The Fairy Godmother - Mercedes Lackey
It's important to note at the beginning that this fantasy fairy-tale book involves some pretty graphic details involving various types of sexual activity. This isn't meant to be a book for tykes - it is most definitely a mature title.Cinderella - or Elena - has been waiting around for her prince to rescue her for 21 years. When she turned 16 she thought this would be the year. She thought the same thing when she turned 18. By the time she turned 21, she had given up. Her stepmother and two annoying stepsisters were really getting on her nerves. She decided to take matters into her own hands, take a job as a maid, and get out of the house.
The person who hires her is a Fairy Godmother, who wants Elena to be her apprentice. It turns out that Fairy Godmothers are "guiders" - they help to steer the strong powers of tradition. This is a pretty common theme in many books - that natural forces tend to guide a person into a role based on the traditions of the culture. So, for example, a teen guy who is good looking and good at football tends to become the 'town hero', because everybody expects him to be and act that way. In the same way, Elena always dreamed about being rescued - by a prince of course - because that's what fairy tales had taught her to expect in her situation.
In no time at all, Elena is the new Fairy Godmother for the towns around her, helping to keep people happy. Then comes a quest where 3 brothers are trying to rescue a damsel in distress. The youngest brother is of course the sweet, kind one who she helps - but it's the second brother, a jerk, that she takes home in the form of a donkey. In only a few weeks he goes from total jerk to complete wonderful man, is her champion and of course they save the world.
I fully accept that romance stories tend to be "shallow" and that fairy tales favor simple endings. However, this being an adult fairy tale, I was really hoping for more complexity. Elena doesn't seem a rounded person at all. In fact in many cases she seems quite shallow herself, between her sniping about "fat women" and "small breasted women". At least you can believe that she would step into the role she does. However, with Alexander, it's rather unbelievable the changes he goes through. First he's trying to rape her, then POOF he is a prince charming.
Also, there were several political commentaries that seemed completely out of place. They'd be talking about evil wizards taking over a kingdom and suddenly there'd be several paragraphs that seemed expressly targeted at current US political situations. It wasn't subtle at all - it was quite out of place and glaring.
I did enjoy some of the wit, but since I never really loved either of the two main characters, it made it hard for me to care about what was happening to them. I thought the environment and concept were brilliant ones, and maybe that was why it was so disappointing to have it not follow through well.
Fantasy Book Reviews
Top Selling Books of All Time