Sea Witch Rising

<i>Original review: but like. <b>why. </b> 90% of Sea Witch was filler</i><br /><br /><strong>The Good</strong><br />– Lovely prose in the first 1/3<br />– Begins on a promising note<br />– Some strong scenes at the beginning and end<br />– Unlike <em>Sea Witch</em>, plot actually happens<br />– Setting (Denmark) well-established<br /><br /><strong>The Bad</strong><br />– Prose dissolves into half-assed mediocrity after beginning<br />– Henning struggles to introduce her elements and characters in a meaningful and impactful way<br />– U-boat/mine plot feels like an afterthought<br />– Secondary characters undeveloped and poorly characterized<br />– Elements of mermaid culture make NO SENSE<br />– Struggles to pick an internal theme<br />– Lots of telling over showing<br /><br /><em>Sea Witch Rising</em> promises a story about sisterhood—"Sisterhood is the strongest magic," after all. Instead, Henning delivers a room-temperature action/romance.<br /><br /><strong>Story</strong><br /><em>Sea Witch Rising</em> starts off on a promising note—in contrast to the first book, it actually has a plot, and an interesting one too: the power of sisterhood. Runa will go to any lengths and cut any deal with the sea witch—Evie—to save her foolish twin sister from the death which awaits her if she can't kiss or kill Prince Niklas within four days.<br /><br />There's many ways to play this: In trying to save Alia, will Runa drive a permanent wedge between them? Will she save Alia at an unthinkable cost? Will the girls struggle but ultimately repair their bond? The simple scenario is ripe for possible tension and pain.<br /><br />Instead, Henning quietly smothers the sister storyline in its sleep and begins a weak second arc. In painfully simple plot progression, Runa works with the cute-and-nice-but-bland Will to train a small coven of witches to destroy Havnestad's U-boat program. In the background, Evie watches as the sea king, spurned by the disappearance of the twins and running out of the magic drug he's addicted to, whips his subject into a frenzy to wreak war on land.<br /><br />A big part of Sea Witch Rising's problem is that Henning struggles to introduce her elements in a natural and meaningful way, and often relies on telling over showing instead. By beginning <em>after</em> Alia's already left for the surface, Runa is left to convince us of her sister's importance with lots of meaningless, "I don't know what I'd do without my sister," lines to convince us after the fact instead of cementing their bond before the spell. Instead of showcasing mines wounding mermaids near the beginning or mermaids suffering a close-call with a U-boat, we're left with a halfhearted, "Oh, those are bad. Very bad. Very, very bad. We must destroy them."<br /><br />It's incredibly weak and unconvincing.<br /><br />The long stretch of middle was the hardest to get through. None of the characters are developed enough for it to be enticing and the is plot is reduced to a simple, point-by-point progression—Runa helps train the witches; Runa talks to her sisters; Runa heads out on the mission—riddled with Runa's internal monologues and lacking cohesive theme or meaning. It feels a lot like Henning had a couple scenes in mind she really wanted to write, then half-assed filling in the rest of the book (and plot) so those scenes could make sense.<br /><br />Evie's part of the story, told in sparse chapters, was ultimately more fulfilling. Her inevitable showdown with the sea king was deeply satisfying, as was the build-up to it on both land and in the sea as the king drives dead fish up onto shore, pummels the land with storms and grows increasingly desperate.<br /><br />Henning does a decent job on individual <strong>settings</strong>, her descriptions ranging from "<em>okay, I've got the gist</em>" to vivid. But when it comes to the world at large, although her research into historical Denmark seems solid, her world-building for the sea realm makes <em>absolutely no sense</em>. Merfolk are described as doing very human things, despite living underwater, such as drinking ale and writing on paper. The only difference is that they're "spelled" so they function underwater. Why... <em>why would merpeople go out of their way to spell things to mimic human life when they could develop their own culture?