Sea Witch

By Sarah Henning

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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9780062438812

Sarah Henning

Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for The Palm Beach Post, The Kansas City Star, Associated Press, and more. She is the author of Sea Witch, The Princess Will Save You, Throw Like a Girl, and Monster Camp, among others. 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. Visit her at SarahHenningWrites.com.

Reviews for Sea Witch

[pinkpurlandprose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My thanks to Edelweiss, Katherine Teigen Books, Harper Collins Canada and Sarah Henning for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.I fell in love with this story. There is nothing that I look forward to more than a good retelling of an old tale. And is there anything older than sea? This is the prequel to “The Little Mermaid” and tells the story of how the sea witch (dubbed Ursula in the Disney version) came to be. How wonderful, when an author can create an original backstory for a character that has always been one dimensional. How the villain became the villain. We get a chance to see the history of this character and discover what might have made them evil. It’s like looking through history with a different lens, you recognize the events but there is a new perspective. I recently read another one of these retellings about Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, but I enjoyed “Sea Witch” so much more. The story was far more entertaining, the arc more exciting, the characters more enticing and overall it was more delightful.The tale takes place in Denmark, when kings and queens ruled. Setting it in a land far away adds an extra layer of mystery and charm and introduces new customs and traditions to the reader. Told by Evelyn, the story focuses on three best friends who grow up in this small fishing village. Nik is a prince who will one day take over from his father. He is at the age where he must leave his childhood behind and learn to step into his new role. Evelyn comes from a poor family with no title. Her aunt saved the king’s life and that has given her family special status. It has allowed Evelyn to have a close relationship with Nik, despite their social status. This has caused people in town to think Evie is trying to rise above her station. Magic is forbidden and anyone practising witchcraft will be put to death. Evie can feel the magic pulsing in her and has been practising, in secret, testing out her new powers. Anna, a blond eyed beauty and a titled lady, begins to fall in love with Nik. One day while the three are hanging out there is an accident and Anna drowns. Evie feels responsible for Anna’s death and Nik tried to save Anna, but failed. Her death has had a huge impact on their lives. That is the backdrop and I don’t want to reveal any more because it might spoil the tale. Better to experience things as they unfold. There are all the usual tropes you would expect. A parent dies, a prince is in peril, a Queen disapproves, forbidden love, the temptation of magic, townspeople against a misunderstood girl, and mermaids, but in Henning’s hands it feels fresh and new. The suspense is created by sprinkling chapters throughout the main story that start four years prior. Each one of these chapters builds until it catches up in time to the story being told. There are strong female characters, with the men taking a back seat. But know that this is not a romance novel. The love stories are not developed. The entry point is that they are already established and you have to go with it. If you are expecting it to have a romantic build up where you fall in love with the couple as the story is taking place, this is not that story. It didn’t personally bother me but I know other people found this problematic. I just accepted that Evie loved Iker and didn’t really need the “falling in love” narrative. It is about friendship but Anna is dead from the beginning of the story so that leaves a major part under developed. We only get Evie’s perspective so we don’t really know how Anna felt about the threesome. The historical information is very detailed but hit and miss on accuracy. I was checking on Google and some stuff was factual and other stuff completely made up. Don’t use foreign words if they don’t mean anything - too confusing! I would have loved more magic interwoven in the story, or maybe just more prominent a role. The writing was good but I found that there were too many run on sentences, with flowery detail, that wasn’t relevant and didn’t add to the story in any significant way. In fact, it detracted from the story and it gave a more juvenile feel to the whole thing. I tended to skim over those parts because overall I was enjoying the story. Although I believe it can still be categorized as YA, I think older, more sophisticated readers won’t enjoy it as much. One thing I love to do as a teacher is to have kids step into the shoes of someone and try and see things from their perspectives. Get all the facts before you form your opinion. One of the best ways to do that is with a fairy tale. Give a voice to all the characters in the story that we really don’t know anything about. It can open up minds, create empathy and understanding. “Sea Witch” will be great fodder in my classroom!

[kerilynned · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, what a creative story! I love the different twists, while I had a hunch it definitely wasn't too obvious. It had a good pace and the characters are really likable. It is easy to root for Evie and to be suspicious of others. The ending was a little sad which was to be expected but I love the different elements from similar stories and the added suspense was refreshing! I'll definitely read more from this author!

