I probably should have reread ElCicco’s review before I started this novel since I unfortunately interpreted the word “reimagining” loosely, and was a bit disappointed with some of the topics the novel didn’t explore. However, if I had read the review again, I would have known that this is a fairly loyal retelling as far as the scope of the story goes. Basically, O’Neill did such a great job of building the kingdom under the sea that I wanted to spend more time there, get […]
I Have to Scale a Tower Naked? Where Do I Put My Sword?
The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim C. Hines (2009) – Okay, I broke a few of my self-imposed reading rules when I picked up this book, and I’m glad I did. I don’t usually select a book that’s in the middle of a series, and I tend to skip “reworked” fairy tales when I want to read fantasy. As usual, rules are meant to be broken, and I totally enjoyed this book loosely based on the original Little Mermaid. In this fantasy realm, Snow White, Sleeping […]
Watch out boy she’ll chew you up!
Junko Mizuno is a Japanese artist whose style is usually described as “Gothic kawaii”. Her illustrations are cute and childish but also erotic and grotesque. After Cinderalla and Hansel and Gretel, Princess Mermaid is her third and darkest retelling of a classic fairytale, and the one that differs the most from the original version (I’m referring to the Hans Christian Andersen story, not the sanitized Disney version). Princess Mermaid tells the story of three mermaid sisters who have sworn to avenge the death of their […]
These fun fairy-tale retellings are feminist as f*ck.
The Stepsister Scheme Jim C. Hines is honestly one of my favorite authors, even though he’s never written a book that I’ve lost my mind* over. What he writes is solid, fun fantasy with a strong feminist backbone. He also seems to have a thing for championing the underdog, and writing stories that subvert traditional story-types. The Princess series, of which I’ve read all but the last book at the time of writing this review, is particularly notable as all the main characters are ladies, […]



