Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Daw Books, Inc.
Pages
389
Description
Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Saverson family, practioners of Elemental Magic. But all is not well in this elegant, aristocratic household. Evil portents have warned her father that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday-by the hand of her own aunt. And no one is sure if the family magic is powerful enough to overturn the prophesy.
Collection
Language
Original publication date
2002
Physical description
389 p.; 9.3 inches
ISBN
9780756401016
User reviews
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
I am not so much a fan of this one, although it's probably closer to the traditional Sleeping Beauty story than the previous ones have been to their source material. It's not bad, just terribly unfocused.
The whole series seems to have a pacing problem. We're given fully a third of the book of
These villains are at least a little more believable - they're amoral and are amassing power for its own sake, which isn't terribly nuanced but it's better than Lackey's default "suffering and misery is so much fun to cause!" villain, which she slides back to distressingly often in this series. And the mechanism of their evil is quite clever. Sadly, it doesn't make up for the rest of the book.
The whole series seems to have a pacing problem. We're given fully a third of the book of
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scene-setting that has, ultimately, nothing at all to do with the main conflict, another third of villainous cackling, and then a lightning-fast resolution with a bonus! romance thrown in with very little development.These villains are at least a little more believable - they're amoral and are amassing power for its own sake, which isn't terribly nuanced but it's better than Lackey's default "suffering and misery is so much fun to cause!" villain, which she slides back to distressingly often in this series. And the mechanism of their evil is quite clever. Sadly, it doesn't make up for the rest of the book.
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LibraryThing member generalkala
A retelling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, involving elemental creatures and no spinning wheel.
It's beautifully written and easily accessible. The early scenes with Marina's family are so simple but yet really make you appreciate her happiness. However, when this changes, Marina's feelings are
Another example of her complete lack of emotion is the sudden insert of romance for no apparent reason. It just suddenly springs up with no build-up or any mention that the couple in question may even like each other. It's almost as though Ms. Lackey suddenly realised that there needed to be love and so just rammed it in after the book was done.
It sounds like I don't like the book, but I do. It is my least favourite of the series however. There's just not enough emotion and I really didn't connect with Marina.
It's beautifully written and easily accessible. The early scenes with Marina's family are so simple but yet really make you appreciate her happiness. However, when this changes, Marina's feelings are
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almost ignored. She seems almost apathetic when her life is uprooted, when she's supposed to be distraught.Another example of her complete lack of emotion is the sudden insert of romance for no apparent reason. It just suddenly springs up with no build-up or any mention that the couple in question may even like each other. It's almost as though Ms. Lackey suddenly realised that there needed to be love and so just rammed it in after the book was done.
It sounds like I don't like the book, but I do. It is my least favourite of the series however. There's just not enough emotion and I really didn't connect with Marina.
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LibraryThing member 23eris
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but was humbly surprised that it was okay.
This re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tales fits nicely into the Elemental Masters Universe (although I had not read any of the other books in the series and probably won't). I picked it up simply
The forces of good and evil battle it out, and of course good wins all, and everyone ends up happy and married for ever after. Just like a fairy tale should.
I might have expected a little more fleshing out of the characters. It seemed that the good characters were wholly good without flaws, and of course the bad character where wholly evil.
But then again, it was a diversion and I did manage to finish it.
This re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tales fits nicely into the Elemental Masters Universe (although I had not read any of the other books in the series and probably won't). I picked it up simply
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because of the fairy tale connected.The forces of good and evil battle it out, and of course good wins all, and everyone ends up happy and married for ever after. Just like a fairy tale should.
I might have expected a little more fleshing out of the characters. It seemed that the good characters were wholly good without flaws, and of course the bad character where wholly evil.
But then again, it was a diversion and I did manage to finish it.
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LibraryThing member averitasm
I read this a long time ago, but it stayed with me pretty well, I liked this and it reminded me of a fairytale but with more realism. So far I have enjoyed all of the elemental masters series and I like most of Mercedes Lackey on whole. I would recommend this and the arrows of the queen series.
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Somewhat awkward in the way Sleeping Beauty always is - she has to be raised in secret and then returned into danger before the danger dissipates. This one actually made more sense than the usual story. And the side story about what kind of evil sorceress her aunt was was good. But it still felt
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like two or three stories stuck together. Still good, but not as good as Misty can do... Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This novel, part of Lackey's Elemental series, is set in the Edwardian era. I found that setting in and of itself refreshing, given that almost all fantasy is set either in modern day or ersatz middle ages. I found the magical world imaginative and liked how Lackey played with a re-imagining of the
The characters were particularly appealing--not just the heroine Marina, but her artist guardians and the villains in the piece, although as usual with Lackey were rather black and while, they were colorful. The pacing was good and the story kept my interest from beginning to end. A good, entertaining light read.
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Sleeping Beauty tale. The characters were particularly appealing--not just the heroine Marina, but her artist guardians and the villains in the piece, although as usual with Lackey were rather black and while, they were colorful. The pacing was good and the story kept my interest from beginning to end. A good, entertaining light read.
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LibraryThing member jamespurcell
Interesting characters, plus a good story equals an excellent book.
LibraryThing member hjjugovic
Entertaining little series, particularly if you like witches.
