Series: Elemental Masters, #3
Published: January 1, 2002
Publisher: DAW Books
Pages: 389
For seventeen years, Marina Roeswood had lived in an old, rambling farmhouse in rural Cornwall in the care of close friends of her wealthy, aristocratic parents. As the ward of bohemian artists in Victorian England, she had grown to be a free thinker in an environment of fertile creativity and cultural sophistication. But the real core of her education was far outside societal norms. For she and her foster parents were Elemental Master of magic, and learning to control her growing powers was Marina's primary focus.Confession time - that last paragraph of the synopsis is my own. The actual last paragraph on the back of my book is way too spoilery.
But though Marina's life seemed idyllic, her existence was riddled with mysteries. Why, for example, had she never seen her parents, or been to Oakhurst, her family's ancestral manor? And why hadn't her real parents, also Elemental Masters, trained her themselves? That there was a secret about all this she had known from the time she had begun to question the world around her. Yet try as she might, she could get no clues out of her guardians.
But sudden death and upheaval will change Marina's life as she know it. Will she be able face the danger that's been following her since birth?
I first read this book in my middle school years - and I distinctly remember thinking it wasn't nearly as good as The Serpent's Shadow. Upon rereading it, I was inclined to change my opinion. Until I reached the end of the book.
But, before I talk about the bad, I will talk about the good because I really did enjoy this book, and if it wasn't for that one oh-so-annoying factor at the end I'd be able to sing its praises daily.
Just like with all Lackey's fairy tale retellings in her Elemental Masters series, it's very different from the fairy tale we've become familiar with, which allows for a few unexpected surprises there and there, but the recognizable formula of The Sleeping Beauty is still present. Lackey especially excels with the how. It's so much fun to see how she crafts the story in her own way, and how all the pieces fall together.
Marina was a fun character. Like Doctor Maya, she is very pretentious and modern for her times (a supporter of suffragists and electricity alike), which is a little off-putting to read multiple times. But it's a style Lackey is good at, and so I recognize her ability to recycle it.
But Marina is different in another way from the typical strong female character that Lackey creates. She is terribly naive - and this actually works wonderfully. I personally found it interesting to read, and it's definitely a change! Perhaps the best part is that it allows the opportunity for growth - one which I'm still trying to puzzle out if it occurred. Lackey was weak here because she didn't use so many words (or Marina didn't use so many words) to acknowledge the naive mistake she made as change her actions...sort of.
And that's when the thing happened. How do I put this nicely....There's a horrible case of insta-love. Marina suddenly realizes that she is in love with a new acquaintance when she's close to death. An acquaintance, may I say, that she certainly had chemistry with, but love? The time span was remarkable short, with little, if none, sacrificial actions that people in love bond over. It's like they decided they were in love, and proceeded to act thus. And maybe there's nothing wrong with that, but part of me begs to ask the question of what happens when someone decides they're not in love?
It's all so very frustrating...but I also acknowledge that the world and characters Lackey has created are very much her own whimsical fantasy and so not always realistic. It's why I love the series so much. Because they are such great escape books that hardly result in harm. And when she writes a character that I do relate to...well, it's definitely worth it in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment