Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms is a fun place to play. There are always threads of fairy and folk tales from so many traditions around the world that it's enjoyable just to try to pick apart the different tales that are woven into the story. The stories themselves are a fun read. This isn't "serious" literature -- it's fun, lightly romantic fantasy. PG rated, romantic -- not a bodice ripper, as my husband thought (much to his surprise, as I don't read romance novels like that at all).

This story was as enjoyable as some of her earlier ones. I still love her original, "The Fairy Godmother" the best. While this isn't as catching as the first ones, it was still a fun read, great for some purely pleasurable reading for a quirky story with fun characters.