That sentence that sounded less laden with innuendo in my head. Also, the sea king (never capitalized, although Sea Witch is), who is Runa and Alia’s father, has become addicted to a flower that enhances his magical powers. Suddenly it’s all about spies and blowing up U-boats. However, the plot takes a sharp turn after the first sixteen (short) chapters and becomes a war story. It has to come from the prince, and it has to be Alia who kills him. And yes, Runa does try the sisterly kiss option, but apparently the Sea Witch has watched Frozen and the sisterly love kiss doesn’t count. So the reader assumes (at least, I did) that this is now the plot of the book – save Alia, whether through true love or through murder. But if she fails, then instead of dying she stays human. If Alia kills the prince in time, and Runa gets the princes’ ring (it was important in the last book) and the knife and also gets the prince’s blood on her own feet, and brings them to the Sea Witch within the specified time, then she can return to being a mermaid. When his life-force is gone and his blood has anointed her new body, she will be human for the rest of her days.”īecause of “how magic works,” there’s no “Alia gets to be a mermaid again” option. If she does not gain the boy’s love in return by the end of her fourth day full day on land, she must plunge this knife into his heart, letting the blood drop upon her feet. They end up with short hair, not shaved bald, and even the sisters are like, “um, that was suspiciously easy.”įind your sister at the waterside and give her this knife. The Sea Witch asks for the sisters’ hair in return for legs for Runa. Runa, Alia’s sister, refuses to accept Alia’s decision and makes a different bargain with the Sea Witch, with the support of her grandmother and her other sisters. She has a certain amount of time to make the prince kiss her with true love’s kiss or she will turn to foam on the sea. She falls in love with a human prince, stares at a statue of him, and makes a bargain with the Sea Witch to trade her voice for legs. It takes place fifty years after the first book and concerns twin mermaids named Runa and Alia. This book will be confusing unless you first read Sea Witch.

It’s about mermaid witches and an octopus witch and some human witches fighting the Germans and also patriarchy above and below the sea during WWI. There is romance in the story but the book is not a romance.

Like Sea Witch, Rising is a hot mess, and, yet, also like Sea Witch, I just gotta have it. Sea Witch Rising is the sequel to Sea Witch, which was a very loose retelling of The Little Mermaid with an impressive twist. Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult

Sea witch sarah henning