Blood Red (Elemental Masters)

I've been waiting, not entirely patiently, for this book and the new book Closer to Home: Book One of Herald Spy to come out. I pre ordered it and was thrilled when it appeared in my Library yesterday.. and now I've finished it *pout*

I absolutely loved it. I loved the strong female character. I loved that she faced and accepted that a life long belief she had was wrong. I loved that she utilized the elementals as much as she did and that she actually planned out attacks with them, rather than relying on them or charging in once they were there. I loved the supporting characters and the descriptions of the village/manor family where everyone had each others back and protected each other.

I guess it's pretty obvious that I just loved this story line. It started as a pretty straight forward Red Riding Hood and promptly went off the charts. The Elemental Series is amazing, I hope Mags can hold up to his series in October.

Good new Elemental Masters book. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of food, it's set in the area my mother's family is from - good research, most people don't realize how many Germans were in eastern Europe in the 19th century.

One point, i'd appreciate if the term Roma was used more consistently. And for the next book, we were farmers and craftspeople too, not just traveling entertainers.

If you want to make Romanian pancakes described in the book, you can make a decent version by using the crepe recipe in The Joy of Cooking and making them in a large pan. Roll them up with jam. It's our favorite light Saturday dinner.

I had higher expectations for this book, and they weren't, unfortunately, met.

The story just wanders along, from random scene to random scene, without a discernible plot. Too much of it has appeared, in one way or another, in previous stories (train rides and splendid bedrooms abound). She tacks on vampires and werewolves, but you get the impression she does so more to grab some of the teen fascination with these creatures. I expected to turn a page and come face to face with zombies before the end.

I also agree with earlier reviewers: far too much time on foods without even a hint of what they are. It didn't do anything for the story. It just added words, to no good effect.

The saving grace is likable characters, a change of scene (not in the United Kingdom for once), and, as usual, a very strong female lead character. And Lackey does have a way with words.

I have to think that Mercedes Lackey is stretched so thin with so many series, that none gets her full attention, and they're all suffering as a consequence. I'd hate to see her abandon this series, as she did the 500 Kingdoms, but maybe it is time to move on.

I liked the strong female main character. Rosa is dedicated and strong, confident in herself. I also liked the solid nods to the Red Riding Hood fairy tale, as well as the legends and history of eastern Europe.

This is definitely one of the best Elemental Mages books yet! Although not set in Britain, the Transylvanian setting allows for a rich mixture of culture and magic. I gave this book five stars because it is very well written and a great read.

I liked the strong female main character. Rosa is dedicated and strong, confident in herself. I also liked the solid nods to the Red Riding Hood fairy tale, as well as the legends and history of eastern Europe.

This is definitely one of the best Elemental Mages books yet! Although not set in Britain, the Transylvanian setting allows for a rich mixture of culture and magic. I gave this book five stars because it is very well written and a great read.

Multiple instances of using the same word repeatedly in the same paragraph to no good effect. Even in the same sentence. Information about random trivia presented as if the characters know it without any basis for them having learned it. Repeated descriptions of traveling by train that did nothing to move the narrative.

Character development = 0; bad guys are disposed of so quickly it is stunning.

I understand coincidence and suspension of disbelief, but there is an almost ridiculous level of fate working for our heroes.

I used to thoroughly enjoy Ms Lackey's work. This series stopped being interesting several books ago. A lot of her work in the past several years lacks...tension. I never feel as if the main characters are truly in danger.

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood. But who knows what happened after she grew up?

Blood Red is the story of how Little Red Riding Hood was nearly killed during that Big Bad Wolf incident but then grew up to be Red Cloak, Hunt Master. [Even though hunt leaders were supposedly all men Red Cloak was so obviously competent that she was allowed to assume this leadership position.]

Hunt Masters called [organized] a Hunt when it was time to go put down various beasties/terrible creatures with skill [such as with crossbows, throwing knives, spears, large pistols, etc.], rather than with Elemental Magic itself.

I was pleased to see that not EVERY Elemental Masters story had to end with a boy-girl romance that would lead to happily wed every after. Rosa has no time for romance. She is good at her job and taking care of herself. A career woman, as it were. So, we have a strong female protagonist who has male friends but feels no need whatsoever to be "taken care of" by a man.

Marko and Dominik prove to be good friends, especially Marko. Rosa is called to put down whatever has been killing village girls & boys [and also anyone just passing through such as Gypsies] for over 40 years in Marko's & Dominik's home area. Usually she has a team to help her hunt.

