Rating: 
Summary: My first Lackey
Review: This was the first book by Mercedes Lackey I ever read, and I was captivated ever since. I'm a die-hard fantasy fan, and all my friends thought it was amazing I had never read her before. Now I can say I have, and that I think she's a great author. It started off interesting, with Odile taking care of the flock, but once the scene changed to the palace, the queen, and the prince, it slowed down a little. Odile is a great and well-sculpted character, and I can really relate to her. Her feelings are not exactly "feelable", since she tries to be emotionless. Centered around Swan Lake, it was a good interpretation, but at points I found the prince and other characters a little distant and unrealistic. It was hard to believe that when the prince changed his morals so fast after his hauntings by the gypsy he raped, though Lackey covered the subject and the reasons for the change thoroughly. He didn't really change his ways with women too much; having sex with Trinka and then giving her money to start her own business was not exactly believable. Overall, it's definetely worth reading, so I'm not going to cover the whole plot, because you'll have to read it to find out...
Rating:
Summary: Great fantasy book.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to young women (aged 14-19). My sister also read it and enjoyed it. I totally give it a thumbs up!
Rating: 
Summary: Swan Swan Hummingbird
Review: In and of itself, this book is not a great work of literature. Having read some of Lackey's other work (although several years ago) I was struck by the poor editing job done on this one. Lackey's gift always seemed to lie in quizzical characters and the ability to use dialogue as a tool of plot-explanation.Still, this is not Lackey's first forray into the myth re-telling business, and it is a fairly endearing one at that. "Firebird" was a much more comprehensive way to deal with a fairy-tale, and a much better developed storyline. There were some exceptionally cool ideas going on in this little book, but it seems to get bogged down in a lot of patter about food, tapestries, and folk-dancing. The inter-character relationships are too sketchy to be believable and the transformation of Odile from docile submissive to competent sorceress is a wee bit forced. Siegfried does, indeed, make a questionable hero. As a reader, I needed more than a dream as an explanation for his stunning transformation from blackguard to loving husband. All-in-all, I'm 100% in favor of anyone who can retell old fairy tales in a more palatable context, because it means those great stories won't be, after all, lost. As such, I recommend this little book, although with fair warning attached.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes the Swan Princess to an amazing perspective!
Review: The best version of the Swan princess story I have ever read. You never get to see it from another point of view. It's always Odette, Odette and more Odette. I loved the dark, silent character that Mercedes Lackey creates as Rothbart's daughter. It still stuck to the original plot but there were so many amzing twists and turns in it. Wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: The Black Swan
Review: This book was one of the finest I've ever read. I think that Ms. Lackey is a great writer. She can take me to the land where the story is happening. This book is a retelling of Swan Lake or the movie The Swan Princess. I think that this book was great because of the detail it gave on the characters like Odile. I never dreamed that someone could take a ballet and write a book about it. It's enchanting.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: This book is a wonderful web of words and images, woven together to create a world in which everything is tangible. This is a classic story retold in a completely new way, and I found it fascinating. I don't think that any of the characters were flat or undeveloped; on the contrary, I think they showed a great deal of sophistication! This may not be Ms. Lackey's very best book ever, but it is in NO way bad. I would recommend it to anyone who was willing to take the time to get involved in the story, and not simply dismiss the subtlties of the plot because they didn't feel like giving any effort into thinking about it. This is a marvelous book, and I will always love it.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat uneven
Review: The Black Swan is an enjoyable retelling of the original ballet. The story, from Odile's perspective, loses some of its original extremities, though little is done to make Von Rothbart a sympathetic villain. Lackey is adept at ornamentation, and there is quite a lot here-- fabulous dresses, balls, etc. Unfortunately, the characters were very unevenly fleshed out. Lackey chose to focus on Odile and Siegfried almost exclusively, and characters like Odette and Benno really needed more individuality. Odile was the only character that seemed complete. Siegfried wasn't terribly likable, and his reform seemed rather implausible. As usual in Lackey's work, there were a few gaps of logic here and there-- not too egregious, but noticeable. The Black Swan seemed altogether lighter weight than previous retellings such as The Fire Rose and The Firebird, both of which I recommend above this one.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I find it very hard to believe that a great deal of people found this book dissapointing save for the cover art. Admittedly, Odette's character was poorly developed, but I believe that was because that the main focus of the story was Odile, not Odette. I believe this was one of Mercedes Lackey's best novels. (I must repeat previous reviewer's comments on the cover art- it was fantastic! Jody A. Lee catches the eye and makes you read the book just because of the art. Added with Mercedes Lackey's writing skills, it is an irresistable buy.)
Rating:
Summary: An emotional roller-coaster!
Review: I am 15 years old. "The Black Swan" is the second book that I've read by the outstanding author, Mercedes Lackey. Odile was a charming character but pretty clueless throughout most of the book. I cried with Odile and Odette and the other "little swans", I was infuriated by Odile's father, and Queen Clothilde just made me want to scream, "Give up your throne!" It was a beautiful novel that took me into an enchanting world of fantasy and left me thinking, "I hope there will be a sequel!" "The Black Swan" is a very emotional book that takes "The Swan Princess" and "Swan Lake" to a whole new level. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Well written, enthralling
Review: I am a longtime fan of Lackey's valdemar series, and this book holds much of the same charm. Characters are fleshed out, and there is subtle intrigue throughout which kept me reading late into the night. Incredibly descriptive and with a very satisfying ending. Not her best, but far from her worst.
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