Review: The Mermaid from Frigid Harbor
Have you ever finished a book and wondered if the author was teasing you specifically? I do after every Autumn Wolf story I've ever read, The Mermaid from Frigid Harbor is no exception (no, I will not be telling you all the ways how, just the funny ones). Side note, but this is somehow the second time I've read something by Kara Buchanan set in Portland Oregon back to back with something by Autumn set in/around Portland Maine. And then they post this. See, it's like everything about this book is made to tease me in particular!
As for the novella? Look, you and I know both know I'm going to recommend it, so I'll dispense with that first. This way I can focus my attention on explaining why I recommend it, and distilling that down into one nice, quippy little sentence, bite me, I actually enjoy doing that.
Our lead is Cassie, aka Stormfront era Harry Dresden if he was a half-mermaid lesbian. She comes complete with the best Bob the Skull replacement I could have ever imagined, the Shakespearean sea otter familiar, Tenebrae. Despite being Autumn's first crack at a noir, the rhythm is dead on, with the caveat that this is a novella banking on its sequel holding the beat and closing the story. It reads like, well, the first half of an early Harry Dresden novel written by Autumn Wolf for messy lesbians. I’m looking forward to the back half and fully expect it will stick the landing.
As for that bit about messy lesbians. Well, the romance is tied up with the monster doc, Ronnie. With this one relationship Autumn captured something I didn't realize was missing from so much gay romance; lesbian dating is an incestuous (positive) minefield (negative) where everyone has dated everyone else or knows someone who dated them before they transitioned. Cassie and Ronnie are exes, but mostly because Cassie is monogamous while Ronnie is polyam. She was dating someone after Cassie, who transitioned and realized she was actually straight (sorry Ronnie, I've been in or adjacent to 3 versions of that situation and they all suck) so they've now broken up.
Oh, sure it's a terrible ground to start a relationship on, but we're doing noir here, y'all. And blow me over if it wasn't refreshing to read. So many queer stories have this almost child-like perspective on love. You find the right person, or people, and suddenly it just works, give or take extra stresses or just being idiots who don’t talk. That’s fine, but damn it I also like getting to read about messy girls like me. Girls who fall in love too easily and usually end up hurt. Who aren't shy about loving more than one person. Who have to contend with having helped their partners realize they'd never loved her; at least not the way she loves them.
The Mermaid from Frigid Harbor scratches my Dresden Files itch; replacing the chauvinism with lesbians, an adhd monsterfuckee, and a dapper sea otter. In other words, it was made for me.
This was a powerful read. The courage it takes to discuss a suicide attempt and mental health in general is enormous. Not that we, as readers, have any right to personal health information from mainstream authors. But for those who choose to share? It helps folks. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/b...
— Autumn Wolff | Sapphic Romance Author (@autumnwolff.bsky.social) May 19, 2025 at 5:22 PM
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(I wish to make a joke about how it's Autumn's fault I remember WordPerfect used to exist and I fucking miss it and how that's connected with me immediately seeing the Dresden files homages, but I couldn’t figure one out. So, I shall leave you with the article on Jim Butcher's mental health struggles she shared. I think it's important for more people to read)
PS. I was finishing off some Mexican rice when I got to the afterword. Between that and my girlfriend/mate/handler being declared 'Mars' in Autumn's discord server (I'm not in it and at this point the tiny bit of distance makes everything I hear that much funnier) I'm starting to think there might be cameras in my house?
Shifting my brain into Mars and Lilith mode to start Werewolf 2 this month. 😈
— Autumn Wolff | Sapphic Romance Author (@autumnwolff.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 10:00 AM
I originally wrote this because, well it was the gay ass book I read last week. But then Autumn announced she was starting work on the sequel to That Night I got Dragged Home by a Werewolf in her Monstrous Maidens collection, which The Mermaid from Frigid Harbor is also a part of; so it just made sense. And it got me thinking I might just try to get a ton of these done for books from the last few years that I've been catching up on. I don’t really have many plans for pride this year besides trying to not let this one be celibate; so why not share as many books written by cool trans women and femmes that are maybe not already being talked about? It’s not any kind of structured project, just something I’ll be working on in conjunction with some poetry and creative writing I want to do more of this month. Well, starting this month, and continuing on if folks decide to support it.
Plus, let’s be honest, queer authors need the support now more than ever. Which reminds me, Autumn also has a Patreon if you want to support her writing and get her episodically posted stuff like The Postman Becomes A Bunny Goddess In Another World a few days early.
(Up to you if I count, but I do have a Patreon and a Kofi you could support or a Twitch stream you could support, actually I might be live now depending on how quickly you read this)
