Rise of the Sea Witch: Unfortunate Soul Chronicles, Volume 1

Narrated by Princess Vanessa, Rourke’s fantasy tells the origin story of Ursula the Sea Witch

Vanessa has only had one dream and that is to be Queen of Alantica. Her every move has been designed to try and win her father's affection and approval, when it is so easily given to her younger playful brother Triton, who wants nothing more than to play. It seems that fate may not be on Vanessa's side though, and her path to the crown has more challenges that she may be able to handle.Oh my geez, this was a great book, but is was so hard to read (in my opinion because of the life of Vanessa)! I will admit that I did not realize that this was the back story to the evil sea witch from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid, I just thought that this was a new mermaid book (with a completely gorgeous cover which I am drawn to regardless of content). Well, I found out pretty quick that this is Ursela's backstory and I loved how Ms. Rourke was able to create this history that made me love this terrible villain. Rourke was able to create depths and motivation, causing me to empathize with Vanessa and understand her in a way I never expected- her misdeeds seemed reasonable and just herek. Can I just say, that hands down, Poseidan was an epic Tool and needed to be punched, even to the end (but let's not get into that). The way he treated Vanessa was so awful, and sure it was not physical abuse and she did not want for any physical possession, but she was abused by neglect and contempt. I wanted to stage an intervention at multiple times in the story and whisk her away, and even her evil deeds I felt more ambivalent about.​My favorite part of the story was the offhand references to the Disney movie The Little Mermaid. For example, the phrase poor unfortunate souls (hint hint the title?) was thrown around the book, made famous from Ursela in the movie. Also, "little mermaid" was what Vanessa was called a few times as a snarky put-down, "body language" was referenced (which made me chuckle to myself and want to break out in the song from the movie), a helpful seagull was mentioned, and Vanessa ends up having her voice taken away at one point just like Ariel did (but much more gruesome). I loved seeing these tidbits incorporated into the book's plot to make a seamless connection between the beloved Disney movie and this entirely new back story. I think it helped to draw me in more, making me engaged in actively finding more connections to tie the stories to together.I found this book to be a pleasant surprise that kept me reading and anxiously invested to see what would happen next. I honestly wanted nothing but happiness, or at least love and acceptance and perhaps some contentment for Vanessa, even though I know how this story ended. I also found interesting the transition from pretty little mermaid Vanessa to full figured Ursela (and the name Ursela now makes perfect sense) to be well done and matched the expectations for the character very well. I have so many concerns for her future as well as what will happen between her and Triton that I would love to get my hands on the next book in the series to continue the journey. This is perfect of fans of The Little Mermaid, villains backstories like the Maleficent movie, general mermaid stories and anything else different you may be looking for. Pick it up, you will enjoy it.

Always the fan of Stacey Rourke’s work, Rise of the Sea Witch did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book (wish I could give it a 4.5 stars). I was even on the verge of absolutely loving it, but there was one thing that kept me from being swept away. In typical Stacey Rourke fashion, there's lots of humor in this story, and while I enjoyed it, for some reason it kept the darkness of the story from totally encompassing me.I love the imagination of this story. I love how Rourke can take a somewhat well-known fairytale character, or a very popular Disney character, and turn their story around to suit her and almost make them better. Many times people don't think about giving villains an origin story, but where as villains are usually the most interesting characters, they can also have the most interesting origin stories. Rorke has definitely presented a story that makes you want to love and hate this villain in so many ways.To say that this story is a sibling rivalry is an understatement. Vanessa wants it all and her brother doesn't really want anything (he just expects favor). Of course, they are pit against each other to fight for the throne. This story, from beginning to end, is really kind of sad, which is why I felt like the humor sometimes took away from the tone. Vanessa's whole life has been about trying to receive acceptance and or praise, but not necessarily in a prideful way. I don't consider Vanessa to be vain; I just see her as expecting people to see her for what she is, a royal and valid candidate for the throne. There are so many elements to this character that you can't just write her off as a villain. Vanessa is smart and she's a fighter. But it doesn't matter what she is; she's never enough, even right down to the end.This is one villain who couldn't escape her future. It seems no matter what Vanessa did, she was going to end up the villain because someone was going to take advantage of her. And I feel like that's what ultimately happened in this story. By the end of this story you could totally understand how she became so evil and why she wants to take revenge against Triton. And even though you can sympathize with this character and you feel her pain, when you think about what this character of the sea which becomes later on in the Disney fairy tales, she still pretty darn evil.I think that's a sign of a great story, when you can sympathize with a character, relate to where they're coming from, and still accept the fact that they make bad choices or do bad things. In my mind, Stacey Rourk has done her part to pay homage to Hans Christian Andersen and Disney Film Studios while making a name for herself. This is a truly unique Rourkesque take on this character and I applaud her.Highly recommended to fans of YA fantasy and fairytale retellings, and anyone who appreciates a good villain.

I had doubts about this one, but it turns out I didn’t need to worry. Rise of the Sea Witch by Stacey Rourke details the fall (or rise, depending on how you want to look at it) of mermaid Princess Vanessa of Atlantica, eldest daughter of King Poseidon. She could have had an idyllic life. But circumstances conspire to strip the young princess of everything and set her on a destructive path. Her mother is brutally killed and her father shuns her in favour of her younger brother, Triton. Nonetheless, Vanessa strives to prove herself worthy of the crown – and her father’s love. Her towering ambition is no match for Atlantica’s vicious politics though. And when Triton is crowned king, and he too turns against her, Vanessa’s descent into madness is complete.Rarely are we given the opportunity to appreciate a villain’s backstory. So, this story is a gem. It’s not for the faint-hearted though. Several times I had to put the book down because I couldn’t bear Vanessa’s trauma. It’s compelling though. It was never down for long.

What an amazing story, Ursula is portrayed brilliantly in a way that I thought Disney themselves could do. Its truly outstanding and quite possibly the best book that I have ever read. This could be a feature length film and rightly so. Superb atmosphere. What a masterpiece of literature.

An amazing look into the life of Vanessa- King Triton's sister. Definitely worth considering for Disney Canon in my opinion as the story flowed seamlessly to fit the original. Well done Stacey Rourke you had me bawling by the end!!

as a great lover of Disney with the little mermaid being 1 of my favourites. I enjoyed the prequel as such immensely the way the characters are built up the great sciences that are created are brilliant. cannot wait for the next installment