What would happen if a star writer went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie?s Angels? What he?d end up with is The Mermaid?s Madness?a whole new take on The Little Mermaid. And with Jim C. Hines, of Jig the Goblin fame, penning the tale, you can bet it won?t be ?They lived happily ever after.?
The Mermaid's Madness (PRINCESS NOVELS)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this fast-paced second installment of the Princess Novels, author Hines tells the story of the Little Mermaid through the eyes of Danielle (the Cinderella character), Snow (Snow White), and Talia (Sleeping Beauty). In this version, the undine princess Lirea (the Little Mermaid), who takes on a new name-and personae, has gone on a rampage against undines and humans alike. Her insanity has led her to capturing the Queen of Lorindar's soul inside of a magic knife. The fairy tale framework provides a hook for the reader into this trio of engaging, effective adventurers taking to the high seas-without any dainty pretensions-to save their kingdom and the people they love. Although Hines attempts to incorporate the true stories about the princesses' early lives, these details fail to add much psychological depth to the characters and often come off as pasted-in distractions. Fortunately, the smooth flow of dialogue and action compensate, making this a nearly effortless read. This novel will appeal anyone who yearns for the heroines of their childhood-or just a witty, well-constructed adventure tale about powerful women stepping up with skill and cleverness.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Jim C. Hines has been a paid juggler, earned a black belt in two different marital arts, performed yo-yo tricks at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and lived with a brain-damaged squirrel. (Only three of those are true.) One of his earliest stories earned first place in the Writers of the Future contest. He’s published more than forty short stories as well as numerous fantasy novels, including the humorous Jig the Dragonslayer trilogy, the Princess series, which re-imagines traditional fairy-tale princesses as butt-kicking action heroines, and the Magic Ex Libris series, about a centuries-old secret society dedicated to the use and control of book magic. In 2012, he won the Hugo for Best Fan Writer. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife, two children, and an unstable number of pets. He can be found online at www.jimchines.com.
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More About the Author
Jim C. Hines' latest book is LIBRIOMANCER, a modern-day fantasy about a magic-wielding librarian, a dryad, a secret society founded by Johannes Gutenberg, a flaming spider, and an enchanted convertible. He's also the author of the PRINCESS series of fairy tale retellings as well as the humorous GOBLIN QUEST trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in more than 40 magazines and anthologies. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and two children. He's currently hard at work on CODEX BORN, the second book in the MAGIC EX LIBRIS series. Online, he can be found at http://www.jimchines.com.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By C. Vandehey
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty - the three princess heroines of The Stepsister Scheme are back in this much (for me) anticipated sequel! What happens after the fairy tale ends? That's the essential question that Hines's series attempts to answer. The first book tells us the fates of Cinderella (Danielle) after she's married her prince, of Sleeping Beauty (Talia) after she's awakened from her long sleep, and of Snow White (Snow), after she's escaped the murderous intentions of her stepmother. Hines takes the darker versions of these tales, and twists them into something highly original and new. The three familiar princesses now serve Danielle's mother-in-law, Queen Beatrice of Lorindar, going on secret missions to aid diplomacy, stop wars, save princes, and protect the kingdom, where Danielle is now Princess.
I've been waiting for The Mermaid's Madness literally since I finished the last page of The Stepsister Scheme. It was the sort of book that made you want to keep reading, that made you want to stay in the world and find out what happens next. The title alone, but virtue of the fairy tale roots of this series, lets us know right where we're starting off. With the tragic tale of the little mermaid. But with Hines at the helm, the tragedy of the story is twisted into something much more complex.
We begin with Princess Danielle on a mission of diplomacy with Queen Beatrice, their yearly tithe and renewal of peace with the merfolk, who prefer to be called undine. Since the undine are usually a matriarchal culture, it makes sense for the Princess and Queen to take the lead. Unfortunately, things go very wrong, very quickly. For instead of the King they are expecting, they are greeted by his mad daughter, Lirea, wronged by her human lover and looking for vengeance against all humans. In the ensuing conflict, Queen Beatrice is grievously injured. This leaves Danielle and her friends Talia and Snow to find both a cure for her ailment, and to find a way to stop Lirea from making war against their kingdom - and all of humanity.
Of course, it's much more complicated than that, as the girls quickly discover.
Once again, Hines gives us excellent world building and characterization. We get to see a bit more of Danielle's Prince Armand in this one, which I appreciated quite a bit. We feel so much of her love for him in the last book, but in this one we actually get to see them interact as a couple. New characters are introduced, as well - the mad Lirea and her sister, Lannadae, and a new Prince of a neighboring kingdom, who I'm guessing just may return for future books. But the heart of the series is the relationships between our three princesses, and Hines does an excellent job portraying the myriad ups and downs of the bonds of love and friendship so important between a woman and her best friends. The girls argue, fight together and for each other, and hold each other up when needed. We find out a few more details from each of their stories, though most particularly Talia's and Snow's. Hines does a particularly good job of this. I love reading the little details of how Snow's mother raised her, or how Talia escaped from her homeland. These are the details that make the books come alive.
