Rating: 
Summary: The best Elemental Masters book so far (out of 3)
Review: I found this the best-written of all the Elemental Masters books, somehow. The ending didn't seem as rushed and as un-satisfying as the others, and there was a feeling of more meat to it.I didn't mind the excessive descriptions of clothing so much as it's typical of historical romances, but it did seem rather untypical of Marina as painted in the first half of the book. Marina didn't appear one-dimensional to me, though it seemed weird that someone supposedly intelligent couldn't have found out about her curse earlier. How come she didn't ask her parents?
How come she didn't bother to find out more about the enemies her guardians had? And even if her guardians didn't want to mention Arachne, they could have asked her to beware of evil relatives. The book did fall apart for me towards the end: it would have been nice to flesh out the romance; it wasn't really clear why Arachne and Reggie needed Marina at all - it wasn't as if, Sleeping Beauty style, Arachne wanted revenge for the way she'd been treated by her family; and it didn't make any sense for Marina's parents to appear and tell her all. For that matter, why couldn't Marina's guardians have made more of an effort to get in touch with her, especially since they thought Arachne didn't have any magic? It'd be nice if, romance-style, Thomas and Eleanor could have their own story told. Many of the Sensitives mentioned at the sanitarium could have their own stories too.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting blend of historical romance and fairy tale
Review: I have a particular fondness for books in which the author takes a well-worn idea and gives it a new twist. I thought this was a rather nice example.
Mercedes Lackey combines an historical romance with the fairy tale of sleeping beauty and comes up with something really different. As far as I could tell, her research of England in the 1890s is very accurate. There were very nice references to William Morris and the Arts and Craft movement, pre-Raphealite art, William Blake, and contemporary political issues such as child labor and votes for women that added to my enjoyment of the book.
She does a marvelous job at breathing life into characters. The main character is a spunky 17-year old who seems natural and appealing.
On the whole, I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes historical novels who is ready to try something a little different.
Is it great literature? No. But it is a competent work and an enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial!
Review: I have read many of Mercedes Lackey's books, and all of the previous fairy tale rewrites that she has done. This is not a very good book, compared to her others. There is an obligatory romance at the end, but it is forced, it FEELS obligatory, all developed within a few pages. The villains are badly written, in the ideas behind their crimes and even, a bit, in their own personalities. The heroine described in the early part of the book (age, upbringing, etc.) does not fit at all with the facets of the personality of that character as actually described in the writing, growing more and more so as the book goes on. Moreover, almost all of the characters are superficial in this way, or not developed at all. Things like the reason why a specific character does something or something happens do not satisfy the logic of anyone beyond an eight-year-old.
Some of the things in this book are good, I will give you that. The setting is well researched, to my mind. The story does hang together, if somewhat loosely, it is only if you start to question the story or think about it a bit that it falls apart. If you're looking for a quick read for the plane, this book is fine, although you could definitely make better choices. All in all, if you feel that you want to read this book, I would suggest that you get it from a library, because it doesn't really have that much to offer that you would want to own and re-read it.
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: I have to give this 4 stars (3.5 would have been perfect) just because I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book so much. A lot of time is devoted to setting up the story and fleshing out the characters, AND THEN...? What? The last third or so felt hastily tacked on; the romance very contrived and not believable at all. The characters in the last chapters were very flat. I was left feeling like this is a story that should have gone on for maybe another book. The ending needed time to develop properly. Perhaps sticking to the fairy tale formula was too confining, though it's been done before with much success and I certainly disagree that the whole Sleeping Beauty tale has been overdone. Let's just say that this one must have been rushed to publication before it was ready and it's too bad, because it was a good, strong story. I still enjoyed it and recommend it to fans of this author, though perhaps not to others. Don't start reading Lackey with this book; it's not her best.
Rating: 
Summary: Madness
Review: I have to quit reading these reviews of books I love. I adore Mercedes Lackey's work, particularly her Elemental Masters series. I wish I could convey my thoughts to the author herself, but I can't. I just hope that she's too busy writing her next novel to ever read the hurtful words of 'readers' who don't 'get' her genius. Congratulations, Misty, on this book. I've pre-ordered the next one in the series and can't wait till it arrives.
