Review: The Sea of Always by Jodi Lynn Anderson

 

THE SEA OF ALWAYS

Thirteen Witches, Book Two

by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Aladdin

Middle Grade Fantasy

336 pages

ages 9 to 12

COMING...

APRIL 5th!!!

After twelve-year-old Rosie Oaks’s triumph over a powerful evil witch, a whole new world opened up to her—one full of witches who control many of the experiences that make life worth living and use their dominion to torment people. As the latest in a line of powerful witch hunters, it’s up to Rosie to defeat them. With her loyal friend Germ by her side and her newly created witch-weapon at the ready, Rosie leaves home on a quest to find and vanquish the remaining of the original Thirteen Witches.

With the help of an enchanted time-traveling whale, Rosie travels through the depths of the sea and across vast distances as she seeks to fulfill her destiny. The lives of those she loves hang in the balance and her skills are put to the ultimate test as Rosie digs deep for the strength to complete her quest. But can one girl truly hope to eliminate forces that have been at work for centuries? 

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MY TIDBITS

This one starts where the first one in the series left off. I would recommend reading this as a series, since the characters and situations build on the last book. 

Rosie and her friend, Germ, are now in the year 1855, stuck in the belly of a whale as they make their way California and the Time Witch. Rosie is still on the search for her brother and is ready to do whatever it takes to get him back. When the whale drops them off in an unexpected location, they luckily meet another witch hunter, who can help them out. But the Time Witch isn't easily dealt with, especially since Rosie is still on her list. When Rosie discovers that she needs to steal witches' hearts and destroy them to get her brother back, a race across time and space begins.

I enjoyed the first book quite a bit and was looking forward to see where Rosie's adventures led her next. She still has quite the adventure ahead of her, but handles it with tons of determination. While the time in the whale (even with its amazing comforts!) does draw out and caused me to skip over more than a couple of paragraphs, the tale does pick up again when they finally get to the shore. After this, the tale picks up its pace and tension mounts, while all sorts of problems come their way.

To say that Rose is determined is a bit of an understatement, but her family is as stake. So, it's no problem to root for her every step of the way. The other characters add the right atmosphere at the right time, making sure that...at least, after the whale...the story stays anything but boring. This one ends, leaving the reader waiting to see the next book to find out what happens next. And it will be interesting to see where all of this will end up.