Sea Witch Rising audiobook

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!--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:*A signed copy of Sea Witch Rising*Tarte Rainforest of the Sea High Tides & Good Vibes eyeshadow palette*Tentacle pen*Mermaid socks*What’s Kraken? magnet*Rifle Paper Co. mermaid notebook and mermaid pinSend 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

Read my interview with Sarah Henning here: https://wp.me/p5bsdH-2OVGenre: YA FantasyType: Standalone Book 2 of Sea Witch seriesPOV: First Person – Dual (Female)Rating: 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. 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. Runa, always trying to fix and heal things. Unafraid to sacrifice her needs and wants or even herself for another. 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. “Alia, listen to me. I didn’t sacrifice my voice, no. But I did make a deal with the witch.” She pulls back and points a finger to her chest. For me. “Always for you. Without you, there is no me.” 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. Sea Witch Rising is a story of true love and sacrifices. It would appeal to readers looking for fairytale retelling from a different perspective. Note: 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. Books in the series: For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

Why is it getting a sequel? What else is there? I’ll still read it though.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins Australia for providing me with a copy of Sea Witch Rising in exchange for an honest review!Please note: As this review is for book 2 in the series, there may be spoilers for book 1 (Sea Witch) in my review! “Come away, come away O’er the waters wild.Our earth-born childDied this day, died this dayCome away, come awayThe tempest loudWeaves the shroudFor him who did betray.Come away, come awayBeneath the waveLieth the graveOf him we slay, him we slay”-The Mermaid’s Vengeance Sea Witch Rising took up right where Sea Witch ended. We join the sea witch in her cave, where mermaid Alia has approached her to trade her voice for legs and win the prince of her dreams. This particular prince happens to be the grandson of Niklas from book one. When Alia’s twin sister, Runa, discovers what she has done, and that she’s almost certainly going to fail in her task, she makes a trade of her own, determined to intervene.Where Sea Witch gave us the origin story of the witch, Sea Witch Rising is the retelling of the Little Mermaid story. Fierce, bold and full of magic, I was just as captivated with the sequel as I was with the first book. I adore retellings told from the original villain’s perspective and Sea Witch Rising alternated chapters between the witch and mermaid Runa.As this story takes part several generations after the last, there were a lot of new characters, but I found it easy to quickly work out where everyone fitted in to the story and how they were related to the last one. I absolutely love Sarah Henning’s writing style, it somehow succeeds in getting me so lost in the story and connected to the characters. Runa was strong and so fierce with love for her twin sister. Her sacrifices and motivation to do what was right for her people had me falling in love with her.Sea Witch Rising gave us even more in the way of magic and insight into the witch’s personality. It’s imperative for me that a villain’s retelling makes my heart hurt for the so called villain, and makes me want to understand their motivations. I think these books achieved that perfectly and I’d highly recommend them to those who love retellings!MY BLOG ~ INSTAGRAM

Read this review and others on my blog: https://thriftybibliophile.comIf you’re a fan of retellings and love “The Little Mermaid”, Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning might be the book for you! As the second book in the Sea Witch duology, this book makes a delightful splash.Alia, daughter to the Sea King, is a dreamer. She loves deeply and falls hard. Unfortunately she falls in love with a human–a prince–which isn’t very convenient since she’s a mermaid. Letting love guide her, she trades her voice to the Sea Witch in exchange for legs of her own. But of course the exchange comes with some stipulations. Alia needs the prince to fall in love with her–or she needs to kill him–otherwise she forfeits her life.No big deal, right?Runa, Alia’s sister, refuses to let her sister die without a fight. She’s strong, fierce, and makes a deal with the Sea Witch of her very own.The Sea Witch, Evie, isn’t all bad. She gives the sisters what they want–she just wants something in exchange. Ultimately, the Sea Witch craves freedom. Freedom from her prison under the sea where the Sea King has her trapped.When trouble brews under the sea and on land, the sisters find that they need Evie in a big way. Will she help them, or will she be the devious Sea Witch most believe her to be?I really enjoyed reading Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning. While I liked the first book, Sea Witch, I loved its sequel even more.The characters were well written and very sympathetic. Runa tries so hard to do the right thing by her twin sister. While Runa attempts to save Alia, she gets swept up in a mission to save the sea and the land. Never one to back down from a challenge, she proves herself a capable mermaid and a magical witch.And how could you not love Evie? I adore sympathetic antagonists. Evie is easy to both hate and love. She’s not always the nicest, but she ultimately means well. Her character is absolutely fascinating.The story itself was well-executed. I enjoyed the twist on “The Little Mermaid.” While it was very clearly a “The Little Mermaid” retelling, it was unique and creative. The author took the threads of the classic story and made it her own.While Sea Witch Rising picks up where Sea Witch left off, you could easily read Sea Witch Rising as a standalone. I highly recommend Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning to fans of retellings and those who appreciate stories under the sea.Thank you to the publisher for providing the finished version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Normally when it comes to reading book sequels, I roll my eyes, strap on the emergency flotation device and brace for impact. Usually…Sea Witch Rising is a sequel not to be messed with. It kicked off right where Sea Witch ended, with no pause, no breaks and no stopping for snacks. We start our adventure in the sea witch’s cave, where Alia a young mermaid, comes to trade her voice for the use of her legs, all in the name of love, to meet her prince charming. Even though you would most likely want to try and eat all the pizza than fall in love with some pretty boy prince. But we all have different priorities.Alia’s sister Runa soon discovers what her sister has done, and does whatever she needs to and try and save her sister. But the world is must larger than the bond and love of two sisters.While Sea Witch Rising takes place years, actually generations later than the original, you meet new characters. And the introduction of these new characters was smooth and you quickly found yourself invested in their lives.Overall, Sea Witch Rising not only delivered the goods, but served in a silver platter, leaving us bound to the ground and begging for more. I would high recommend this series to not only loves retellings, but loves a bloody great book!

