Steadfast

The protagonist here is different from Lackey's usual female protagonists who tend to be assertive, stubborn, powerful in spite of it all, and easy to like and admire. Most of her protagonists are women we can all hope to be.
Katie is not that woman, and I can appreciate Lackey's initiative in branching out and exploring themes that refresh what is in other ways very similar to [b: Reserved for the Cat|176874|Reserved for the Cat (Elemental Masters, #6)|Mercedes Lackey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389496249s/176874.jpg|170878]. It's also a clever way to incorporate the Tin Soldier tale that was the base for this story.

Katie is a woman dealing with an extremely violent and unpredictable husband, and has finally mustered the courage to show more run from him and try to forge her own way in a world not inclined to support her. She's not assertive. She doesn't stick up for herself as much as we would like. And when the bastard finally finds her - she doesn't take her discovered abilities to immolate him on the spot, no matter how we all wish she would. While the new friends in her life help as much as they can, they are hamstrung by the law and the bastard's temper.

The fact that she is, out of necessity, quite meek can be off putting. It's okay to feel this way, as a reader. This book may not be for you.

This book may speak more to someone who needs quieter examples of courage and strength, and reassurance that help of some sort can be found. Society has come so far since the Victorian era - but not far enough, and regrettably, this is still an issue that spouses must deal with from their S.O.s. Those men and women need protagonists too. show less

The protagonist here is different from Lackey's usual female protagonists who tend to be assertive, stubborn, powerful in spite of it all, and easy to like and admire. Most of her protagonists are women we can all hope to be.
Katie is not that woman, and I can appreciate Lackey's initiative in branching out and exploring themes that refresh what is in other ways very similar to [b: Reserved for the Cat|176874|Reserved for the Cat (Elemental Masters, #6)|Mercedes Lackey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389496249s/176874.jpg|170878]. It's also a clever way to incorporate the Tin Soldier tale that was the base for this story.

Katie is a woman dealing with an extremely violent and unpredictable husband, and has finally mustered the courage to show more run from him and try to forge her own way in a world not inclined to support her. She's not assertive. She doesn't stick up for herself as much as we would like. And when the bastard finally finds her - she doesn't take her discovered abilities to immolate him on the spot, no matter how we all wish she would. While the new friends in her life help as much as they can, they are hamstrung by the law and the bastard's temper.

The fact that she is, out of necessity, quite meek can be off putting. It's okay to feel this way, as a reader. This book may not be for you.

This book may speak more to someone who needs quieter examples of courage and strength, and reassurance that help of some sort can be found. Society has come so far since the Victorian era - but not far enough, and regrettably, this is still an issue that spouses must deal with from their S.O.s. Those men and women need protagonists too. show less

STEADFAST is the eighth book in the Elementary Masters series. Katie Langford is on the run from her abusive husband, circus strongman Dick Langford. She finds her way to Brighton and a job as a magician's assistant in a music hall.

Lionel Hawkins is her boss and an Elemental Magician with some control over air. The air elementals help make his act very magical. He realizes that Katie is an unawakened fire magician and along with Jack, the hall's doorman and army veteran and fire magician, they manage to convince Katie that her magic is real.

Katie's main focus is earning the money to divorce her abusive husband. Getting a chance to be a star act because the ballerina scheduled to start a turn defaulted for a better opportunity, she show more thinks she will soon be able to divorce and marry Jack who has become more than a friend.

But Dick manages to track her down and begins as he had before with stealing the money she earned and beating her. Lionel and Jack don't know how to help Katie. But Katie is trying to help herself. She isn't going to put up with more abuse for any longer than it takes to think up a scheme to get rid of Dick.

This was an engaging historical fantasy based on the fairy tale of the tin soldier. Jack lost a leg in the Boer War and still suffers from guilt about the treatment of the Boers that he hated but could do nothing about.

