A Book Obsession..: July 2018

Early Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

, by Kt Clapsadl

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Everyone knows what happens in the end.
A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss.
But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends.
One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

The rise of Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic villainess is a heart-wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, and a girl pushed beyond her limits—to become a monster.

SEA WITCH was one heck of a twisty-turny read that had all the markings of greatness, but suffered from some pretty significant slowness. The entire concept and the twist on the little mermaid lore was incredibly fascinating and kept me reading, but the book really dragged out at a snail's pace for the first two thirds. I also didn't appreciate the jumping forward and backward in time until near the end when a major twist was revealed. From that point on the timeline stayed mostly linear and things took off with one heck of a bang. The last third of the book completely makes the story and honestly left me reeling. This in itself was impressive as it was a villain's origin story so I should have been more prepared logically. But once that ending happened, all I wanted was a different outcome. Like I said, impressive to make me forget such a well known story's ending/beginning.

Honestly this one was incredibly hard for me to rate. The first two thirds were a two at best, with me struggling to continue at times, and then the last third an almost five where I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. But I'm glad I read this book and thoroughly enjoyed through the end, so an average of three stars overall. My biggest recommendation is to anyone getting ready to read this one is to be prepared for a slow start, but one heck of a bang payoff ending. I am eager to see more from this author as she has a way with words and I can't wait to see what she crafts with more experience under her belt. Overall, SEA WITCH is an intriguing read from this debut author that turns a well known tale on it's tail.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
The Book Prescription
The Moonlight Library
Emily May

Release Day Review: Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

, by Kt Clapsadl

Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

The Great Library #4

To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

The opening moves of a deadly game have begun. Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library. With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making...if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.

Holy smokes was SMOKE AND IRON one heck of a thrill ride. From page one the stakes are off the charts. The book drops us right into danger, and the nail-biting aspects don't let up for a moment. It made for one intense read. This one was told in rotating perspectives which only served to ratchet the intensity up as every since character was facing incredible odds. The war has was well and truly taken off, and there's no turning back now.

It's truly impressive how the author is able to have such nail-bitingly high stakes but also keep the characters front and center as well. For such a large cast, it would be understandable if some faded to the background in light of all the incredible action. And yet, each and every character shines in SMOKE AND IRON. I really love how much the story and characters suck you in leaving the reader desperate to see how things turn out and hope everyone survives the chaos. It's like reading about your best friends and the amazing odds against them, and I really enjoyed every moment.

Fans of the series will be more than pleased with this incredibly high stakes new installment in the Great Library series. I can't wait to see what happens next!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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