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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
http://lhubert3.blogspot.com/2010/01/mermaids-madness.html
Meine Review:
http://butterflyyintheskyy.blogspot.com/2013/06/die-fiese-meerjungfrau-jim-c-hines.html
http://butterflyyintheskyy.blogspot.com/2013/06/die-fiese-meerjungfrau-jim-c-hines.html
I liked this book better than the first one because we had quite a few Talia/Snow moments. Now that Snow knows about Talia's feelings for her, I'm looking forward to how she addresses this in the next book. Can't help but ship them and I ship them hard.
The whole Lirea story and how her grandmother fucked up her life was crazy. That's definitely not the story of the Little Mermaid that we are familiar with.
The whole Lirea story and how her grandmother fucked up her life was crazy. That's definitely not the story of the Little Mermaid that we are familiar with.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Swimming through the ocean was like flying through another world.
Long story short
On her latest sea expedition, Queen Beatrice is accidentally stabbed by Lirea, a mermaid that can shift into human form. The dagger Lirea was wielding is an enchanted one, and it absorbs Beatrice’s spirit. Danielle, Talia and Snow have to catch the culprit and save the queen’s life.
My thoughts
I absolutely love pirate tales. And mermaids. And underwater adventures (thank you SpongeBob). And the three princesses. And kelpies.
I do not like spawning though. It’s too fishy for my taste.
Fishy. Get it?
The Mermaid's Madness was an incredibly fun read. Hines’ retelling of The Little Mermaid is extremely interesting and, as usual, way better than the original. The characters were very detailed and varied. I really liked Lirea, her madness was extremely well portrayed. I more than once felt bad for the poor thing. Another character that I liked was Hephyra. She made one hell of a captain. I hope we’ll meet her again soon. I kind of doubt it, but here’s hoping. /end of positive things
And now the negative ones. I was expecting to give The Mermaid's Madness five stars. That’s how much faith I have in Jim C. Hines. I am very sad to say that this is a mere 3.5 star book. Why? Because it went terribly slow at times. Some events were unnecessary, some decisions stupid, some characters a pain in the ass (yes, I’m talking about Snow). All of this made me want to put the book aside for a while and start something else. Something better. This is never a good sign. The good news is that after 50 to 60 percent I didn’t feel like this anymore.
So there you have it folks. Book two of the Princess series, The Mermaid's Madness makes up for its slow parts with a fun adventure, great characters and unique realms. I really enjoyed reading it and I can’t wait to get my claws on the next installment, Red Hood's Revenge. Lady of the Red Hood assassin? Count me in!
Favorite quote
“The first time somebody strikes you, you’re shocked. You lack the reflexes to block or dodge the blows or to roll with the ones you can’t. The earlier you can learn those skills, the easier it is to deal with the next fight.”
3.5 stars
Review also posted on
I really like the darker version of the fairy tales. I know I've already said that before, but really, this gives you the feeling that something like this could have happened in some alternate reality. How many times have you heard that everything worked out for a person, no sweat, but when you talk to them you find out...well, yeah it worked out but there was a ton of sweat involved in it. Or no, not really, it looked like it'd be fine and everyone pretty much lost touch and then...ugh.
Well, there have been those that complained that there was little depth of character. I don't think that's true. I think that you have to have some very basic knowledge of the fairy tale, but I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard the story of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White or Cinderella (at least in the US). Maybe you don't know it by heart, but there's enough background provided that if you remember key details like:
Little Mermaid
Falls in love with shipwrecked human
Wishes for legs to be with her lover
Drama ensues due to evil spell
Cinderella
Mother dies
Father remarries
Evil step sisters and mother
Father dies
Cinderella becomes servant to step sisters and mother
Cinderella has animal friends who help her with her work
Goes to Ball due to Fairy Godmother's gifts
Gets prince after putting on glass slipper.
Those who are two of the basic profiles that Hines manipulates to make these interesting, fun and exciting books. Now I'm not hiding the review because I don't think there are any spoilers. It's a pretty vague review I know, but I don't want to give any spoilers.
Well, there have been those that complained that there was little depth of character. I don't think that's true. I think that you have to have some very basic knowledge of the fairy tale, but I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard the story of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White or Cinderella (at least in the US). Maybe you don't know it by heart, but there's enough background provided that if you remember key details like:
Little Mermaid
Falls in love with shipwrecked human
Wishes for legs to be with her lover
Drama ensues due to evil spell
Cinderella
Mother dies
Father remarries
Evil step sisters and mother
Father dies
Cinderella becomes servant to step sisters and mother
Cinderella has animal friends who help her with her work
Goes to Ball due to Fairy Godmother's gifts
Gets prince after putting on glass slipper.
Those who are two of the basic profiles that Hines manipulates to make these interesting, fun and exciting books. Now I'm not hiding the review because I don't think there are any spoilers. It's a pretty vague review I know, but I don't want to give any spoilers.
This book was a little more cinematic than the Stepsister Scheme, what with the mermaids and their "inhumanly wide eyes," but overall I didn't devour it as voraciously as I did its prequel. There were several points, particularly in describing Snow's magic at the end, as it captures air spirits, that could be translated rather as "Er...this problem needs to be solved, so...MAGIC!", but I didn't mind too much. The author is still writing feminist books for young adults (and adults who love YA books), and he'd have to mess up pretty badly for me to fault him. I'll keep going with the series in hopes that it picks back up.
MISC NOTES: poor Lirea; I worry that the author was a little too tied to this idea of, go figure, The Mermaid's Madness. I wish the ending had gone a little differently, and frankly wonder why it didn't.
Also, go Lannadae! Great name. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if it was another name rearranged. I don't *think* it is... is it?
Also, I wish there had been more sexy scenes in the mermaid mating den. JUST SAYING.
MISC NOTES: poor Lirea; I worry that the author was a little too tied to this idea of, go figure, The Mermaid's Madness. I wish the ending had gone a little differently, and frankly wonder why it didn't.
Also, go Lannadae! Great name. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if it was another name rearranged. I don't *think* it is... is it?
Also, I wish there had been more sexy scenes in the mermaid mating den. JUST SAYING.
Not quite as interesting as Stepsister Scheme--Lirael and Lannadae just weren't as sympathetic of characters as Snow, Talia, and Danielle. It was still a swashbuckling feminist fantasy!
adventurous
fast-paced
Not bad, definitely went for the H.C. Andersen version of The Little Mermaid.
I like how Hines is developing the relationships between the three women (four if you include Beatrice).
I like how Hines is developing the relationships between the three women (four if you include Beatrice).