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Beauty and the Werewolf Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms Book 6 Mercedes Lackey 9780373803286 Books

Download As PDF : Beauty and the Werewolf Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms Book 6 Mercedes Lackey 9780373803286 Books

Beauty and the Werewolf Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms Book 6 Mercedes Lackey 9780373803286 Books

The ‘bad guy’ was fairly obvious. The hero/love interest a sweet and bumbling boy who was very earnest and a bit shy at times. And for whom there really isn’t all that much character development. But Bella was worth enough to me to keep reading. I loved how she wasn’t some shrinking flower of a girl. She took as much charge of herself and her destiny as she was able to. She was funny and smart.

The invisible servants were something I’ve seen before, but not done in this way. I was fairly sure I knew who was to blame for them, but had no idea exactly how they had been created. I’ve said before that Godmother Elena is my favorite Godmother in this series. And she appeared in this book, which certainly helped me like it more. Though she was not a central character as she has been in other books.

I’ve seen others complain that Bella was a little TOO perfect, and Eric was too obvious. Yes, that’s true. However that’s also a fairly typical characterization in fairytales. And as this is a fairytale retelling, that should have been at least somewhat expected.

I liked how Bella could have ended up a Cinderella, but did not because she was kind to her step-sisters. Treated them like actual sisters, and with the exception of not turning the household over to her step-mother’s running, she was good to her step-mother as well. There were also elements of Little Red Ridinghood in the book, to mix with the Beauty and the Beast and other bits and pieces of fairytales.

If you like fairytale retellings, I would highly recommend reading this series and this book.

(cross-posted to my blog)


Tags : Beauty and the Werewolf (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 6) [Mercedes Lackey] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls. Anxious to avoid the Traditional path,Mercedes Lackey,Beauty and the Werewolf (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 6),Luna,0373803281,Fantasy fiction.,Love stories.,Werewolves;Fiction.,10014766,115026X,20111101,707220,AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,FICTION Romance Fantasy,Fantasy fiction,Fantasy;Humor,Fiction,Fiction - Romance,Fiction-Romance,GENERAL,General Adult,LACKEY, MERCEDES - PROSE & CRITICISM,Love stories,Monograph Series, any,Romance - Fantasy,RomanceGothic,Romance: Gothic,United States,Werewolves

Beauty and the Werewolf Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms Book 6 Mercedes Lackey 9780373803286 Books Reviews

I really enjoyed this very different take on werewolf stories. This one, as part of Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms books, also takes fairy tale tropes and twists them. Bella is a daughter of a rich merchant. She has a stepmother and two stepsisters but none of them are in the least bit evil. The stepmother is perhaps overly socially conscious and the stepsisters might be a little silly but they are all good natured and let Bella manage the household.

Problems come when Bella is on a visit to Granny to learn some magic. She has an encounter with the Gamekeeper of the local duchy and is bitten by a werewolf. The werewolf happens to be Duke Sebastian who is under a curse to be a werewolf three nights a month. After she is bitten, she is shipped off by the king to stay with Sebastian until it is determined if she will become a werewolf herself.

Bella is both angry and frightened to have her life so disrupted. But Bella isn't anyone's idea of a victim. She quickly takes charge of her life. She gets involved in practicing her magic by making ointments, liniments and various other potions in Sebastian's long neglected still room. She also is befriended by Sebastian's invisible servants and learns more about them then Sebastian knows.

Together with Godmother Elena and the Granny Bella and Sebastian try to learn who placed the curse on him and how they can break of modify it within the bounds of The Tradition. Meanwhile, Bella has to be on the lookout for The Tradition's trying to fit her into an existing story. She has to be careful that she isn't sucked into a relationship she doesn't want with Eric, the Gamekeeper, or with Sebastian. Eric is Sebastian's bastard brother who has been guarding and protecting him since he was struck with the curse.

I especially liked Bella's character. She was managing but still kind. She was also bright and loyal. She also had quite a snarky sense of humor and a sharp tongue.

This was a fun story. I recommend it to those who love non-traditional fairy tales and who want heroines who are not just sitting around waiting to be rescued by a passing prince.
A wonderful, tongue-in-cheek treatment of our favorite fairy tales with a heavy dose of practicality thrown at them. How in the world could a common girl respectably catch a duke, unless there wasn’t a curse, a hefty amount of magic, and brains on all sides managing the impractical force known as The Tradition? A delightful mix-up of fairy tales, including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, it’s a great treat for everyone raised on the ‘real’ fairy tales, and a surprise for those raised on Disney’s truncated versions.
Oh man, I love this novel. I've reread it a couple of times now, and it just keeps getting better and better. I love Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series, but this one is my all-time favorite. The characters are all extremely well-written and develop well over the course of story, the plot is interesting, funny, dramatic, and captivating, and the twists and new elements to the original are creative and fun. In fact, I would say that this is very loosely a retelling and much more a unique and wonderful story in its own regard. But that's what you get when you read a Mercedes Lackey novel! I highly recommend everyone give this lovely story a read!
One of my favorite Five Hundred Kingdoms stories. Bella is practical and clever, and stubborn as stubborn. I was less impressed with the males in the story but that's all right - Bella deserves all the attention.

Concrete details make the story feel rooted in reality despite the thoroughly fantastical goings-on; and for once a fantasy story points up the inconveniences of invisible servants! Lackey blends several fairy tales, from Red Riding Hood to Beauty and the Beast, seamlessly and without a hiccup.

Full of quirky moments of humor as well as poignant moments when you completely sympathize with the characters - even the villain! - this is a great read - no, a MUST read - for any fan of Lackey, or indeed any fan of light fantasy.
The ‘bad guy’ was fairly obvious. The hero/love interest a sweet and bumbling boy who was very earnest and a bit shy at times. And for whom there really isn’t all that much character development. But Bella was worth enough to me to keep reading. I loved how she wasn’t some shrinking flower of a girl. She took as much charge of herself and her destiny as she was able to. She was funny and smart.

The invisible servants were something I’ve seen before, but not done in this way. I was fairly sure I knew who was to blame for them, but had no idea exactly how they had been created. I’ve said before that Godmother Elena is my favorite Godmother in this series. And she appeared in this book, which certainly helped me like it more. Though she was not a central character as she has been in other books.

I’ve seen others complain that Bella was a little TOO perfect, and Eric was too obvious. Yes, that’s true. However that’s also a fairly typical characterization in fairytales. And as this is a fairytale retelling, that should have been at least somewhat expected.

I liked how Bella could have ended up a Cinderella, but did not because she was kind to her step-sisters. Treated them like actual sisters, and with the exception of not turning the household over to her step-mother’s running, she was good to her step-mother as well. There were also elements of Little Red Ridinghood in the book, to mix with the Beauty and the Beast and other bits and pieces of fairytales.

If you like fairytale retellings, I would highly recommend reading this series and this book.

(cross-posted to my blog)