In this case, she has herself, Marko, and Dominik.

Again, highly recommended!

I've really been enjoying the Elemental Masters books, especially as the more recent Valdemar books have been pretty awful (*cough* Collegium Chronicles *cough cough*).

Things I liked about this book:
-Romantic arc was not awkwardly jammed in (something that I've liked about several of Lackey's books--you know two characters will probably eventually wind up with each other, but it's not ridiculously forced into the short timespan of the book).
-Fun plotline
-Good strong characters

Stuff I did not like:
-Excessive descriptions of things like food and the luxuriousness of traveling first class. Although these characteristics are common in much of Lackey's other writing so I can't say it was a huge surprise.
-Too much rumination on class differences and women's rights that wasn't really from a character's POV. Again, this is a hallmark of Lackey's writing also and it's probably the one thing that consistently grates on me. I feel like I'm getting a lecture from the author, not reading a story.
-Some awkwardness in the plot at the beginning. The whole bit where Rosa gets waylaid by the Graf, tested, introduced to other Masters, and groomed to operate in Society is just kind of random. There seemed to be some pieces missing, and to be perfectly honest, I never really saw what the point of those chapters was. Rosa could have just as easily met Markos and Dominic en route home from Romania (maybe on a train somewhere) without this whole sideshow of getting swept off to the country, outfitted with a luxurious new wardrobe, and hobnobbing with other Masters in an extended houseparty. Or she could have just met Markos and Dominic right off the bat at the Graf's and then headed off to Transylvania. Or the whole Graf/houseparty section could have been made more relevant to the rest of the book in some way, maybe if there had been a little less time spent on describing food and first class travel there would have been room for that.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book, but I'm really glad I get Lackey's books from the library rather than purchasing. The quality is very hit or miss and I can't really see myself wanting to re-read this one anytime soon (unlike some of the early Elemental Masters books which I have totally dogeared).

I was pleasantly surprised by Blood Red. In fact, it's the best Elemental Masters books Misty has written in many years. I'd even say it's one of the better BOOKS she has written in many years. I didn't think the plot was disjointed at all, and other reviewers says she didn't say what the foods were? Umm, yes she did- if you don't know what the various wursts are, that's what google is for, but there's no other way to really describe them! When Rosa was done hunting the Big Bad (s) and the climax ended, Misty actually continued the book and wrapped up the storylines instead of her usual abrupt ending. Also, for a book (series) that is so heavy handed with the "girls can do anything! We're not just wives/mothers!" I was (SPOILER ALERT) pleased that Rosa didn't outright ride off into the sunset with her love interest, like Misty normally has her heroins do- it at least makes sense for all the very heavy handed pushing of "women's rights" in the book(s) for a change. If the book brings back the familiar things that made Fire Rose so excellent, than that's all to the good of the book, if you ask me!

I'm always excited for a new Mercedes Lackey book. I've been a fan for ages. Recently, though her books, while still fun, seem to lack a little of the tension, immediacy, and spellbinding storytelling of the earlier books. 'Blood Red' isn't the worst of her books I've read, but I can't rank it among the best, either.

I liked the main character Rosa -- there's nothing not to like -- but she doesn't really grow as a character. She's a skilled Hunt Master, competent without being over-confident, compassionate toward villagers and victims but able to be ruthless toward the evil things she hunts. . . and she's like that from the second chapter right through the end of the book. She grows only in very minor ways; for instance, she spends some time learning to comport herself in high society. The only other area in which she shows any growth is in her attitude toward the hereditary shapeshifter, and as she demonstrates only an initial hesitation to trust him (rather than antipathy or true fear), it's not really growth when she starts to trust - especially when she's given several very good reasons to.

In fact, when I compare her to some of Lackey's earlier main characters (Talia, Elspeth, Vanyel, Kerowyn, Alberich, Maya, Eleanor and Reggie), Rosa is pretty bland. She's also unusually lucky; she is taken under the wing of not one but two father-figures, both altruistically interested in helping her. She encounters surprisingly little resistance as a woman doing a man's work, too (although apparently the Schwarzwald Lodge is a little more open to this than, say, the Edwardian-era London Lodge under Lord Alderscroft - see The Serpent's Shadow.)

