2 ⭐️

Basically a gender role reversed Pirates of the Caribbean, but poorly executed and completely lacking in the cheeky humor.

I think maybe there was too much going on here between the witchcraft and magic elements combined with the piracy. The lore was half baked. The characters were flat. The crew’s camaraderie wasn’t believable. The writing was wordy without actually being valuable. The dialogue was cringe. The spice had me reading it aloud to my husband so we could discuss how terrible it was.

The fact that this wasn’t wrapped up in 450 pages and ends on a cliffhanger is annoying. It definitely still is not enough to make me interested in sequels.

The ideas were there, but as I said the execution was a letdown.


Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press | Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

very fun fantasy with some strong romance aspects and some very interesting vibes. the setting is really interesting, too. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

🧜‍♀️⚓ The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh is the pirate witch romantasy I didn’t know I needed—and now can’t stop thinking about.

From the very first chapter, Alys Tanner had me hooked. She’s a fierce, magic-wielding pirate captain who escapes execution and leads an all-female crew on the Caribbean seas. When she captures buttoned-up British navigator Ben Priestley, what follows is a wild, steamy, and high-stakes ride full of magical sea monsters, forbidden power, and enemies-to-lovers tension so good it hurts.

This book has it all:
✨ Witches vs. the colonial navy
💘 Forced proximity & sizzling slow burn
⚔️ Political rebellion with a splash of myth
🌊 A richly imagined world where sisterhood and power collide

If you love your romantasy with teeth, ships, spells, and a heroine who takes no orders—The Sea Witch needs to be at the top of your TBR.

I think this book made me fall in love with pirates and sea tales again. The Sea Witch combines (in my opinion) Black Sails & Salem Witches in the most astounding story I’ve read in a while. At the helm, we have Alys, a secret witch who flees persecution in her hometown with several other secret witches to the sea for freedom. In their retreat, they become the first women lead pirate crew of the Sea Witch. Their magic is self taught and their freedom is self earned and fought for. This book is feminine rage against the patriarchy done appetizingly well.

Enter Ben, a navigator for the navy who is seeking the truth of his father’s murder, blaming pirates, caught in the foray of war of naval forces versus pirates. He crosses Alys’s path and our story ensues from here. There is forced proximity, pirate lore, slow burn, enemies to lovers, a well established magic system, secrets, and action and adventure tossed together to make this book such a great summer read. If you enjoyed the Ever King, I know you’ll enjoy The Sea Witch just as much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #TheSeaWitch

Alys is a witch from a small New England coastal town. She knows she’s about to be killed, like her sister, because she’s a witch. So what does she do? She quickly gathers the women of her town who are the same as her and they steal a ship and flee to the Caribbean to be free, to be pirates. ✨

After a year of Alys leading her all woman crew in the caribbean, they have a run in with The British Navy. The Navigational Officer, Ben, somehow ends up in a chase with our dear Alys and ends up a captive. Now usually i’m ALL about a spicy enemies to lovers pirate story. Toss in magical elements and monsters? SIGN ME UP. But The Sea Witch just didn’t do that for me. Also, I do struggle with 3rd pov a bit so that probably didn’t help.

Alys and Ben’s relationship just didn’t really hit the mark for me. I didn’t feel that connection that I was looking for. Their spicy scenes were a bit off for me as well… cringy? The magic also didn’t make the most sense to me? Maybe book 2 will explain more?

Some Tropes:
- Historical Romance
- Forced Proximity
- Pirates, Witches & Creatures
- Enemies to Lovers
- Quests
- Forced Proximity
- FMC holding MMC captive

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, NetGalley & Eva Leigh for this earc in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼

The formatting on this one really threw me, had to DNF but will check out the published version when it drops!

4.5 Stars

After finishing The Sea Witch, my first thought was, where have pirate witch books been all my life!! This was such a great story, and the combination of a crew of witches sailing as pirates, with the disparity of magic usage between witches and mages, was fantastic. I really loved the world that Leigh created, set during the 1700s, with the dangers of Puritanical New England, the way women were treated during this time, the oppression of British rule, and the adventure of swashbuckling pirates.