There are some bittersweet moments in this one. I won't spoil them for you, but suffice it to say, things are not all happily ever after for everyone in the kingdom of Lorindar.
In the end, I was sad to come to the last page for a second time. I stayed up late to finish reading, because I could not wait to find out how it all turned out in the end, and then I was sad to be finished. What will the girls do next? With a title like Red Hood's Revenge, I can only imagine!
I've been waiting for The Mermaid's Madness literally since I finished the last page of The Stepsister Scheme. It was the sort of book that made you want to keep reading, that made you want to stay in the world and find out what happens next. The title alone, but virtue of the fairy tale roots of this series, lets us know right where we're starting off. With the tragic tale of the little mermaid. But with Hines at the helm, the tragedy of the story is twisted into something much more complex.
We begin with Princess Danielle on a mission of diplomacy with Queen Beatrice, their yearly tithe and renewal of peace with the merfolk, who prefer to be called undine. Since the undine are usually a matriarchal culture, it makes sense for the Princess and Queen to take the lead. Unfortunately, things go very wrong, very quickly. For instead of the King they are expecting, they are greeted by his mad daughter, Lirea, wronged by her human lover and looking for vengeance against all humans. In the ensuing conflict, Queen Beatrice is grievously injured. This leaves Danielle and her friends Talia and Snow to find both a cure for her ailment, and to find a way to stop Lirea from making war against their kingdom - and all of humanity.
Of course, it's much more complicated than that, as the girls quickly discover.
Once again, Hines gives us excellent world building and characterization. We get to see a bit more of Danielle's Prince Armand in this one, which I appreciated quite a bit. We feel so much of her love for him in the last book, but in this one we actually get to see them interact as a couple. New characters are introduced, as well - the mad Lirea and her sister, Lannadae, and a new Prince of a neighboring kingdom, who I'm guessing just may return for future books. But the heart of the series is the relationships between our three princesses, and Hines does an excellent job portraying the myriad ups and downs of the bonds of love and friendship so important between a woman and her best friends. The girls argue, fight together and for each other, and hold each other up when needed. We find out a few more details from each of their stories, though most particularly Talia's and Snow's. Hines does a particularly good job of this. I love reading the little details of how Snow's mother raised her, or how Talia escaped from her homeland. These are the details that make the books come alive.
There are some bittersweet moments in this one. I won't spoil them for you, but suffice it to say, things are not all happily ever after for everyone in the kingdom of Lorindar.
In the end, I was sad to come to the last page for a second time. I stayed up late to finish reading, because I could not wait to find out how it all turned out in the end, and then I was sad to be finished. What will the girls do next? With a title like Red Hood's Revenge, I can only imagine!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Right now, the competition in my stack of reading material is downright Darwinian; I've got so many good books, great books, significant books and books on fascinating subjects that this book was really not on the reading radar.
It became the book I kept sneaking off to read. Even when I discovered that it was the second book in a series, I was unable to stop reading in order to go find the first.
The initial premise seems both cute and a little silly: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella are here given their "real names" (Cinderella's is Danielle) and band together to defend the kingdom against the magical threat posed by a jilted mermaid, out for revenge against the man who done her wrong.
But in addition to taking a light-hearted attitude, Jim Hines has used as his source material the darkest, Grimmest version of the famous fairy tales. His heroines have tragedies in their backgrounds and that often gives the light satirical tone a real edge. There is a problem here, however. Perhaps because most of his "cast" is female, Hines has a tendency to pull his punches in his fight scenes and in his satire. I felt that sometimes he was ducking out of following the emotional implications of the dark stories he eluded to by switching to a Disney cartoon sequence of events. Some of his fight scenes lost credibility by not sticking to physics when magic wasn't involved.
But there is fine fantasy here. Hines makes us believe in the marvels he shows us: in kelpies and underwater forests, jars that hold the souls of sailors, a glass sword and an abalone knife. Here is adult fantasy that is lots of fun, and you bet I'm going to be searching out that first book soon. I never believed in that "happily ever after" guff and Hines fills in that gap in a most entertaining way.
It became the book I kept sneaking off to read. Even when I discovered that it was the second book in a series, I was unable to stop reading in order to go find the first.
The initial premise seems both cute and a little silly: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella are here given their "real names" (Cinderella's is Danielle) and band together to defend the kingdom against the magical threat posed by a jilted mermaid, out for revenge against the man who done her wrong.
But in addition to taking a light-hearted attitude, Jim Hines has used as his source material the darkest, Grimmest version of the famous fairy tales. His heroines have tragedies in their backgrounds and that often gives the light satirical tone a real edge. There is a problem here, however. Perhaps because most of his "cast" is female, Hines has a tendency to pull his punches in his fight scenes and in his satire. I felt that sometimes he was ducking out of following the emotional implications of the dark stories he eluded to by switching to a Disney cartoon sequence of events. Some of his fight scenes lost credibility by not sticking to physics when magic wasn't involved.
But there is fine fantasy here. Hines makes us believe in the marvels he shows us: in kelpies and underwater forests, jars that hold the souls of sailors, a glass sword and an abalone knife. Here is adult fantasy that is lots of fun, and you bet I'm going to be searching out that first book soon. I never believed in that "happily ever after" guff and Hines fills in that gap in a most entertaining way.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
When the princesses travel by ship to the kingdom of the mermen and mermaids, the Queen is attacked by a mermaid princess. The Queen's body is badly wounded, but her soul has left. As Danielle, Snow, and Talia rush to save their beloved Queen, they must hunt down the mermaid and recover her magical knife that has somehow captured the soul of the Queen. But the little mermaid has a story of her own, and it's quite different than what the storybooks say.
In the The Stepsister Scheme, we are introduced to Danielle Whiteshore (Cinderella), Talia (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow (White). The three princesses have a much darker history than the stories say. They aren't princesses that need rescuing. Each has their own gifts and abilities to save themselves, and those they love. When their mother-figure, the Queen, is in mortal peril, the princesses once again show sterner stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, even more than the first. With a huge twist on the Little Mermaid story, the princesses stand up against the dangers of the sea as well as odd magic from a legendary sea witch. Steeped in adventure and danger, this dark fairytale is like no other. And a huge twist in the story had me at the edge of my seat until the very end. Fantasy and fairytale fans beware; you'll be hooked on this mermaid's tale.
In the The Stepsister Scheme, we are introduced to Danielle Whiteshore (Cinderella), Talia (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow (White). The three princesses have a much darker history than the stories say. They aren't princesses that need rescuing. Each has their own gifts and abilities to save themselves, and those they love. When their mother-figure, the Queen, is in mortal peril, the princesses once again show sterner stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, even more than the first. With a huge twist on the Little Mermaid story, the princesses stand up against the dangers of the sea as well as odd magic from a legendary sea witch. Steeped in adventure and danger, this dark fairytale is like no other. And a huge twist in the story had me at the edge of my seat until the very end. Fantasy and fairytale fans beware; you'll be hooked on this mermaid's tale.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining Mix of Characters
Love these girls, and this adventure was awesome. Certainly a different take on the little mermaid....Disney this is NOT. Read more
Published 3 months ago by MishVMD
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit long at times
The book is full of action. From the beginning to the end our heroines are always on the move but I was always having this nagging feeling the author was a bit tired on this one. Read more
Published 6 months ago by T. Florian
4.0 out of 5 stars
the only falt is that it is too short
I came upon the series by accident, and what an accident! I loved the little details that builds the characters into creatures with persona. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Katla
5.0 out of 5 stars
Series gains speed
In the second of Jim Hines's Princess books, we go back to a world where our favorite stories are real, but happened in a slightly different way than the storybooks say. Read more
Published 18 months ago by EpeeBill
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strong sequel continues a fun series
Premise: The sequel to The Stepsister Scheme, this is the continuing adventures of kick-ass princesses Snow, Talia and Danielle. Read more
Published 19 months ago by BlueFairy
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Mermaid's Madness
This is the second book in the Princess novels by Jim C. Hines and it is a story about a mermaid, Lirea, who has gone mad and killed her father the king and her older sister, and... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Raelena
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love this series
I bought this book.
The Mermaid's Madness follows The Stepsister Scheme in Hines' Princess series. Read more
The Mermaid's Madness follows The Stepsister Scheme in Hines' Princess series. Read more
Published on January 23, 2011 by Michele Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Ending
The 2nd half of this book more than makes up for the muddling first half. Hines' return to the world of skewered fairy tales gets better as it goes along, which is good news... Read more
Published on December 11, 2010 by N. Bilmes
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Princesses return, in a more mature second book in the series
In the Stepsister Scheme, Mr. Jim Hines came up with a clever fantasy conceit, reimagining Snow White and Sleeping Beauty as kick-butt action heroines that could stand toe to toe... Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by Jvstin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fairy tales with a twist
#2 in the Princess light fantasy series featuring Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella (aka Snow, Talia and Danielle. Read more
Published on August 24, 2010 by Cheryl A. Reynolds