In short, there's almost no personal conflict or challenge in the book, only the threats Rosa and her fellow Earth Masters face as part of their job: werewolves, vampires, and other evil creatures that hide in the forests. Of course, hunting and fighting such creatures can and admittedly does get pretty exciting, even suspenseful. And Lackey has always known how to keep a reader's interest. I certainly wasn't bored at any point, and I did enjoy reading the book. It's just that I felt as if I were eating a sandwich, knowing full well that the chef is capable of a delicious four-course dinner.

Two final notes: it should be obvious that Rosa is based on Red Riding Hood. The traditional elements of the fairy tale are taken care of in the first chapter, though. After that, she's grown up and it's a completely new story, even if she's still beset by (were)wolves. And there is one relatively minor continuity problem that should have been caught by either the editor or the copyeditor -- the same question is asked and answered twice in different scenes. It didn't detract from the story at all, but it's not the first time I've run into similar issues in Lackey novels published by DAW.

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon.com. Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Rosamund is the first female Hunt Master. When her first elemental teacher is killed by a werewolf, Rosa is spirited away to a Hunt Lodge where she will make her fame and fortune hunting down others like it. She doesn’t expect to met anyone friendly who might ever have been a werewolf, and holds this prejudice against all werewolves – even cute ones '

Nothing breathtaking to see here. Another elemental masters series novel, nothing new and exciting. It covers a new range of geography than previous novels, but didn’t really give me enough to hang on to. A long uncomfortable train ride is nothing new, and a tree falling on the tracks isn’t exactly something that tells me fascinating details about the surroundings.

All of Lackey’s females tend to be of the fighting type, so it’s not like Rosa is adding anything to the stable. Personally, I much prefer the protagonist in The Fire Rose. You don’t have to be all brawny and mannish in order to win your way through obstacles!

I felt myself grasping for something more. The first half of the novel was nothing but social backchat, and I felt like I hadn’t gotten anything! The action occurs right near the end where you’ve basically already give up hope of anything happening. Something that could have been a ‘twist’ just seemed inevitable.

No magic basically, only what you can do with silver shot. I wonder what Rosa does when forced to combat with normal enemies – she doesn’t appear to have any body strength in her besides what it takes to deal with the backlash from her gun. Since one of the favourite parts of these novels is seeing what magic can do next, it’s pretty boring from that perspective. And it was never really explained how the Earth magic that Rosa has lends itself to attack.

Yes, it’s an eligible addition to the Elemental Masters series, but I don’t think it adds anything significant to the body of Lackey’s other works. Pleasurable to read like a sweet candy, but leaves your tummy hungry for something a little more substantial. I’ve got two more Lackey books lined up from the library, so I still have hope.

I didn’t find myself disappointed by what this novel had to offer, but that was mainly because I was already primed to have low expectations. Lackey has been losing her style lately, and dragging novels out to where they are no longer sustainable. If you’re like me, and determined to hang on to the romantic notion of all Lackey’s novels being good, borrow it. Don’t buy it – I don’t think you’re going to want to read it more than once.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

This is the tenth book in the Elemental Masters series and the story gives a new portrayal to the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Like the story of Little Red Riding Hood, Rosamund or Rosa goes to see her teacher Grossmutter Helga (Grandmother in German) to find her dead by the hand of a werewolf. She is able to call for help and is saved by the Hunt of the Bruderschaft (Brotherhood in German) of Master Elementals. They see potential in Rosa and take her in, to become years later the first Earth Hunt Master Woman.

I liked the part where Rosa has a sudden fear of her future. Everybody has had that moment in their lives. We fear what lies ahead of us: the unknown. We fear the trust and confidence that others have placed upon us because we don’t always think that we are up to their expectations. We don’t see what other sometimes see in us.

There are moments when you would think that the story is going slow, but be assured that everything has its purpose and it helps the story that will come ahead. Because Blood Red is part of a series that has a new main character within every book, the story has to explain more about the character and how he/she thinks and acts. The story doesn’t have much romance, a few parts, but it is more of a story of believing in yourself and understanding your power and the world outside your comfort zone.

Blood Red has a lot of mythical creatures, some of them were old and others had different names for me. I have read of some of them in other books, but didn’t remember their names, like Cernunnos the Lord of the Hunt with other names like Woden or Herne. This is the first time I place a name and title to that creature. I like a good book that makes me do research about the characters, creatures, or the places the story talks about.

Mercedes Lackey changes the Little Red Riding Hood story her own way to create the formidable hunter that is Rosa von Schwarzwald. This story tells us that there are three types of werewolves: those who are born, those who are bitten or cursed, and those who use blood magic to shift. I think that this is the first time I read of a person using blood magic to turn into a werewolf, I have read of other uses for blood magic, but this is the first case I see.

