Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, Book 1)
by MaryJanice Davidson
|
List Price: Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
(Click here)
Book Reviews of Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, Book 1)
Book Review: Something smells fishy...
Summary: 1 Stars
I started and finished this the same day; heck, it only took a couple of hours to read this foul-mouthed, vapid, empty piece of garbage. I wanted to like this book, despite a friend's warning of its awfulness rattling around in my head. It had such potential. There are all manner of paranormal beasties starring in books and series today: vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, faeries, even ghosts. Why not mermaids as well? What a shame a perfectly good and quirky concept (half-human mermaid who's a marine biologist and works at an aquarium) was let down by bad writing, a barely-there plotline, and a laughable climax to the "story."
First off, we have the heroine, Fredrika, aka Fred, the hybrid mermaid. Aside from the pseudo-amusing personality quirks (look, she's a mermaid who can't swim in human form! Oh my, she gets seasick on boats, how funny!), she stomps, she grumps, she has no patience or social skills, she's selfish and unbelievably foul-mouthed. Yet two men, both absolutely gorgeous (natch!), upon meeting her for the first time, fall in love with her. Why? Because she's just so damn irresistible? No, because she's just so gorgeous no man can resist her, but, of course, she's completely unaware of her ability to induce lustful feelings in men and some women. Aren't we tired of that 'gorgeous, but oblivious' hook yet? I know I certainly am. Speaking of the two men who love her, one is a giant, buff mer-dude with a mane of flaming red hair and red eyes. And yet nobody seems to think that maybe there's something weird about him when seeing him for the first time, that maybe he's not quite human? No screams of "Oh my god, what's wrong with his eyes? What is he?" when he walks into a local mall/eatery? How believable is that? Or maybe everyone thinks he's in a permanent Halloween costume? The other man, a fellow marine biologist, falls in love with Fred because he can see the true color of her hair, which is green, not blue. That's it? Really? That's the best the author can come up with?
And that brings me to the plot of the book. I use the word plot in only the vaguest sense of the word, just as the author sketched only the vaguest outline of a plot in the story. All the "action" takes place towards the end of the book and the sequence of events is so fast and so absurdly ludicrous that it stretches the point of believability to breaking point. I think there was supposed to be some humor in the situation, but I couldn't find it. And if the author was trying for some sort of mystery, she fell well short of the mark.
I have to give Davidson some credit. She actually tells us in the acknowledgments that this is a crappy book--not in so many words, but in essence. She ripped up her manuscript and started over moments from deadline, she probably went through who-knows-how-many rewrites, and finally handed the whole thing over to a group of editors, who did they best they could with what little they had. Her editors failed, however, in making her look all, y'know, smart 'n' stuff (as she put it). I guess it's my fault for not believing her. All in all, Sleeping with the Fishes is just another crude and vulgar example of Davidson's writing "talent." I'd really like to know how she managed to get published in the first place. I just feel sorry for all the poor trees that have to die in order to support her career.
Book Review: good read
Summary: 2 Stars
I recommend this book if you just need to pass the time.
It was interesting, but not great. I didn't love the main character but I did love the idea of doing a story about a mermaid who didnt love the ocean.
I may read the other books, but only if I have no other book lined up.
Very quick, but somewhat unfufilling read.
Book Review: So Cute
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVE this book series, I only wish there were more books! Fred Bimms attitude is the greatestBook Review: The Little Mermaid Fred Is Not
Summary: 1 Stars
Her name is Fredrika Bimm, but call her Fred or she might rip your arms off. She's a doc at the New England Aquarium. Oh, and when she gets into the water if she doesn't force herself not to... she becomes a mermaid. She doesn't know who her bio daddy is but her human mother means she's stuck somewhere between merfolk and manfolk. Fred's okay with it most of the time but listening to the fish at the NEA gripe all the time is an annoyance and her blue/green hair always has nasty split-ends.
Fred is quite content just doing her own thing until a foxy new doc shows up at the NEA to do some research and the Prince of the Black Sea drops in around the same time. They both want to find out what is polluting Boston Harbor and they both want Fred. They just have to work together to save the harbor and hopefully win over Fred's affections in the process.
Mermaids and merfolk in general are highly under represented in the realm of paranormal romance so I was glad to pick this one up and give it a try. Unfortunately what I was anticipating was not what I got. Fred might be a mermaid and the Prince of the Black Sea is definitely a merman but the fun stops there. Fred's personality might be humorous or even cute in a she'll 'bite-yer-head-off' kind of way but I personally found it grating after a few chapters. It made her very one dimensional. Which strangely was something that carried over to every character within this book. Without a well built personality, whether this is intended to be a funny romance or not, there's no reason to really care what happens to anyone within it.
As to the story itself. It was pretty weak. The whole thing resolved quickly and simply but seemed to have no actual effect on Fred or her companions in the long run. One thing I found really random and misplaced in this book was the relationship between Fred's boss, Dr. Barb, and her best-friend, Jonas. They're the ones having lots of crazy sex through the whole thing despite the fact it seems Davidson couldn't make up her mind whether to make Jonas gay or not (and honestly... it was very contrived).
The book certainly had potential to be good but I get the feeling this was some very early work of the author's that she sought publishing for only after she had a hit with another series. I think fans of her work will find this to be really bad and those looking for a merfolk story and some good humor will be much in the same boat.
Book Review: Great to read by the pool
Summary: 5 Stars
Loved this book - it was totally enjoyable, the humor had me laughing out loud.