The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #1)

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The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms #1)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 8,890 ratings · 536 reviews

From the bestselling author of the HERALDS OF VALDEMAR series comes an enchanting new novel.

In the land of Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale...

Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella-until an accident of fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! Determined not to remain with her stepfamily,...more

Hardcover, 417 pages

Published by Luna Books (first published November 1st 2004)

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Aug 17, 2008 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to JG (The Introverted Reader) by: Rachel

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, strong_females, read_in_2008, womens_fiction, fairy_or_folk_tale, modern_fairy_tale, reviewed, just_plain_fun, 4_stars, author_american, not_quite_a_series

Elena Klovis is badly mistreated by her stepmother. She is forced to clean the house, cook the food, and dress her stepmother and her two stepsisters, while she herself dresses in rags and goes hungry. Sound familiar? That's because Elena is supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella. But her "Prince Charming" is completely wrong for her. So magic just keeps building and building around her. Finally, Elena's Fairy Godmother steps in with a most unusual offer. Elena's life is changed in a way that s...more Elena Klovis is badly mistreated by her stepmother. She is forced to clean the house, cook the food, and dress her stepmother and her two stepsisters, while she herself dresses in rags and goes hungry. Sound familiar? That's because Elena is supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella. But her "Prince Charming" is completely wrong for her. So magic just keeps building and building around her. Finally, Elena's Fairy Godmother steps in with a most unusual offer. Elena's life is changed in a way that she could never have foretold. But will there eventually be a happily-ever-after for her?

I loved the whole concept of this story. I love fairy tales and I love to see twists on fairy tales. This one was a lot of fun and it really wasn't very predictable. It was a fun, light read, and I would recommend it to other fans of fairy tales.

Two things though: First, I was sort of thinking that my little cousin, a fan of all things princess and fairy, might enjoy having this book read aloud to her. Then I got to the sex scenes. There were probably only two, and they were pretty lightweight, but they were still there, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of the little princess in your life. Second, I've read several of Mercedes Lackey's books, and I would love to be her copyeditor. She absolutely kills me. She generally tells interesting, original stories, but the copyeditor whose red ink swirls through my veins cringes through her books. I would disable her italics key right off the bat. I don't mind the convention she uses of having a character's thoughts in italics. That actually makes things a little clearer. But I'm glancing through the book right now and it's almost impossible to find a page where italics aren't used for emphasis numerous times. How irritating! Typos abounded and I would swear that this sentence made an appearance, although, of course, I can't find it now: "Her heart was literally in her throat." Really? Literally? There are so many ways to make fun of that sentence that I don't know where to start. Did it use grappling hooks to climb up there? Don't bite down! How do you talk around that?

Enough of that. Overall, it's a fun, funny, sweet, original story. (less)

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Feb 13, 2008 Carolyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: o

Shelves: read-in-2008

My pre-review: I was recommended this book by the same girl who introduced me to Stardust and Spindle's End, two books I really enjoyed, although the horrible cover of this book turned me off from reading it for a while (and really, I can't imagine myself carrying it around anywhere...lol).

I do love fun fairytale books though, and have heard great things about Mercedes Lackley, so I'm excited to read it!

Final reciew:

Meh. I really liked the parts about Elena becoming a Godmother and the things as...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sff-romance, 2012-reads

Super fun book.

At first it seems like you are reading a re-telling of Cinderella. I must confess, I have always hated the Cinderella story. It always struck me as plain old child abuse. But while Elaine's story starts off as Cinderella,it veers rather sharply away from the familiar path of that tale.

As her disgruntled fairy Godmother tells her, there is no Prince available for her. The only one near enough is still just a toddler. And Elaine herself isn't getting any younger. And since the Fairy...more Super fun book.

At first it seems like you are reading a re-telling of Cinderella. I must confess, I have always hated the Cinderella story. It always struck me as plain old child abuse. But while Elaine's story starts off as Cinderella,it veers rather sharply away from the familiar path of that tale.

As her disgruntled fairy Godmother tells her, there is no Prince available for her. The only one near enough is still just a toddler. And Elaine herself isn't getting any younger. And since the Fairy Godmother is also getting up in years and wants to retire, she has decided to make Elaine her Apprentice.