</em> Why spell ale to remain bottled when they could waft it past their fins or "breathe" it in? Why ale at all? <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dolphins-seem-to-use-toxic-pufferfish-to-get-high-180948219/" rel="nofollow noopener">Plenty of animals intake mind- and state-altering substances</a>. Moreover, other <a href="https://featheredturtlepress.wordpress.com/2019/08/28/review-fate-of-dragons-dragons-rising-1-by-alisha-klapheke/" rel="nofollow noopener">authors</a> have taken the time to think and develop alternatives. Why be so lazy and uncreative? The whole point of writing fantasy is to develop these things!<br /><br /><strong>Characters</strong><br />Evie and Runa are developed decently enough in the beginning, but Runa's character becomes muddled halfway through. Both were likeable and easy to support in their goals, but neither elicited a particularly strong emotional reaction. Runa's chapters in particularly simply lack a reason to keep reading them: there's never any tension, no edge-of-your-seat moments, no romance, no real connections with the other characters. Her goals are short-sighted and her internal conflicts are weak and unfocused. We don't what Runa, as a character, wants or needs.<br /><br />As touched on above, Henning simply hasn't written any key moments between Runa and other characters—like Will and Sophie—to build their relationships, give meaning to them or develop them as characters, and while there are some attempts at characterization—Katrine and her lion's mane of hair—it's mostly shallow. Will is the most consistent in characterization and the character Runa is closest to, but their budding relationship is room temperature at best.<br /><br />There was certainly the space to develop these characters. At <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/sea-witch-rising-1" rel="nofollow noopener">89,000 words</a>, <em>Sea Witch Rising</em> isn't running long at all and a good deal of the middle, when Runa is prone to long bouts of stating the obvious in telling-over-showing internal monologues, is easily replaced with a heart-to-heart with Sophie and her feelings on her arranged marriage or a scene in which Will and Runa or Sophie and Runa need to rely on each other.<br /><br /><strong>Writing Style</strong><br />Henning's writing style starts off clear, readable and effective, with few weak spots. She conveys specific moods, scenes and feelings to the reader with smart word choices and graceful prose. It's not without its weak spots: some weak and filter words, a few too many <em>that</em>'s, but it does its job well. But by the middle of the book, it's fallen apart completely: Sentence structure is a mess, Henning abuses telling over showing words like feel and know, and weak choices like <em>make</em> are abound. Dialogue is accompanied by unnecessary adverbs and long, unwieldy action tags where sharp characterization should serve to distinguish characters.<br /><br /><strong>Themes and Representation</strong><br />It's hard to tell which is an intended theme in <em>Sea Witch Rising</em> and what's a throwaway line. The blurb tells me it's supposed to be about redemption, freedom and true love. Freedom, I understand. Sort of. It mostly comes in heavy-handed at the end. But there are so many half-hearted things thrown around I would never pin redemption as a specific theme. And "true love"? <em>Pfft</em>. Where? With whom?<br /><br />Besides the time Alia spends mute, there wasn't really any attempt at representation. There was room for Sophie and Runa to discuss their roles as daughters of powerful men, expected to give up their autonomy to build his power, but it's not more than a throwaway thought in the first half.<br /><br /><strong>Recommended For...</strong><br /><em>Sea Witch Rising</em> is shallow, unfocused and underwhelming. It's not actively bad—it's just not good. I have a hard time finding reasons to recommend it, since it lacks the things people read books for.<br /><br />The "power of sisterhood" angle is a bust. The romance angle is a bust—Will is nice, but he and Runa share no strong scenes and only know each other for four days. There's no swooning, no banter, no deep connections. The prose is lovely, but only for the first third before it disintegrates into mediocrity.<br /><br /><a href="https://featheredturtlepress.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <strong>&gt;&gt;More book reviews at Feathered Turtle Press&lt;&lt;</strong> </a>

