Let's just go ahead and point out first of all how sickening this cover is?! Just... wow! I could get lost in this art for days. On to the book... while it did not blow me away as much as this cover, I still enjoyed it overall. I am landing on a 3.5 rating. The beginning was quite slow and hard for me to really get a feel for the pace, but then about 60% of the way in the book really picks up. You start to get INTO the book as secrets reveal themselves and a new plot emerges. I seriously wish the first half had been even half as entertaining and compelling as the back end, but the latter does make up for the former. I read this simultaneously as a retelling of The Little Mermaid AND a prequel as it kind of fit with elements to be either.

I love the incorporation of witches on land as well as sea and combined with mermaids, Gods, etc. This story is rich with some historical flavor, too! Sometimes, however, the descriptions, word choices, and sentence structure tend to murk up the pace a bit... but it is not too often. It's hard to explain, but you will recognize a little clunky vibe from time to time if you read. We get a mix of friendship, romance, betrayal, magic, and suspense with Sea Witch. We also are thrown into yet another world where witches are being killed for no reason - while not necessarily in this book it is discussed and attempted.

I am definitely going to be picking up the sequel to this, Sea Witch Rising, as I am all about this dark water magic and hope we get a little more in it and slightly less romance? I doubt that will be the case, but I am still interested in finding out!