Sea Witch was my first read of 2019. It was compelling, gripping and, at times, utterly heart-stopping. When I heard there was a sequel out, I was ecstatic. Sea Witch Rising was one of my most highly-anticipated reads for the second-half of the year. Deeply dark and enchanting, it was a bewitching, dramatic sequel.


Sea Witch Rising picks up right where the first book ends. It is told from the alternating points-of-views of Evie and the Little Mermaid’s twin sister, Runa. I think what will appeal to readers about Sea Witch Rising is it’s more of a retelling than Sea Witch was. Sea Witch focuses solely on the shaping of the “villain” of the Little Mermaid tale, whereas Sea Witch Rising incorporates more of the tale we’re familiar with. I loved delving into the story and being familiar with it initially. The author did a brilliantly job of retaining aspects of the original tale, yet making the story completely her own.

One of the similarities to the first book is the undercurrent of threat and suspension that runs through the books. Sea Witch had moments of dark intensity, but I feel like those moments were amplified in the sequel. Sea Witch Rising was darker than expected. The sacrifices Runa had to make to save her sister were heartbreaking and horrendous. The characters were forced to make decisions that were difficult; oftentimes there was no distinct divide between good and bad, and the characters were at times morally grey.

I think it was perhaps because of this that I didn’t fully love the characters as much as I thought I would. I’m not a huge fan of morally grey characters, and I felt like Runa often exhibited characteristics of being one. She did certain things to save her sister that were shocking, and even though I understood her motives and the threat of the one character, I struggled to fully connect to her. She didn’t show that much guilt and perhaps if she did, I would’ve liked her more? I just couldn’t connect to Runa that much, sadly.

The other characters also didn’t quite have that same spark to them that the characters in Sea Witch did. They felt somehow muted and lacking in depth. I need to connect to the characters to feel invested in a story, and sadly I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I was hoping to.

I really liked the other aspects of Sea Witch Rising though. I loved the exploration of the mer kingdom. I’m a sucker for mermaid books, so I love that the underwater kingdom played a large role in Sea Witch Rising. I also really liked the time period of SWR. It’s set in the beginning of WW1 I believe, and I found it fascinating how the author wove the plot into this time period. The war had startling effects on the underwater world and, obviously, on land too. The politics, the machinations, and the danger made this book very intriguing. I liked the time period it was set in, although I would’ve liked the author to show slightly more in regards to the war.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but I was hoping for slightly more after loving the first book!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This series has the most beautiful covers you will lay your eyes on.

Lyrical writing with a magical story, this is not one to miss for fans of To Kill A Kingdom this duology delivers on everything you would want from a story under the sea.

Highly recommend the audio for this one, the narrator's accent adds the perfect tone to this whimsy and magical tale. perfectly emphasising on all the characters have to face through out this story.

Truly not one to miss.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing an arc of this book.

However, I did not enjoy this as much as the first book - this took a turn that I wasn't expecting and I didn't like it. I also feel like the character development was a lot less than what you get in the first book and also the atmosphere wasn't built up as well.

This was okay. I got on better with the first book so I assumed I'd enjoy the sequel. However, it went on an unexpected storyline and I just felt a bit lost. The characters weren't well developed which made the struggle to connect harder.

Unfortunately I had to purchase a new Kindle device and could no longer access this book. I will come back and review if I read this in the future.

Could not review as requested by accident last year, and was unable to get hold of a copy of the first book.

I was so excited to read this after reading The Sea Witch. It took a while to get into the first book but this one was action packed from the off! Set years after the Sea Witch comes to be we become drawn into the drama above and below the water centered about the sea Kings daughter who after rescuing a Prince from drowning wants to go to the surface and become human to win his love. Sticking to the disney version Alia makes a deal with Evie the sea witch who in exchange for legs takes her voice and gives her a set amount of time to complete her task. After realising what her Alia has done her twin Runa also makes a deal with Evie to go and help Alia but if she fails she will remain human for ever.
The story was jam packed with action and mystery. It was great to have the addition of the sea king and witches drama in this story. Runa was my favourite character she was strong and really proved her love for her family. A great ending to the duology and a must for any little mermaid fans

When the Sea King's daughter becomes human in her quest for love, it may bring war between the sea and the land.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It has been fifty years since Evie became the Sea Witch. The merpeople both fear and respect her magic, without knowing the true girl behind the tentacles.
When Alia, one of the Sea King's daughters, approaches her and catches her attention with the story of a long-harboured love with a human King; Evie agrees to give the mermaid four days on land to win her true love's kiss, or fade into the waves.

It's made more complicated when the truth comes out - that the royal is due to marry in 3 days, and that Alia may have stretched the truth on how well and how long she has known Niklas.
Her twin sister Runa makes a deal with the Sea Witch, to force her sister to kill Nik, the sacrifice turning them both back into mermaids.

This is set in the midst of First World War. Havnestad has gotten away lightly so far, but the seas are filled with mines instead of fish, and they have agreed to build u-boats for the Germans.
They have no idea that war is brewing under the sea, as the power-hungry king turns his eyes to the land magic.

I really enjoyed the first book. It had a few hints of the Hans Christian Anderson version, but was completely its own story.

I thought that Sea Witch Rising was much slower to start with. I think it tries to focus too much on being a re-telling of The Little Mermaid, that it never really gains much traction.
I wasn't a fan of Alia and Nik, our star-crossed pair. They lacked any real sincerity, and Nik's character in particular was quite shallow.