The nifty thing about this whole story -- and series -- is that the characters are aware that their lives are following a well trodden path created by something called Tradition. Tradition (always a capital 'T') is the familiar folk tales and stories that everyone knows. So while Elaine is one such Cinderella-trope she isn't the only one. There are young girls all over the 500 kingdoms who are drudging away with wicked stepmothers waiting to marry a Prince. Just as there are sleeping Princesses, various young men on quests, and young girls with long,long hair imprisoned in towers etc.

As a Fairy Godmother, Elaine's job is to steer these people's lives to their rightful conclusion. But as Elaine also learns she has the power to manipulate Tradition as well so that she can re-arrange outcomes. To me this is the fun part of the story, seeing what schemes Elaine comes up with to subtlely subvert the storyline of a given person.

There is a nice tone of humor throughout. One great scene involves the Maleficent-like evil sorceress who comes to curse a newly born Princess at her christening. It was a hoot to see how the Fairy Godmothers deal with that.

The book also includes a nice romance for Elaine who worries that her role as a Fairy Godmother means that she will live out her life in loneliness. But she finally does meet her Prince even if he is a bit of an ass at first. Literally.

This clever little story was such an unexpected delight, I may need to hunt up the next one.(less)

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Nov 09, 2010 Adrianna rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy and Romance fans (especially women)

Shelves: fantasy, romance

Read the review about "The Tradition," a concept from the book: A Fantastical Force

The Fairy Godmother was my first experience with author Mercedes Lackey, and I admit that I was a bit disappointed. In looking at the overall story, Lackey had many elements that fantasy and romance genre fans would really enjoy. However, the execution of her story left much lacking.

The world she creates for the Five Hundred Kingdoms series is extensively detailed. It's a place where magic and fairy tales rule. Th...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-paperback

It’s my first time to read a book by Mercedes Lackey. It’s also my first to read an adult fantasy book. Probably because I found the excerpts of some strangely focused on…well, – to lightly put it – intimacy; which I prefer it to be seen somehow only in a chapter or two. I like fantasy books that engulf in twists in their plot rather than focused on that matter.

When I picked out “A Fairy Godmother”, I automatically expected a Cinderella story retold; I was even wondering why it seemed way too th...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Krystal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this !!! Princess's, Princes, Unicorns, Fae, Wizards, Sorceresses, and Fairy Godmothers ! We all know the typical fairytale, the poor stepdaughter, the princess locked in towers etc. they all had Fairy Godmothers that helped, one way or another and here we learn all about Fairy Godmothers and all that go behind the workings of a good ending. Elena was suppose to have her own story, but it didn't turned out as planned and now she has an opportunity to change her fate.

I loved th...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Lizzie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sweet-romance, series, epic-journey, absolute-favs-will-revisit-often, fire-starter-give-me-more

I loved it!

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Oct 04, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mature-reads

I never know what to expect from Mercedes Lackey. She writes so much and with so many co-authors, her style and subject matter constantly changes. I read this book with a middle-school-librarian's eye and it would have been fine for 8th grade on up, but suddenly from out of the blue there are a couple of pages of crass behaviour and language from an otherwise mild and mellow character. Then its mild and mellow again for awhile, then a page of crassness from out of the blue. Not that this is writ...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Mandi Ellsworth added it · review of another edition

There is a reason I usually stick to YA and Children's literature. And this book defines my reason.

I really liked the story. It's set in a world called 500 Kingdoms, where a magical force called The Tradition forces life stories to fit nicely into a known tale. We see a failed attempt at a Cinderella story, a woman named Elena who has lots of magic surrounding her, trying to force her into a marriage with a prince, any prince. Her step family decides to run away from their creditors, leaving Ele...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was extremely excited to read this book. I love new twists on old fairy tales, and this was the first such attempt I had read by Mercedes Lackey (one of my favourite authors for no other reason then she wrote some engaging stories about white almost-horses who used to be human). I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a bit of a Traditional un-Traditional romance (read the book to get the reference), and an easy read.

