You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Such a fun book! Leaps and bounds better than the first in the Princess series. Hines has really developed the characters and made them interesting and complicated. The princesses are badass and flawed. Talia's love story isn't a trite maneuver to win some cheap points, but a compelling plot line that makes her amazingly relatable. And I loved getting more background on Snow and Talia.
Loved that the mad mermaid's name is a play on the Disney princess, Ariel.
But the air spirits - so annoying!
Looking forward to meeting Red Riding Hood!
Loved that the mad mermaid's name is a play on the Disney princess, Ariel.
But the air spirits - so annoying!
Looking forward to meeting Red Riding Hood!
Almost didn't finish it. Couldn't really get into it.
Very interesting perspective at undine culture and why clothes are unnecessary! Or how mating rituals work. Fascinating read!
If there is one thing I had a (small) problem with in the first book ([b:The Stepsister Scheme|3598195|The Stepsister Scheme (Princess, #1)|Jim C. Hines|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1305016198s/3598195.jpg|3640889]) was that the entire thing was from Cinderella's / Danielle's point of view. Not necessarily a bad thing, but first-person narratives still feel a liiitle weird to me in fantasy - though I've gotten much better at them. Anyway, this book fixes that (if it was broken for you) - we get to spend plenty of time in Danielle's, Talia's, Snow's, and even Liria's (a.k.a. the Little Mermaid) head. Considering certain revelations towards the end of the first book, I was looking forward to taking a peek at Talia's thoughts... and I did!
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.
adventurous
More fun than the first in the series because you get multiple character perspectives. I think it's probably a good option to recommend to some of our teens as well
Pretty good... again, took me awhile to get into it, but there were some really fast-paced exciting parts!
The second in a series about kick-ass princesses, this book didn't quite flop as a sequel. Which was a relief since I already have the third book ready and waiting for me. A constant complaint I have with books is the pacing. I had no issues with this while reading The Mermaid's Madness. Though it was a hair slow getting started, almost painfully so, the action started up very soon and kept going.
The character of Danielle grated on my nerves and it was nice to see some development of Snow but the three main characters still seem shallow to me. Their "fairytales" seem to define them. It is not written so poorly that you wind up hating characters. You just wind up wishing for a bit more character development along the way.
I don't actually have a whole lot to say about this book. I was bordering between neutral and vaguely pleased. At least I am not dreading the third book.
The character of Danielle grated on my nerves and it was nice to see some development of Snow but the three main characters still seem shallow to me. Their "fairytales" seem to define them. It is not written so poorly that you wind up hating characters. You just wind up wishing for a bit more character development along the way.
I don't actually have a whole lot to say about this book. I was bordering between neutral and vaguely pleased. At least I am not dreading the third book.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes