‘Sea Witch’ by Sarah Henning is a twisted adaptation of The Little Mermaid which holds promise for a deeper and darker look into the original story by Hans Christian Andersen. Set in Havnestad, a 19th-century fishing town, the story is not told by mermaids from under the sea but rather on land through the point of view of Evie and her friends.
When swimming out at sea as young girls, Evie and Anna came upon rough waters and struggled to stay afloat. Crown Prince and best friend to the girls Nik made a rescue attempt which was only half successful. With Evie safely returned to the beach he set back out to find Anna but fails to save her life.
Years later Evie stumbles upon a girl who looks like an older version of Anna, called Annemette. Insisting that she is not Anna, Annemette may not be who she seems.
This book was a strange one for me, I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it. Let’s just say I am very much stuck in the middle ground.
Being set in a Scandinavian town in the 19th century with a world of mermaids in its waters the world-building for this book had masses of potential. However, this is not something that was played out to its full.
When I reached somewhere around chapter 10 nothing had really happened so far with the story and I was seriously contemplating not finishing the book – this is something that I have never done before as I am quite stubborn when reading and need to know what happens. I am glad I did end up finishing this book as it did pick up slightly, however it was not the most exciting read.
With that being said I am still planning to read the second book in the series ‘Sea Witch Rising’ as I am curious to see where the story is going and whether it can live up to the potential that the first book promised.