Review: The Fairy Godmother (500 Kingdoms #1) by Mercedes Lackey

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

Fairy tales have power. They shape the lives of certain inhabitants of the 500 kingdoms. Specifically the lives of those who have situations vaguely familiar to fairy tales. Sometimes, the reality of the kingdom does not make sense for the tale being played out or certain conditions simply can't be met. This turns out to be quite a pain for Elena Klovis, our dear protagonist.

I think this is a very interesting direction for Lackey. She does quite a bit of experimentation in what she writes, and I liked the result of this branching out a lot. "The Tradition" which forces fairy tales to happen is an antagonist which can't really be defeated, but it can be harnessed.

This series is fairly lightweight in terms of sex and the like, but it's not really a YA series. I enjoyed how well laid out the learning about the 500 Kingdoms was interlaced with the story about Elena. This definitely has the feel of an intro book into a series which still has a satisfying conclusion since each subsequent book is pretty much self-contained.

This book may not really break much new ground in terms of concepts, but it's a genuinely fun read between fantasy epics and other faster paced paranormal romances.

Star Rating: 4.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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