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maidmarianlib's review
3.0
Lackey and this series in particular always keep me entertained. Really liked the historical connections to the war.
kiraly's review against another edition
4.0
I apologize in advance, this review makes a lot of comparisons to the other books in this series. Mainly, I wanted to talk about how this does things in a different way and why that is successful.
Of all the books in Lackey's Elemental Masters series, this is the one I have enjoyed the most since [b:Phoenix and Ashes|13987|Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, #4)|Mercedes Lackey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309209267s/13987.jpg|1097436]. The villain is similar to many of the others in the series (since a Wicked Father is not very different from a Wicked Stepmother or a Wicked Aunt, and they all have a tendency to try to exploit the protagonist for their own gains). However, unlike some of the other books this story seemed to spread out over a more natural period of time. Often it seems like the villain is revealed all at once (to the other characters) at the end of the story with a dramatic magic battle in which they are eventually destroyed by their own elemental slaves. Not so here. Everyone knows something is wrong from the beginning, it just takes a little while for Peter and
Susanne to connect the wrongness they each know about to see the whole picture. Then instead of one giant confrontation (in which someone has been kidnapped or drugged) there are numerous skirmishes before the conflict is over. In this way the pacing of the story has parallels with the war that begins in the middle of it.
I think the time in which this book is set is ideal for the story. There are warnings of "something bad coming" from the Balkans at the beginning of the story, and as things start to get bad for the characters the war breaks out. It makes the story feel like part of something bigger. It's also works logically for the villain, as a necromancer, to grow stronger throughout the course of the book as the war claims more lives.And in a way, Richard Whitestone is destroyed by his own magic; the war that fueled his power is what eventually kills him That might also be why I liked Phoenix and Ashes so much, since it takes place later in the war. If you haven't read that yet and are looking to read another in this series, I would suggest it.
I don't know why I always feel the need to put the "romantic relationship" details in spoilers tags, but I do. Anyway, I appreciated the gradual development of respect and affection between Peter and Susanne. I was fooled at first, actually. Susanne's immediate crush on Charles (plus the fact that Charles is a country boy at heart and Peter makes it clear that he is not) made me think this would end differently. I appreciate both the initial crush and Susanne's eventual realization that it is a crush and nothing more. Peter's "sudden realization" that he is in love with Susanne is a little abrupt, but I appreciate that the reveal is less dramatic than it could have been. The book ends with nothing really set in stone, which feels right to me. The war is still on, and we haven't yet seen the extent to which barriers between the gentry and the common folk will break down (as is much more evident in Phoenix and Ashes). But we do get the sense that Peter and Susanne have a future, or at least potential to be happy together as long as the war doesn't tear them apart.
One final note: it actually seems like this book had enough time put into it. It doesn't have some of the inconsistencies that have driven me crazy in some of Lackey's other recent books, so I appreciate not having an editing fail to nitpick about.
Of all the books in Lackey's Elemental Masters series, this is the one I have enjoyed the most since [b:Phoenix and Ashes|13987|Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, #4)|Mercedes Lackey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309209267s/13987.jpg|1097436]. The villain is similar to many of the others in the series (since a Wicked Father is not very different from a Wicked Stepmother or a Wicked Aunt, and they all have a tendency to try to exploit the protagonist for their own gains). However, unlike some of the other books this story seemed to spread out over a more natural period of time. Often it seems like the villain is revealed all at once (to the other characters) at the end of the story with a dramatic magic battle in which they are eventually destroyed by their own elemental slaves. Not so here. Everyone knows something is wrong from the beginning, it just takes a little while for Peter and
Susanne to connect the wrongness they each know about to see the whole picture. Then instead of one giant confrontation (in which someone has been kidnapped or drugged) there are numerous skirmishes before the conflict is over. In this way the pacing of the story has parallels with the war that begins in the middle of it.
I think the time in which this book is set is ideal for the story. There are warnings of "something bad coming" from the Balkans at the beginning of the story, and as things start to get bad for the characters the war breaks out. It makes the story feel like part of something bigger. It's also works logically for the villain, as a necromancer, to grow stronger throughout the course of the book as the war claims more lives.
One final note: it actually seems like this book had enough time put into it. It doesn't have some of the inconsistencies that have driven me crazy in some of Lackey's other recent books, so I appreciate not having an editing fail to nitpick about.
yayforbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic book by Mercedes Lackey. Addictive and enchanting. I love the mixture of history and fantasy and teeny bits of romance.
mybookishhedgemaze's review against another edition
2.0
Felt like there was a lot of filler material in this one. Found myself skipping paragraphs and even entire pages that didn't really help develop the plot, just added bulk.
If I wanted to read in-depth descriptions of dairy procedures, I wouldn't pick up a fantasy book. And as for a comedy of manners/regency drama, I'll stick to Austen and Heyer, thanks.
If I wanted to read in-depth descriptions of dairy procedures, I wouldn't pick up a fantasy book. And as for a comedy of manners/regency drama, I'll stick to Austen and Heyer, thanks.
thebookewyrme's review against another edition
3.0
This latest of the Elemental Masters series was a quick, enjoyable read for me. I was especially happy to see a few of the other old familiar friends from other books in the series. This book has one of the more interesting villains as well, showing how the intersection of arrogance and excessive grief can lead down the path to absolute corruption. The heroine, Susannah is perhaps my second favorite of the Elemental Masters' heroines, after Maya. She's intelligent, self-determining, in no need of rescuing by anybody, but not averse to asking for help against a stronger foe either. My only real complaint with this story was that the conflict seemed a little too easily resolved in some ways, despite the addition of a major war.
bodagirl's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not very familiar with Charles Perrault's "Donkey Skin," the fairy tale Lackey based this book on, so I wasn't really pulled into this story. Susanne didn't develop as a character very much, and her decision to go with Peter at the end was forced. Plus the battle scenes were sketchy.
Having said all that, I love the alternative world that Lackey has created and incorporating the Puck was pretty awesome.
Having said all that, I love the alternative world that Lackey has created and incorporating the Puck was pretty awesome.
tyrshand's review against another edition
3.0
I was thoroughly disappointed by the end of this book. There was so much repetition, the heroine had this weird stalkerish attraction to a character (despite the fact that she's supposed to have her head screwed on very straight -- and she does most of the time), the resolution of the crush was a real left turn (not as far as the "triangle" but because he and his family suddenly went from warm to nasty with a nasty fiancee to boot), and the whole denouement hinged on an object she spent like two chapters deciding to destroy and DID destroy -- only to tell us later on that she would NEVER have destroyed it that way because she knew ALL ALONG that you couldn't do that. What?!