Alys was a very strong FMC, and I loved seeing the way she commanded her crew, didn't back down from what she wanted, and took control in every aspect of her life. I enjoyed the relationship she developed with Ben, but I did wish there would have been a bit more lingering antagonism between the two of them. The pacing of the book worked great, with slower moments followed by action, as the crew follows clues to a hidden item that could help them fight against the royal Navy. I did find myself wishing for a bit more character development with some of the side characters. I felt like the story could have really benefited from including more back story for a few of the women on Alys' ship.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
* Witches & Mages
* Spells & Magic
* Historical Fiction
* Enemies to Lovers
* Creatures
* Forced Proximity
* High Seas Quest
* Dream Walking

𝐈𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲?
😉 - 😘 (Mild to Medium)

If you love a mix of historical fiction with the paranormal and fantasy, featuring strong women practicing forbidden magic, while making their way among a world of male pirates and mages, then I would highly recommend The Sea Witch.

Romantic pirate fiction is becoming all the rage again (I definitely read some pirate romance in high school, although without the fantasy of it), but I really loved that this book was interested in a lot of ideas around naval politics (yeah, I know, I'm a nerd) and the power structures of the Caribbean - as well as the fantasy and romance.

Our lead character has fled Connecticut with other women accused of witchcraft, and fled the Caribbean, where the limited options for careers led to Alys and her crew pirating on the Sea Witch - a ship that has become a home for other women who need a refuge at sea.

I loved that this book was interested in the relationship between slavery and the British Navy and is interested in engaging with the idea of who is considered the hero in history. I'm not sure I had ever thought about the fact that slavery and the persecution of women as witches were around the same times in history, and I enjoyed that this book linked the two.

I see this book is planned as a series, and I'm excited that Leigh will continue to build on the world she created. I am fairly sure we haven't seen the last of rogue antihero mage Luca Pasquale, or the freed slave Olachi and I'm excited to hang out with them in the next instalment of this thoughtful pirate romantasy series. Thanks to Canary Street Press for the early copy.

A ship of all femme witch pirates? Sign me up! The Sea Witch was an interesting read yet entertaining. There were times that it was difficult to stay on track especially in the first half of the book. I'm not sure if its because the timeline was being established or something, but it felt a little slower or disjointed in the beginning. However, in the latter half of the story, we are in full fledged swashbuckling, adventure, and romance. The pacing felt smoother and we got a bit more dimension from some of the other side characters. I would have loved to know more about her earlier years before piracy back in New England, as I feel.like it would explain more about what shaped Alys as a person and how her power grew and developed over time.

I got a sneak peek at this August 2025 romantasy, and when I say it was a swashbuckling good time? Just WOW! A group of Massachusetts witches fleeing persecution in the 18th century steal a ship and set out to be…pirates! The magical worldbuilding is fantastic, the feminist adventures are rollicking, and the romance is a sizzling slow burn. What more could you ask for? Pre-order now!

An all female pirate crew lead by Alys and a sailing master named Ben who works for the Navy attempting to take down the pirates. The perfect set up for an enemies to lovers romance and this is the year I read a lot of pirate romantasy, so sign me up.

I loved all of the girl power in this book, Alys fled to the Caribbean to avoid being executed as a witch. There are also a few moments where she calls out how men are free to be mages but women are considered lesser than for being witches. I definitely got the women empowerment vibes from this book since nothing says badass like an entire crew of magical women pirates. I had a few laugh out loud moments and I really liked Alys, she was a strong female lead. I think I enjoyed the found family with the pirate crew more than I did the romance in the book, to be honest.

Why I didn’t rate this book higher is because it felt like the plot crept along. The fight scenes weren’t written in a way where I was gripping the edge of my seat wondering how things would pan out. I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC, but maybe that’s because I expected more of a fight between them since it was enemies to lovers. I felt that within the first 100 pages they were already acknowledging how attracted they were to each other. The dream sequence within the first 20% of the book also confused me, as Ben said he had been "waiting a long time" to kiss Alys... from what I knew of the timeline it seemed like they had known each other for days? If that?

Usually I like my enemies to lovers extremely slow burn, but it seemed like Alys and Ben were fairly amicable with each other quickly.

"Stay armed and alert—with steel, and with sorcery."

