Saltwater Witch

Seaborn Trilogy #1

by Chris Howard

"An amazing fantasy... readers will excitedly follow Kassandra’s every step as she discovers who she really is."--Flamingnet Review" Four stars.

I could almost feel the raging sea..."--Curled up with a good book

Kassandra comes from the sea, but she has no memory of saltwater, seagulls, or an incoming tide. She's never seen an ocean, never heard the thunder of surf. She's an exile, betrayed by her own family, sent as far from the sea as they could arrange--somewhere in the middle of Nebraska.Everything changes the day she drowns in Red Bear Lake, and discovers she can't really drown. Not in the way everyone else can. Then a two-thousand year old king wakes inside her head and turns out to be a prodigy with mathematics. Kassandra cries for the first time in her life, and learns that her tears are doorways for calling things from the sea. With clues from summoned sea-demons and the voices in her head, Kassandra sets out to find out what the hell is going on...and discovers she's a prisoner, trapped between a murderous grandfather who controls an army of the drowned dead, river witches who spy on her through the plumbing, and Ms. Matrothy, the Girl's Department Director, who's been trying to kill her since she was four.

Genres: Fantasy, Mermaids, Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Fiction

342 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Chris Howard is just a creative human with a pen and a paint brush, author of Seaborn (Juno Books, 2008), Salvage (Prime Books, 2013), Saltwater Witch (Lykeion, 2005), and a shelf-full of other books. My short stories and essays have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including “Lost Dogs and Fireplace Archeology” in Fantasy Magazine and “How to Build Worlds Without Becoming the Minister for Tourism” in Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Penguin, 2014). My story “The Mermaid Game” appeared in the Paula Guran edited anthology Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep (Prime, 2015), and “Hammers and Snails” was the Robert A. Heinlein Centennial Short Fiction Contest winner. I wrote and illustrated the comics Saltwater Witch and Salvage. My art has appeared on dozens of book covers, art cards, interior illustrations for publishers, authors, and Kickstarter projects. You can also find my art in Shimmer, BuzzyMag, various tabletop RPGs, and on the pages of books, blogs, and other interesting places.

Find out everything here: http://www.SaltwaterWitch.com

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Reviews

[Weston Kincade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Chris Howard, but came across the book on Smashwords and was intrigued by the back flap summary. I just finished it and was happily pulled into the maelstrom of Kassandra's world. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Although the initial copy needs a basic edit, it is quite good and there were few enough grammatical issues that it didn't disturb the read or flow. The characters, Ephoros, Jill, and Nicole surprised me as they found their place in a new world, supporting Kassandra in her direst of straights. I was impressed and surprised as the young girls found their destiny and family. I don't want to give to much away, so just pick up a copy for yourself.

Weston Kincade

http://www.authorwakincade.blogspot.com

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This refreshingly original fantasy is a fresh fusion of contemporary and mythic imaginative vision.

‘Saltwater Witch’ is a simply sensational story of self-discovery, mythical creatures combined with magic and breathtaking world building. I was enthralled by how the author’s creation came to life on the page, so as to allow me to clearly visualize such a remarkable underwater heaven and fascinating characters. The extensive world building left me aghast, as I explored wide-eyed with deep interest this extraordinarily rich fantasy full of darkly delicious and tantalizing treats! Excited upon encountering Kassandra and eagerly following her personal journey of discovery into the unknown, I instantly connected with her as I truly cared about what would happen in the unfolding events to come. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages of this beautiful book as I was completely lost within this mystical, magical world of wonder. this truly is an inspired, scintillating story that is current and refreshingly new for a modern audience.

‘We are all seaborn. All life began in the Ocean. The tides. The salt. The rolling waves are in our souls. And the sea will always have the power to call us home…



Chris Howard {also author of Seaborn, Salvage and Dryad} is not only an accomplished writer of fantasy fiction, but is a talented artist and illustrator. He is able to capture his visions through both the written word and through exquisitely evocative masterpieces in watercolour, ink, charcoal, digital and a wide-range of other mixed media. The portfolio of images accompanying ‘Saltwater Witch’ I found so inspiring, mesmerizing and simply gorgeous that add even more depth to the story. *I would recommend taking a peak at the website: www.saltwaterwitch.com* Being able to discover even more of this novel through exploring the website, added an additional layer to the entire experience and a heightened sense of realism to such a credible creation.