<i>”I do love him. I’ve loved him as long as he has loved me. I’ve just spent so much of my life, so much of the last week, pretending it wasn’t true. So that we wouldn’t be hurt. That we wouldn’t suffer at the hands of class and expectations”.</i><br /><br />Vale, pues esta secuela de <i>Sea Witch</i> es bastante extraña, pero no por ello menos mágica. Aquí han pasado varias décadas desde que Evie salvó a Nik y, como pago por esa magia, tuvo que convertirse en la bruja del mar… con tentáculos de pulpo incluidos. Y la historia empieza cuando, habiendo vivido tanto tiempo siendo temida y odiada, Evie recibe a Alia, una de las hijas del rey del mar, en su cueva, pues la chica quiere convertirse en humana para ganarse el corazón de un príncipe. Que, de hecho, también se llama Nik y es el nieto del Nick de Evie. Así que Alia sacrifica su voz por tener piernas, pero muy pronto su hermana Runa se da cuenta de que Alia está condenada y hace un trato propio con la bruja del mar para ir a salvarla. <br /><br />Si bien <i>Sea Witch Rising</i> no es tan emocionante como el primer libro, sí que tiene elementos mucho más mágicos y a gran escala. Aquí, por ejemplo, el problema no son sólo los tratos, la muerte inminente de Alia o las ganas de Runa de salvarla, sino que se está cerniendo tanto sobre la tierra como el mar la Primera Guerra Mundial. Y tanto los reyes de la tierra como el rey del mar se están volviendo más locos de lo habitual con las preparaciones para este gran enfrentamiento. <br /><br />Ahora, creo que precisamente ese foco en los grandes acontecimientos hizo que el desarrollo de los personajes se perdiera un poco e hiciera que no conectara mucho con ellos. Siento que se explora muchísimo el amor de una hermana por otra, pero más allá de eso los demás personajes quedan un poco desdibujados. Y otra cosa que queda en segundo plano es el amor romántico, que saben que es lo que más me fascina de los libros. <br /><br />Pero nada, me gustó mucho ver cómo Evie sigue intentando encontrar su camino fuera de su maldición y de su destino. Y, de hecho, creo que el final de este libro, aunque cierra ciertos hilos, deja abierta la posibilidad a que Sarah Henning siga escribiendo sobre este mundo. <br />

<br />Edited to update that the prize has been given away! Thank you so much to those of you who pre-ordered, requested from your library, picked it up on a whim, etc. I'm so very happy to have you all as readers!<br /><br />--<br /><br />Hey, GR fam, I hope you're as excited about Sea Witch Rising coming out soon as I am! I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that if you preorder, you can get a signed bookplate and Sea Witch Rising/Throw Like a girl postcard from me, as well as be entered in a drawing to win a grand prize package of:<br /><br />*A signed copy of Sea Witch Rising<br />*Tarte Rainforest of the Sea High Tides &amp; Good Vibes eyeshadow palette<br />*Tentacle pen<br />*Mermaid socks<br />*What’s Kraken? magnet<br />*Rifle Paper Co. mermaid notebook and mermaid pin<br /><br />Send your proof-of-preorder receipt, preferred shipping address, and full name to seawitchpreorder at gmail.com. International and book box entries OK. See my Instagram account (@shhenning) for pics of the prizes and for updates. XOXOX

This was so freaking good!!<br /><br /><i>Sea Witch Rising</i> did not fall to the second book syndrome - THANK YOU BABY JESUS! I will admit that I was hesitant at first to dive into it because the first book was so freaking good but I can gladly say that I wasn't disappointed one bit. The mermaids are bad ass and I love them all.<br /><br />Okay, so this one is about a bond between two sisters - Alia &amp; Runa. They are twins and one is out to save the other. Honestly, definitely got some little mermaid vibes but it was also different as well? It was also a bit heartbreaking to hear what Alia went through just for "love" and then to have Runa fight tooth and nail to try and save her.<br /><br />Besides all of that, everything was a wild and fantastic ride. I loved everything about this world and Runa. Then there's Evie and my head was exploding with so much excitement. The ending definitely got me and I'm desperately hoping that I get a third book. PRETTY PLEASE?? I need more from this world.

