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squirrelfish's review against another edition
4.0
It feels a bit more like a children's story than I expected, though I do know that quite a bit of Lackey's audience is in the younger age ranges, I've never been quite as aware of it feeling young as in this one.
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
5.0
Great Elemental Masters book, retold Puss in Boots
birdy117's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is part of the Elemental Masters series. It is a stand alone even though it’s part of a series. As to the review- I enjoyed/enjoy this book . I’ve re-read it several times. It’s an easy read and perfect to break up harder reads or series. It’s more like a cozy mystery.
All of the EM series are set on earth but with an alternate reality (I think is the right descrition- think Harry Potter - magic exists but so do cars, planes, and other everyday things) The story is set in the early 1900s . The plot is predictable but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. The cast of characters is likeable but ……well, not loveable (except for Wolfgang-but I like animals better than humans as a rule). 😄 Nanette is a ballerina looking for a rich old man to “keep” her.she’s avoided this up until now when all her money has run out and she has no other choice. Enter the magical cat, Thomas, who just happens to have a plan to save Nanette and her virtue. There are some pleasant twists to the story but none come as a true surprise.
My only real complaint comes with the audio production (I have both book and audio). The narrator is female (which is as it should be for this particular book) but her voice is just pitched too high and gets on my last nerve. She makes Nanette sound like she’s about 13 and we won’t even talk about how the narrator reads the brownie’s voice!
There aren’t really any triggers- prostitution is mentioned a few times, but there’s no sex. The language is very mild. There is a couple of scenes where secondary characters are absorbed that are a bit descriptive . And a child kidnapping and murder is planned but not executed. I’d give this book a PG13+/-
All of the EM series are set on earth but with an alternate reality (I think is the right descrition- think Harry Potter - magic exists but so do cars, planes, and other everyday things) The story is set in the early 1900s . The plot is predictable but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. The cast of characters is likeable but ……well, not loveable (except for Wolfgang-but I like animals better than humans as a rule). 😄 Nanette is a ballerina looking for a rich old man to “keep” her.she’s avoided this up until now when all her money has run out and she has no other choice. Enter the magical cat, Thomas, who just happens to have a plan to save Nanette and her virtue. There are some pleasant twists to the story but none come as a true surprise.
My only real complaint comes with the audio production (I have both book and audio). The narrator is female (which is as it should be for this particular book) but her voice is just pitched too high and gets on my last nerve. She makes Nanette sound like she’s about 13 and we won’t even talk about how the narrator reads the brownie’s voice!
There aren’t really any triggers- prostitution is mentioned a few times, but there’s no sex. The language is very mild. There is a couple of scenes where secondary characters are absorbed that are a bit descriptive . And a child kidnapping and murder is planned but not executed. I’d give this book a PG13+/-
kaeritha's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this so I was not sucked into the story quite as much as with some of her other books. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
caileenay's review against another edition
3.0
I love the author but... not one of my top 200 books. Sure, it was memorable the plotline was unique, but I cannot stand books full of deceit. So....Obviously this didnt stand well with me.
beth27's review against another edition
2.0
Mercedes Lackey is one of my favourite authors and I really enjoyed the other five Elemental Masters stories. However, Reserved for the Cat did not pull me in to the story. I had to work to finish it, which is not something I can say for many of Lackey's books.
dotsonapage's review
2.0
I was really hoping I'd like this book. I'd enjoyed most of the other books in this series, and between the telepathic cat and and the opera dancer, really, what was there not to like. Unfortunately, though this latest chronicle of Elemental Masters did have its moments, it wasn't nearly as excellent as the book I consider this series' peak: The Serpent's Shadow. The cat was just as awesome as I'd hoped he would be, as were several members of the supporting cast, but the heroine was never easy to get behind, and everything just rolled along to smoothly and ended to perfectly. I know this is usually the case for these books and usually I don't mind, but for some reason this one was quite a disappointment. Lackey fans will probably read and like it though, and this is a standalone so someone new to the world in which this series takes place wouldn't have any problems, though they'd probably be better off starting with one of the earlier books.
madhamster's review against another edition
4.0
The Elemental Masters isn't exactly a series, more some vaguely inter-related books. Characters don't (or very rarely) carry over from book to book.
The series is interesting from its use of fairytale motifs as each is (sometimes very loosely) based on traditional tales. Unless I'm totally confused, this would be 'Puss in Boots'.
Ninette is an impoverished ballerina who is fired from her position and is encouraged by a talking cat to follow his instructions. These lead her to across France and the Channel to Blackpool. There she impersonates Nina, a famous Russian ballerina. However the 'real' Nina discovers finds out and arrives to seek revenge. The 'real' Nina has been possessed by an Earth Elemental with the ability to absorb humans and thereafter take their shape.
The series is interesting from its use of fairytale motifs as each is (sometimes very loosely) based on traditional tales. Unless I'm totally confused, this would be 'Puss in Boots'.
Ninette is an impoverished ballerina who is fired from her position and is encouraged by a talking cat to follow his instructions. These lead her to across France and the Channel to Blackpool. There she impersonates Nina, a famous Russian ballerina. However the 'real' Nina discovers finds out and arrives to seek revenge. The 'real' Nina has been possessed by an Earth Elemental with the ability to absorb humans and thereafter take their shape.
thebookewyrme's review against another edition
3.0
I've read this one once before, but it's been a while. It's a very enjoyable read. My favorite part is the heroine and the fact that she saves herself at the end, despite there being several very eligible male "rescuers" available to do it for her. She just doesn't wait around for them! I'm also partial to the cat, though he's more human that cat-like in a lot of ways.