This novel is the origin story of Ursula, the Evil Witch in The Little Mermaid, and how she became the way she is. I was really excited when I saw the blurb of this novel, I love The Little Mermaid and I love fairytale retellings/origin stories, so I was super excited to see I had been approved for a copy! Also the cover of this novel is incredible, I've seen it in the flesh in store and it's absolutely stunning, the colour palette used and the imagery are beautiful!
Overall the plot of the novel is good, although I feel that the author could've sped up the pacing of the novel. The first 70% or so is very slow paced and the novel meanders along. When we reach the climax of the novel in the last 30% it speeds up so much it seems like the plot is going in fast forward, the difference between the two parts is so extreme. This dramatic change of pace is quite jarring to read, this could've been smoothed over slightly which wouldn't have left the novel feeling like two separate parts. 
The characters were a little disappointing to me, neither of the male love interests Nik or Iker were very well developed at all, both were almost interchangeable they were so alike. This meant that all the relationships felt weird and strained and fake, and all of the 'love' seemed to just materialise out of thin air. I didn't think the female characters were actually much better, they also weren't fully developed, and made weird decisions that seemed very out of character. This also meant I didn't really grow attached to anyone, the end of the novel could've been really heartbreaking, but honestly I wasn't attached enough to anyone to really care! However, despite this they were still fun characters to read about, and the relationships were safe and cosy even if they didn't seem to based on anything. Also because I wasn't that attached it was a nice easy, light read which didn't involve any effort from me.
This novel is set in Denmark in a small fishing town, and I absolutely loved this setting! I loved the research the author has put into the traditions and specific nuances of the time and place, and she really brings the setting alive with her writing. 
Overall I enjoyed this novel. It didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was interesting to see how the author created Ursula's origins and the setting was beautiful to read!

I adored this story so very much, it was amazing to have an origin story for one of the best villains in Disney culture. I loved how dark and atmosoheric this story was.

*I was provided with an ARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is going to be a difficult one to review as I had so many conflicting feelings about it. There were bits that I absolutely loved and bits that just didn’t work for me. First of all I genuinely liked most of the characters in this book, so I can’t really complain about that aspect. However the main character Evie, was a bit naive at times in dealing with Annemette, which was frustrating. But I guess you would be willing to overlook anything if a girl showed up, who looked exactly like your dead best friend.

The standout characters for me were Nik and Tante Hansa, I fell in love with both of them. Tante Hansa was so magical and mysterious, the perfect grouchy yet caring old witchy woman. And Nik was such a joy, he was so sweet, funny and caring. I’m convinced that he’s an actual angel, he’s that pure, he has my heart indefinitely! I liked Evie well enough, until Annemette showed up and she became consumed by her. Iker, the prince’s cousin, was so charming and witty, and easily became one of my favourite characters in there…for a while.

It was very interesting how this book was split into before and after sections, before Anna’s drowning and after. Personally, I enjoyed the chapters from the past a lot more than the ones concerning the present. The two different chapter styles almost read like two different books. The chapters of the past were by far superior, they had such a haunting quality about them, the writing was gripping and extremely emotive. Although, given it’s third person narrative, I did find it confusing sometimes to discern whether the author was talking about Nik or Iker. Other than that I loved these chapters and I think that they definitely showed the author’s skill the most.

Something else that I fully embraced about this book was the magic, I enjoyed it so much. I lapped up all the talk of crystals, herbs and grimoires. It was refreshing to have a character be able to practice magic only to a certain extent, because spells had to actually be learnt and practiced. The history surrounding Witchcraft and the burning of witches was a really nice touch, it added a more tangible and authentic spin on magic. My only complaint is that I wanted more of it.

The love story in this book was very complicated indeed, my goodness! It made for good reading though, and I loved who ended up with who in the end, but I felt like it was all so cruel as well. They really deserved more! And therefore I’m not too crazy about the ending, if I’m honest. I liked how the author offered an explanation as to why the Little Mermaid’s voice had to be taken, before she was allowed on land, it was a very clever full circle moment. Despite this I didn’t really appreciate the ending in terms of how the Sea Witch came to be, maybe it was just me, but I was trying to guess throughout the book, how it related to The Little Mermaid. And more specifically I found myself trying to guess who the Sea Witch could be.

I think that you’ll probably either really love this book or not get it at all, or in my case be smack bang in the middle. I don’t regret reading it, as I greatly enjoyed some parts, but I also felt confused sometimes and struggled with Evie’s loyalty to Annemette. I would still recommend it as I think it’s a very subjective book, that you need to just experience for yourself.