The second half picks up nicely, as it goes off on a tangent and creates something much more original.
I liked Runa's time with the land witches, as the human-hating mermaid starts to see that the world is bigger than she imagined, and there are big battles and little battles being fought every day.
Personally, I thought Runa's storyline was perfectly strong by itself, and the romantic aspect was completely unnecessary. It would have been interesting to see a mermaid find peace on land, without romantic love being involved.

Sadly, Evie's parts in the book weren't as interesting as Runa's. Yes, she's trapped in her lair, and that does limit things a little, but I started glossing over her chapters.

Overall, this was a 3.5 out of 5 for me.

I was hooked on the first book and really enjoyed it. I can't say that I was as hooked this time and I don't know why. The story was interesting and enjoyable. I guess I couldn't see the end point of the story - you just went from one point to the other with no overarching end point. I always thought the books were a duology, but the author seems to have left it open for a third book. I do hope it happens as I didn't think the ending was very final and it was a little rushed

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I want to start by saying how gorgeous are the Sea witch covers!!?? I absolutely loved the first book Sea Witch, listened via audio. I love anything even slightly related to evil sea queens, and ursula, mermaids, sirens, octopus, give me all the sea goodness! I absolutely adore Sarah Henning and her writing, but for some reason I just couldn't get into Sea Witch Rising like I did the first one. I kept reading and stopping and reading and stopping. I'm hoping to pick this back up again when I'm feeling in a better headspace, but honestly I would reccomend anything by Sarah, such a wonderful Author.

For me it's a DNF for now. I'm so sad I couldn't finish this , so I can't give it an accurate rating, but please give this a go if you enjoyed the first Book, it might just not be for me at this time.

I am always thrilled to read about mermaids. This sequel is extremely satisfying in that sense. I love the twin sibling trope so much. I like how the book picked up exactly around where the first book ends.
Loved the setting as well.

unfortunately, this book wasn't for me the first book in this series was amazing but this just seemed to be an unnecessary add on to it, it just didn't match the expectations I had after reading just a breathtaking first book , don't get me wrong the characters were still good but it was just the events that followed and the relationships that just failed to spark that love for me , but for the fact that the characters where still amazing im still going to give this book a fair two stars.

Sea Witch Rising is a solid sequel to The Sea Witch, an origin story for Ursula, the villainess of The Little Mermaid. This sequel is well-written and set 50 years ahead of the first book. This one is more of a Little Mermaid retelling. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy fantasy retellings of classic tales.

Another wonderful read from Sarah Henning, I enjoyed The Sea Witch so much and this its sequel. Told in dual POVs this book is well written, the POVs work so well and really makes a difference to the tale. This is a great retelling, goes straight from the first book and is yet again an epic story, full of romance and also heart break. If you loved the Sea witch you need to pick this up now


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion


https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R74A8XHABBE8I/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

I was really excited to read this book. I'd heard a lot of hype about it and its prequel, Sea Witch.

I feel like I can't really say much about the book without spoilers for the first book, and I don't do spoilers! I will say that this book follows on directly from the end of the first book. Sea Witch is an origins story, and Sea Witch Rising is a continuation of that but goes forward some time into the future.

The second book does go back to some things that happen in the first book. When I first started reading Sea Witch Rising, I hadn't read the first book. After a few pages I realised I had no idea what was going on! So I went back and read the first book. And I am so glad I did because after reading the second book I know what a huge difference it made to my enjoyment of reading it. So I wouldn't really recommend reading this unless you've read Sea Witch first. I would recommend reading that book anyway, because I loved it.

I'm only briefly going to mention The Little Mermaid link with this book. Yes, some of the characters and ideas are similar, but I don't feel it does this book any justice by comparing it to a Disney movie (which I'm not dissing at all, and it's actually one of my favourite films ever believe it or not!). This book has so much more depth of feeling and character than any hour-long cartoon could ever have.

The writing is excellent in this book. The author is very skilled at descriptive writing, especially around weather, the elements, and the sea. The character development is also really good, and by the end of the book I felt connected to the main characters and like I had gotten to know them well. I can always tell if an author has done a good job with the characters if I feel happy or sad with their successes and failures, and I definitely did that with these characters.

I think the only negative really was that I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first book. Somehow this one lost me a little near the beginning, but by the end I was absolutely there.

I was really happy with the way the book ended. I hope there will be another book, but on the other hand it would be nice to leave the characters where they are. Definitely a good series for any YA fantasy fans.

I admit when this was first announced I was dubious but I didnt need to be. I enjoyed this as much as the first book and it worked really well as a continuation as well as a retelling of the little mermaid too. The characters were compelling and I liked the way it was split between Runa and Evie.

The Sea Witch Rising is a remarkable reimagining of the little mermaid. The supporting characters of Hans Christian Anderson's original tale come to the forefront of this nee book. Henning creates complex characters and different perspectives on every aspect of the original tale. I was impressed with how this book went beyond the origonal narrative, how the little mermaid herself is not as major a character as both the Sea Witch, and her twin, Runa. Runa was such a wonderful character to read. She makes mistakes and is a deeply flawed character and yet loves fiercely and is achingly relatable. I love fairy tale retellings and this was one of the most nail-biting ones I've read. I never knew what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this book immensely.

I’m not normally a fantasy lover, but always have loved the little mermaid and thought this book was a well written story played on TLM!! I was excited to get the second book to continue on and was pleasantly surprised the author literally carried on! Well written, amazing characters, and a beautiful land to discover under the sea!
Will make sure I buzz it up!