The book (and the entire series) addresses the question of how a character can manipu...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Jasmyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, romance, series, tales-of-the-five-hundred-kingdoms, harlequin

The Five Hundred Kingdoms continually live the fairy tales. It is part of the magic that holds the realms together. Elena was destined to follow in the footsteps of Cinderella, but her prince was just a baby so the fairy tale went wrong. The magic of the realm built up around her until her kingdom's godmother takes her in as an apprentice. Her life is filled with directing the magic to make her realms a better place and keepp the evil ones away. Throughout it all she makes brave and very inventi...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fairy Godmother / 0-373-80245-5

I read this beginning novel of the Five Hundred Kingdoms because I thoroughly enjoyed book 5, "The Sleeping Beauty", and couldn't wait to read more about the Five Hundred Kingdoms. I enjoyed this novel as well, but it's interesting to see how Mercedes Lackey has grown as a writer in the intervening years.

Given that this is the first tale in the loosely-connected series, the backstory of the kingdoms is expounded upon more strongly here than in later books - an imp...more Fairy Godmother / 0-373-80245-5

I read this beginning novel of the Five Hundred Kingdoms because I thoroughly enjoyed book 5, "The Sleeping Beauty", and couldn't wait to read more about the Five Hundred Kingdoms. I enjoyed this novel as well, but it's interesting to see how Mercedes Lackey has grown as a writer in the intervening years.

Given that this is the first tale in the loosely-connected series, the backstory of the kingdoms is expounded upon more strongly here than in later books - an impersonal force called "The Tradition" tries to force people into fairy tale lives, and Godmothers exist to facilitate and/or buck The Tradition to achieve the best ending for everyone involved. This is a fascinating setup for a fantasy setting, but the explanations do tend to go on for a bit longer than feels strictly necessary, especially if you're already familiar with the concept from another one of the series. Since this novel is told from the point of view of a new godmother - a young woman named Elena, who was "supposed" to be an "Ella Cinders", but her designated prince was way too young - it's especially interesting to see the daily ins-and-outs of godmothering, as they work tirelessly to protect people as best as possible from the sometimes deadly demands of The Tradition.

Like all the Lackey novels I've read so far, "The Fairy Godmother" is exceptionally well-written, but it does sometimes feel a little long. The book almost weighs in at 500 pages (479, to be exact), and quite a bit of that could have been trimmed down in my respectful opinion. Major plot points are sometimes re-summarized in later conversations, which makes sense for "chapter reading", but if you're just reading through in a couple of days, things can start to seem a little repetitive. On the other hand, the fantasy setting is truly interesting and original, and the characterization is fantastic (something Lackey is always superb at), so for some people the novel length might be a major plus - you can spend even more time immersing yourself in this strange new world. Strangely, some of my favorite, most vivid parts were the "side characters" that delved into other traditions, such as the tales of Rosalie and her destined "Ladderlocks" child - I swear I'll never look at a Rapunzel tale the same way.

If you enjoyed "The Sleeping Beauty", as I did, and want more, I'm fairly confident that you'll like "The Fairy Godmother". As I said, it's a little longer than I would have preferred, but the writing is well done and the characterization is wonderful, and as a fairy tale reboot, it's a spot-on example of a fairy tale reboot done well.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Mar 28, 2011 Lisa Richards rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was a bit hesitant to start this story as I’m a romance reader at heart and a fantasy reader second. This was my first Lackey book and though it wasn’t great, I still have several that I’m anxious to read. There was a lot I liked about the storyline, particularly the snarky dry humor. Who wouldn’t give their right tit to be able to turn that ass of a boyfriend into a braying mule? I loved the interaction of the characters in Elena’s home, they were always good for a laugh and a bit of backstor...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fairy-tales, fantasy, fiction

This was my first Mercedes Lackey read ... and I loved it. I'm a big fan of fairy-tale retellings and when I saw the cover of this book and then read a little bit about it (just enough to know it was loosely based on Cinderella), I had to read it.

First of all, I'm a huge admirer when a fantasy writer gets a magic system down so well that it's explained in a way that makes colors explode in my imagination - and that's what Lackey did in The Fairy Godmother.

Spoilers Ahead!

I'm beyond thrilled that...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Paranormal Romance

Shelves: fantasy, romance, fiction, novels

This just never hooked me. I'm something of a fan of Mercedes Lackey's books: I've read a majority of them, and she's a prolific author--certainly one of those, that when this first appeared, I reflexively went to give it a read. I particularly love her Valdemar books, which she's arguably best known for.