Overall thoughts: What an absolute delight this book was. Fierce women? Check. Revenge plots? Check. Magic? Check. Spice? Check.
I had such fun reading this book. I love the concept of a ship full of women who have escaped those that sought to control them. These bold women taking to the sea and creating their own lives. Teaching each other even when society wouldn't. Love that.
The writing was also enjoyable. Everything flowed quite beautifully and I never felt like I was getting an info dump dumped on me. I do, however, wish that a little more info was sprinkled in about how the magic system worked. I know that part of this book is the witches are finding out what they can do as well but the magic always seemed to do anything they needed and there never seemed to be *that* big of a threat to them if they were fighting other humans. This didn't affect my enjoyment of the book overall but it would have made for an even more enjoyable read. Knowledge is power after all. I did like that Leigh wrote in magic practice as a regular activity on the ship. That's what I wanted more of.
I really appreciated the dynamic between the FMC and MMC. There was adequate reason for them to despise each other from the start and the burn was then able to burn super slow. Because there can be a slow burn even if there is immediate attraction and I thought Leigh pulled that off swimmingly (pun absolutely intended).
The quest the characters are on is fun. Some of the logic of Little George is questionable here. Specifically with the second piece of the puzzle as that seems like it could go missing SO easily. But that's fine really. To echo Alys "The longer we're on the quest, the more I'm both respecting and hating Little George."
I also think the plot wrapped up well and made me desperately want book 2. I don't love when books treat an unfinished plot as a "cliffhanger" for the next book so this absolutely delighted me.


What made my weirdo heart happy:

-The taproom named the "Wig & Merkin" HA! (If you don't know what a merkin is, please look it up)
-Banter: "Call my bluff handsome." He blinked. "'You think me handsome?" Her lips curled into a smirk.
-"Underestimating women sends you straight to hell."


Will I read more books by this author?: Oh very much, yes.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?: Yes, especially the piratey wenches.

2.75/3 stars? I'm conflicted

I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this story overall. I loved the idea of strong, bad-ass female characters, with magical powers, taking captives and sailing the seas. But the magic system seemed kind of strange and confusing, and the romance didn't really hit for me.
I think part of might be from the fact that I wasn't expecting the story to be in 3rd person, and I usually prefer 1st person/dual narration.

Not sure if I will continue on with the series.

The Sea Witch is a fun, fast-paced romantasy full of magic, pirates, and feminist rage. I loved the world-building and the all-female witch crew, especially Alys—she’s a fierce, take-no-crap heroine. Her dynamic with Ben, the uptight navy navigator she kidnaps, is full of banter and slow-burn tension.

There were a couple of slower moments, and I would’ve loved a bit more development in the romance, but overall this was a bold, empowering read that really delivered. Perfect for fans of high-seas adventure, enemies-to-lovers, and magical chaos.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance copy!

DNF

I had a hard time getting into The Sea Witch, mainly because it’s written in third person—a detail that wasn’t mentioned in the blurb. I tend to prefer first-person POV, and unfortunately, only certain authors can really make third person work for me. In this case, it didn’t hold my attention.

The storyline also felt a bit overloaded—there were sea monsters, dream walking, familiars, spells, flying, human-to-beast transformations, and more all thrown in pretty quickly. It just became too much to keep track of, and I didn’t have the mental energy to push through it. I found myself bored rather than intrigued, which is never a great sign. Sadly, this one wasn’t for me.

I mean come on.

Witches that have have their own pirate ship and take a stubborn naval navigator captive? Which turns into enemies to lovers with the badass witch captain of the all female magic using smart mouth pirate ship? A grand adventure to beat the British Navy chasing them down?

How can you not enjoy that?

I would have loved if the characters were more fleshed out, because some of them (like Alys) were great but a lot of her crew were just kind of. There.