Rating:
Summary: The best one so far in this series
Review: I just finished reading this book and I liked it much better than the two earlier ones of the series. The fairy tale theme was stronger also. I was worried that this series would sizzle out as IMO Ms.Lackey seems to pump out the books rather fast but I have to admit that this book didnt bore me and I feel that most of her characters were strong. I recommend that anyone that like Fairy tales with a twist read this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not her worst, but not her best
Review: I liked the character of Marina, and her "aunts and uncles." I liked the historical backdrop. I liked the basic plot. Here's what I didn't like. -Arachne and Reggie were 2-D, laughable, silly villains. -There are some inconsistancies with the previous two books set in this "universe." For example, the issue of "Cold Iron," and why the Elementals wouldn't go to a place with Cold Iron present. Think back to The Fire Rose (by far the best book of the series). In TFR, there are IRON ELEMENTALS, practically! -Still too much Suffragette soapboxing. I mean, sheesh, Misty, we women are liberated, now, thank you very much, get back to the plot. -Too much backstory. Too much time is spent watching Marina prance about the countryside. I know that many people don't agree with me, but TFR again had it just right: no more than three or four chapters of backstory, interspersed into the novel, rather than taking up half the book describing the main character's bedroom, her dresses, her horse, her furniture... All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but the errors and plot holes grated at my nerves too much for me to go back and reread it.
Rating:
Summary: In between
Review: I liked this better than SERPENT'S SHADOW, but not as well as FIRE ROSE.
I wasn't bothered by the inconsistancies in how Elemental magic was portrayed, because the mages in the different books represent different strands or traditions of Elemental Magic. One would expect different expositions of Christian doctrine if the first book were by a Methodist, the second by a Presbyterian, and the third by a Russian Orthodox, after all.
I wasn't bothered so much by the historical inaccuracies, either; it obviously isn't set in our world, after all, but in a paralel universe slightly off. If, in that universe, magic works, why wouldn't other things be a little different?
I did find the romance a little contrived, and I agree that the Vicar would have been a better match than the Doctor.
Rating:
Summary: Fun to read, but weak.
Review: I read this book in one sitting, so obviously I enjoyed it, bur it was very weak in comparison with Lackey's previous Elemental Mage book (Serpent's Shadow), as well as with her previous fairy tale books(Firebird, The Black Swan). Since it was an update on a classic tale, I needed more innoation to satisfy me. The characters weren't as developed as I like, and the ending was very disappointing. I think Lackey is falling into a time bind lately. Her endings have been feeling rushed and contrived for the last several books. Still, it was a fun book, had some good magic in it. It just didn't nearly live up to what Lackey is capable of.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, dear!
Review: I really do like Lackey's work most of the time, and I particularly liked the first book in this loosely knit "series," (The Fire Rose). The second book, Serpent's Shadow, was slightly weaker, but very engaging. This one...well, despite the title, it's very, very tired. To be fair to Lackey, a large part of the problem stems from the tale she is using as her starting point. "Sleeping Beauty" has almost no appeal anymore (if it ever did), as nothing HAPPENS in it. Of the many updates/rewrites/transformations that have been tried with this story, only McKinley's "Spindle's End" seems to me to manage any dramatic force. However, to achieve the drama, McKinley had to elaborate the tale to an almost unrecognizable degree -- and a good thing, too. This version has some interesting characters (the artists), though the bad guys, alas, are not among them. However, one wonders if the christening curse affected the brains of Marina's guardians: they wait 'til she's SEVENTEEN to start training in magical protections? After her aunt kidnaps her, they never bother to call on her tutor, a woman with enough social clout to make contact with Marina? And what's with the so-called romance? Lackey was building up an unusual and attractive character in the Vicar, and he appeared to have all kinds of potential, but all of a sudden, Marina is sure she loves the doctor. I think the irritated exchanges between the two of them are supposed to be viewed as expressions of sexual or romantic tension, but they simply confirm that this is not a credible couple. The pacing of the plot is very uneven, and it would have helped the book greatly if earlier sections had been rewritten to provide more logical transitions for what happens later. The writing manages to be overly wordy and uninformative at the same time. When you have nothing much to say, it doesn't help to say it at great length. Also, I think the series is beginning to suffer from having a major cast change in every book. The characters in Serpent's Shadow were much more vital and would probably have been improved by another outing. All I can say is that I hope Lackey gets back up to her usual exciting standard by the next book.
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