Reserved for the Cat

This is the fifth book in the Elemental Masters series and veers away from the upper class Elemental Masters of the earlier books. It stars a young French ballet dancer named Ninette Dupond who had been raised by her washerwoman/artists' model mother after her English father disappeared. Ninette's mother didn't see any future for her pretty, talented daughter except to attract the attention of a wealthy man who would keep her.

Ninette thought that finding said wealthy man would be her future until she filled in for the star one matinee and danced too well. Her fine reviews made the star jealous and led to Ninette losing her job. With only days left before the rent came due on her apartment and no other job offers, Ninette is disposed to show more listen when a cat comes to her window and speaks into her mind.

The cat has a plan to get Ninette to Blackpool, England, where she could work in the theater owned by an Elemental Master. The plan requires that she pretend to be the Russian survivor of a shipwreck named Nina Tchereslavsky which will give her an edge up both with the impresario and with the public in Blackpool.

Unfortunately, the real Nina Tchereslavsky who is actually an evil Earth elemental hears about Ninette and is determined to have her revenge on the girl who has stolen her name. It will be up to her cat, her new friends from the theater, and her own strength and courage to win the day.

This was an engaging story with just enough magic to add luster. The setting of Blackpool in 1910 was well-developed. Ninette was an engaging character whose strong work ethic and kindness made her a favorite of all who met her. The narration by Mirabai Galashan was also excellent. show less

Non-specific spoilers below.

While parts of the book were entertaining and a few of the characters endearing, one big thing kept this book at a "3" rather than a "4" or a "5."

For me, Ms. Lackey is over-fond of the villain who takes over someone else's body/life. In thirty seconds, I can think of ten of her books that have the same theme, and I'm sure there are plenty more.

With that said, it's mostly a fun read, and the horrific parts are sufficiently shuddersome without being stomach-turning. It was a nice way to while away a snowy Saturday.

I am a big fan of the Elemental Masters series, including 'Fire Rose' though 'Gates of Sleep' and 'Wizard of London' was a bit disappointing. This book did not disappoint, and was a refreshing change from the last couple of books. The cover is elegant and I love how the cat looks, though one should not judge a book by its cover (ha!)

The story is evenly paced, I liked the character of Ninette, and though I knew the cat had a revelation to offer about its origins, it was not what I expected. The very ending made me smile, for it was what this kitty deserved for all he did. This book wasn't quite up to par with 'The Serpent's Shadow' and 'Phoenix and Ashes', but it was still a decent read.

(Amy) So, I've mentioned before that I ready pretty much everything Mercedes Lackey writes (in mass-market paperback, thankyou; I don't mind reading fluff, but I'm not paying $20 for it). This was a pretty good example of what I want from my Lackey-reading: Entertainment without pretension. It wasn't an original story, all its twists were entirely predictable, and the characterization was half-hearted at best, but somehow I don't really mind when I'm reading these. I suspect it's because I know just what I'm getting when I open up a Mercedes Lackey novel, and so they make great comfort reading.

This one also, as it turns out, made great reading on a fairly stressful international trip.

But I'm not going to bother reviewing it in specific show more detail, because none of that has anything to do with why I read it, or why I liked it. Lackey: The macaroni-and-cheese of the literary world.

( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/zenos-library/2008/12/reserved_for_the_cat_me... ) show less

Fun, as usual. I can't tell which fairy tale this is - Puss in Boots? I need to go read that and check. Funny, some are obvious, some very obscure (to me). I like both the cat and the girl - though I believed his explanation of what he was until he was forced to correct it...
Second reading - I liked it better this time. Knowing the basic shape of the story, I had more attention to pay to the characters, all (well, most, anyway) of whom are quite rich. Still quite good, not one of my favorites of the Elemental Masters let alone of Lackey's books, but good. And more links to other EM stories - the mental magics (hmmm, some elemental magics talk about a Fifth Element of Spirit...), communities of mages, etc. Definitely rewarded the second show more read.
Reread - This isn't one of my favorites - I don't love Puss-in-Boots anyway, there's way too much manipulation and lying here (even if she does eventually admit the truth - that truth, at least)... And partly, it's because what Nina/Ninette sees as a wonderful life would be horrible to me. Dancing, and dancing for an audience - physically and emotionally exhausting, for me. It works for her - good for her - but it's not a situation I'd enjoy, let alone aspire to. So - well-written story, very drawn out by a lot of completely wrong assumptions on just about everybody's part. Some extremely nasty scenes, and a final triumph (of course), despite what Thomas was thinking just previous to the climax. Good but not a favorite. show less

I'm scrimping with my stars, or I would have given four. Lackey does a superior job on her "Elemental Masters" series in comparison to some of her latest endeavors; I was much disappointed with her "Joust" series and despite it's apparent market-success, could barely muster up the energy for her "Fairy Godmother" series. These bits of fairy tale wrapped up in historical fiction seize my attention, however, and while my favorite will still be "Fire Rose" (set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco) I found this one both interesting and charming, full of little details about dated ballet and the society of the time.

Lackey never produces great literature, but she often gives her readers an entertaining read. She is uneven, though, and this book is, well, boring. The ideas and the plot aren't bad, and I really liked the villian. However, this needed a couple of rewrites before it was published. Lackey has forgotten the "show, not tell" creed taught in all fiction writing classes. Way too much uninteresting explanation of every single plot point; way too little focus on the characters.