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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780756403621
ISBN number: 0756403626
Label: DAW Hardcover
Manufacturer: DAW Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 336
Printing Date: October 30, 2007
Publishing house: DAW Hardcover
Sale Popularity Level: 96698
Studio: DAW Hardcover
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Product Description:
In 1910, in an alternate London, a penniless young dancer is visited by a cat who communicates with her mind to mind. Though she is certain she must be going mad, she is desperate enough to follow the cat's advice and impersonates a famous Russian ballerina. The cat, it turns out, is actually an Elemental Earth Spirit, and leads her to minor stardom.
Meanwhile, the real Russian ballerina has fallen victim to an evil troll who takes over her body and kills her patrons, drinking their life essences in order to strengthen his powers. And soon, the troll focuses his dark attentions on the young dancer...
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Fab book, if you like the elemental masters books, it doesn't seem quite up to snuff with the rest of them though. The story is good but not amazing, not the hold that Lackey's books normally have on me, I would buy it again, but maybe at 1/2 price books, not for full price.
Rated by buyers 
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I have enjoyed many of Lackey's works including "The Black Swan" and "The Five Hundred Kingdoms" series. Thus, I had high hopes for this book that blends fairy tales, ballet and magic for what *should* be an entertaining book. But alas, it is not.
The heroine is barely likeable. The other characters are half finished sketches that leave gaping plot holes, with one introduced late in the book, ending up as absolutely nothing. There is a threadbare romance (mostly some glares from the male side of the coin, and some remarks and thoughts from other characters "anticipating" some kind of flying sparks) but that's left hanging before it even begins. The ending is just slapped on. After a hundred pages or so of build up, its just dashed together from a completely different direction. Those who really should know the identity of Thomas are completely left in the dark. There are too many dead ends and cardboard characters.
And its a shame, because the basic outline of the story is a good one, the setting is a rich, interesting and an unconventional one (for fantasy anyway) that holds a multitude of promises, all which are dashed and broken by the quickly wrapped up ending.
It was like the author had some good ideas, didn't really know what to do with them, and then was rushed to finish the book to meet the deadline. That would explain away the plot holes, inconsistancies and other nagging problems. And finally... the book is just not interesting enough to read. I did finish it personally but have no interest in ever going back to it.
Rated by buyers 
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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.
Rated by buyers -
Fans of Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series can rest easy with this one. Reserved for the Cat continues in the same vein as the others in the series, and even rises to new heights as readers are introduced to other forms of magic and and magic users.
Rather than re-cap the plot, as many have already done, here's what works well and what I found to be a little less than what I'd hoped for:
What works: 1. The elaborate plot that Thomas the cat cooks up to allow the main character (Ninette Dupond) to step from her old life in the Paris Ballet, to a new one as a dancer in a variety show in England. 2. The introduction of the Elemental Masters as average work-a-day people. 3. The blending of the magical with the non-magical -- it's just the way it is in Lackey's world, and she writes it that way.
What doesn't work: There's not much that doesn't work here. There are a couple of characters that are a bit two-dimensional, and I'd have liked to see the antagonist interact with its surrounding a bit more -- it just wasn't as believable to me as the rest of the cast. Also, the obvious love-interest didn't quite get off the ground (perhaps grist for a future volume?).
All in all, a good, tight read.
four stars
bw
6/28
Rated by buyers -
This was a good concept but I felt that the writing let it down. When characters are young or feline it is too easy to write in the genre of a children"s book rather than hitting that adult market. I enjoyed but at times was annoyed
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