** spoiler alert ** I loved this more than Sea Witch and that book wrecked me. I have a lot of thoughts.First I want to say is that I have a twin sister and I cannot even imagine the pain and grief Runa goes through even though Sarah Henning beautifully depicts Alia’s death and goodbye. I really loved the first half with the slight twist of the Little Mermaid fairytale even if it did break my heart. The second half started off a bit slow and I wasn’t as invested in Runa’s chapters as much as Evie’s. And I didn’t care for the love interest. I did love how this was more about sisterhood!But I did end up liking the friendship between Runa, Will, Sofie and Agnata and I really liked how the author didn’t just have Sofie and the others not forgive Agnata. I really liked their short but tense adventure with the u-boats and the ring. I wouldn’t say no to a companion novel about them!Overall this was an amazing sequel to an already amazing retelling! I kinda hope there’ll be more of Evie and the others even if separate because I loved how she became queen!

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Alana MissenIf you’re looking for an action-packed, magic-filled reimagining of The Little Mermaid, the search is over. Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning is the sequel we’ve all been waiting for, and this reviewer is going to call it right now: it really gives the original tale a run for its money. In this dual-perspective novel, author Sarah Henning takes the reader on a wild ride both on land and under the sea with a story full of unforgiving magic, heartache, power, and above all else, love. Bittersweet and full of heart, this novel doesn’t pull any punches.Potential spoilers for first book, Sea Witch, ahead! Sea Witch Rising picks up fifty years after the events of the first novel, and kicks off with the transformation of Alia, the little mermaid. After being sent to land by the sea witch, her twin sister, Runa, seeks a way to save her from the time sensitive spell by doing the unthinkable: Runa must make her way into the lair of the sea witch herself. With her sister doomed to die for a prince who doesn’t love her, Runa must intervene to save the one person she is closest to in her world. With aid from the sea witch herself, who is fighting her own battle for freedom and redemption, Runa will discover that with magic, there is always a price to be paid.One thing that really makes this novel tick is the characters. The dual perspectives of Evie, the sea witch, and Runa, the mermaid princess, open up the story significantly, allowing the author to explore multiple plot lines and themes. On one hand, there’s Evie who is unapologetically jaded by her own past, yet compassionate to those around her. It’s this compassion that helps bridge the older Sea Witch Rising version of the character with the previously more juvenile version in the first novel. There’s also a bittersweet, wistful tone that flows throughout her chapters, creating an added depth to the character.“Trust me, Your Highness: revenge doesn’t mend a broken heart.”And then there’s the new addition to the story: Runa. Runa’s character development is gradual, natural, and inspiring. She begins as simply one half of a whole—her sister acting as her guiding force in life—before evolving into an individual and discovering her own power. Here’s a girl who leaves everything she knows behind to try and do the right thing by her family, even when it terrifies her. Runa’s growth is definitely one of the best parts of this novel, and makes the sequel that much stronger.The dynamic between these two main characters has such a positive impact on the story. The message of female unity and empowerment is clear, without feeling over done or cheesy. In short, the leading women are strong and capable, without feeling like walking clichés.And then there’s the main theme of power and magical balance. Henning takes a concept introduced in book one and teases it out to create an unstable political setting, both under the sea and on land. In relation to plot, one thing is clear: Sea Witch Rising is that much stronger due to the conflicts introduced surrounding power and magic, and how they interplay with each other.“Gold isn’t power—magic is.”In Sea Witch Rising we learn more about the magical give and take between the ocean and the land, and what it will mean for the future of both royal houses. Tough choices are made, some which can’t be taken back, and all this just adds more tension to the storyline.So, if you’re looking for a YA fantasy that doesn’t shy away from hard truths and consequences, make sure to pick up this creative, refreshing take on The Little Mermaid! If you think you know how the story goes, guess again…

