Rating: 
Summary: the fairy godmother
Review: this is a great book by mercedes. it is so good i couldn't put it down until it was done. she has done a great job once again. it gives you a fantasy view of all the fairy godmothers from childrens fairy tales.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I suppose if you are a romance reader with a yen for fantasy this was not too bad, but as a fantasy reader with a romantic heart, I thought it was pretty darn awful. Cinderella has be retold so many times that perhaps it would have been better just to totally subvery the plot, or to write something <gasp> original, but this was cheesey and the language was juvenile, as if romance readers are not bright enough to warrant the same fairly high quality material that other readers expect and deserve.I recommend a few other authors who write romantic fantasy that is not insulting, but beautiful--Elizabeth Haydon, Juliet Marillier and Robin McKinley. All of these authors draw beautiful tales [and Spindle's End is the ultimate retelling of Cinderella] with much greater class and skill than Lackey.
Rating: 
Summary: Uh...it has a pretty cover!
Review: That's pretty much why I bought it. Yes, I know the aphorism, but I couldn't help it. I hope that now I've learned my lesson. After reading the first two books from the new LUNA line,(both with gorgeous cover art)I think I'll give cover shopping a rest. On both books the authors' names are in HUGE print, while the title is small and inconspicuous. That's pretty much how the content goes. A great big famous author trying to pay the reader off with an itsy bitsy rather annoying story. It's a bug of a thing, really. Well, I won't be thrown off by a big name and a fancy picture (for very long anyway). The heroine is flat. She evokes no emotional response. She's like smushy white bread. The hero is like smushy wheat bread. Really, it's smushy white bread dyed brown. The magic system tries very hard...and falls flat on the floor. It's half explained and that half makes no sense. The plot doesn't start moving until the last, oh, quarter of the book, in which it is so unexciting it makes you want to cry. It's BAD romance novel dressed like a fantasy. It's an annoying book. But an annoying book with a pretty cover! Seriously, is this "what women want"? Is this fantasy geared towards women who read fantasy and want actual fantasy, or is it fantasy geared towards women who like smushy bread packaged like multi-grain? There's a time and place for smushy bread, but stop making the rest of us buy it when we have no use for it.
Rating: 
Summary: A heroine with honest-to-goddess 'nads...COOL!
Review: Mercedes Lackey has done a nice job of creating a fairly believable heroine in Elena Klovis. She is not only a beautiful, intelligent, dedicated and compassionate young woman who can think outside the box, she actually has (gasp) HORMONES! The conflict that Elena has to deal with between what her physical body and 'The Tradition' want, and what her mind and training tell her is something that most of us non-story-book women experience. It is good to see this realistically acknowledged, even in parable.
Ms Lackey has a habit of placing sly allusions to some of the Great Authors in her works (i.e in "Serpent's Shadow", Lord Peter Wimsey (the brainchild of Dorothy L. Sayers) makes a thinly veiled appearance). In this novel I caught nods to Terry Pratchett, (Mort, possibly, at the Mop Fair?) C.S. Lewis (Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve), Robert Heinlein (Cats who Walk through Walls), and possibly J.K. Rowling (robed and hooded fae beneath whose cowls you do NOT want to look). There are probably many more I did not catch, due to the fact I just haven't read the proper literature. There is a catch here... you want to read more of The Greats, just to see how many more hidden references you can find.
Nicely sneaky, methinks, Ms Lackey...well done!
I did find the 'see yourself as others see you' literary device as the Redemption Ploy for the truly asinine prince a bit of a deus ex machina. Also,the blow-by-blow (no pun intended here)seduction scene was a bit too detailed (mayhap a tribute to Jean Auel's Ayla and Jondalar?), but I think this was a matter of personal preference. Her bleakly realistic admittance that some people have tragic endings through no fault of their own, and that sometimes the best that even a powerful Fairy Godparent can do is make a situation 'not as bad as it could have been' balances and adds a very thoughtful and believable slant to a tale which could have been way too much like cotton candy... all pink fluff, sweetness and air but nothing to it and leaving you feeling faintly ill afterwards. Ms. Lackey has avoided THAT 'Tradition' beautifully.
Rating:
Summary: Lackey's first truly light fantasy
Review: When I spotted this book at my local bookstore, I immediately grabbed it, as I do with all Mercedes Lackey's books. I found the story delightful, but much lighter than is Ms. Lackey's usual wont. It reads very much like a fairy tale, but one with a decided sense of humor, far less serious than her other fairy tales (i.e. Fire Rose, Black Swan, etc.) perhaps because this is not based on any particular tale, but rather references several. I also found the idea of where fairy godmothers came from rather fun, as well as the concept of fighting Tradition (or forcing it to fit YOUR desires) even better. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a light read.
