Main Character:

The main character in this book is named Evelyn (Evie to her friends) who has always lived in the Oresund Strait with her mom, dad, and maternal aunt. Evie is the main point of view character, and Evie isn’t the person that I would initially think would look like the Sea Witch. I like the fact that she went from being human to what resembles Ursula in the Disney version of The Little Mermaid. I can relate to Evie, well except for the witch part, but I understand the not fitting in part. We learn about her throughout the story, and I like how she grows throughout the story.

The things that I like about Evelyn is that she knows that she doesn’t fit in with anyone there, but she doesn’t let that stop her from making friends and genuinely like them. The friends that she does have are above Evie's station in life, but she doesn’t care about that. She is also trying to do everything she can to live a good life. Evie is a lovely person and is a pretty strong person on a boat.

The things that I dislike about Evelyn is the fact that she is trying to help Annemette. Even though, Annemette mistreats Evie. Another thing that I disliked about Evie is that she doesn’t fight back against bullies. I mean I get that back then it probably wouldn’t matter if she had fought back. She doesn’t understand why the girls don’t like her and are jealous of her friendship with Niklas, the Prince, of the story.

The Friends

Evie has a total of four friends in this story that aren’t her family. However, Evie's family is there for her when she needs them.

Her first friend is Anna who died before the story started. Anna from with what we know throughout the book was a great person. Anna is remembered fondly as the best friend of Niklas and Evie.

Niklas is a prince of their land. He is a great friend to Evie even though, she is beneath his station and he should have grown out of their friendship. He is also great at hiding things.

Nik’s cousin Iker who is the prince from across the Strait. Iker is a pretty strange character throughout the book. He is first and foremost a prince and the cousin to Nik and is always on display for everyone. He is probably not the right person to fall in love with either, as he is considered a player.

The last is Annemette a new person that shows up out of nowhere. Although, Annemette is the new friend she looks amazingly like Anna. Evie has a hard time not believing that she is Anna. So, Evie is trying to help Annemette even if it’s not a good idea to do that at all.

The last three of these four characters grow throughout the book, and they don't always choose the right path.

The Villain

I can’t exactly say who the villain is since that will be a total spoiler. We all know that I hate spoiling things for any new readers for this book. I ca n’t tell you who the villain is, but I can say it’s not Evie. You will have to read the book to find out.

Five Stars

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning was a great read. It kept me guessing on every page. I like that the author added in some Norse words and actual Danish words as well. Granted pronouncing those words were hard and I ended up skipping them so that I could continue to read. I am giving this book five stars however despite some words giving me a hard time. I truly wanted to learn more about Evie in this book. I kept on thinking about the story consistently, even in my dreams. I highly recommend the Sea Witch. It is an outstanding book.

Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by



 

 

 

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Jo]

Originally published on Once Upon a Bookcase.

By now, it will be no surprise that I love The Little Mermaid, and want to read all of the retellings. I have wanted to read Sea Witch for Sarah Henning for years, since the time it had a different title, and it's publication date was pushed back. I have been patiently waiting for this book the whole time, and my god, Sea Witch was worth the wait!

Four years ago, Evie and Prince Niklas' friend Anna drowned at sea, and they have missed her every day since. Evie tried to use the magic in her blood, inherited from her mother, to save her friend, but to no avail. When, on Niklas' 16th Birthday, there is a storm that knocks Niklas off his ship, only Evie noticed who saves him: a girl with the tail of a fish - with a face remarkably similar to that of her long dead friend. Evie doesn't believe in mermaids, but she can't deny what she saw, nor can she shake how familiar her face was. When a girl on two legs appears weeks later, asking for help, with the same face, Evie confronts her about who she is. She is Annemette, and she is the mermaid she saw. Annemette has fallen for Prince Niklas, and given up her life under the sea to be with him - but she only has four days to make him fall in love with her, or she will turn to sea foam. Annemette tells Evie that she has only ever been Annemette, but her likeness to Anna is uncanny, and Evie has convinced herself that her magic did work that day. Desperate to save her friend this time round, Evie swears to do all she can to help Annemette, using her magic in any way she can. She won't lose her again. But you can't force a boy to fall in love, and there's only so much magic can do...

Oh my god, I absolutely loved this story! As the title suggests, it's the origin story of the sea witch from The Little Mermaid, of how Evie goes from being a human teenager with magic, to the most feared under the sea. It's a prequel story to The Little Mermaid, but one that, in ways, is almost identical to the original; there is a mermaid who becomes human because she loves a prince she saved from a storm, and only has so long to make him fall in love with her before she dies. Very, very similar. Until the end, I thought this was a different take on a retelling; an origin story that took place at the same time as the original, rather than a prequel - what if the Sea Witch was originally friends with the mermaid and tried to help her, and in helping her became the Sea Witch? And while that is what happens in this story, while Annemette is a mermaid, she isn't the little mermaid of the story we know. There is more than one mermaid in the sea.