Oh god I love this book so much! My dark and twisty fairytale loving heart cannot wait for book 2. 
I need this to be made into a film, it’s the origin story I never knew I needed but I am so invested in this. More please!

As far as retelling go this is the first little mermaid one i have read, i’m sure we are all familiar with beauty and the beast and Cinderella retelling, keep ’em coming authors we love that.

In this little mermaid retelling, the author tells the origin of Ursula. Four friends, one dead, two princes and one a witch. The book starts with a flash back giving us a bit of a background to work with before getting deep into the story.
When the mysterious girl that showed up i felt it would have been better without her, i just wanted to sea how Evie held up at the end. But i was wrong because it turned out she was absolutely vital to the story and boy oh boy… prepare your heart for betrayal.

some parts were interesting and  some were just….indescribable  I tried to read fast so that i could finish up quickly. Now throw away every la di da  Disney ever sold you and picture a more disturbing and tragic story Tah dah!!!! you get the Seawitch.

What i did enjoy was the bloody twist  in my opinion it was properly packaged with the perfect wtf to go with you tea…and oh the heartbreak. I mean the end is sad but it’s meant to be no matter how much you wish for a time machine.

I rated it three stars because i have mixed feelings, i liked it but then there’s that lingering i don’t know if i liked it at the end.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. It is a Little Mermaid retelling but with a lot more going on and turns out to be more of an origin story. Full of magic, surprises and betrayals.
It probably started off as a 3-star for me but got more interesting as I read on and by then end I really enjoyed it. I loved the descriptions of life by the ocean and how the villagers relied on the ocean as their generous but also merciless goddess.
What bothered me throughout was that I didn't really understand how someone could appear, looking exactly like a girl who drowned a few years ago, but everyone would just believe it wasn't her. Particularly one of her very best friends.  I also would have loved to know how Anna, Evie and Nik became friends to start with, especially as Nik and Evie have to fight to be allowed to stay friends.

Really enjoyable, I would buy this for my friends! I love the feeling of the book, though I did get lost a few times with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018 and I was so excited to get an early copy. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to.

I read ‘To Kill a Kingdom’ by Alexandra Christo earlier this year - which is a book about sirens/pirates - and I absolutely surprised myself by loving it. I thought this book would be another 5 star read for me, but I think my expectations were too high.

The book wasn’t bad. I think it was just a personal preference into my reading. It’s seen as a Little Mermaid retelling and I absolutely love Disney, so this once again made my expectations very high. 

I didn’t really care for the characters or the story that much. I tried so hard to like them or the relationships within the book between family, friends or even romance but I just couldn’t as much as I tried. 

Hopefully, I’ll like the author’s next book a little more.

Okai, so this review was supposed to go up weeks ago, but it has taken me so long to put my thoughts into words. Sea Witch is one of those rare books that have left me speechless.

As soon as I heard about Sea Witch, I just /knew/ it was going be one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. I am a big sucker for retellings, especially of villain origin stories.

Sea witch ticked all of the boxes for me. A likeable MC, great secondary characters, a shocking twist, and a beautiful prose. It’s just one of those books that are bingable in one sitting and that you cannot help but love. This book was so easy to get lost in. The setting, the flow of the writing, the characters, I loved it all.

The cover is absolutely beautiful, and I’m pretty sure that even if I wasn’t already sold on the premise, I would have ended up picking this book up. The colours, and the font are all so eye catching, and yet, there’s some sort of mysteriousness about it all.

The first chapter is the only part I had any kind of problem with, but that’s only because I was confused. Having said that though, it quickly sorts itself out and answers any questions I had. The rest of the book flies past, and I finished it in no time.

I honestly can say that this was one of my favourite reads of 2018. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I would like to start this review off by saying thank you to Harper Collins for giving me a chance to review this book on NetGalley. As soon as I heard about the synopsis for Sea Witch I instantly thought it could be something I would enjoy. I love the Little Mermaid and books that are loosely based on fairy tales are very in at the moment, but this was different. Instead of focusing on Ariel, it would be the character that would become Ursula in the Little Mermaid, but with a twist.

Evie was always the outcast, which was made worse when her best friend Anna died four years ago in a tragic accident. But Evie has a secret and when she meets Annemette, who bears a striking resemblance to her friend that drowned, Evie realises she must keep more secrets from her friend Nik, the prince. Annemette cannot stay on land for long, having cast a spell to change her fin into legs that will last four days, until she can find true love with the prince. Evie will do anything to help her new friend, even if it means harnessing her magic and risking it all.

