The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim C Hines – review

After finishing a fairy tale, did you ever wonder if the princesses ever went on any more adventures?  Did it ever concern you that “Happily Ever After” might actually be a horrible euphamism for “completely stuck in a rut?”   If, in fact, your brain did turn in that direction, then Jim Hines has an answer for you in his book The Mermaid’s Madness.

Talia, better known as Sleeping Beauty; Snow, who is, of course, Snow White; and Danielle, a.k.a. Cinderella, have all come to live in the household of Queen Beatrice and King Theodore.  Queen Beatrice seems to have a habit of taking in princesses who were mistreated but overcame those obstacles to become legendary.  Danielle is actually Beatrice’s daughter-in-law, but the other two princesses have managed to find their way to the castle by other means.  They soon find themselves embroiled in the aftermath of what really happened to inspire the story of “The Little Mermaid.”  On an annual cruise to renew a truce with the merpeople, Queen Beatrice is stabbed and nearly killed.  The three princesses have to work with the mermaid princess Lannadae to save the queen and help Lannadae’s sister, Lirea.

While the basis of the story is highly steeped in the traditional fairy tales that most kids know and love, Hines makes them over into a satisfying read for a more grown-up audience.  There are a few racy parts, but they aren’t over the top, and they don’t seem gratuitous.  Each of the princesses is a strong, smart woman who is mostly capable of taking care of herself, but not one of them is perfect.  They all have flaws and some quirks that make them characters who are entertaining and believable, and keep them from straying into the annoying cartoon stereotypes.

This book is part of a series, but it worked quite well as a stand-alone novel.  I got enough background from reading the book that I knew what was going on, without ending up knowing so much I don’t want or need to read the first book.  The story flows well, and it was very easy and quick to read.  I found it immensely enjoyable in the same way that I found fairy tales enjoyable.  It’s a good adventure story, with magic and evil and a few misunderstood characters in it.  The plot doesn’t drag at all, and it was well-paced.

My big complaint is that Prince Armand, who is married to Danielle, seems to mostly be window-dressing.  His sole purpose in the book almost seems to be protesting whatever Danielle is going to do because it’s much too dangerous.  She always manages to argue him out of his protests.  The first book might make Armand more of an actual character; I’ll just have to read that one and see.

The Mermaid’s Madness is an excellent book for anyone who enjoys retellings of fairy tales, especially if those retellings flesh out alternative events that could easily get blown out of proportion into a legend.  There was plenty of action, without any gore or excessive violence, and while I might recommend this for older teens and adults, I would steer tweens and younger teens away from it.  Keep a copy around for them when they get older!

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