So the elemental masters can join the dark side. There were lots of dark beasties in this one, which was different, though not nearly as maliciously fun as it could have been; and for a while I thought Alison was going to be the most challenging villian yet (I am reading the series in order, though there seems no particular reason to do so as they all stand alone perfectly well). But then the hemming and hawing started, and Lady Virginia shows up to throw in her curve ball, and the evil gets distracted trying to insinuate herself into the rich family and get her daughters married off. So there went any previously built up tension, and the evil hobbles along until it gets it's big moment at the end of the book where she gets motivated to refocus on the baddies and not the social nicities. Yet again, the action is piled into the last few pages. I liked Eleanor nearly as much as I liked Rose in the first book. There was a even a little bit of developing romance in this one instead of the romance being pried into the storyline because it was expected. I could have done with more scenes in the meadow, and especially more of Eleanor having to look out for Reggie (and him being aware of it would help too!). But then that also fizzled out in the middle of the book, for what appeared to be a "Sophie's World" inspired series of lessons about the Tarot deck, wherein they teach the character and us about the tarot and it's hitherto unmentioned connection to the elemental masters by bashing us over the head with cute vignettes serving only to educate us and not move the story forward in the least. Maybe that part annoyed me a little. And no one else had this many lessons in understanding every possible interpretation of all the elements before actually learning useful stuff...was Eleanor less powerful than the others or why on earth did it take her so long to get anywhere? They did try to connect the dots, by bringing up incidents later where 'she'd never have pulled this off if she hadn't studied other elements besides her own'. But it seemed so concocted and inorganic when brought up in that manner. Sarah and Lady Virginia were interesting, but never developed, as was the mysteriously introduced Smith who then vanished for the rest of the book. Did I miss something there? Maybe her story is told elsewhere? I liked Dr. Maya's appearance early in the book, but she reappears at the end for no real purpose. Reggie on the other hand, is missing from the end of the book, though he's referrerd to by Eleanor. We hear nothing from his voice. We know about his leg, how about his mental state? And I could have done without the last two paragraphs which made me think of a sitcom that is required to end with laughter. And laughter that I didn't connect to at all...what was so funny? But I liked the war story being tied into the fairy tale, I liked the circumstances of Eleanor's servitude and of the situation at the ball, and enough other parts that I think it will rank as second best following Fire Rose. I'm still mostly reading this series because it's in stock at the library while I'm waiting for my requested books to arrive, but the darn author always gives me just enough hope that the next book will live up to it's potential to keep me returning to her section in the shelves!
Phoenix and Ashes is a re-telling of Cinderella set in England during the Great War. Its protagonist is Eleanor Robinson, the daughter of a wealthy man. She is preparing to sit the entrance exams for an Oxford college when her beloved father returns from a business trip with a new wife in tow. Soon after his attitude towards Eleanor changes as he favours his new wife, Alison, and her two daughters over his own child. Then he volunteers for the Army and soon after the news reaches the household that he has been killed at the Front. Eleanor's status in the household changes as it turns out that Alison is an Earth Maser, though of a dark leaning. For reasons that become clear later on she uses blood magic to bind Eleanor to the hearth, compelling her to remain within the confines of the property and to function as a servant. Alison's magic also causes Eleanor to fade from local people's minds. The only person who eventually recognises her is Reginald Fenyx, the local lord of the manor, who has been sent home after being injured when his plane crashed in France and who is also suffering from shell-shock.Alison is plotting to marry off one of her daughters to Reggie. Of course being a Cinderella story there is also a fairy god-mother, who in this case is Sarah, the village witch. Sarah is not strong enough to challenge Alison's magic but can help Eleanor awaken to her own powers as a Fire Master. I felt that this was the best in the series so far though unlike the others I read and listened to it in a fairly short period of time and this may have made a difference in my perception. The re-telling of Cinderella was handled well and kept many elements of the original story. I also felt that Lackey had gained a stronger sense of the period focusing on the Great War. There were plenty of aspects of the dark magics that were unsettling. The romance between Eleanor and Reggie developed very naturally and was delightful. I also felt Lackey did well in integrating the Tarot into Eleanor;s story. I enjoyed very much and moved onto the next in the series right away.
What do You think about Phoenix And Ashes (2005)?
Depending on part, 3.6/7 to 4.4/5.First, writing style. It was okay. At some places, there were typos-wrong spelling, wrong capital letter, joined words... In some places you don't know is that narration or character's thought- I had same problem with The Fairy Godmother. It also has lot to learn on ''show, don't tell'' rule. narration sometimes goes in rant about how character feels, how they experience something, what is their world-view... However, it wasn't too bad. Here wasn't different ve
—Sergej
Ok, M. Lackey has three writing styles. One, she doesn't like it and has to meet a deadline. Two, she likes what she's doing, but she doesn't have it fleshed out. Three, she has a full story and all the time she wants. This one is a number three. It's one of the longer Elemental Masters. It's easily the size of "Wizard of London" twice over. This is her Cinderella, set in 1916, between an English farmgirl and a wounded pilot. Both characters are fleshed out nicely. Usually the 'prince' in a fairy tale is just there as a placeholder or a plot point, to compliement the 'beauty' but this one has his own character. The 'beauty' is also far more resilient that is typical for a fairy tale princess. This takes a while to get through, but this one was worth it.
—Rebalioness
Growing up in a nerd household, I had often heard of Mercedes Lackey. She is, after all, one of the most prolific science fiction/ Fantasy authors out there. Phoenix and Ashes was the first book of hers I’d gotten around to reading, and I was overall content with it. Her characters, though magical, were grounded in the pain and sorrow of everyday life. They deal with the injustices of classism and sexism. They deal with the horrors of war.tIt is a modernized telling of Cinderella, complete with wicked step sisters. Only the handsome prince is of a more moderate nobility, and happens to be a shell shocked veteran of World War I. The setting is rural England in the fictional town of Broom. As the classic tale unfolds, more and more of the town’s men are conscripted to war. Those left are visibly maimed and emotionally scarred. Women, therefore, start to take on new roles, leading the heroine to realize that her dreams (not to marry the prince, but to go to Oxford), may come true. If only it weren’t for those pesky spells entrapping her.tThe book did break my general rule of Sci Fi: If it makes up more than 10 words, I’m out. But the characters persuaded me to stay. The over hyped magic and alchemy couldn’t kill the interesting history and personal drives of each character.tOne thing I couldn’t forgive is the editing. I counted no less than 6 times I stumbled across typographical errors. Like running through a field of rocks, I tripped over every error. Adam and Even, us instead of use, words completely out of place, etc. It made me want to hurt the editor, who clearly got lazy and relied on spell check to get them through. tThat combined with unnecessary repetition, made me feel as though Lackey, while creative, isn’t that good a writer. Maybe she should slow down and focus on quality instead of quantity. Or at the very least fire her editor.
—Anna