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

SEA WITCH is an entertaining historical fantasy. It is set somewhere in Sweden or Denmark and it tells the story of friends and loss and revenge.Evie is a fisherman's daughter who has grown up with the Crown Prince Nik. When they were children, Evie, Nik, and their friend Anna were inseparable. But when the girls were eleven Anna drowns as the result of a dare. Nik and Evie go through a time of grieving but are still best friends.Witchcraft is forbidden in their land of Havnstad and Evie has a secret. She comes from a long line of witches and she is one too. Once when Evie was hurt saving Nik from a dangerous accident, her mother did a spell that exchanged her life for her daughter's. Since then Evie has been determined to learn magic to help others. She tried a spell to save Anna when she was drowning but she failed and the spell had unexpected consequences too. Ever since, sea life which was once abundant has grown scarce which threatens everyone's livelihood. Evie has developed another secret spell for the fishing boats to make the harvests successful. One day a sudden storm comes up which washes Nik overboard. He is rescued by a strange girl who shows a mermaid's tail. A few days later the girl comes to shore with regular human legs. She says her name is Annemette. She is also the very image of Anna who drowned four years earlier. She convinces Evie to help her remain human. The catch is that Nik will have to declare his love for her in only four days if she wants to keep her humanity. Luckily, it is the annual harvest festival and there are plenty of opportunities for them to find romance.However, Annemette has a plan that she hasn't told Evie about and that plan will bring nothing but disaster.I enjoyed this story. I liked the rich descriptive language. I liked the fairy tale feel. I liked the relationship between Nik and Evie. I even liked the unexpected ending.

[vishae-330728 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Maybe it was because it is a retelling but I just felt dread the entire time I was listening to this. I just kept waiting for everything to hit the fan. This is not a pleasant feeling to experience while reading a book. Also, the narrator grated on me at the start when she kept whisper-yell her lines. But over time I either got used to it or she improved and her narration was fine.

[catherinemilos · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not the book I hoped for, but beautiful, lyrical. Slow burn story with themes of friendship, heartache, love, magic, and the sea.

[noeshia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a bittersweet twist on The Little Mermaid!
1. I love the heart in our main character. She's unwavering in her caring, even when people have bad motives and I can get that. It's her folly and her strength.
2. That ending.
3. Sea magic.
4. Set in a Norse setting? YES.
Overall, this was a good one.

[Kayla Clevenger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fantastic retelling of TLM. Loved the backstory and the Dutch culture encorporated. Really good, quick read.

[mrnattania72 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was slow start, even after the first death. But man,what a great twist. After ,I'm sure I'm not alone, knowing the original and the santized Disney version, I kept thinking and guessing how this would play out. I was wrong.
I met Sarah Henning at a DC signing if this but I'll,she gave no spoilers,but u did use rich culture from the Danes and it was throughout the story,which did add a little authenticity to her version of the Sea, a Prince, a Little Mermaid and the Sea Witch.

[shannon.allen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read quite a few different versions of TLM and this had the best back story.

I'm a fan of well written mermaid stories, especially different versions of Hans Christian Anderson's origion The Little Mermaid. A well written back story combined with a good cover story when there is any cross between the sea and the land is a must. I also need more to characters than surface descriptions and bubblegum love.

In this book, the back stories for the female main characters were well fleshed out by the end of the book (including epilogue). The male main characters were left lacking. I was confused by the behavior of the cousin on a few accounts. The prince stayed mostly in line with his character, but he was quite obtuse when it came to things going on in front of his face.

I will listen to this book again, as well as find a copy to read. I was drawn in by a title about a sea witch with reviews and discussion of a mermaid. I couldn't understand where the witch would possibly come from in the entire story as I listened to this dedicated friend miss someone she loved and find someone she felt she needed to save. Then it hit me somewhere at the end, just before it was said explicitly, and I felt like I should have stopped doubting myself when I questioned it hours ago. I wish it had been more of a mystery. That and finding out about the girl from the island with the chaperone and many trunks are two questions I have that won't spoil things.

[holly1204 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

New variation of the little mermaid focused on the "Ursela" storyline. How she became the most feared witch of the sea.

[spiritedstardust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok - the story was great but I am mad at the following:

If Nik just had the guts to actually tell her that he loved her before all this drama then none of this drama would have happened and maybe her and Nik could have had a happily ever after.
I really can’t stand these cowardly princes who would rather keep their crown and parents happy then be with the women they love who love them in return - is specially when said women choose to sacrifice their lives to save these princes.
Also, Anne’s revenge was not justified- they tried to save you but they’re only human, get over yourself.

[ltl1red · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I totally LOVED!!! this book! It keeps you interested and doesn't read like other Little Mermaid book I've read. The audio book takes the story to another level with the talent of the reader! Great voice and read it beautifully!!! I can't wait for the next book to come out to see where Sara Hennings takes the story too!!!