I think one of Lackey's greatest strengths is her world-building: she creates original and engaging magical realms, and this take on a fairy-tale land with the "Tradition" that forces people in...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Too much telling, not enough showing.

The first 155 pages felt like one long description of setting. The author describes the world, the interaction of fairies, godmothers and humans, how magic works, what the rules are, how they make potions, etc. It was boring. There were a few stories, mostly being told, not shown. Elena is the overworked and abused human who is taken on as an apprentice to become a fairy godmother. She is given magic and learns how to use it.

CAUTION SPOILERS:
The main story be...more Too much telling, not enough showing.

The first 155 pages felt like one long description of setting. The author describes the world, the interaction of fairies, godmothers and humans, how magic works, what the rules are, how they make potions, etc. It was boring. There were a few stories, mostly being told, not shown. Elena is the overworked and abused human who is taken on as an apprentice to become a fairy godmother. She is given magic and learns how to use it.

CAUTION SPOILERS:
The main story begins on page 202, about what Elena does with three princes who are brothers on a quest to save a princess. She turns one of them into a donkey to work as a donkey at her home. He goes back and forth between donkey and human form during his penance. Eventually he learns humility, compassion and the value of hard work. Then they fall in love. That story was interesting, but again too much telling, not enough showing.

On the positive side, there were some interesting twists on fairy tales, some interesting characters and plot events.

Two examples of telling, not showing follow.
Page 175, "Elena learned all of the ways that duels could take place between Magicians - whether it was the Duel Direct where one threw powerful magical attacks at the foe, the Transformation Duel where each magician kept changing his form until one or the other was able to devour or otherwise incapacitate the opposition, or the Duel by Avatar where each magician transformed into a magical monster and magical comabat took place between the. And she got as much practice in dueling as was possible under the circumstances---dueling took such huge stores of energy that no one really practiced it. Instead, they did what she did; they studied the great combats of the past." I am reminded of the Harry Potter dueling scenes where two enemies hurl spells at each other and we see what the spells do. Ms. Lackey is "telling" about duels, whereas in H. Potter we are "shown" the duels which is so much more entertaining, partly because you can see the emotions the duelers are feeling.

Page 365, Elena returns Ocatavian the lost prince to his father the king. We see the conversation of "Father, I am home again. There was a moment of stunned silence. Then the King fell upon his son, weeping and embracing him, as the Royal Guard erupted into a cheer. And after that -- well, that was when things got very interesting indeed." The author then switches to Elena being home later that night recalling the events of the day as follows. "First there had been the whole Reconciliation scene to play out, then some of the explanation of what had happened to Octavian and why, then Elena had delivered herself of a bit of a lecture to King and Prince. Not much of a lecture, but she had made it very clear that their first act must be to reconcile with Julian--- by delivering an apology --- It was the newly-humbled Octavian who'd had no difficulty with this rather obvious necessity, and in the euphoria of having his favorite son back, Henrick had agreed." At first the author was "showing" us the reunion scene, then she switched to recalling the events (telling), but she never described "when things got very interesting indeed." I was expecting something interesting, but didn't see it.

DATA:
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one. Setting: undescribed location in a time with kings and knights on horseback. Copyright: 2004. Genre: paranormal fairy tale with a little romance.(less)

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Sep 14, 2010 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We have all heard the fairy tales where the Prince and Princess live happily ever after, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Princess and the Pea and Rapunzel. Then there are also the tales where children are stolen from their beds, with changelings left in their place, or the grandmother being eaten by the big bad wolf. What we do not hear about is the tradition. The tradition is the all-powerful force that makes things happen, time after time, keeping the fairy tales repeating themselves repeatedly....more We have all heard the fairy tales where the Prince and Princess live happily ever after, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Princess and the Pea and Rapunzel. Then there are also the tales where children are stolen from their beds, with changelings left in their place, or the grandmother being eaten by the big bad wolf. What we do not hear about is the tradition. The tradition is the all-powerful force that makes things happen, time after time, keeping the fairy tales repeating themselves repeatedly. It is a force that pushes and prods and creates opportunities or challenges that make things happen in just that certain way.

