Search - The Black Swan (Daw Book Collectors)

Anyone who has read Lackey's Elemental Master series knows how it goes: girl has good education, magical abilities, and no mother. In the other books her father dies and she has to overcome some difficult time with the help (and love) of a man who just happens to be of a compatible element. This book does not belong in the Elemental Masters series, so the trouble starts while the father is still alive, and the necessary man has no magic.

I found the first few pages confusing. Remember this: Odette is the captured princess turned swan, who leads the other enspelled swans. Odile is the bad guy's daughter who may turn herself into a swan if she wishes, but isn't enspelled.

I hated the prince at first, and the account of his actions. This book had far more sex in it than in the Elemental Masters series. A good bit of the beginning was simply crude. Fortunately he shaped up, although not enough to really impress me. I recommend it to those who want to read all of Lackey's retold tales, but of the lot, this was my least favorite.

Anything by Lackey I love, but I've got a special soft spot in my heart for her re-telling of fairy tales. Here we have a re-telling of the Swam Princess. It's just lovely.

Excellent retake on a classic fairy tale (Swan Lake).

An interesting spin on the Swan Lake story. I liked the book, but really could have been more drawn into a trilogy. The story had so much more to tell than was told.