Tuesday 6 August 2019

REVIEW: Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning






Genre: Fantasy, Re-telling, Young Adult


Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN: 0062931474

Format:
 Hardback, E-Book, Audio-Book

Release Date: 6th August 2019


Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository


Synopsis:

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds?

Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption.






Review:



**Thank you to the publisher for sending me
an arc in return for my honest review**



Sea Witch Rising is the exciting sequel to one of my favourite reads of last year, Sea Witch. I was really excited when the sequel was announced and I'm very grateful to have been given the chance to read a copy early. You can check out my review of Sea Witch here.

Sea Witch Rising picks up right from where the first book ended, with Evie granting Alia, a mermaid, the chance to become human and meet the man she loves. Evie lives in the depths of the ocean, branded a sea witch and cursed to live in the darkness, she longs to be free and cast aside the name that has been forced upon her.

There are a cast of different characters in this book. Evie is of course one of the main characters in this story. We also have Runa, the sister of the Alia, granted a chance to become human. Runa wants to make sure her sister doesn't fail in her task, so visits Evie to convince her to let her find her sister and help her on her journey.

The book alternates chapters from both Evie's and Runa's points of view. I loved the different points of views and really enjoyed the insight into what each character was feeling and the though process behind the decisions they make.

I loved Evie in the first book and I grew to love her even more in this one. It's been many years since the events of the first book and Evie has gone through some changes. She's been living under the sea in the darkness, missing the life above the surface she used to have. Evie makes some mistakes along the way and the deals she makes with Runa and Alia aren't truly beneficial for them. Yet, Evie wants to change who she is and regrets some of the choices she's made. She slowly feels more herself and fights to earn her freedom.

The relationship with Runa and Alia was really heartwarming. Both sisters would go to great lengths to protect one another despite the risks. I loved how Runa, despite not understanding why Alia wants to be a human, is still willing to fight to protect them and is willing to do whatever she can to help them.

Unlike the first book, this one focused more on the world building and politics in the world rather than on building the characters. The sea king believes humans are evil and leads his people to believe they need to fight against them. The humans are creating submarines and ships that threaten the sea that the mer-people live in. I loved the plot of this book. The mix of The Little Mermaid story we all know and love with the added conflicts between the sea king and Evie really made me fall in love with this book.

Sarah Henning is a fantastic storyteller. I love the twists of this book and there were many that I didn't see coming. These books are easily one of my favourite retellings. The ending of the book was more open ended and I would love for more books with Evie and in this series.





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