This is the story of one young woman born into the Five Hundred Kingdoms. All her life she has been worked hard, treated poorly and neglected by her Stepmother. She had become a virtual slave to her and her two stepdaughters as well. Well anyone knowing how the tradition works could see that this should have a happy ending. But as the years went on and Elena passed her eighteenth birthday all hope was lost. As her stepmother and stepsisters moved on one step ahead of the creditors, Elena was left on her own with nothing to her name.

Luckily, she was close to her neighbor’s, two older women who seemed to have just a little magic. So as the creditors came to strip the house of everything that was not nailed down she sat down for one of her first good meal in a long time. The elderly women fawned and petted over her, which gave her the courage to do what she felt she had to do. She needed to sell herself as a house cleaner and move on before her Stepmother and Stepsisters came back again to continue to make her life miserable. Off she goes to the town square where the mop fair is going on and jobs are offered each week, with her back straight and her hopes up. However, with each passing hour she began to lose hope. Not one to give up she stayed right were she was till the very end of day, knowing that it would just take that one person that would need what she had to offer and give her a job. As the day faded, away Elena started to head back to her empty home, and just as she did, she heard the carriage.
The cart that came around the corner was just as odd as the driver was, but the elderly woman had such kind eyes and Elena really needed a job. When the elderly woman asked her if she was looking for work, Elena jumped at the chance without even remembering to ask what the job was. It was so wonderful to find someone with such kind eyes. The woman invited her aboard the carriage and off they went. As they rounded the corner and lurched over a bump the carriage bounced into the air, and did not come down. Elena was terrified.
This is the Story of how Elena became the Fairy Godmother’s apprentice and then went on to become the Fairy Godmother of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. Even the Fey and magical creatures accepted her. She becomes the adored of the Unicorns, and if she still sometimes dreamed of meeting her prince, well no one ever knew for the longest time. She became a source to be reckoned with and helped to set up the questing for the young men trying to win the fair maiden. This is also the story of how she changed the Tradition and used it to build a stung and peaceful kingdom where only good would prevail. In addition, as luck, or the tradition would have it, could there still be a happily ever after for Elena?

This true adult fairytale with all the fun and enchantments that go with the tales we heard as a child. It is the story of believing in something with all your heart and finding that there really are happy endings. A fun read with likable characters. It may have been a little sugary but still had a very feel good ending.

This Book was received as a free book from Net galley. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
(less)

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Apr 07, 2010 Michele rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved the book!

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, life can become a fairytale. For those who know their fairytales, Elena's life is following in the Cinderella tradition; she has a mean step-mother and two step-sisters who all treat her as their unpaid servant. But there is one exception to the tale, her prince is a child. With the bills mounting, the step-mother departs town with her two daughters and leaves behind Elena to face the debtors. Elena decides that she only has one option, and that is to...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Cassandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Readers of light fantasy

Shelves: fantasy, fairy-tale, reviews

I don't remember how long it took me to read this the first time around (about seven years ago) but this time it took me 24 hours. Well played, Ms Lackey, well played.

I love the entire concept of the book (and, I suspect, the series): a land where the force of stories has its own driving magic (called The Tradition), which shoves people around to suit the roles they need to play. So when Elena's father marries a woman with two daughters, of course she is cast into the role of Cinderella.

Except,...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Vivian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ever since I read Enchantment by Orson Scott Card, I've been on the lookout for other fairy tales told with a twist to them. And Mercedes Lackey definitely exceeded my expectations in this book.

First of all, I've had the pleasure of enjoying some of Lackey's other books, and it is a pleasant surprise to see the vastly different writing styles between her epic fantasy series and... well, this. Although, it is a change that is well-suited to this genre.

