Rating: 
Summary: Whimsical
Review: Not always a fan of Cinderella stories - and not always a fan of Mercedes Lackey - I picked this one up while I was at the library looking for a book that someone had just checked out. I was pretty uncertain about the whole thing, but figured I'd give it a try...I really enjoyed it, and felt that there were few major problems with the storyline or the writing. Perhaps my favourite part was the donkey - who can resist a long-eared prince? The Fairy Godmother is definitely a fun story, but don't pick it up if you're expecting something fantastical and earth-moving. =)
Rating:
Summary: Fairy Godmother
Review: In a way, it seems to me that Mecedes Lackey is trying to branch out into another genra - that of fairy tales. Then again, to the right person, the tales of Valdemar could be considered fairy tales. At first I wasn't sure if I would even like the book. When I got to reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. In fact, I read it twice in the week I had it from the library. The realm of fairy godmothers is pretty much unexplored. Mercedes gives it the realism of a responsible job done by responsible people with an affinity for seeing possibilities and working with the forces to ensure that any outcome is as far on the side of goodness as they can manage it. True, it dispells a little of the mythos of the fairy godmother as a being who can create instant miracles for all of her charges. However, it is a very entertaining and enjoyable book. I look forward to the paperback edition coming out so that I can add it to my personal library.
Rating:
Summary: Charming new twist on Fairy Godmother idea (but derivative!)
Review: This book is a very nice read. It has an amusing premise, that "The Tradition" that creates and guides fairy tales has a life of its own, and that sometimes, fairy tales need to be modified! The characters were sympathetic and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading. Lackey obviously enjoys world-building; she has the details of her world worked out very nicely. That being said, most of the book is derivative, of her own works, if not from others (i.e. the Elven Court motif). How many times are we going to read about the deserving person (such as Talia or Vetch or Vanyel or Lavan or Rose) who emerges from an oppressive destiny to settle into a new life? Following that is a period of apprenticeship, a major test of some kind, and then True Love (well, Vetch found his with a dragon and Laven with a Companion), but True Love nonetheless. Then - either a happy ending or Final Challenge that result's in the protagonist's death. I enjoy Ms. Lackey a lot, but I wish she would spend a little more time challenging her characters and fleshing them out a bit before she starts writing. I hesitated between three and four stars, but four won, as I did enjoy this book very much.
Rating: 
Summary: Not in My Kingdom!
Review: Have you ever wondered where a Fairy Godmother came from? How they always managed to show up just in time to save the day? With this fantastic book Mercedes Lackey has taken me back to the delight of reading her early books, such as Oathbound or Oathbreaker.
Elena Klovis should have married a prince and lived happily ever after. With the all powerful force of "Tradition" pushing her towards....something, she has passed her mystical 16th and 18th birthday and still no prince. At the end of her rope and ready to make life as a maid her own Fairy Godmother shows. Not to turn pumpkins into coaches or mice into men but with a proposition. Elena herself would be a Godmother and help others who Tradition had muddled with.
With humor and an excellent story Mercedes Lackey has written a romance I can enjoy and place with honor amongst the favorites of my books.
Rating:
Summary: Fairytails in the hands of Lackey
Review: Mercedes Lackey has a wonderful grasp of the traditional fairy tails we all loved as children and the unique abilty to twist and weave them themes into new and exciting tails. She has taken the tried and true story of Cenderella to a a truly new realm.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I have been reading Norton's work for years and have been happy with it so when I got this book I thought it would be great. Instead I found it to be very boring. There really isn't that much going on or very much substance. I found myself skipping through a lot of it and putting it down after reading a couple of pages and coming back to it later. I am almost to the end of the book and I am considering not even reading the ending because it is just so dull. It looks like this is going to be a series for the five hundred kingdoms but I can say for sure that I am not going to read them.
Rating:
Summary: Charming new twist on Fairy Godmother idea (but derivative!)
Review: This book is a very nice read. It has an amusing premise, that "The Tradition" that creates and guides fairy tales has a life of its own, and that sometimes, fairy tales need to be modified! The characters were sympathetic and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading. Lackey obviously enjoys world-building; she has the details of her world worked out very nicely. That being said, most of the book is derivative, of her own works, if not from others (i.e. the Elven Court motif). How many times are we going to read about the deserving person (such as Talia or Vetch or Vanyel or Lavan or Rose) who emerges from an oppressive destiny to settle into a new life? Following that is a period of apprenticeship, a major test of some kind, and then True Love (well, Vetch found his with a dragon and Laven with a Companion), but True Love nonetheless. Then - either a happy ending or Final Challenge that result's in the protagonist's death. I enjoy Ms. Lackey a lot, but I wish she would spend a little more time challenging her characters and fleshing them out a bit before she starts writing. I hesitated between three and four stars, but four won, as I did enjoy this book very much.
Rating:
Summary: Great new world
Review: I loved this book. I bought it mostly because I loved her valdemar series but after I started reading it I realized that it pretty much stood on it's only two feet. First of all I'm a sucker for the godmother job. I think it's fabulous. Mercedes Lackey did a wonderful job of giving it depth and making it mostly realistic. I love romance and I'm glad that it was a part of this book it was written in such a way that it wasn't the whole point of the story. Each character had a purpose outside of their romance. Overall I believe this to be a wonderful book, colorful and charming. If you love fairy tales and fantasy you should definitely read this book. I hope the ML continues to write in this world, I would love to meet more of the kingdoms and the fairy godmothers that protect them.
Rating:
Summary: So glad to see new work by a favorite
Review: When I think about it, I have always liked Mercedes's approach to romance better than the more recent swash buckler co-authorships. I am glad she is going in this direction. This was funny, creative, and unique.
Rating:
Summary: Definently not Lackey's best
Review: Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors, and I like fairy tales, so when I saw this book I thought I would give it a try. However, the plot really wasn't all that exciting, and I thought the "romantic" scenes were inappropriate. Also, I thought she went a little overboard with the 'Tradition' and all the references to other fairy tales (like another reviewer, it also reminded me of Shrek). I found myself getting bored while reading this, and almost didn't finish it. Thats not to say that she is not a great author (for new Lackey readers, try Take a Theif, or Brightly Burning), but other Lackey fans might be as disappointed and frustrated with this book as I was.
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