From Publishers WeeklyThe prolific Lackey (the Valdemar series) draws on the darker, Brothers Grimm side of fairy lore for her enchanting tale, the first title under a new Harlequin imprint to spotlight romantic fantasy. In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, the Tradition, that ineffable magic, holds the promise of happily-ever-after for all deserving young maidens and courteous princes charming. But the Tradition also leads some in its thrall to pain, suffering and gruesome death. Feisty 19-year-old Elena Klovis seems destined to be an Ella of the Cinders (Cinderella), at the mercy of her wicked stepmother and greedy stepsisters. To escape their clutches, Elena tries to get work as a maidservant, but her fairy godmother, Madame Bella, has other plans for her. Elena becomes Madame Bella's apprentice, doing her best, among other challenges, to ensure that evil does not subvert Tradition. The only problem is that fairy godmothers are not themselves allowed to fall in love. It's up to Elena, who has vowed to reform a wayward prince, to tease out the threads of a new Tradition. Lackey has created an intelligent, self-possessed heroine with whom many readers will identify. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From BooklistThe prolific Lackey will enchant readers with this delightful twist on traditional fairy tales. In the land of Five Hundred Kingdoms, "Tradition" rules, and everyone is expected to fit into established fairy tales. Enslaved by her wickedly avaricious stepmother and stepsisters, Elena should have had a Cinderella-like life, but when things didn't work out, she flees and seeks work. Her fairy godmother, in fact, the fairy godmother of several kingdoms, makes her apprentice fairy godmother, and it's her duty to prevent the bad things that come with Tradition. Her life takes yet another curious turn when, disguised as a crone to test three questing princes, she loses her temper with Prince Alexander. He acts like an ass, so she turns him into one. Unwilling to let a defenseless donkey wander the woods alone, she takes him home and puts him to work transforming his life. Lackey's satisfying fairy tale will captivate fantasy readers with its well-imagined world and romance fans, who will relish the growing relationship and sexy scenes. Diana Tixier HeraldCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved ". . .proving why she's an acknowledge master of her craft with this awesome take on the world of fairytales." -- Romantic Times"Lackey has created an intelligent, self-possessed heroine with whom many readers will identify." -- Publishers Weekly what year are books in the public domain The Fairy Godmother (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 1)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Magical....By Pacey1927Without a doubt, this is the best book I have read in a very long time. Elena is twenty one and many years ago now she should have been "Cinderella", happily married to a prince and being an ornament at his side. But somewhere along the line the "tradition" got messed up and the only prince in the kingdom is eleven years old! So, when her evil stepmother and stepsisters leave town temporarily to seek for a new weathly man to con, Elena runs off and finds herself meeting her fairy Godmother. Not only does Elena have a fairy godmother, but this Godmother wants to train Elena to take over her position. This puts into play an amazing tale spanning Elena's "apprenticeship" and then her days in charge or the kingdom's Godmother duties. Along the way, we hear many different tales, that sound familiar but are changed around. We get a chance to see that sometimes fairy tales don't end up with happy endings. The entire story was a delightful thrill from start to finish. Gripping, and extremely difficult to put down. I was happy with the romantic storyline when it finely came into play and thought the ending was splendidly well done. From what I understand this is published by a Harlequin division and I must say that this is far from any traditional romance that I have read. I found this book to be a fabulous change of pace from my normal readings. I admit that since this unlike anything I've read in a long time, maybe that is why I was so taken with it. I have never read a book by Mercedes Lackey before, but I can guarentee this won't be the last.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It's just SO good.By T. R. HodgesI recently was stuck in the doctor's office for an hour 'layover' and I decided to start re-reading this book. It is so good and engaging (even the 2nd time around) that I hardly even noticed the time passing as I sat there in the waiting room. There is just something so very comfortable about this tale as seen through the eyes of Mercedes Lackey. Her characters are so strong and her slight twists on the old stories are so creative and fun. If you haven't been introduced to the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, you are in for a treat. Buy this and begin your journey. You won't be sorry.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. this is a good book, this book is not a romance...By silvergrayThis is a good book but it isn't a romance.This book has all the best kinds of things that adventure books have. It has great multilayered characters. You felt the growth of the mains as they went about their lives. Elena was a wonderfully strong female lead that had a vulnerable human side. This book also had a wonderful story that was rich in history, with backstorys that although were never written in fully, were always felt. The twists and turns were unpredictable which lead to always wanting to know what would happen next.The only iffy bit in the whole thing was the romance. The book spends most of its time breaking the traditional conventions that bedtime stories have, that was the point of the book. Yet, when it came to romance it felt very much like it's bedtime story roots. Admittedly it was a new tale, it wasn't one that you would find in conventional bedtime stories. The problem was it never felt as real as the characters were. It had that thing where you have 2 characters, their both good looking, they have the hots for each other, so naturally the get it on. It didn't have the slow growth scenes where they flirt and woo each other, or scenes where they show tenderness. There were kind of some, but in relation to the number of pages spent on the adventure, they were short and were clearly only there so no one would complain. Or thats how they felt to me anyway.Now don't get me wrong. I love this book. This is, as I said a great book. The problem is, it was advertised to me as a romance novel when it was clearly an adventure one, a great adventure one at that. It might have actually benefited more if the romance aspect was removed altogether. Not that it could be done considering how a lot of plot points hinge on it being there, particularly at the end, still this book could have been straight up adventure and still have been great.4 stars. A great adventure book. I took off one because It was advertised to me as a romance.