It took me a little while to read this book and I think it's because I was going through a reading slump, which might have affected my views on this book. I really liked certain aspects of this book, especially the setting which takes its inspiration from Copenhagen and places like that. There is even a place mentioned in the book that is real, which I thought was really cool. However, this is a very slow book until you get to the last quarter and I think that is why I struggled.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters, especially the main character Evie as it is her point of view we see from. I really wanted to love this book, but it fell a little short for me. With the premise of witches having been hunted in the past and having to hide in secret, I expected more magic and for it to be darker. Unfortunately, not a lot happens in the first two thirds apart from characters having conversations and going to parties.

However, while I had mixed feelings about Evie, I really enjoyed the scenes with Nik in them because he was sweet and charming. Exactly the kind of Prince we need in a story and it was interesting to read his interactions with both Evie and Annemette. You always get the feeling that there is something off with Annemette and as the story unravels we learn more about her, which was quite the shock later on. I love a good plot twist in a story and this had plenty!

I won't lie, I almost stopped reading this book twice, but as it was an ARC I persevered and was rewarded with the last quarter of the book. I would actually say that the wait is worth it because it was fast paced, intriguing and there was so much going on. I was actually shocked at some of the revelations and I felt that it had the perfect ending with the epilogue.

If you are thinking about picking up Sea Witch, then you need to know that it is quite slow and not a lot of action/magic happens for the majority of the book. If you are okay with that then give this a go because the ending is worth it. I struggled trying to come up with a rating for this but I think a solid 3 stars works well.

I was looking forward to this book but sadly I struggled to get into it. I just couldn't connect to the characters. This book wasn't for me but I'm sure others would love it.

Sea Witch is an origins story for the antagonist in the famous The Little Mermaid story (not Disney’s Ursula but the fairy tale Sea Witch). It builds on the story of three close friends, Evie (a lowly, despised fisherman’s daughter with a hidden secret), Nik (the beloved crown Prince) and Anna (lost tragically to the sea whilst young). Slowly recovering from the loss of her best friend, Evie’s life seems to be somewhat re-grouping when the mysterious Annemette arrives in their town. A stranger that is there spitting image for her lost friend Anna, desperate to make Nik fall for her or face fatal consequences. Evie is compelled to try and help them all find Happily Ever After but is that possible with so many secrets in play.

For me personally, Sea Witch has been a very difficult book to review and rate – in part because some elements were so well written and others were unnecessarily clichéd (even given the source material it was built from). But mostly because I believe there is an element of my expectations and reality not truly aligning. If you’ve seen the book’s beautiful cover, you may, like I, have expected a larger portion of this book to take place in the sea with a stronger mermaid focus. This is not the case, please be aware that the majority of this story does take place on land prior to discovering which of our character’s ultimately becomes the iconic Sea Witch. 

The opening for this book set an uncertain tone for me, which most likely shaded some of my later opinions unjustly. A very young child attempts to sacrifice their self for a friend in a manner that I could not find believable for a character so young; and the initial switch between a 3rd person flashback and 1st person present story was not the smoothest transition. Some of the early pacing (especially with the storm) were a little jarring. 

However, moving past those initial elements I really started to get into the story. I found the writer had a way with descriptions and a genuine depth to the characters. The story seemed to be self-aware of some of the tropes it had to handle and the further through the story I got, the more invested I felt and the more I wanted to read. For the most part I enjoyed the main characters of the novel, (although I personally was not a fan of Iker. I have ‘Eh. Iker’ written several times in my notes – even when he was meant to be at his most charming).

The Sea Witch definitely ends strongly, with what I felt was a satisfying wrap up of the plot. There were definitely scenes towards the end of this novel that I would have easily given the full 5 stars to if they were independent short stories, because I was truly hooked. I just felt the initial foundations for some of the story were not as strong as I would have liked and therefore pulled down my rating – Evie’s romantic story line never pulled me in as much as I wanted to be, and I don’t think it was intentional for me to feel suspicious of her love interest as the points that I did, especially as it built a lot of the later action. At least with Annemette and Nik it felt like any uncertainties in their will they/ won’t they were meant to be there.