The characters were all interesting and well-developed. Carmela Corbett did an excellent job with the narration. show less

I really enjoyed this book. The last two books explored Earth and Water magic extensively, so it was refreshing to read this book and learn more about Fire magic.

I was prepared to give this book 5 stars because I really liked the two main characters, Katie and Jack. I thought they made an absolutely adorable couple, and I was really rooting for them. Much of this book was excellent, and I really enjoyed myself.

However, the book left several questions unanswered. Who caused Katie's parents' death? And more importantly, WHY? Exactly how did Dick Langford find his wife? I mean, sure there was a toady at the theater, but it still doesn't explain how Dick managed to find her in the first place. I also feel that the ending came on too show more abruptly. After all the buildup between Jack and Kate, it would have been nice to have an epilogue showing their future together. show less

another great tale told by the Mistress of fantasy. This tale is less a retold faerie tale set in Edwardian England and more a commentary on relationships.

Katie is a half bred Traveler, not quite the gypsy we all think of but the road folks that we have to this day. Growing up in a circus she had lived a life that many of us can not truly understand. When her parents are killed in a fire she marries a brutish strong man.

As the story unfolds we find a tale of fear and brutality and one woman's attempt to save herself. With a lot of help along the way she grows stronger in body and spirit.

The greatness of this tale come from the fact that ms Lackey doesn't have Katie suddenly find the strength of spirit to tell of her abuser. No she flees show more like many women have had to do since the dawn of time.

Ms Lackey gives us rich characters, heroes who are flawed but rise above themselves and their problems. Who remain who they really are through trial and fire.

I hope to someday be able to write a tale as intense as those I find from this fine writer. show less

Interesting - a slightly new angle on the Elemental Mages. Here all three of the protagonists are low-level mages or magicians, not high-level Masters like most of the books. The echoes of Reserved for the Cat are also interesting, with a very similar setting and a rather similar set of motivations, though Katie has no magical mentor like the cat. And what she's running from is rather more concrete and solid, too - an abusive husband. I still have no idea what happened to her parents - the memories we're allowed to see really don't answer any questions. So - a lot of interesting events, well-written about well-rounded characters...and yet, somehow unsatisfying. I have no idea why - well, maybe partly because it _was_ so similar to show more Reserved for the Cat. Or because the luck got a little extravagantly bent in their favor (and this notion of luck-bending has never been mentioned before, that I recall). Or...something. Cute, enjoyable, I'll almost certainly reread - but not one of my favorites among the Elemental Mages books.
Reread - Not terrible, but...I never liked the story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier, and this doesn't much improve on that. Better characters, certainly. Interesting setting, sure - though I always look for Nina in the list of Russian dancers and she's never there (well, she's in a different city, even if she's clearly set off the trend). There's way too much helplessness, various wild plans with serious downsides, and then the problem solves itself in a very nasty way. The whole last third of the book is kind of pointless (very true to the fairy tale). So - I like Katie, I like Lionel, Jack is an idiot but a consistent one (taking way too much guilt on himself). But the story overall annoys me. Ok, not great. show less

another great tale told by the Mistress of fantasy. This tale is less a retold faerie tale set in Edwardian England and more a commentary on relationships.

Katie is a half bred Traveler, not quite the gypsy we all think of but the road folks that we have to this day. Growing up in a circus she had lived a life that many of us can not truly understand. When her parents are killed in a fire she marries a brutish strong man.

As the story unfolds we find a tale of fear and brutality and one woman's attempt to save herself. With a lot of help along the way she grows stronger in body and spirit.

The greatness of this tale come from the fact that ms Lackey doesn't have Katie suddenly find the strength of spirit to tell of her abuser. No she flees show more like many women have had to do since the dawn of time.

Ms Lackey gives us rich characters, heroes who are flawed but rise above themselves and their problems. Who remain who they really are through trial and fire.

I hope to someday be able to write a tale as intense as those I find from this fine writer. show less