Review: Sea Witch

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My thanks to Edelweiss, Katherine Teigen Books, Harper Collins Canada and Sarah Henning for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.

I fell in love with this story. There is nothing that I look forward to more than a good retelling of an old tale. And is there anything older than sea? This is the prequel to “The Little Mermaid” and tells the story of how the sea witch (dubbed Ursula in the Disney version) came to be. How wonderful, when an author can create an original backstory for a character that has always been one dimensional. How the villain became the villain. We get a chance to see the history of this character and discover what might have made them evil. It’s like looking through history with a different lens, you recognize the events but there is a new perspective. I recently read another one of these retellings about Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, but I enjoyed “Sea Witch” so much more. The story was far more entertaining, the arc more exciting, the characters more enticing and overall it was more delightful.

The tale takes place in Denmark, when kings and queens ruled. Setting it in a land far away adds an extra layer of mystery and charm and introduces new customs and traditions to the reader. Told by Evelyn, the story focuses on three best friends who grow up in this small fishing village. Nik is a prince who will one day take over from his father. He is at the age where he must leave his childhood behind and learn to step into his new role. Evelyn comes from a poor family with no title. Her aunt saved the king’s life and that has given her family special status. It has allowed Evelyn to have a close relationship with Nik, despite their social status. This has caused people in town to think Evie is trying to rise above her station. Magic is forbidden and anyone practising witchcraft will be put to death. Evie can feel the magic pulsing in her and has been practising, in secret, testing out her new powers. Anna, a blond eyed beauty and a titled lady, begins to fall in love with Nik. One day while the three are hanging out there is an accident and Anna drowns. Evie feels responsible for Anna’s death and Nik tried to save Anna, but failed. Her death has had a huge impact on their lives. That is the backdrop and I don’t want to reveal any more because it might spoil the tale. Better to experience things as they unfold. There are all the usual tropes you would expect. A parent dies, a prince is in peril, a Queen disapproves, forbidden love, the temptation of magic, townspeople against a misunderstood girl, and mermaids, but in Henning’s hands it feels fresh and new.

The suspense is created by sprinkling chapters throughout the main story that start four years prior. Each one of these chapters builds until it catches up in time to the story being told. There are strong female characters, with the men taking a back seat. But know that this is not a romance novel. The love stories are not developed. The entry point is that they are already established and you have to go with it. If you are expecting it to have a romantic build up where you fall in love with the couple as the story is taking place, this is not that story. It didn’t personally bother me but I know other people found this problematic. I just accepted that Evie loved Iker and didn’t really need the “falling in love” narrative. It is about friendship but Anna is dead from the beginning of the story so that leaves a major part under developed. We only get Evie’s perspective so we don’t really know how Anna felt about the threesome. The historical information is very detailed but hit and miss on accuracy. I was checking on Google and some stuff was factual and other stuff completely made up. Don’t use foreign words if they don’t mean anything - too confusing! I would have loved more magic interwoven in the story, or maybe just more prominent a role. The writing was good but I found that there were too many run on sentences, with flowery detail, that wasn’t relevant and didn’t add to the story in any significant way. In fact, it detracted from the story and it gave a more juvenile feel to the whole thing. I tended to skim over those parts because overall I was enjoying the story. Although I believe it can still be categorized as YA, I think older, more sophisticated readers won’t enjoy it as much.
One thing I love to do as a teacher is to have kids step into the shoes of someone and try and see things from their perspectives. Get all the facts before you form your opinion. One of the best ways to do that is with a fairy tale. Give a voice to all the characters in the story that we really don’t know anything about. It can open up minds, create empathy and understanding. “Sea Witch” will be great fodder in my classroom!


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