Overall, I think fans of The Little Mermaid will really enjoy this story. Especially if you personally connect with the romantic story lines, which were a large basis for the plot. Ultimately for me however, I guess I just wanted more of the actual Sea Witch character.

This is the origin story of the sea witch villain from Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairy tale, The Little Mermaid. The story takes place in a quaint Danish coastal kingdom. The main character Evie is a witch and must keep her powers secret. When Evie was twelve, one of her two best friends, Anna, was lost to the sea. Four years later, Evie is still best friends with the crown prince, Nik, and has a blossoming romance with Nik’s cousin, Iker. A mysterious girl appears as if from nowhere, bearing a strong resemblance to their friend Anna. Evie befriends the friendless girl, readily trusting everything the new girl says, to devastating results. 

I really enjoyed the descriptions of Evie’s magic and how the idea that bargains must be made for magic. There is a strong sense of place, with a real sense of community and the importance of the sea for all that live there. 

I enjoyed the development of the relationships between Evie, Nik, Iker and the mysterious new girl, with their light-hearted seemingly carefree games before everything changes. 

I did find Evie perhaps a little too naïve, and the tone of a large section of the middle seemed a little too light and dream-like in comparison to the darker tone of the beginning and end. However, I really enjoyed the ending. 

Overall, an enjoyable read about mermaids, friends, enemies, and love.

Unfortunately this book was not what I was expecting at all, I was looking forward to the story of Ursula before she became the cruel witch we all know. However this novel was disappointingly slow paced and lacking in action and enthusiasm.

High praise is needed though for the heavily detailed historical references, Sea Witch is steeped in Nordic folklore and mythology. A sort of reimaginig of the Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid but don't rely too much on a beautiful mermaid story.

The novel is definitely well researched with a realistic setting in 18th century Denmark. It gave a very believable feel to the story, especially as the author also interlinked the hatred and fear for witches in history into the story.

Insta-love is currently a hate it or love it topic, I'm definitely not a fan and although two of the characters had been lifelong friends, suddenly confessing your love at the time of imminent danger is fairly similar to insta-love in my eyes.

I've seen many disappointed reviews for Sea Witch that mention the fact that the story is completely flat until the very last few pages. And unfortunately I have to agree, I love action packed novels with plenty of build up and suspense. Sea Witch has zero action until the last 50 pages.

Although Sea Witch was a disappointment for myself, I thoroughly enjoyed reading a historical YA novel with a fantasy twist. I would love to discover more YA books with a historic setting.

** I received a free ecopy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

When I requested this book, I knew it was the backstory for Ursula (the Sea Witch) but somehow I managed to forget that whilst I was reading the book. The story is so immersive, I just got dragged right in.


I loved Evie’s character. Not only is she just a fisherman’s daughter, but she is also a witch and is best friends with the Crown Prince, Nik. Their friendship was incredibly sweet and you know from the very beginning that their bond will be hard to break. Evie must hide her magical abilities because witches are seen as dangerous and are killed if found. Others in society see Evie as an outcast so apart from Nik and her now deceased friend Anna, she doesn’t have anyone else apart from Nik’s cousin, Iker, who is also a friend / crush.
 

When Annemette entered the picture I immediately knew something wasn’t right and it’s only as the story progresses that you realise how dark she really is. Iker’s character threw me off, especially his reaction at the very end. I did not expect that from him (No spoilers).


Overall, an amazing read and a fantastic take on Ursula’s history. One small annoyance was the way it ended because I’m always looking for happily ever afters and although there was kind of one, it wasn’t the one I wanted!

Fav quotes:

I'm not one step beyond the threshold when I hear her call, "Don't grant all the prince's requests, darling girl. Men are always asking for more than they should."


"I suppose that's why he's named 'king,' Cousin."
Iker grins and claps Nik on the shoulder. "We are a slippery lot, aren't we? Always running to and from the call of duty."
"And you are forever running late in both directions."
"Nothing that can't be fixed with a grand entrance and a daring story."
I raise a brow. "That certainly is your life's motto."


She is quiet for a second, her features mellowing with thought. "My father, the sea king, says that when everything is as you hoped, you are blind to the imperfections."


"Tante, I'm sorry. I promise I won't treat your things with such little respect ever again."
"Oh yes, you will, child. They are familiar. One cannot hold respect with the familiar. We forget our boundaries." She moves both hands to my face, snatching my cheeks and forcing me to look deeply into her eyes. "We forget out boundaries with familiar people, too."