Another thing that I liked of this story was how with the help of elementals an Earth Master can learn the language of the place they are in in one night.

The cover was appealing. I tend to judge a book by its cover and summary, but in this case both were good enough to catch my attention. The artist for the cover is Jody A. Lee. The cover gives a glimpse of what the story offers, alike Rosa as the Red Cloak.

I recommend you read Blood Red, read of a world of magic and creatures that hunt in the shadows, and learn to give the benefit of the doubt to those who earn it.

Would you like to be an Earth Master? Tell us in the comments.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Visit OpenBookSociety dot om

I have read most of what Mercedes Lackey published - from her earlier work featuring SKitty and Di Tregarde, to her more recent collaborations like the Shadow Grail series.

I was disappointed with this book - because I felt like I was reading an unedited draft. Chapter 9, for example, has a continuation of a discussion of where shifters' clothing goes, as though it hadn't already been concluded in an earlier chapter. Later in the book, there's talk of the silver-lined leather suit that was Hans'... but she left that with him and brought the *extra* one back with her in an earlier chapter. There are a slew of things like that - like there were multiple drafts (or a ghost writer - maybe Larry Dixon is writing with her uncredited?) and no one thought to go through acting as a continuity editor. (Incidentally: I would totally have done this for free, in return for getting to read it sooner.)

The book has good bones and wasn't bad, but as a longtime fan, I know how much better it could have been... if someone had been bothered to expend the time. Maybe a future edition will be more polished? Makes me wish I wasn't such a fan girl to have pre-ordered it, though. :(

This was an interesting expansion of a favorite fairy tale. It was interesting the way the fairy tale was explained (earth magic and shapeshifters) and later taken to different areas of Austro/Hungarian/Germanic Europe. Rosamund is a strong character who takes charge in dangerous situations while still being "a lady" as necessary in the conservative society of her time and place. I wish there was more magic and action in this book. There was a lot of scene setting and over description which seemed to be added as filler.
Rosamund was a little too perfect to be fully likable.
It was good reading but Ms Lackey has done better.

Tenth in the Elemental Masters paranormal fantasy series and revolving around some version of a fairy tale. The focus here is on Rosa von Schwarzwald.

My Take
It starts with a slight twist on the Red Riding Hood tale.

Just reading Rosa's thoughts of the trials of the journey back is enough to make me grateful for airplanes — even if they do come with all this excess security. Certainly Rosa appreciates the comforts provided by the treasure that Gheorghe and Matei give her. Rosa's thoughts on the gown Mutti has made her also make us aware of the importance of dressing to fit in while the Professor helps her to codify the upper classes so she will understand better how to fit in.

It's a clever move on Lackey's part to introduce Rosa to this wider world. Very nicely done. It's also very empowering for women as the men in Rosa's life encourage her to embrace her abilities and proudly introduce her to other influential men. It's very refreshing and includes moments of introspection in which Rosa is careful to remind herself not to get cocky. A nice way to show us Rosa's character.

It's also a fun way to introduce us to the German Elemental Masters — and isn't that a treat to visit a different country in this series? It's like a fun and cozy house party with the excitement of the chase built in at that level of society.

The story is also a good example of why treating others fairly is a good idea.

The Story
The move to Holzdorf in the Schwarzwald will change more than their address, and a wolf attack on Rosa’s teacher will change Rosa’s life forever.

It’s on a hunt in a foreign land that the copper medal is found on the hunted. And yet again. Two cannot be a coincidence, and it leads Rosa on a very dangerous hunt with new partners. One of whom will challenge all her beliefs.

The Characters
Rosamund "Rosa" von Schwarzwald, a.k.a., Red Cloak, has Earth magic, but not your standard Earth magic. No, our Rosa has more martial qualities. Mutti and Vati have had to move to Holzdorf in the Schwarzwald so Rosa may flourish, once Onkel Hans and Tante Bertha pointed it out. Mutti is not doing well while Vati is now a schoolteacher.

The Bruderschaft der Förster, a.k.a., the Brotherhood of the Forest…
…are the arcane guardians of the Schwarzwald, a great forest which the huntsmen protect from evil. The Hunt Master is Gunther von Schwarzwald and his crew — Gilda, Hans Osterwald (an Earth Master), and Fritz — rescue Rosa. Ulrich Bernwald and Walther Vogel will join Hans.

