The Godmother's Apprentice

In [b:The Godmother|13982|The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #1)|Mercedes Lackey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255579675s/13982.jpg|16082], the first book in this series, Sno was the modern-day version of Snow White, but instead of ending up with a handsome prince, this Sno decided to become a fairy godmother and help others. Tatiana, Queen of Fairy and head of Godmothers, sent her to Ireland with Felicity to be trained.

I'm not as familiar with Irish myths and fairy tales as I am with the ones I grew up hearing, but Scarborough included enough information in her book to keep me from being confused. There were some great touches, like Felicity buying Doc Martens and covering them with glitter so she can have sturdy dancing show more shoes for the land of faerie, the funeral procession for the King of Cats, and the--no big surprise--happy endings for everyone. show less

Scarborough 's sequel returns to the world of the Godmother, but not to Seattle. Instead, Sno and Felicity are off to Ireland to recharge Felicity's magic and start Sno along the path to becoming a fairy godmother herself. The story itself plays out as written by Sno in her journal and in emails to her father and to Rose, the social worker who was the main focus of the Godmother. (Rose, unfortunately, does not make an appearance here.) Scarborough continues the adapted fairy tale theme here, pulling heavily from Irish mythology along with Grimm's Fairy Tales. If you enjoyed the Godmoth, chances are this one will suit you, as well.

I didn't like this one as much as The Godmother, however I'd recommend it nonetheless. It's less traditional fairy tale and more Irish myths, but it gets points for the King of Cats bit.

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1921297.html

the second of a three-part YA series about a sassy American girl from Seattle who is in training to become a fairy godmother, and is sent to a mid-1990s Ireland for a learning experience involving legendary figures plucked both from the more respectable sources of lore and from Yeats and placed in the gritty tail end of the twntieth century. Scarborough's handling of Northern Ireland is not terribly adept and her geography elsewhere but she is clearly trying hard with the Dublin and Wicklow settings, and her attempts at dialect are not too excruciating. Not a particularly challenging book, but not too objectionable either.