Rating:
Summary: Lackey Lacking
Review: I have read "The Black Swan" which, though the idea was interesting, I found to be nothing special. Lackey must be better at oral tellings than writing. I found no particular talent or style in my second attempt, "The Fairy Godmother"; the plot was predictable, the style on the level of highschool, and the characters no more than banal Harlequin offerings. The circumspect sexual scenes were not only offensive to my taste, but from a stylistic approach, completely unnecessary and slightly ridiculous, which adds a bumbling yet mercenary flavor to the entire book. I would not recommend it; however, Ms. Lackey's ideas, as always, are unique.
Rating:
Summary: Mercedes Lackey aims to please!
Review: Elena had a powerful destiny. She was to be the Ella Cinders of her kingdom, and all was going according to tradition. Her mother died when she was smalll, her father remarried a veritable witch with two evil daughters, and subsequently died, leaving Elena at their mercy. The kink in the plan was Elena would be more suited to baby sitting the much younger prince destined to rescue her. Still, she is saved from a life of being the Horrids (her step family's) slave when they exit hastily to dodge creditors. Things look bleak for her with no money and no prince, until the local fairy godmother shows up to offer her a new destiny, as an apprentice godmother. Before she knows it, Elena is winging her way to a new life, carried by a flying horse. She learns how to satisfy tradition, skillfully dodging its traps. Then, when trying to make a fairy tale go correctly, the magic prince turns out to be a ...well, let's say "mule"... thanks to her spell. Whether she had planned on love or not, Elena now has a prince to deal with. **** Mercedes Lackey has been a winning bet for readers since her first Heralds of Valdemer novel. While Fairy Godmother is altogether different, it is no less entertaining. With sharp satire, she creates a magical world run by a savy and witty heroine. If this is the precedent for Luna, the line looks to be a winning hand. ****Amanda Killgore
Rating:
Summary: Fell Flat.
Review: As a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey, I waited for months for 'The Fairy Godmother' to be released and was the first to loan it from my library...I'm so glad I didn't waste money on this piece of junk.
The first few pages into the book left me completely frustrated. The tone of the book was already ruined with awkward, juvenile writing and description. It got worse as the story progressed. The characters were basic fiction fodder. Emotionally gripping? I felt no emotion except frustration and had to fight back the urge to throw the book across the room. I truly believe that this book was ghost written by an amateur trying to mimic Lackey's writing style while failing miserably. The concept behind the Tradition and how it was a driving force to push characters to fall into storybook legends was an interesting one. I kept being reminded of SHREK with all the fairytale references. Entirely disappointed in "Lackey's" latest title.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Lackey books ever!!
Review: First off, I NEVER buy hardcovers - but I have been lately for Ms. Lackey's books. And while her books are always worth the extra price, this one was even more so. Anyone who purchases this book will not be disappointed. From a heroine who takes no nonsense from anyone (even handsome princes!!) to a prince who starts out annoying, but ends up somebody to root for, this book has a great fairy-tale storyline that will appeal to all...
Rating:
Summary: Charming and emotionally gripping
Review: The powerful force of tradition intended Elena to be a Cinderella, except that her prince was only eleven when Elena turned twenty-one. When her evil stepmother decides to try other lands for fortune, Elena is abandoned and forced to come up with a future of her own. She decides to become a servant--and at least get paid for working for others. Instead, a Fairy Godmother takes her on as an apprentice. The magical potential that has built up in her through the frustrated tradition gives her huge magical powers. Which she'll need, because tradition forces the inhabitants of her kingdoms into preset ways--some of which are positive and nice, but others of which are quite dark and evil. Elena, even aided by brownies and unicorns, has a lot to do. When Prince Alexander behaves rudely to what he thinks is an old woman but is really Elena in test mode, she turns him into a donkey and brings him home to reform him. Which is fine as long as Alexander stays a donkey, but when he turns back into a man, attraction sizzles, which is a problem. Tradition doesn't hold with Fairy Godmothers having lovers, at least not lovers who don't betray them. And Elena is determined not to follow that tradition. Author Mercedes Lackey melds together a number of fairy tale traditions to create a compelling story of fairie, magic, and romance. Elena is a strong character, who, as her brownies point out, would be wasted in the largely decorative role of princess. Alexander starts out something of a jerk, but manages to redeem himself through hard work and serious thought. A strong action sequence closes out the story answering readers who wonder whether Elena and Alexander will be able to create a new tradition where they can explore the strong attraction between them. Mercedes Lackey's strong writing engages the reader emotionally and makes THE FAIRY GODMOTHER a compelling read. This is the launch novel in a new fantasy imprint--LUNA. LUNA will concentrate on female-driven fantasy. THE FAIRY GODMOTHER augers well for the new line.
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