The story dragged a lot in places whilst in others was a whirlwind. I am not a huge fan of slow-paced books so this really wasn't for me, but the story was cute and well written. The ending was really good as well, although I would've liked it even darker. I thought it was a good retelling but I had myself committed to an arc otherwise I would've probably put it aside because of the slow pace, so I gave this book a 3 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tricky one to rate. It has an incredibly slow start  - to the point where I nearly DNFed in the third chapter. However I pushed on through and was really glad I did. I wouldn't say it ever became fast paced but I loved the setting, the language and the gradual unwinding of the story so much that it didn't matter. I really don't think this is going to be for everyone though for that very reason. 

The story is a retelling and a reimagining of Hans Christian Andrson's The Little Mermaid. It draws on Nordic folktale and mythology (not to mention language) as well as on a huge body oc lore concerninv mermaids, sea worship and fishing knowledge. The way the layers of these elements were seamlessly blended into the story was perhaps my favourite aspect. The setting - Denmark during the 18th C near the strait of Oreslund - was brilliant and the history of the area added another satisfying  thread to the tapestry of the story.

The story itself concetns the friendship between a fisherman's daughter (sectetly a witch), the young heir to the throne and a young baroness who were inseparable as children until an accident results in the death of the latter. Evie - the fisgerman's daughter - and Niklas - the prince - are devastated by the loss of their friend. Years later as they are celebrating Nik's birthday on a pleasure cruise, a storm bliws up. Evie sees Nik rescued from the clutches of the sea by a young woman who looks just like their long dead friend, Anna. Later, a the same young woman comes to Evie for help. She is a mermaid who has fallen in love with the prince and must win his love in return within 4 days or she will die...

It goes in some interesting directions. I liked the friendship between Evie and the mermaid, and Nik. I luked Evie despite her willful ignorance and a few stupid decisions. The conflict is low key for much of the book because there is no obvious antagonist. But it's later that it came unstuck for me. This was heading for a solid 4 stars until the last third of the book where the structure broke down somewhat. The antagonist was revealed but unfortunately became very two dimensional - seriously if this person could have been conflicted about their motives it would gave been so much better. And then the end really only half worked. Anyone who has read the original fairy tale knows it doesn't have a happily ever after. The story was allegorical for being gay and living someone who could never accept your love or who you really were - lots of talk of souls and humanity and wgay makes you valuable to god in the original. Disney conveniently skipped all that and changed the ending but the sea witch in that story was never the villain she became in the movie. Henning has continued some if the original themes - though not the gay slant - in that Evie is forced to conceal her witch craft even from Nik because of the very real fear she will be executed or exciled. If it seems ridiculous remember the witch craft act was only repealed in the UK in 1950s! Evie is forced to conceal who she is. I did like that that theme was picked up on. And I liked that ultimately selfless love was depicted rather than the more selfish romantic love we often see in YA. 

So there was a lot to like in this book and I zoomed through it once I got about 15 % in. But the wobbly structure, the moustache twirling villain and the chaotic ending rather spoilt some of my appreciation. A good 3 stars and I would check out the aughor's next book. I'd also recommend this to fairy tale and mermaid lovers. It's well worth a read.

Give me all the mermaid stories! I cannot get enough of them!
There seems to have been a resurgence of mermaid stories and I am lapping them up. This one is about the sea witch in the traditional "little mermaid" tale and how she becomes the ambiguously evil and/or dark outcast that she is portrayed in later life.
It's a slow burn of a story but really intriguing and above all a fun read! I loved the characters and was invested from the beginning. 
I am sure this will be a huge YA read.

I picked up this book expecting an origin story of Ursula, or at least something similar, but this is a unique story all it's own. 
Perhaps it was because I expected something more or maybe i'm just the wrong audience for this book, but in all honesty I struggled with this book. It wasn't the characters  that made it a difficult read because the characters were well written, it was the story. I felt it dragged or never found its way.
Having said that I enjoyed some parts immensely, but others I didn't enjoy at all. 

I hope this book finds a better audience than me and perhaps that's you. Grab this book for a bedside read or a pool side book, but perhaps stay away from the waves.

This is an original take on the origin story of the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid. I loved that story follows the Sea Witch from her origins and what made her the Sea Witch she was destined to be. There have been multiple Little Mermaid inspired tales but this was by far the best for me. The others lacked the depth that this beautiful novel does. I loved that this took place in Demark where the tales of the Little Mermaid first written. If you love retellings, villain origin stories and well written fantasies then I would highly recommend this book.