The Munich Lodge
The master is Heinrich, Graf von Stahldorf, and he's a great friend of Rosa's "father". Fritz Bern is the Water Mage who got rumbled. Rudolf Weiss is the Graf's private secretary. Bergdorf is the butler; Berthold serves at table. Marie had been the Graf's mistress' ladysmaid and now she has some useful tips for Rosa. Dominik Petro, an Earth Master who studied medicine, and Markos Nagy, a werewolf who studied history, are friends and cousins who have come for help from the Graf.

Professor von Endenberg has made a study of Society which will stand Rosa in good stead. Anna is a brilliant soprano. The children at the house party include Peter, Tobi, and Johan with lots of proper presents.

Mother Lovina, a Roma, has reassurances for Rosa. Matei and Gheorghe are magic-users who hide who they are in Rosia Montana, a tiny village in Romania with a wolf problem. Herr Bjorn Herbst is the Master of the Berlin White Lodge

Casolt
Frau Schmidt is the old lady of the village who is willing to talk. Petrescu, the mayor, and Vasile are the old men playing checkers while Lungu is middle-aged. The supernatural allies who come to help include Moşul, the iele who are Great Air Elementals, the zâne are of the fifth element, of Spirit, and the vâlva băilor , the Great Elementals of the Earth.

Durendal, a.k.a., Herr Doktor Erik Reinhardt, is an evil Air Mage in Vienna. Bertelan is the sorcerer-shifter in Romania who has been building his pack.

The alvar are the Elementals most people don't see. Each forest seems to have its own Lord of the Hunt. The werewolves who use a belt of wolfskin to transform are magicians gone wrong. The strigoi are shapeshifting vampires.

The Cover
The cover is gorgeous in its richness. A deep, blood red background with blood dripping from the top as wolves snarl around the inset picture of the blonde Rosa with her typical German braid crowning her head. The figured red cloak is framed by a black embroidered band, and she carries a flaming battle axe, a salamander perched above her hand. It’s perfect as our Rosa is primed for battle. Dangling on either side are the copper Stag of St. Hubert medals.

The title is all Rosa in her Blood Red cape and approach to the bad guys.

Blood Red (2014) is the ninth Fantasy novel in the Elemental Masters series, following Steadfast. The initial volume in this sequence is The Serpent's Shadow.

In the previous volume, Katie had run away from Dick. After her last beating, she took all her belongings and some cash from the strongbox and hurried into the country. Dick and the other circus performers were townsfolk and wouldn't think of her hiding in the wilderness.

Katie's parents had spent much of their free time camping in the woods. Katie had grown up running through the woods. Now she was using her forest skills to find food while she hid from Dick.

She accidentally discovered a Traveler camp in the woods. The outer wagons were painted to match the forest and she stumbled into the camp. A gypsy man grabbed her, but didn't hurt her. The matriarch had stated that she was also a gypsy and they treated her like family.

Katie was half Traveler, so she was familiar with gypsy ways. She lived with the family for a couple months, but the matriarch feared that the circus was still looking for her. She took the family near a railroad station and sent Katie to Brighton.

In this novel, Rosamund Ackermann is a girl currently living within Holzdorf, a village in the Schwartzwald. Her family had moved there from the city because Rosa is an Earth Mage. The city was slowly killing her.

Gunther is Lodge Master of the Brotherhood of Schwartzwald Foresters. Many are Earth Mages.

In this story, Rosa's mother is unhappy within the village. The villagers try to become friends with her, but she persists in dressing like city folk. Rosa's father believes that time will change Mutti.

Rosa's tutor in earth magic lives within the forest. Rosa's family calls her grandmother, although her real grandmothers are dead. One morning, Rosa goes to visit her grossmutter with a basket of pastries baked by her Mutti.

Rosa wears a red cloak with a hood. She crosses the village field and the water meadow. Then she reaches the dark woods. The forest is more silent than normal. It feels like all the elementals are hiding.

Rosa encounters a stranger on the path. He is dressed as a hunter, but has no gear. Rosa thinks that he might be a witchfinder.

The stranger starts a conversation with Rosa, but she carefully keeps her answers simple and innocent. She carefully edges around him and then scurries off to grossmutter's house. When she arrives, the house is dark and frightening.

A monster with the stranger's eyes is waiting in grossmutter's bed. He attacks Rosa, but she ducks and locks herself within a closet. She uses her earth mage powers to grow the door into its frame and to thicken the wood.

This tale sends an Elk to fight the partially changed werewolf. Then several of the Brotherhood arrive to kill the wolf. Gunther takes her to their lodge to give her more protection.