I am so incredibly impressed by an urban fantasy tale that exceeded all expectations, and the first instalment within a thrilling trilogy {book 2- Seaborn, book 3- sea throne} that is just too good to miss! The army of the drowned dead, doorways in your tears, Sea Demons and crazy river Witches are all elements that sprung from the pages out at me as entirely new concepts and creations so different. There is nothing comparable to this series, with its standards soaring in such a popular and highly competitive genre. The atmospheric ambience, which touched upon all senses so that, I could almost hear the waves crashing against the rocks and smell the saltwater and seaweed, was so acutely accurate as to bring the book to life. The cast of colourful characters such as Ephoros, Jill, Nicole and Kassandra whose destinies await were unforgettable as too was the unique world in which I plunged headfirst into filled with mythological creatures.



I cannot express fully in words how unbelievably engaging and captivating this story is that took hold from page one and never let go. I would like to thank the author for having book 1 of ‘The Seaborn Trilogy’ as a giveaway on Goodreads {first-read}, as I thoroughly enjoyed reading and did not want to end! You will be swept away…

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads from the author himself. There were even some goodies sent along with it as well! This book was a great fantasy that I loved very much. Kept me on the edge of my seat and gave me a totally new way of looking at the sea and the mythology of sea creatures. Beautifully written with very likable characters and such great descriptions that you actually feel like your there. Thank you so much for giving me this book I might have passed and missed out on. The end had me wondering what was in store for Kassandra next. I will definitely be buying the next two books in this trilogy! A must read for fantasy lovers.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise was so promising, and yet...

The execution is very lacking. The main character does not think or behave like a teenage girl- not even one who has undergone that kind of trauma.

The author has a habit of making the main character repeat complicated names in a wondering tone in order to tell the reader how they're meant to be pronounced. While it wouldn't be a huge deal if it happened once, it was frequent and jarring.

A lot of awkward details could have used extra attention, as well. The story has a lot of potential, but could have used a lot more editing. Ruthless editing.

I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads First Reads. I really enjoyed it but there were a lot of editing errors that caused me to have to re-read a few times to try to figure out what was meant. Had it not been for that I would have given this book a 4. Chris Howard took me on an adventure to a whole new underwater world unlike any I had explored before. The story line was unique, fun and full of surprises. I am excited to be able to share this book with my daughter and look forward to getting my hands on the next two books in the series & exploring his website.

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes while reading:
(Book Jar 2018 Pick)

Kassandra goes from “poor little orphan girl” to “I’m a queen now, so I’m going to act like a brat about it”.

Also a lot of unnecessary curse words. Trust me, I’m completely fine with swearing in books (I use a lot of bad language myself) but like half the time it just sounded unnatural and forced, especially from a character that we were taught to believe is soooooo innocent and suuuuuch a good little girl. (And then, like the point above - BAM - I’m a queen now I can do whatever I want).

This was sooooooo boring. So info-dumpy and was given so much information without time to process it all, so it made it much harder to follow the story and all the ancients’ storyline.
ALSO along with that. The author explains every. Single. Boring. Thing. Like will explain something with 100x the amount of words that needed to be said. I was like “yeah, yeah, yeah I get it” every second page. Gah.
With editing this easily could have been condensed so much. In saying that, I have an old kindle copy so I wonder if since then, this book has been updated.
E.g.
“A horn sounded, a long, arching, mournful tone with thorny edges and a hoarse current of power that squirmed through it. The sound was a composite of chilling tones, a dying man’s scream, the weak drumming of a child’s fists on a locked door, and the hiss of air escaping through the fractured hull of a sinking ship. A second horn blew, higher pitched and abrupt as death. It was as if some abyss mage of immense power had caught the breath trapped in a hanged man’s throat, seized the whistle of a storm wind as it swept the space beneath a gallows, and harnessed the sorrow-laden cry of a lost sailor’s widow, binding them into the single sustainable voice of a war-horn. Another wailing tone joined the first two and the earth shuddered. A ripple of motion passed under my feet, bouncing the cars and loosening the bricks of the school.”