Going into it from just the synopsis, I was e...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Strengths: The premise is very clever: that the magic of The Tradition forces people down paths, like a mistreated orphan to be rescued by a Prince and swept into a better life. But what if the Prince is only 11, or the Prince is a Princess, and the poor orphan can't take the path her life was supposed to take? Well, she can give her magic away and life a simple, normal life, or she can become Apprentice to a Fairy Godmother. And that's what Elena does. It was an excellent way to conduct a retel...more Strengths: The premise is very clever: that the magic of The Tradition forces people down paths, like a mistreated orphan to be rescued by a Prince and swept into a better life. But what if the Prince is only 11, or the Prince is a Princess, and the poor orphan can't take the path her life was supposed to take? Well, she can give her magic away and life a simple, normal life, or she can become Apprentice to a Fairy Godmother. And that's what Elena does. It was an excellent way to conduct a retelling, and really poked fun at the way fairy tale characters are always conveniently attractive, age appropriate, and of the ideal gender for the protagonist.

I liked Elena, pitied her for her evil stepmother and stepsisters and respected her strength and determination. Some reviewers have said that she's bland, but I found her strong. She didn't give into morose weeping or the thought that she needed someone to save her, but she carefully hoarded her magic and went about doing her chores and learning how to be better at her new life's calling.

Weaknesses: I started the novel and thought that Elena wouldn't need a man to rescue her. She didn't love any of the men in the village, and she realized early on that she only viewed marriage as a means of escape, not because she really wanted to marry any of the men she saw. Even after she becomes a Godmother in her own right, she doesn't define herself by needing marriage to be happy. She wants to protect her kingdoms. Then Alexander comes into the picture and she realizes that The Tradition is trying to force them together, and she resists it ... and I was like crap. Not because Alexander doesn't develop into a perfectly nice person, but because it's obvious that Elena is going to forge her own path and it will nicely dovetail with a romantic happily ever after. This is all well and good most of the time, but Elena isn't supposed to take the Traditional path. The ending sort of weakened the whole premise of the novel.

The other thing I didn't like was the awkward way the author handled the sexuality of the characters. It was poorly handled, and to borrow from another reviewer, tawdry in its execution. Their attraction was more lust than love, and it cheapened the romance for me. It didn't belong in the novel at it was presented: fantasy, not erotica.(less)

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Dec 13, 2010 Jeremy Preacher rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Finally I read the first in the sequence! Like the others, it's serviceable, the premise is a neat way to approach traditional fairy-tale tropes, and the characters are typically charming. I just have to go on one minor tangential rant...

Look, I am not going to accuse Mercedes Lackey, of all people, of homophobia. She's won a freaking Lambda Award, of all things. But the offhand remark about "the clear impropriety of [the princess] falling in love with a woman" only failed to make me throw the b...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books

Imagine a world where everyone has the potential to be a character in a fairy tale. This is the world of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. This is the world where a force known as The Tradition tries to move people into paths that fit stories.... even if those stories will not have the resolution that is commonly associated with that story. Cinderella may not get out of her household because the prince is too young, too old, or not even a prince but a princess. These unsuccessful stories build up magic...more

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Apr 15, 2012 K. Bird rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read #6 in the Five Hundred Kingdoms (Beauty and the Werewolf) and enjoyed it enough to look for the first in this series.

And found the first installment not as much fun as the sixth. I the ideas that tickled my fancy are here; A multitude of pseudo European medieval kingdoms in which peasants toil and Kings and Queens meet a la traditional fairy tales (goosegirl, rapunzel, sleeping beauty) and die in horrible ways a la the Grimmer versions of those fairy tales (Bluebeard, Fair Rosalind, Princ...more I read #6 in the Five Hundred Kingdoms (Beauty and the Werewolf) and enjoyed it enough to look for the first in this series.

And found the first installment not as much fun as the sixth. I the ideas that tickled my fancy are here; A multitude of pseudo European medieval kingdoms in which peasants toil and Kings and Queens meet a la traditional fairy tales (goosegirl, rapunzel, sleeping beauty) and die in horrible ways a la the Grimmer versions of those fairy tales (Bluebeard, Fair Rosalind, Princes bashing themselves against evil sorcerors until the right one happens to come along).

In this world we follow a girl meant to be one of those heroines (or victims) in a fairy tale...only things don't go as planned. In this case the prince our Cinderella heroine (Elena) is supposed to marry is too young, and thus despite the hovering, magical pressure of Tradition that tries to force people to live a certain pattern, her story is not going to end happily ever after.

Luckily, Elena has been noticed by a pair of good witches who notifies that kingdom's Fairy Godmother that Elena has the potential to be much more than a failed Cinderella.