I was very curious, after the first book that worked perfectly fine as a stand alone, what Henning was gonna do with the sequel to the Sea Witch. And since the Magical Readathon asked me to read a water themed book, it was the perfect moment to pick this sequel up. And once I started I had a very very hard time stopping again. I just wanted to keep on reading and reading.Since the world building had been done in the previous book already, I had the feeling that this book was somehow more action packed and faster in general. I have to admit that I'm not sure if that's really the case or simply a feeling I have. Where the previous book was a small story about three friends and what happened when two of them fell in love with each other, this story is much and much bigger. This story is about power, about war and about what makes someone evil and what makes someone good.It was nice to see Evie back, this time as the Sea Witch. Due to the fact that she couldn't really leave her location, she didn't play a very active role in the story. However, she did pull the strings and I liked the lessons she learned in the end and the person she eventually became. We however also meet a lot of new characters, mostly descendants of the characters we've met in the previous book, and it made the story fresh and new, even though part of the plot was a repeat of the first book.All those new characters however fitted perfectly into the world we got to know in the first book. Henning really knows how to bring characters to life, how to make them feel real, without telling us each and every unimportant detail about them. Combine that with her easy to read, and yet still enchanting, writing style and the result is a very addictive book that's really hard to put down. And there's room for another book in the series, so who knows...

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Sarah Henning for my arc of Sea Witch Rising in exchange for an honest review. Spoiler warning: as this is a sequel to Sea Witch, there will be spoilers from book one along the way! Synopsis: Alia has traded her voice to the sea witch in order to get a shot at love with the object of her affection, Niklas. Grandson of the original Niklas from book one Sea Witch. Runa will not let her twin sister throw away her life for a chance at romance with what she sees as a wasteful and selfish princeling. Evie wants her own freedom from the cave where she is imprisoned, but her freedom comes at a great cost and an exchange she might not want to make. I really liked Sea Witch you can read my review of that here: https://lifehasafunnywayofsneakingupo... I know it received a lot of criticism for the way it demonstrated giving up everything for love but a) I never found that an issue with the story and b) I think it was an important part of telling the Sea Witch's story and understanding her future motivations. Sea Witch Rising told a different story. Runa was a great character, super strong and the love story is that of her and her sister Alia. Alia is a bit of a wet character (excusing the pun) and she annoyed me quite a lot, but Runa was awesome. I also loved Evie just as much as did in the first one. She's been dealt such a hard hand in life and I feel so much for her. Where Sea Witch was the untold story of The Sea Witch (we'll say Ursula although this series is actually a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid) Sea Witch Rising is more of a retelling of The Little Mermaid but from a new perspective. I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing more from this author in future.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this! I enjoyed the first book last year, and was looking forward to this. I liked the take on the story originally, and this follows on really nicely - encompassing more of the little mermaid story we know, but still putting its own twist - like Runa, the sea king and the war. I particularly liked how the war played into it, and into the threat to the underwater kingdom. I ended up really liking Alia, who I thought was initially a little naive, but Runa was the star of the show for me. Her dedication to her sister was so lovely, and how she wanted to do what was right. Her coven was super fun, as was the difference between sea and land magic. Plus again it challenges who we perceive as the bad and good guys. I did want a little more history into the sea king, to see some of his motivations, but other than that I thought it was perfectly balanced.

This is the sequel to Sea Witch the backstory on one of the most evil villains of all time from the Little Mermaid. I really enjoyed this sequel way more then book one as i felt that it was mostly telling us what we all ready knew about this tale. This sequel takes what was lacking in book one and throughly different story that we all know. This is why i am liking the new malificent story as we have these evil characters but Disney never really tells us why they are evil. What decision changed them from being good to evil? Did a parent wound them so bad that they never learned to be good? Or what circumstance in their past wounded them to the turning point of this evil root?In the Sea Witch Rising not only are we getting new ideas about what really is happening in the Sea Kingdom with the Sea King, we also get to know the pain that Sea Witch went through. We learn how she became chained to her lair, we learn that in all intents and purposes she was just like the Little Mermaid who wanted more then what she had underwater. This second book is very action packed and even left me feeling like more story could be forth coming from the ending. I truly enjoyed this boook.

I liked the sequel, liked Evie's conclusion and new characters.

** spoiler alert ** I have mixed feelings about this book. I had mixed feelings while reading it. As I was invested in this story I couldn’t decide if I liked the direction it was taking. It was definitely an unexpected story seeing as how the first book in the series was more predictable. I’m giving it 4 stars because it is good and the ending is what made me decide that I do like this book. In this case, Runa, a new character, is the real little mermaid of the story. She is the character who stays human and has sort of a coming of age journey fighting for what she believes in. She also finds love and friendship on land and feels empowered with her decisions by the end of the book. All the while, there is a war under the sea that portrays the sea king as more of the villain while the sea witch is the hero and rises to power. There are some nods to the the fairy tale and Disney version of The Little Mermaid , but this is mostly a brand new story where the characters play brand new roles. What always gets me is a happy ending, and this book has one! 🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏻‍♂️💚🐠