Ninette Dupond's father vanished when she was a child, and her mother has recently died. A moment of glory on stage, dancing the title role of La Sylphide when the prima ballerina is unexpectedly injured, turns into disaster when one review is a little too good, and Ninette loses her position with the Paris Opera Ballet at the insistence of the star. Then the tabby cat that hangs around her house speaks in her mind, and tells her he can make her a star if she just does what he tells her.
This is the latest in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series, a set of historical fantasy novels retelling fairy tales in early 20th-century settings. The common thread is a theory of magic based on the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. I like all of these, and the ones where the base fairy tale is not immediately obvious are my particular favorites. I was almost at the end of this one before I realized what tale it was, though once I'd guessed it I could see there were earlier episodes that should have tipped me off.
This is the latest in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series, a set of historical fantasy novels retelling fairy tales in early 20th-century settings. The common thread is a theory of magic based on the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. I like all of these, and the ones where the base fairy tale is not immediately obvious are my particular favorites. I was almost at the end of this one before I realized what tale it was, though once I'd guessed it I could see there were earlier episodes that should have tipped me off.
Originally posted at MySpace 12/13/07