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565184443i/27951925._SX540_.jpg" width="300" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>Read my interview with Sarah Henning here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://wp.me/p5bsdH-2OV">https://wp.me/p5bsdH-2OV</a><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1559116543i/27586581.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><b>Genre: </b>YA Fantasy<br><b>Type: </b>Standalone Book 2 of Sea Witch series<br><b>POV: </b>First Person – Dual (Female)<br><b>Rating: </b><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1559305370i/27597348.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1563442444i/27846485._SX540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Alia was willing to do anything for the man she loved. With the infamous Sea Witch’s help, she walked on land to prove it. But it was an impossible task without risking the consequences and her twin sister Runa would not allow that to happen if she could help it. <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1559116543i/27586580.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>This book is significantly different from book 1. While book 1 focused more on the main characters, this one involved a bigger perspective that included both kingdoms and the world. <br><br><blockquote> <b> <i>Runa, always trying to fix and heal things. Unafraid to sacrifice her needs and wants or even herself for another.<br></i></b> </blockquote><br><br>I loved that it has a lot of actions and big scale magic, but I thought because of the wider story arc, I felt a bit less connected to the new characters. Thankfully, as the story progressed to critical points in the characters’ lives, I started to feel more for them and their plights. <br><br><blockquote> <b> <i>“Alia, listen to me. I didn’t sacrifice my voice, no. But I did make a deal with the witch.” <br>She pulls back and points a finger to her chest. <br>For me. <br>“Always for you. Without you, there is no me.”</i></b> </blockquote><br><br>The bond between the sisters was heartening but also heartbreaking with what they were willing to do for each other. I liked how different they were but each with similar goals with their own way to achieve it. I also liked how the ending is open for a future adventure. <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1563442444i/27846486._SY540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Sea Witch Rising is a story of true love and sacrifices. It would appeal to readers looking for fairytale retelling from a different perspective. <br><br><i><b>Note:</b> Each book is standalone and book 2 included some background story but I don't recommend reading it on its own because you wouldn't be able to fully appreciate certain characters dynamic. </i><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1563381559i/27843384._SX540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><b>Books in the series:</b><br><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/36502054.Sea_Witch__Sea_Witch___1_" title="Sea Witch (Sea Witch, #1) by Sarah Henning" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523871348l/36502054._SY75_.jpg" alt="Sea Witch (Sea Witch, #1) by Sarah Henning" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/42800505.Sea_Witch_Rising__Sea_Witch__2_" title="Sea Witch Rising (Sea Witch #2) by Sarah Henning" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550584766l/42800505._SY75_.jpg" alt="Sea Witch Rising (Sea Witch #2) by Sarah Henning" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><br><br><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1558922275i/27576635.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><b>For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:</b><br><a href="http://warhawkevault.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1558922205i/27576631.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><a href="http://warhawkevault.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1498877613i/23169430.png" width="40" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WarhawkesVault" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1498877613i/23169431.png" width="40" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WarhawkesVault" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1498877613i/23169432.png" width="40" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/warhawkesvault/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1498877613i/23169433.png" width="40" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://instagram.com/warhawkesvault/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1537195910i/26315404.png" width="40" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

<b>Rating 3 Stars</b><br /><br />I did not get as engrossed into this book as much as the first one but it did thankfully get intense and pick up at the end of book. <br /><br />50 years have passed since Evie killed her best friend Anna and was transformed into a half human half octopus creature in order to survive. Nick is now long dead and his grand son, also named Nicholas is about to take the throne. Like years before, a girl falls for this Nick. Only one problem. She is a mermaid and he is human. Desperate to be with him, she comes to Evie in order to make an exchange so she can become human. Evie, now the feared sea witch, sees herself in this little mermaid. She agrees to help Alia, giving her legs in exchange for her voice. She has faith that this girl with her stunning beauty will be able to win the prince's heart before the sun sets on the fourth day. But Alia's sister Runa knows better. She knows Nick can't love her in the way Alia needs in order to stay a human and not dissolve into sea foam. Runa makes her own deal with Evie and tells Alia she must kill Nick with the knife from the sea witch and sprinkle his blood on her toes in order to become human again. Alia refuses and Runa has no choice than to trade her tail for legs. She refuses to let Alia die. Alia almost fulfills the bargain but pulls her hands away from the dagger at the last second, leaving Runa to sink the knife into his heart. The now King Nicholas bleeds out and dies while his new bride Sophie screams for help. Runa and Alia barely escape but it is still too late for Alia and she dissolves into sea foam. Runa, devastated is startled when a familiar figure appears. He is the dead king's cousin by law Will. Runa is at first convinced he was there to capture her and take her to the palace to be tried, but instead does something unexpected. He has seen Runa use her magic and had seen Alia die and reveals that he has magic too. Runa, finding no allies to turn to agrees