LibraryThing member katekf
In this novel as part of her Elemental Masters series, Lackey looks into the Romanticism movement of the late 1800s and then contrasts it with the growing Industrial world. The main character of the story has been raised by an adopted family as her own family fears for her safety and this creates
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an interesting dynamic as she tries to figure out where she belongs. Is she part of rich society or the more Bohemian lifestyle that she grew up among. This book like Phoenix and Ashes fairly closely follows the fairy tale that it retells, in this case Sleeping Beauty, the plot moves swiftly and effectively. It is one of the stronger entries in the Elemental Masters books because the world building is strong as are the characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member Denise701
I liked the book and the main characters, but I felt it moved much too slowly. In other words, I felt it needed a good editor. I enjoyed the plot (the twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale). I would recommend it to anyone interested in the series.
LibraryThing member Paula_S
Magical romantic comming-of-age story
LibraryThing member RosemerrySong
A retelling of Sleeping Beauty within Lackey's Elemental Masters framework. Very well done.
LibraryThing member gerleliz
Enjoyable reading
LibraryThing member kmartin802
This retelling of Snow White is set in Edwardian England and the Elemental Masters world.
Infant Marina Roeswood was cursed by her father's older sister Arachne at her christening. To save her from the curse, the final godmother mitigated the curse but couldn't remove it. The only hope was to hide
Marina was taken by three of her godparents to Cornwall where she grew up in an unconventional household made up of artists and Elemental mages. She only knew her parents through their letters to her and were sort of unreal to her. Marina's elemental gift was water which was different than the gifts of her aunt and uncles. So they called in another godmother who was a water mage to teach her. And just in time too....
When Marina turned seventeen, her parents died and her Aunt Arachne became her guardian. She removed Marina from everything that she had known and brought her back to her parents' home where she tried to turn her against her parents and encourage a marriage with her son Reggie. Arachne and Reggie were not elemental mages. They were much worse. They were Satanists who had developed a way to steal power from those with magical ability and use the power for evil. Arachne also wanted to find out what had happened to her curse and reinstate it before Marina's eighteenth birthday.
The worldbuilding was intriguing. I liked the combination of magic and the social issues of the day. Arachne owned pottery factories where she hired young women to be paintresses who decorated the pottery with lead paint which poisoned them over time. Since Arachne sought out young girls with magical ability, she was able to strip their magic from them while they were being poisoned.
The only problem I had with this one was that the romance seemed to happen too fast. Marina meets the Earth Master Dr. Andrew Pike when she rescues a young woman who has run from his new sanitarium. Dr. Pike has founded his sanitarium to help those with mental issues, mostly arising from the magical abilities, but gains most of his funds from wealthy families and wealthy women who mostly need a rest from the rigors of their busy social lives.
When Marina learns that the young woman she found is a charity patient who is suffering from lead poisoning, she asks to work with Dr. Pike since her water magic would allow her to remove the lead from the young woman's body. The two grow closer as they work together.
When Arachne manages to trigger the curse by having Marina prick her finger on a loose nail is the cradle that was made for her as an infant, she transfers the girl to Dr. Pike's sanitarium to get her out of the way while she dies. Arachne doesn't know of the relationship between Dr. Pike and Marina and doesn't realize that he will be able to help her.
The story had great characters and was wonderfully written.
Infant Marina Roeswood was cursed by her father's older sister Arachne at her christening. To save her from the curse, the final godmother mitigated the curse but couldn't remove it. The only hope was to hide
Show More
Marina from her Aunt Arachne until she turned eighteen and the curse rebounded to the aunt.Marina was taken by three of her godparents to Cornwall where she grew up in an unconventional household made up of artists and Elemental mages. She only knew her parents through their letters to her and were sort of unreal to her. Marina's elemental gift was water which was different than the gifts of her aunt and uncles. So they called in another godmother who was a water mage to teach her. And just in time too....
When Marina turned seventeen, her parents died and her Aunt Arachne became her guardian. She removed Marina from everything that she had known and brought her back to her parents' home where she tried to turn her against her parents and encourage a marriage with her son Reggie. Arachne and Reggie were not elemental mages. They were much worse. They were Satanists who had developed a way to steal power from those with magical ability and use the power for evil. Arachne also wanted to find out what had happened to her curse and reinstate it before Marina's eighteenth birthday.
The worldbuilding was intriguing. I liked the combination of magic and the social issues of the day. Arachne owned pottery factories where she hired young women to be paintresses who decorated the pottery with lead paint which poisoned them over time. Since Arachne sought out young girls with magical ability, she was able to strip their magic from them while they were being poisoned.
The only problem I had with this one was that the romance seemed to happen too fast. Marina meets the Earth Master Dr. Andrew Pike when she rescues a young woman who has run from his new sanitarium. Dr. Pike has founded his sanitarium to help those with mental issues, mostly arising from the magical abilities, but gains most of his funds from wealthy families and wealthy women who mostly need a rest from the rigors of their busy social lives.
When Marina learns that the young woman she found is a charity patient who is suffering from lead poisoning, she asks to work with Dr. Pike since her water magic would allow her to remove the lead from the young woman's body. The two grow closer as they work together.
When Arachne manages to trigger the curse by having Marina prick her finger on a loose nail is the cradle that was made for her as an infant, she transfers the girl to Dr. Pike's sanitarium to get her out of the way while she dies. Arachne doesn't know of the relationship between Dr. Pike and Marina and doesn't realize that he will be able to help her.
The story had great characters and was wonderfully written.
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Subjects
Call number
YA B Lac