Very inconsistent. One moment Kassandra is the best fighter ever, and the next she can’t take out a difficult opponent but her random human friend that has never raised a fist in her life manages to take out this other-worldly magical creature / man / thing with one swing. Like, no.

Now, Chris Howard is an incredible artist- so talented! But I think he should just stick to his art. In saying that, I know that there is a graphic novel version of this series with his artwork so I’m very interested to give that a go and hopefully understand the story better. I wanted to love this as a novel.

I’ll probably only continue this series because I won the second book in a Goodreads giveaway a few years ago (and it’s signed!). But I’m in no rush to do so.

[April · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a challenge just getting through this dreadful book. I don't have any problem with suspending reality and jumping head first into an alternate one, but if it's not written well and the main character is someone that you want to smack... wah wah wah.

[Wendy Dwight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. I enjoyed it a lot. I would definitely recommend it to all my fellow fantasy readers out there.

[Ron Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid piece of writing. At times too many characters with odd names, but that was overcome.Enjoyed it.

[Vance Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Kassandra, a just turned thirteen year old girl living
at St. Clement’s Educational Center in central Nebraska, and afraid of
water. She has only two friends in the entire school and the school
bullies pick her on due to her being different. For one thing, she has
scar tissue between each finger and toe, she cannot cry — not a single
tear, and Ms. Ithilbrix the governess of the girls 9-15 year old hall
seems to have an unhealthy and painful attraction to the young girl.

On her thirteenth birthday, the 9-15 year old department headed to Red
Bear Lake. This is not a trip for her birthday; in fact no one seems to
remember except her. The trip goes fine at first, Kassandra finds a
nice large tree to read under and enjoy the day, peacefully. Plus she
wants to be as far away from the water as possible.

Unfortunately, Ms. Ithilbrix crashes into her and for punishment, orders her onto a
leaking canoe with the school bullies, who row out to the middle of the
lake and rock the canoe until Kassandra falls in…And this is where the
story really takes off.

Fighting her way to the top but unable to make it, she succumbs to the murky depths and inhales water. Inhales? Yep, Kassandra can breathe under water, and she can swim too.
This is bliss, she is confused, yet happy and she feels perfect (at
home) in this underwater world.

Then she hears a beautiful song, a song she thinks is from her mother. The soothing lyrics lure
her deeper into the blue when they suddenly stop. Searching madly, she swims deeper into the murk. Suddenly, a green…sea monster attacks her. It looks kind of human, apart from the skin tone, the large teeth and the ability to breathe underwater.

With a scream, “Go away!” the sea creature leaves as if her words were like arrows.

From this moment on, her life will never be the same. She wears a Wreath
passed onto her by her mother, when Kassandra was only a baby. To hide
her from a King, the child is left on a rock in the middle of a stormy
ocean. Gregor is a fisherman sent to pick up the child and deliver her
to a woman who collects heart shape pebbles on the beach. He fails and
Kassandra is sent by the king to St. Clements and the torturous hands
of Ithilbrix.

It seems as though the Wreath wearers are all
inside the Wreath when they die. Two have awakened when Kassandra awoke
in the Lake. In this book you will meet Wreath wearers, Praxinos and
Andromache (who teach her old Greek and sword fighting technique in her
sleep and are always at each other’s throat), and Kassandra’s relatives
from the house of Rexenor. You will also come across the Olethren, a
250,000 strong, army of the dead and an amusing science teacher. Let’s
not forget: River-witches, mages, and ocean creatures of tremendous
size, which emerge from a single teardrop.

I found this book very interesting, my first ever full on fantasy and YA, since I myself
was a Young Adult. I feel a lot of kids and those young at heart (re:
Harry Potter) may enjoy this book. I did at first think the size of the
book is a bit of a put off, especially at trade paperback size but the
story flows very fast and barely lets up throughout the entire ride.
There were a few lengthy scenes on the properties of water via the
science teacher. I was wondering after finishing the book, “Were those
‘talks’ really needed?” and I don’t think they were. Most readers don’t
need hard details or facts to be taken away by a story; they just need
the storyteller to be good with the set-up and delivery, and Chris
Howard, with the help of his kid-daughter, sure can tell a story.