to follow him to a cottage in the woods. There she meets Katrine and Sophie the late kings bride. They too possess magic. Meanwhile Evie has to hold fast against the Sea King's wrath. He knows now that Alia is gone and that Runa can never return to the sea and wants to take it out on Evie. Evie being more powerful is able to defend herself against him. But only for so long as he grows more powerful and his lust to start a war with the humans deepens. <br />On the shore Runa teaches Sophie, Will, Katrine, and Sophie's handmaiden Annameta on how to strengthen their magic and learn to harness new power through spells. They both want to stop the war on land since it will lead to casualties on both land and sea. Runa still wants to return to the sea and consults Evie to see if there is a way. Evie needs the knife and Nick's ring in order to make the spell. Easy enough at first since Sophie has the ring and the knife fell into the ocean. But they are aware that their is a traitor in their midst. Not until Runa, Will, and Annameta get captured after Annameta sold them out. Sophie rescues them by pretending to be on the enemies side and Annameta confesses how she sold them out for coin and gave Nick's ring to be sold. They need the ring in order to stop the Sea King now that is too late for Runa to return to the ocean. They get the ring, almost getting captured once again and make it to the cove. Will is gravely injured by Runa heals him. She gets to the edge of the water and throw the ring into the ocean. Right at that moment the Sea King has risen an army by using the polypus on the ocean floor that contains the souls of the fallen, including Anna and Alia. He kills his mother when she tries to stop him, leaving Evie momentarily helpless as a bomb is detonated and more to come. Then Evie sees the ring and with it's power she stops the detonation of more bombs and kills the Sea King. Now that peace has been restored Evie is now free of her imprisonment and becomes queen while Runa and her friends must now go into hiding as they are fugitives. The might have stopped the war but there is still no peace just yet on land. <br /><br />Runa is a character hard to really describe. She's got some dimension to her sure but I still feel like it was still hard to connect with her. I admired her loyalty to her sisters and her strive to make things right, but she still fell flat. I guess the best way to describe it is that she read like a background chracter not an MC if that makes any sense. But I will give her points for being pretty badass with her extensive knowledge of magic and how she was able to get her and her friends out of life and death situations.<br /><br />The other MC Evie, I felt more connection too since she was the main MC in the last book. I liked Evie's wit and cunning. How she grieved for her lost friend but was able to make the choice to destroy her once and for all for the greater good. Now Evie is the sea witch and has many years under her belt. Yet, she still has a good hold on her humanity and genuinely wants to help Alia and Runa succeed. Definitely not the sea witch most of us know and I enjoyed that twist.<br /><br />There's not much to tell about the other characters. I liked Sophie's snark and her bravery to turn against her own family to do what she thought was right. Her cousin will though was just for love interest really and Annameta was just a source to cause conflict. The Sea King was just a nutcase bent on setting war upon the humans and the other mermaid sisters were not in it enough to really know them. I did like the old mermaid who was like a mother to Evie, she had that sass and spark that I appreciate in older female characters. It was a real shame when she died. So...yeah that's pretty much all I can really say character wise.<br /><br />The plot started off strong in the beginning with the tale that we all know, of a mermaid trading her voice to win the heart of a prince. But like the original tale of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, she fails to kill the prince and dissolves into sea foam. But thankfully it strayed away from the original plot of the story and started the story of Runa. But that's when the pacing started to slow and there were some boring chapters of just Runa training the others on magic. I found myself stopping the audio and not going back to it until a day or two later since I was just too bored. Then it finally got interesting when the whole plan was set in motion to end the war and I plowed through the last few chapters pretty quickly. I will have to say though that I wish there wasn't the romance of Runa and Will it was so unneeded for the plot and just seemed like it was just added in there for romance sake. Not the first time I have gotten annoyed with romance in a book and romance in general. Guess I'll just have to keep on the search for a YA book that has little to no romance *sigh*<br /><br />Anyway, It could have been better but I would definitely still recommend these two books just because <i>Sea Witch</i> was so well done.<br />

1) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2448116584" rel="nofollow noopener">Sea Witch</a> ★★★☆☆<br /><br />To be fair, I didn't want a sequel and I read it anyway. I gave 3,5 stars to Sea Witch, but the story here just didn't hold my attention. This is for me just another case of a standalone turned into a book series when it should have been left alone.<br /><br />Even though I didn't want a sequel, I was still curious: after all, I liked Sea Witch like I said. This book follows directly after the epilogue that wasn't my favorite part of Sea Witch either (you must really wonder why I picked this book) and I just didn't care much about what was happening. The story of Evie, aka the Sea Witch, is the one that was interesting to me and I read her story in the first book. Here she has a role too, but it felt more like Evie was only here to tell the story of the two twin sisters, Alia and Runa, since Alia is the one who made a deal with Evie in the epilogue of the first book.<br /><br />Sisterhood is usually something I absolutely love in a story. It means a lot to me, and in my reviews for several books I said that my favorite part was the love between siblings. But here, the bond between those sisters feels very strong one minute and ridiculous after. How am I supposed to believe that Runa loves her twin sister more than anything and anyone else in the world when she get over her in two minutes because, oh look, a boy. The magic system and the politics didn't make much sense, it was very confusing and felt like a filler more than anything else at times. In conclusion, let's just try to remember the first book as a standalone, all right?

