The occasional third person chapters also slow down the book. It's not a thrills and romance kind of book - it's a gentle wander through history, class divides and the unwarranted fear of witches. I actually wonder if I would have made it through if I hadn't committed to an arc, and I foresee many DNFs on the horizon. Unfortunately, though, it really is slow. Rarely are male characters allowed to be such starry-eyed romantics and it was adorable, yet not unrealistic.
Henning does a great job of infusing everything with a sea-like essence.Īlso, Nik is a delightful little sweetie. This is all set to an atmospheric backdrop of salty air and sea breezes. Annemette is clearly not all she appears to be, but the depths of what she's hiding are indeed dark and full of terrors. Slowly drawn friendship and romantic dynamics lead toward magical secrets. She is the beautiful Annemette and Evie quickly befriends her, feeling drawn towards this stranger who looks so like her friend. In the present of the story, Nik's near-drowning results in him being saved by a mysterious girl who looks like Anna. The story is about three unlikely childhood friends - Nik (the prince), Anna (now deceased) and Evie (the half-Italian fisherman's daughter). I love that it mentioned the infamous "witch" - Maren Spliid. I love that so much of it is rooted in history I love that I googled Øresund Kingdoms and discovered that the Øresund strait is a real thing.
There are many interesting aspects of what the author has done here. Henning combines this real fear of witches on land with the story of the sea witch we all know from the Andersen tale (and the Disney remake). The Danes, especially under King Christian IV, put many "witches" to death in the 16th and 17th centuries. The story is set in 19th Century Denmark and is woven with hundreds of years of Danish history. Though, in many ways, Sea Witch is much smarter than I expected for a YA The Little Mermaid retelling. Any exciting witchy The Little Mermaid goodness you might be expecting happens in the later chapters, and even then it's pretty subdued. It's a very slowly-paced book, especially during the first two thirds of the story. And how easily you can sit through maritime chapters without falling asleep. It's really a question of how much patience you have. But I will say one thing: this book is probably not what you are expecting. Parts of it were 2 stars, other parts 4/4.5, so in the end I've settled on this. I gave myself a bit of a headache trying to rate this book. She is just as likely to bestow a kiss as to steal the breath from your lips.3 1/2 stars.
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