Disclaimer: this review was written in 2020, but was never posted. I found this in my archives so decided to post it.
Synopsis:
Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.
Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.
A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.
But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.
Review:
Sea Witch 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.
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