Because the Danish are so reliant on their fishing and whaling, they view the sea as a living entity capable of making its own decisions. It draws heavily on Danish culture and history, shining a light on traditional customs, foods, and even perceptions of the larger world. Instead of being complete fantasy, Sea Witch feels really historical in nature. While it’s fascinating to see how Evie uses and struggles with magic, it takes attention away from who she is as a person in scenes where that matters most. Especially towards the end where I just wanted to spend more time with characters I knew I’d never see again (because they’re not a part of the “Little Mermaid” canon). The setting and the characters were magical enough without needing to constantly focus on the “science” of magic. My only complaint here is that there was sometimes a bit too much magic. After all, if she wasn’t able to control magic, her becoming the most feared entity in the sea later down the line would be a little questionable. Having magic around from the very beginning makes Evie’s transformation into the Sea Witch more believable and seamless. It’s a constant undercurrent through every scene and interaction, whether it’s called upon or not.

Speaking of magic, it’s definitely the other major non-corporeal player in this story. We only read about others’ interactions with them. Aside from Evie (who, and this isn’t a spoiler, becomes the Sea Witch by the end of the novel), there’s only one other character that this novel shares with the classic fairy tale. In this novel, there were no tongue-in-cheek references or easily recognizable characters lurking in the background or randomly passing through a scene. I think that’s one of the things I enjoyed most about Sea Witch, honestly. That is, until a mysterious girl with her own fair share of secrets and the face of a dead girl shows up and changes everything.ĭoesn’t sound like a “Little Mermaid” retelling, does it? When one of them dies and the other has to fulfill his royal duties, Evie is left to find her own way in a world that hates her. Before she was the fiercest woman in the sea, Evie was a girl with a dark secret who loved her two best friends. Sea Witch doesn’t tell the story of the little mermaid but instead takes the reader back to the origins of the story’s mysterious and menacing sea witch.

It’s a retelling unlike any I’ve read before. So imagine my excitement when I came across Sarah Henning’s Sea Witch.

Sea witch sarah henning