Elena undergoes training in how to be a Godmother, basically how to trick/nudge/use the Tradition to make people on doomed paths go another path instead.

Those parts were the most interesting for me in this story. The parts where Elena is living out her Cinderella tale in the beginning was a bit too long for me, I wanted to jump ahead to the how-to-trick-the-tradition parts and how to untangle a complicated, multi-kingdom fairy tale tragedy in the making part where Elena has to save the brothers of her romantic interest.

The romance/sex description is a bit racier than I first thought, this bleeds into adult romance in the description of Elena and Alexanders' dreams of each other, and is not something I'd give to my ten year old daughter to read, although she'd enjoy the first 2/3 of the book that deals with fairy tale tropes.

This Book's Snack Rating: A can of Pringles; a fine story for an entertaining read, but nothing too deep/crunch or flavorful.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Lauryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I'm a fan of fairytale retellings. I had already read Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Master's series a few years ago which are all loosely based on fairy tales. I was surprised that she had done another series with a similar idea. And then I read "The Fairy Godmother" and realized that as much as it was a retelling, it was an untelling. What if it didn't work out for all Cinderellas? What about all of the princes who fail on their quests to find the sleeping princess? This seems to be the place fro...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance

Elena grew up in one of the 500 Kingdoms, which are quite literally driven by Tradition, the magical force that surrounds the lands and tries to guide people along Traditional storylines to Traditional fates. Elena was to be a Cinderella, but since the local prince wasn’t old enough, she ended up apprenticing to her kingdom’s fairy godmother instead. And of course, that suited her far better anyway.

I’ve always liked Mercedes Lackey, though I find as I grow older that she works better for younge...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Meredith Sarmento rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales

I am always looking for twists on traditional fairy tales so I was excited to stumble across this book and the series that follows. I thought that the idea of the existence of "The Tradition", a magical force that steers all beautiful, abused orphans towards their Prince Charmings, was fresh and intriguing. The characters were well-developed and, for the most part, well-written.
The book was at its best when describing the rich history of magic, Godmothers and other magical agents, and the Tradit...more

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Nov 29, 2009 K rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As I have never really been a fan of fantasy, this was a risk for me; but when I found out the story incoporated aspects of fairy tales, I couldn't resist (I absolutely love fairy tales). The Fairy Godmother tells the story of Elena, or Ella Cinders, who is her kingdom's next Cinderella. When her prince turn out to be an 11 year old boy, Elena is given the opportunity to become a fairy godmother. Add to it a few princes who need a lesson (or two), as well as, magical creatures, and you have a st...more

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Nov 12, 2010 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Looking at the cover I thought this book was a Harlequin...not so. However, the writing is a bit flowery & wordy (an entire paragraph describing the lace on someone's dress is a bit much). It has a GREAT storyline idea though: "Ella Cinders" slaves over her stepmother & 2 stepsisters until they abandon her & an empty mansion just ahead of the creditors. A fairy godmother appears but by a twist of fate, she is not transformed into a princess w/ a glass slipper, but becomes the godmoth...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Rezl de Rêveur rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, magical-romance, princess

"Elena, have you been dreaming of purple oceans?"
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Dying. Of. Laughter.
HELP
I just have to say, though, that this is quite an inappropriate book. My ignoring the written reviews led me to a lifelong trauma (not really, just an awful shock---but that's only because I skipped a few... uhm, parts). From now on, I'm definitely reading ALL Goodreads reviews from start to finish. Seriously--- I mean "The Fairy Godmother" sounded like an innocent enough title for me to deem it as okay to...more

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About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts &...more Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as `my job.' My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of `story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the `folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.

"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't `not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a `high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL [`There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the `evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.

"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:

"There's no such thing as `one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."

Also known as Misty Lackey.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/merced...(less)

More about Mercedes Lackey...

Books by Mercedes Lackey

Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1)

Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #1)

Magic's Price (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #3)

Magic's Promise (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #2)

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“... sometimes good people [are] helpless... terrible things happen... to good people... there [are] sad endings as well as happy ones.” — 11 people liked it

“Once the blinders are off, it's rather hard to go back to seeing things the way you used to.” — 6 people liked it

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