Story started slowly but it got better as it went on

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I'm enjoying this fairy tale series. It isn't serious reading, but it is fun.

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Eleanor has been bound to the hearth by her evil stepmother, Alison, an Elemental Earth Master. As Eleanor begins to come into her own power as an Elemental Fire Master, she learns to circumvent the bond holding her to her home & hearth. She must hurry if she is to save the man she loves from death by Alison's minions

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Lot of explanation about class during WWI, and morals, and tarot - while telling an allegory of Cinderella, and the wicked stepmother

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Another entry in the Elemental Master series, though stands alone as well. A little depressing, recognizable elements of venerable old fairy tales, porbably not my favorite in the series, though I enjoyed it.

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LOVE this series, this book is excellent!

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The magical characters in this book experience the everyday issues of sorrow and pain.  Sexism and war with their ramifications are part of the story, too.  It's another look at the Cinderella tale with wicked stepsisters and stepmother, revised to fit the theme the author uses.  Visit the imaginary town of Broom in rural England where its small population diminshes even more with the onset of war.  The "prince" of this telling suffers from the horrors he has seen.  Home trying to recover from the mental and physical anguish he continues to experience, he has become a recluse.  Of course, the ruthless stepmother is set on marrying one of her daughters to him for his wealth.  She will stop at nothing to achieve that end, including dark magic.

I loved this tale as I loved so many stories this author shares with readers.  It had been awhile since I picked up a read by Lackey but I enjoyed it every bit as much as I have other tales from this author's pen.  If you like fantasy don't miss the Elemental Masters series.  

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I have truly enjoyed this series and this is my favorite. The setting of WWI England is honest and believable as are the characters. Very well plotted and drawn out. Even though it is loosely based as a Cinderella story complete with wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters it is definitely a realistic dramatic story in a wartime setting. There is, as always with Lackey, romance, elements of fantasy and complete systems of magic thrown in.

What I don't understand about this series is why most lists of this series, with this site being the exception, list this as book 3 instead of book 4. The series list inside my copy of "The Wizard of London" claims that it is the 4th book when it is in actuality the 5th. For some reason it lists book 1 as "The Serpents Shadow" and completely drops the actual first book "The Fire Rose" off the list.

Oh well, just wondering. I have read book 2, 3, 4, and 6 of the series and loved them all.

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I couldn't get into this at all. Maybe someone else would like this.

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