Friends with ARCs | Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Collaborative feature with Alexa. We read ARCs together and post our reviews on the same date.

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
pub 7/31/18 by Katherine Tegen Books
Young Adult - Fantasy
Received from pub via Edelweiss

Plot • It’s a prequel to the Little Mermaid and gives us the Sea Witch’s story and how she came to be. It involves three friends – a witch named Evie shunned by all, except her best friend Prince Nik, and both dealing with the drowning of their friend Anna. Then a girl named Annemette appears offshore with an uncanny resemblance to her friend and Evie can’t help but wonder if it’s actually her. The two become fast friends but Annemette has a secret. To stay on land with two legs, she needs help and soon Evie is risking it all to do so, not to mention protect the Prince, and maybe find a happily ever after of her own.

Characters • The characters was my biggest problem with the book. There are the two main ones, Evie and the mermaid, and the two princes who have caught their eyes. We didn’t get a chance to know any of them deeply, including Evie, despite the book being mainly from her point-of-view.

Writing • I thought the storytelling and the clever nods to Grimm’s Little Mermaid were so well done! If not for the under-developed characters, I think I would’ve really loved this book because I enjoyed the author’s take a lot.

Overall feelings • Loved the story and plot but the characters were very much lacking.

What is your favorite version of the Little Mermaid? • The Disney movie! I have such affection for it. It was the first movie I ever saw in theatres and I went with my dad. It’s still one of my most vivid childhood memories.