Overall though a great story if you want Pirates of the Caribbean but with magic, women, and spice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel incredibly lucky to have received early access to The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh before its official release. Getting to dive into this fierce, feminist romantasy ahead of publication was such a treat, and I’m thrilled to share my thoughts.
The Sea Witch is a brash, seductive fusion of high-seas adventure and feminist fantasy. It storms onto the page with a premise any reader craving magic and rebellion will find irresistible: a branded witch who seizes a ship, claims the Caribbean, and dares to write her own story in a world determined to silence women like her.
Alys Tanner is everything you’d want in a heroine of this kind of novel. She’s sharp-tongued, resourceful, unapologetically defiant, and commanding in every sense of the word. From the first chapter, she takes control not only of her fate but of the narrative itself. Leigh leans into the “badass pirate witch” fantasy with delicious glee, giving Alys a crew of spell-wielding women and a ship named The Sea Witch, both symbols of survival in a world bent on their destruction.
The romance, between Alys and captured naval navigator Ben Priestley, crackles with tension. Their dynamic, captor and captive, witch and loyalist, chaos and order, is designed for friction, and Leigh doesn’t disappoint on that front. The chemistry is potent, the banter sharp, and the inevitable surrender to desire satisfyingly inevitable. For romantasy fans, the book delivers the kind of spice and swoonworthy tension that keeps pages turning long into the night.
Beneath its swashbuckling swagger, The Sea Witch is also a commentary on power, oppression, and the lengths marginalized people go to reclaim autonomy. In a world where women are persecuted for magic and agency, Alys’s refusal to disappear quietly becomes a political act. The story wrestles with questions about justice, loyalty, and survival, asking what’s worth sacrificing when you’re fighting a system designed to erase you.
Where the novel falters is in its pacing and emotional depth. The world Leigh builds, Puritan witch trials meeting Caribbean piracy with supernatural threats lurking in the shadows, is enticing but occasionally feels underdeveloped. Moments that should carry peril or consequence are too often brushed aside, and the romance, while steamy, sometimes rushes through emotional nuance in favor of physical connection. The stakes feel implied rather than visceral, and readers hoping for deeply rooted world-building or character introspection may find themselves skimming past exposition-heavy passages in search of action.
Still, it’s impossible to deny the fun of it all. Leigh writes with wit and a keen awareness of her genre’s delights. There are stormy sea battles, vengeful spells, feminist camaraderie, and a delicious cliffhanger designed to send readers scrambling for the next book. Alys Tanner is the kind of heroine we need more of: not flawless, but ferocious, not polite, but powerful.
The Sea Witch is, at its heart, a fantasy about women seizing the narrative, the ship, and the future for themselves. It may not be perfect, but it’s thrilling, sexy, and defiantly loud in a way that feels both timeless and timely. If you’ve ever longed for a story where witches steer the ship and rewrite the rules, Leigh’s offering is one worth boarding.

A crew of lady pirates who are also witches? A book summary cannot possibly have any more potential that that.

While <i>The Sea Witch</i> had a lot of potential, it suffered from a disjointed plot and characters that were hard to connect to. Not to mention all of the side characters were severely underutilized.

Cool vibes though, and the ending was a great twist that will certainly entice many readers to continue the series, but perhaps not me.

This is an ARC review. I want to thank Eva Leigh and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me the chance to read this book ahead of release day! Although I had a hard time getting into this storyline (which very well could be because it’s in 3rd person) I pushed through and happily can say it got better as the plot went on.

Alys Tanner and Benjamin Priestley are not two you’d see together as Alys is a known witch who leads a ship of witches. It seemed as though once Alys dream walked into their dreams they were immediately tied and everything changed. Ben being held captive on a ship with some powerful strong and dominant crew of witches truly was a gem. These women do not depend on men and are a great portrayal of strong independent women.

Although I am a HUGE fan of women empowerment, it was hard to follow until about halfway through. I did not connect with the magical system as I wished that I did but thoroughly enjoyed the 2nd half of the book.

Two things I love together; pirates and witches. The synopsis and cover caught my attention with this one. I loved the seafaring all female pirate crew and getting to expierience their nautical life. The elemental magic wasn't super fantastical but more magical realism that I really enjoyed. The giant sea creatures being used as weapons by the British was a really cool aspect of the story and the treasure hunt was fun. I did feel like the story dragged on toward the end and it went from being this mostly historical magical realism story to "let's amp up the fantasy" toward the end which got quite convoluted for me. I was enjoying it not being super crazy and then it went off the water. I also didn't feel the chemistry between the love interests. Their relationship, while not instalove, felt like it didn't have any development. Their smut scenes were also really cringy to get through. All in all I enjoyed parts of this and not other parts. I was also hoping this wouldn't be the start of a series. I feel like it could have easily been a standalone. 3 5 stars