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A review by mfred
The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines
4.0
If The Stepsister Scheme was great plotting and great action, but fell short on characterization-- then the Mermaid's Madness is a stroke of genius.
Snow, Thalia/Sleeping Beauty, and Danielle/Cinderella find themselves on the brink of war with the sea, after a mermaid princess attempts to murder Queen Beatrice. Beatrice is left barely alive, and the mermaid princess Lyria has declared death to humans. Each is connected to Beatrice in a deeply personal way, so the attack is both politically dangerous and also heart-rendering. They must unravel Lyria's madness from her political machinations, uncovering the tale of her betrayal at the hands of her human lover and her aunt, a great sea witch who gave Lyria legs, but left her mind broken.
Again, like the first novel, there is a lot of action, a lot of plot, and a healthy amount of true darkness, violence, and danger. Maybe its because we spend more time with the three princesses in the second book that I feel they are more fleshed out and rounded. Each stood out to me more, and their motivations and actions really gelled. I would not recommend reading these books out of order, or as standalone stories. And after reading The Mermaid's Madness, I really can't wait for the third!
Snow, Thalia/Sleeping Beauty, and Danielle/Cinderella find themselves on the brink of war with the sea, after a mermaid princess attempts to murder Queen Beatrice. Beatrice is left barely alive, and the mermaid princess Lyria has declared death to humans. Each is connected to Beatrice in a deeply personal way, so the attack is both politically dangerous and also heart-rendering. They must unravel Lyria's madness from her political machinations, uncovering the tale of her betrayal at the hands of her human lover and her aunt, a great sea witch who gave Lyria legs, but left her mind broken.
Again, like the first novel, there is a lot of action, a lot of plot, and a healthy amount of true darkness, violence, and danger. Maybe its because we spend more time with the three princesses in the second book that I feel they are more fleshed out and rounded. Each stood out to me more, and their motivations and actions really gelled. I would not recommend reading these books out of order, or as standalone stories. And after reading The Mermaid's Madness, I really can't wait for the third!