Book Review #68: Ione: A Sea Witch’s Tale by Mayumi Cruz

Hello Dear Reader!

Welcome to an indie book review! Well, it’s not so much a book than a short 47-page story, but I loved it just as much as a full-length novel, so yes, I am writing a review on this. AND this story was written by the lovely @mcruz501, so be sure to check her out when you have the chance!

This short story, which is the prequel to Aquosvegna: The Water Kingdom Trilogy follows the story of Ione, a girl who lives underwater in the kingdom of Aquosvegna. Throughout this story, we learn of Ione’s many experiences of suffering and betrayal and how they lead to the ultimate revenge.

But before I get deeper into that, here’s the back-cover summary (from Goodreads)

In the beginning, there is no sea witch. There is only Ione. This is her story.

A Keeper of the magical plant Crocus, Ione’s heart beats only for Lief, the Crown Prince of Aquosvegna.

Their love is forbidden though, for no Keeper can ever become Queen. Desperate for them to be together, Ione conspires with the Prince to poison his father at the Water Kingdom’s Decennial Games.

But once he becomes King, she finds herself scorned, accused as a murderess, and sentenced to death. Heartbroken and with child, she learns to harness the power of the Crocus with the use of a stolen book of mystical concoctions.

She vows to do anything to exact eternal revenge on the lover who deceived her — but at what terrible cost?

Time for the review!

This one is gonna be a bit different because it’s so short. I actually really liked that this prequel was as short as it was, because it did a great job of giving enough without revealing too much. Through reading it, I was able to get a good grasp of the basics of the settings and how magic worked in the world. It provided a big enough “hint” to what the trilogy holds, and it was a great preview that makes me want to read it.

It also provided a really well-written story. It was meant to be short, sweet, and to the point, and the writing reminded me of how dark fairytales are written. Not to mention it’s pretty unexpectedly dark. There are a number of deaths written within the 47 pages, and it’s rather impressive because they felt spaced-out and not at all rushed.

So, Ione: A Sea Witch’s Tale rating:

5/5 and highly recommend if you like short, dark, and magical prequels that give good previews of the main series. I am definitely reading the trilogy after reading this.  

Thanks for reading!