Queen of Mermaids: A Little Mermaid Retelling

About This Audiobook

J. A. Armitage’s *Queen of Mermaids* isn’t your grandmother’s mermaid story—it’s a dark, glittering dive into the aftermath of a fairy tale gone wrong. Forget the Disney version: this is a gothic-tinged sci-fi fable where the Little Mermaid’s happy ending curdles into something far more sinister. Armitage reimagines Ariel not as a wide-eyed dreamer but as a vengeful queen, ruling a submerged empire where love and power are indistinguishable. The prose drips with eerie atmosphere, blending fairy-tale cadence with futuristic dread. If you crave fantasy that twists nostalgia into nightmare, this novella delivers a hauntingly fresh twist.

The audiobook’s strength lies in its brevity and bite. Clocking in under three hours, *Queen of Mermaids* wastes no time, plunging listeners into a world where merfolk politics rival human courts in their cruelty. Valerie Rose Lohman’s narration is a standout—her voice shifts seamlessly between regal authority, chilling malice, and the brittle fragility of a creature who’s lived too long. Her performance doesn’t just carry the story; it *haunts* it, making every revelation feel like a secret pulled from the depths. The production is crisp, with subtle sound design that hints at the ocean’s creeping menace without overpowering the narrative."

"review": "I went into *Queen of Mermaids* expecting a whimsical underwater romp, but Armitage’s story is anything but gentle. Lohman’s narration elevates the material from mere twist to full-blown obsession—her ability to switch from icy command to raw vulnerability is mesmerizing. The audiobook’s pacing is relentless; there’s no room to pause and question the worldbuilding because the story drags you forward like a riptide. That said, the novella’s brevity works against it at times. Certain character arcs feel rushed, like they’ve been trimmed down to fit the runtime, leaving some relationships feeling underdeveloped.

Production-wise, the sound design is minimal but effective, using ambient ocean sounds to underscore dialogue without drowning it out. My biggest critique? The ending is abrupt, almost jarring after the slow-burn tension Armitage crafts. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it leaves you wanting more—whether that’s a deeper dive into the lore or a slower fade into the queen’s reign. Still, if you’re here for fantasy that doesn’t play nice, this is a bite-sized gem. The narration alone makes it worth the listen, even if the story stumbles at the finish line."

"tags": ["mermaid fantasy audiobook