I love fairy-tale retellings. I was especially intrigued by Sea Witch because it features the sea witch from “The Little Mermaid.” It’s not often that I get to read a retelling about the villain!
My Thoughts
Sea Witch reminds me of what I love about fairytale retellings:
- the comfort of returning to a story from my childhood
- revisiting darker elements from the original story (not the Disney adaption), and
- seeing how the author reimagines the world.
The world building isn’t extensive, but we’re given enough to get a feel for the culture of Evie’s seaside town. I like the European setting and how the town’s relationship with the ocean plays a large role in the events that take place.
Given that Evie is the “sea witch,” I appreciate how she’s shown dabbling in dark magic and how we’re shown the consequences of the magic she works. While it did make it hard to relate to Evie at times, her willful nature and poor decisions play a role in reminding us that there are two sides to every story. No one is perfect.
Just as we know Evie will go on to become the villain in “Little Mermaid,” there are villains in Evie’s life – and these villains themselves are influenced by others’ decisions. In this manner, the story builds upon the tangled web in which the different characters’ lives are wrapped.
In particular, I appreciate the focus on female friendship. While there is romance, Evie never lets love get in the way of her friendship with Anna. Despite the tragedy tag on their relationship (and a very sad turn of events), Evie’s platonic love for Anna is clear in her reckless willingness to take risks for her friend.
Though I enjoyed the story overall, the execution of the plot wasn’t quite there. Some events could have used more foreshadowing. Plot twists at the end weren’t as well fleshed out as other subplots that had been building up from the beginning. I also would have liked to see more depth to the side characters. In addition, while I like the romance, it wasn’t well developed.
The novel includes short chapters that tell of the tragic events from Evie and Anna’s childhood (a couple from the romantic interests’ POV) and, later, chapters on how a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna comes to town. While I’m not a huge fan of how they break up the story of the present timeline, I do appreciate how these chapters give us insight into the characters and how they came to be who they are.
All that said, this is a solid debut novel, and there is enough potential here that I would be interested in reading more from Sarah Henning. I look forward to seeing her growth as a writer!
Content
Kissing / making out
Some violence
Who would I recommend it to?
I recommend Sea Witch to fans of fairytale retellings, especially retellings in which the villain takes center stage and is made relatable.
Comparable titles: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Fathomless by Jackson Pierce
Chat with Me
Tell me about a fairytale retelling that you love. Have you read Sea Witch or another “Little Mermaid” retelling? What are your thoughts about tragic retellings told from the villain’s perspective?
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer says
Wonderful and thoughtful review. I have hesitated on this as I don’t think its quite dark enough for me, but I will admit you have me rethinking things.
Crystal says
Thanks, Kimberly. I agree that this wasn’t quite as dark as I had been hoping for a villain retelling, but there are elements that were dark and got me thinking—in particular with the use and consequences of magic.
Jordan Rose says
I’ve been planning to pick this one up soon–I love a good retelling or inspired story! I’m glad to see that there is some focus on female friendship because we can always use more of that. Bummer that the plot wasn’t executed as well as it could have been, it’s always a letdown when that happens, but it sounds good otherwise so I’ll definitely still look into it. 🙂 Great review!
Crystal says
I agree that we can always use more female friendships in literature. While the plot wasn’t as well executed as it could have been, the story is interesting enough. I hope you enjoy this one, Jordan!
Sophia Rose says
I’ve enjoyed the couple fairytale retelling villain stories I read. This one sounds great. Thanks for putting me onto it, Crystal.
Crystal says
Fairytale retellings that feature villains are fantastic. I love how they add depth to previously unrelatable characters. I hope you enjoy this one, Sophia!