Fred is a mermaid. But stop right there. Whatever image you're thinking of right now, forget it. Fred is not blonde. She's not buxom. And she's definitely not perky. In fact, Fred can be downright cranky. And it doesn't help matters that her hair is blue.
Being a mermaid does help Fred when she volunteers at the New England Aquarium. Needless to say, it's there that she gets involved in something fishy. Weird levels of toxins have been found in the local seawater. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her merperson ruler, the High Prince of the Black Sea. You'd think it would be easy for a mermaid to get to the bottom of things. Think again...
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MaryJanice Davidson is one of the few authors I both love and hate. I loved the beginning of the Queen Betsy series but then the same personality and dialogue I laughed at in the beginning started to drive me crazy. Some of her Alaskan Royals series are awesome even as rereads, but the some are so-so. If that seems a little wishy washy I'm sorry, but I wanted to give a bit of background in regards to where I'm coming from when I read (or reread) Fred the Mermaid.
Fred the Mermaid is blunt, full of quips, and not all knowledgeable about her own attractiveness to the opposite sex. Love it or hate it she's never going to be Ariel, especially when she's trying to make the fish she cares for (she works at an aquarium) stop their hunger strike before the tank dissolves into total pandemonium. Throughout the three books readers learn about her best friend Jonas (the metro-iest metrosexual you'll never meet) along with two potential love interests, Prince Artur of the Undersea Folk and
Thomas the marine biologist obsessed with mermaids.
All in all this series, though it has a few surprises or two, is about the characters and the quirkiness of them all. If you're not in the mood to deal with the strange and interesting I don't think the books will appeal to you because while plot is there in each book it's definitely secondary. People come in and out of Fred's life and it's a circus of epic of proportions especially when the wedding planning begins. Still I like to come back to this series when I'm in the mood for some funny snark in my life, and Fred definitely delivers.
Overall Feeling - Thumbs up.
Series - 1) Sleeping with the Fishes 2) Swimming Without a Net 3) Fish Out of Water