Buddy read with Kirsty_Bookworm!<br /><br />Rating 3.5 stars<br /><br />As you will see in my review for book 1 I absolutely adored it, however book 2 I didn't feel lived up to my high expectations.<br /><br />Sea Witch Rising follows the story of Runa and Alia, the Sea King's mermaid twins. A year ago Alia saved the human boy prince from drowning and has ever since been in madly in love with him, knowing a relationship between them is impossible with her living under the sea, Alia makes a magical deal with the Sea Witch to give her four days on land to make the prince fall in love with her and share a true loves kiss. Only Alia has to forfeit her voice as a condition of the contract.<br />Upon discovering her sister missing, Runa approaches the Sea Witch to discover if there is any way to get her sister back. There is no love lost between the Witch and Runa yet the Witch gives her the chance to go on land under her own magical contract to try and help her sister. The difference is if Runa fails she becomes human forever but if Alia fails she will die and become nothing...<br /><br />I loved the new characters as much as I did in the previous book, I feel like my issue with this one lies with the book feeling way longer than what it needs to be. I'd say the last third of the book felt dragged out without a much happening with it mainly focusing on Runa's love interest. I didn't feel like this was needed in the book as Runa has always been the sister to hate the 'land-dwellers' and main focus is getting back home to the sea kingdom. <br />As its a tale about sisters I felt the lack of emotion from Runa towards the end of the book to be hugely lacking. There is all-sorts of new plot lines thrown in that made it feel a little messy and not thought through.<br /><br />Overall the book was still a good read, I would probably have given this more stars had the first one not been so amazing. Runa was definitely the best part of this book, I enjoyed her chapters more than I did Evie's, her character was very well developed and she proved to be a good strong protagonist. My final thought is I feel like this sits well as a duology and no more, but you could also get away with reading the first book only.

<i>I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.</i><br /><br />This is the second book of a duology that is a Little Mermaid retelling, however this book focuses more on the sea witch and on the little mermaids sister than it does on her. The first book was all about Evie before she became the sea witch. This one focuses more on Runa, the little mermaid's sister. <br /><br />I really enjoyed the first book, and while I'm glad I read the sequel, it didn't captivate me same way that the first book did. Again I can't really say why, it held some of the wonder and magic that the first book did, but not as much of it I guess.<br /><br />The cover on these books though are just amazing. So beautiful. Just thought this was worth throwing in there.<br /><br />I like Evie, and I like how they twist this story to shine the sea witch in a better light, while also turning the sea king into a villian. I like how Runa is brave and willing to risk much to help people while at that same time she has blood on her hands. Her flaw makes her feel more real to me.<br /><br />It was a cute a duology that was worth reading. I'd be willing to read more by this author and know I'm all for retellings.<br /><br /><p> <i>How I choose my rating:<br />1* Hated it. Had to force myself to finish it.<br />2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.<br />3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.<br />4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.<br />5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!</i> </p>

I was stuck between giving 2 stars or 3 stars and settled on 3 and that's being generous.<br />*sigh* deeply disappointed I very much enjoyed the first book and had high hopes for book two. Book two was so far from a follow on from book one I had to question whether I was reading a Duology. Firstly book two is set in a more modern time with cars and guns and submarines *grumble* secondly this books appears to be more about witches than mermaids with a little magic *grumble continues * I was very much enjoying my mermaid theme this year and Sea witch Rising has swiftly ended that.<br />I hoped to have had more of Evie "the so called sea witch" but she did very little to be honest *more grumbles*<br />To be honest I was bored. Bored bloody stiff, 80% of this book was just filler - stuff that didn't need to be added. Stuff that didn't need to happen and stuff that I didn't particularly care about.<br /><br />Uggghhh I can't even care enough to grumble about this book any longer<br /><br />3 over generous stars ? ? ?