You’ll be whipped away and totally enthralled from the introduction of
Kassandra and the weird things that happen to her as she learns her
destiny and discovers her family. Family seems to be the main theme of
this story. Humor is strewn throughout in all the correct places,
breaking up the suspense and giving us time to take a breath, though
not a long one, before the plot is laid on us again.

You won’t be disappointed picking up this book and taking it home with you, and
it is a story your entire family can read and enjoy.

Writing style: 3.9/5 (overuse of ‘like a…’ and ‘as if…’)
Plot: 4/5 (very gripping and has the possibility to be extended and built on)
Backstory/ reasons of character actions: 3/5 (Some of the reasons why
things happened the way they did were not clearly explained. There was
just enough information for me to nod my head and say, “Oh, I see.
Okay. Cool.”)

The idea behind this book has the possibility to
be so much more. I’d like to see it extended into a mini-series as it
ended with such a nice ending, leaving a lot of room for the next book.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally I can get around to this review! First off I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I was super excited when I won and I completely geeked when I found little "treasures" stuffed in the pages of the book. It took me a while to get around to reviewing this because I didn't have the time but I re-read it just to make sure. I really enjoyed reading this and plan to start on the others soon. I don't think I loved it any less than I did the first time. I noticed a couple grammar errors here and there but there wasn't much I can say that I disliked about the book aside from that. I don't wanna spoil anything as usual. But I laughed, cried and got angry as some things in this book. I feel like there was some stuff that maybe could have been explained a little better or just left out completely but I've got no real complaints. This will most likely be another series in my favorites list.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a firstreads win.

I enjoyed the story but had problems with Kassandra's emotional inconsistencies. I felt sorry for her, but never really liked her. Actually, I liked her friends more than I cared for her.

I believe Saltwater Witch has a new and refreshing storyline and the descriptions were wonderful. That's what kept me reading. A better edit job would have helped the rating but I found myself having to reread several passages, or even worse, making my husband stop reading his book so I could share some of the more chuckle worthy errors. That tends to keep you from being immersed in a story.

[Gen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a signed copy of this from GoodReads that was signed by the author, Chris Howard. It came with lots of goodies.

I have finally started to read Saltwater Witch, and wow, it drew me in from the first page. Very imaginative and not at all what I expected. I instantly loved it and am hooked so far. I'm now on page 248 and wow. Love it. Action packed and interesting. A great goodread giveaway that I won. Such interesting characters and the book is interesting.

I'm currently entered in the Good Reads giveaway for Seaborn. I have my fingers crossed in hopes to winning it too!!!!

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway and the book was... ok. It has a great plot and and could be an amazing book, but the style seems eerily similar to how I would have written a fan fiction in middle school. I say this because every page or every other page has a curse word on it, which I wouldn't normally mind but it is just so common that it's annoying. It's really just not my style. I love the thought of it, but how it was executed just made it hard for me to read.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This world has all kind of mystical water people but each character had enough detail to make them feel real. I enjoyed the slowly revealed mythology of the world and the relationship Kassandra has with her two best friend. Both of them felt real and dependable.

[Lafcadio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story hooked me right from the very beginning. As Kassandra discovers who she really is, the action never stops. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

[received via GoodReads First Reads giveaway]

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FANTASTIC! I loved it! It swept me up and I couldn't put the book down! It has a wonderful mix of science and fantasy! The writing is so vivid, I could picture everything! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!! This is definitely a must read book!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunday light

Good light and fast reading, good for lazy Sunday afternoons. Interesting plot with some nice twists in the plot. A little slow on places, but like I said Sunday afternoon reading

[Samantha Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book Saltwater Witch by Chris Howard in a Goodreads Giveaway. I must say I straight up LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. It gets you hook, line and sinker. I can't wait to read the next one. 5 stars all the way for me. Thanks!

[Arref Mak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, this is good.

[Miranda Seger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I found on Amazon. It was a pleasant surprise. It was a great story and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[Moondoggie2442 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it...didn't love it.

[Amy Fuller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Intriguing premise, terrible execution and characterization. Didn't finish.

[Aidan Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Kelli]

The art work was beautiful.
Story was interesting enough to continue on.

[Michelle Carrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read! Even contains a little comic section to illustrate a confusing scene in the book.