The Fairy Godmother

Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 1

By: Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of the Heralds of Valdemar series comes an enchanting new novel.

In the land of Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale....

Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella - until an accident of fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! Determined not to remain with her stepfamily, Elena set out to get a new job - and ended up becoming the Fairy Godmother for the land.

But "Breaking with Tradition" was no easy matter. True, she didn't have to sleep in the chimney, but she had to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who kept trying to rise above their place in the tale. In fact, one of them was so ornery that Elena could do nothing but change him into a donkey.

Still, her practical nature couldn't let him roam the country, so she brought the donkey - er, the prince! - home to her cottage to teach him some lessons. All the while keeping in mind that breaking with tradition can land everyone into a kettle of fish - sometimes literally!

And so begins a whole new tale....

©2004 Mercedes Lackey (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Really good

I had read the book first and loved it. I was just discovering different readers, and I found I liked her voices. I know I will listen to this book over and over again.

New twist on an old tale.

Love this book. Mercedes lackey takes an old tale and makes it new again. I'll be listening to the rest of the series before too long.

Good story, OK performance

I love Mercedes Lackey books. I preorder them and read them immediately. I especially loved when she started written the 500 Kingdoms books- such a fun idea! So obviously I enjoy the story! The performances was only OK. The reader seemed to have no inflection for some of the more personality driven characters and gave others an almost whiny tone (the poor cat at the end for instance!) It was just all round lacklustre, in my opinion. I love the story enough to deal with it, but it sadly won’t be one of my first choice ML audiobooks. I probably will avoid others read by this performer as well.

Best of the 500 Kingdom books

Gabra Zackman isn't my favorite narrator but she does a fairly good job with all the different voices and with managing to keep those voices separate and distinct. In my opinion this is the best of Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms books.

pretty good :)

i am happy that it is not about teenagers. the story was interesting and got my attention

Clever magic system

This book has an amazingly clever magic system. I was absolutely enchanted by it. The Tradition's forcing things into recognizable patterns...I adored it.
The characters are pleasant, and I really liked the main character. The love interest didn't capture me like some fairytale love interests do. It's difficult to separate his free will and intrinsic character from the Tradition's intentions for him, and so it doesn't feel like he'll ever fail, so I felt less invested. It ends happily, as expected, but at no point does it ever feel like he will fail.
That being said, this was an absolutely lovely book that I definitely recommend listening to or reading.

Fairy Godmothers revisited.

What made the experience of listening to The Fairy Godmother the most enjoyable?

This story is an enjoyable twist on Fairy Godmothers helping "living happily ever after" endings.

What other book might you compare The Fairy Godmother to and why?

I revisited the Hans Christian Anderson & Brothers Grimm fairy tales. I paid more attention to the Fairy Godmothers. It was fun comparing them.

What three words best describe Gabra Zackman’s performance?

I can't think of just three words. Gabra Zackman seemed a little hesitant the first few chapters.

Missing key points and rushed story

I was excited about this book because if the potential I thought it had to be a great read. However I was disappointed not only was the story not that great but it skipped so many key details. The main characters were suppose to fall in love but there was no showing or building up of it until randomly she wanted him to stay. If she had added some more story to them falling and not rushed or skipped it I would have enjoyed the story more. Honestly it left me wanting and I doubt I will read any more done by the author.

amazing

this book has always been one of my favorites and as a new mom finding the time for reading has been hard so listening has become a great relief. the reader has a beautiful voice and great expression in her tone.

A Fun New Trip Down Old Paths

As you know, there have been dozens and dozens of twists and turns applied to the old fairy tales we grew up with as children. They range from the ridiculous to the sublime and have been done by good authors, bad authors and great authors. Mercedes Lackey has been a staple in the fantasy world for quite some time and, though I had never read her novels until now, I knew of her and know many who love her. When I was presented with this series I was skeptical of yet another take on the old fairy tales but I wanted something fun and I was assured that this was what I was looking for. Guess what...? They were right. I fell in love with these novels and have devoured them all in a matter of months.

The overall score I provide here has to do with the reader, rather than the story. As you can see, the story received a 5 star vote from me. Gabra Zakman is a fun and enthusiastic reader; however, I felt there was something to be desired in her reading of certain characters, mostly the males. She did grow on me though and her rendition was not such that it kept me returning again and again to the Five Hundred Kingdoms. I am now on my second go through and am loving these stories just as much the second time.

If you love Mercedes Lackey or if you just want something light and fun, please give these novels a whirl. I hope you love them as much as I do.