I loved how this story was steeped in history. Sea Witch is, awesomely, set in Denmark, and Evie comes from a long line of witches, harking back to Burning Times witch hunts of the 17th century, when King Christian IV of Denmark was responsible for ordering people burned as witches. He had Maren Spliid burned at the stake just outside Ribe, who, in Sea Witch, is who Evie is descended from. Sankt Hans Aften is a celebration that happens before Lithasblot, a festival to honour the goddess Urdu, in which people burn effigy witch dolls into a bonfire - a celebration Evie must take part in to avoid suspicion, but a celebration that turns her stomach. Celebrating burning people like her, her people, her ancestors, knowing she would get the same treatment if anyone knew of her magic. The fact that real history makes up the backdrop to this story made it so much more credible, but also considering how horrifying that history is, it makes you really feel for Evie, and how she has to hide who she really is. But it also shows the danger Evie risks in trying to help Annemette.

And the danger is real. Not just because witchcraft is so abhorred, but because she herself is disliked by most of her town. She is working class, the daughter of the Royal Fisherman, and it's her father's position, and how her aunt - who is also a witch - has saved the King's life many times, that allows her friendship with a prince. But everyone thinks she's reaching above her station, that she's got too big for her boots, and needs to be knocked down a peg or two. She is constantly judged, even though her friendship with Niklas is simply that, and she has no intentions of becoming his princess. Any excuse would be enough for the whole town to turn on her, so she must never tell a soul of her magic. Not even Niklas.

Evie is a fantastic character. She cares about Annemette, whether or not she's Anna or not, though as the story goes on, she becomes more certain that she is. And the prince Annemette is in love with is Niklas, her own best friend. She truly believes they will be happy together, because of how Niklas looks at and treats her. She herself is in love with Niklas' cousin, Prince Iker, who has finally noticed that she's a beautiful girl, and things just seem kind of perfect - Niklas and Annemette, Iker and Evie. But despite how Niklas looks at Annemette, time is running out fast, and he's yet to kiss her - only true love's kiss will keep Annemette alive. Determined not to lose Anna again, Evie starts experimenting with her magic, to try to find an alternative way to keep Annemette alive.

It's such a clever, clever story! There's so much more going on than we realise until later, a twist that I did not see coming at all. It's bloody incredible! We get flashback scenes at the end of some chapters, and so, towards the end, we know the way things are heading before Evie does, and it's awful watching things unfold, knowing what's going to happen, and being powerless to do anything about it. It's so intricate as well, all the choices the four characters make that, one after the other, one on top of the other, that lead to this story, how things could have turned out so differently if people had made other choices. Or how others viewed those choices, and what they determined those choices meant.

Sea Witch isn't perfect, though. This is the second The Little Mermaid retelling published this year that lulls once the mermaid is human. In the big scheme of things, nothing much happens when Annemette is human, apart from the four spending time together, or separately in couples, during Lithasblot. Niklas, being the heir to the thrown and now of age, has more ceremonial duties to perform during the festival, and the festival itself is interesting, but nothing major really takes place. It does slow down a little. And although I now know, having finished the book, that things definitely are happening in those moments, we just don't realise it, I still think those elements could take place during something a little more exciting. But the characters themselves are awesome, and getting to know them better was enjoyable even if not much is happening.

And the story as a whole really makes up for the lull in the middle. Seriously, that ending is incredible! I didn't see it coming at all, but oooh, is it good! I do wish there was a little more explanation of how magic works so I could better understand why what happens, happens. But even so, it was just brilliant! I would highly recommend this villain origin story to all fans of The Little Mermaid! It's just amazing!

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books via NetGalley for the eProof.

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

“I am a witch. I am and I always will be. The magic is in me and it is enough.”

Things I Liked:

✑ A unique Little Mermaid retelling that's more of an Ursula origin story, and I am all here for that
✑ Witches = 💛
✑ Beautifully atmospheric writing with lots of interesting history woven in
✑ Childhood friends-to-lovers trope!
✑ Unexpected betrayal → the author knows what we are expecting from this well-known fairy tale and she uses that to her advantage. She turns things around in a surprising and fresh way

Things I Liked... Less:

✑ All the romances feel hollow
✑ The plot meanders and lacks urgency (very slow and deliberate pacing)
✑ Feels more like a slice-of-life story for a good portion of the book
✑ The ending was stretched out for too long. It could have ended sooner (and might have been more impactful that way)

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