Review: Sea Witch Rising

ABL Review At-A-Glance

• Title:  Sea Witch Rising
• My Rating: 3.75
• Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy
• Author:  Sarah Henning
• Format:  eARC*
• Publication Date:  August 6, 2019

Compare To:

Synopsis

“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love. 

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds? 

Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption.

My Thoughts…

As you can see from above, this is book #2 of the Sea Witch Series by Sarah Henning.  I first want to address whether this book can be read as a standalone novel or if it should be a part of a series.  For me, this book does not work as a standalone novel simply because there is too much history.  All of the relevant facts and events are presented, but the reader would miss so much of the context that I don’t see how it could work.  Especially considering the dynamics of Anna and Evie’s relationship, small recaps placed throughout cannot do their relationship justice.

While I rated this book at aa 3.75, there were many, many things thatnI loved.  For instance, I enjoyed The Little Mermaid origin explanations.  At one point, the Evie is thrown into the dark sand of her cave.  After being confined to the depths of her prison for so long, the dark charcoal color of the ground has leeched into her skin making it grey.  The greyness goes do deep, she worries that it can never be removed.  As The Little Mermaid superfan, I think that is so cool. Sarah Henning also explored the reason the Sea Witch would need to take a voice and why she and the Sea King do not get along.  What seemed so simple in Disney’s version, turns out to be anything but.

The heroines of this story continue to be strong women, but with different personalities and different stories.  So, in that way, this is a very accurate portrayal of women.  To be a strong woman does not mean you are a specific type of woman.  You might be looking for love, and have the courage to risk it all in its pursuit.  You might face your worst fears to protect a sister and open your heart to someone new in the process.  You might find the strength to perform your duty to your family while satisfying your own conscience.   This is the beauty of writing strong, capable female stories, and why I love to read them.

Without giving away too much of the ending, I do feel like this installment lends itself to a third.  I’m not sure that the story is complete, because my questions about Evie haven’t been answered.  What happens to magic on land?  Will a mermaid ever find love with a human? 

What’s Missing

If a book falls short of a 5 star rating, I try to figure out why instead of leaving it to the whim of my feelings.  Sometimes, I am successful with this, sometimes I am not, but I will always try.

With Sea Witch Rising, I felt that the middle dragged a little.  I found myself forcing to read the full paragraphs of descriptions instead of skimming ahead to the action.  There were so many possible stories touched upon in this one book, that I didn’t feel particularly invested in a few of them. 

With the first book, I was glued to the ending, rooting for Evie and desperate for a happy ending.  For whatever reason, I did not feel the same level of concern for Runa and her compatriots. I wanted to them to succeed of course, but I didn’t know their backstory like I knew Evie’s.  I didn’t know their struggles, their lives, or their passions in the same way.

Conclusion

Still a really good book and very enjoyable, especially for those who read and enjoyed book #1.  I do hope that there is a third book just so that one mermaid can kiss (SPOILER) one human and get their true love, happily ever after.

* Special thanks to Sarah Henning, FFBC, and Katherine Tegen Books for providing a copy of Sea Witch Rising in exchange for an honest review.