Rosa grows up and becomes a Hunt Master in the Brotherhood. She has further experience with monsters and learns to kill the beasts. She becomes a protector of the elementals and of humanity.

The prologue originally appeared as "Into the Woods" within Elementary. The extension of this story into a novel give the author more scope to follow her heroine in a career as a Hunt Master. The story is filled with action scenes.

Rosa's attire and weapons often offend high society dignitaries. The next installment in this sequence has not yet been announced on the store.

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of elemental magic, monster hunters, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

I really enjoyed this version of the Little Red Riding Hood story as told through the premise of the Elemental Masters. The challenges faced were realistic, as defined by the Elemental Masters series, and very adult. There were quite a few murderous werewolves to be dealt with, so it was not a story for the faint of heart. The heroine had a strong leadership role which I greatly prefer over the wimpy woman concept.

Rosa is a most excellent heroine as both an Earth Master and Hunt Master.

She challenges and is challenged by social, gender and even some religious standards of her time.

The fierce fights against the blood magic imbued antagonist (s) was breathtaking.

This novel begins with the short story "Into the Woods" from the collection entitled "Elementary", (DAW, 2013). It is the Little Red Riding Hood story, set in the German countryside in the same era as the previous Elemental Masters series.

It continues with a grown-up Rosamund who has not only gotten over her encounter with a granny-killing werewolf but has used her Earth Magic to become a Hunt Master in her own right. Her world expands when she is called on to leave the Schwartzwald to fight shape shifting monsters in the Romanian and Hungarian countryside as well as her native Germany.

She not only has to overcome dark magical forces and steam-age air, water and earth pollution but a rigid and sexist class structure as well. She and her allies all have to shed some preconceptions along the way to a satisfying end that leaves them with more work to do, work that this reader hopes to read about in the near future.

This is probably the weakest of the ten "Elemental Masters" books. Unlike the other nine, it doesn't contain a romantic ending. (Hopefully this does not mean it will be stretched into a trilogy; it's already pretty stretched.) I wasn't disturbed by the detailed discussion of ethnic dishes as some other reviewers, just that there wasn't enough _story_ to balance the meals. A classic example of "nothing really wrong, just not enough right."

I am totally in love with the Valemar series. This was the first elemental book I've read. It lacks so much of what I loved in the other series. I felt the characters were shallow- they lacked the depth I expect from her. Way too much happened in such a short book.

More and more, Mercedes Lackey has been leaning toward novels that are heavy on the character development. This book definitely fits that trend. I liked Rosa and her suitors, but the action was lacking for all it was a book about a werewolf and vampire killer. The rising action was long and the resolution was abrupt. I honestly think that Lackey needs to start talking to her publisher about writing longer books. She really needs more pages to do her plot justice. Shortening it just made it choppy and slow. The main conflict seems to be between Rosa and herself. Rosa needs to get over her assumptions and tendency to stereotype. I think that Lackey doesn't do Rosa or any of her past strong female characters justice when she allows one handsome man to change her mind so quickly. Giving the process more time, proof, and adventures I think would have made it more believable, palatable and interesting.

Mercedes Lackey is one of my all-time favorite authors. She is incredibly prolific and has a fantastic gift for storytelling. Blood Red is the latest in Ms. Lackey’s Elemental Masters series. These are all stand-alone books connected only by the world they live in and rules of that world. Ms. Lackey has written her version of a fairy tale in Firebird (Fairy Tales, #1) , The Black Swan (Fairy Tales, #2) and her Five Hundred Kingdoms series now she writes her twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale and sets it in the world of her Elemental Masters. Where the earlier books in this series had a bit of romance in them it is rather lacking in this book. There is some flirting and a hint of perhaps a future but if you are reading this for romance. Don’t. If you are reading this for a damn good story by all means you won’t be disappointed.

There was a girl called Little Red Riding Hood ...

That's not what is written, but that is where the story starts. As usual, Mercedes Lackey begins with a simple and well-known idea and turns it into a strong adventure story, with the right balance of excitement, action, and humor.

Blood Red
Mercedes Lackey
DAW, Jun 3 2014, $25.95
ISBN: 9780756408978

In the primeval Black Forest, werewolves murder an elderly Earth Master. The dead woman’s ten years old student Rosamund escapes the carnage, but also suffers from what she witnessed happened to her adopted grandmother. Not long afterward, the Schwarzwald Foresters Hunt Master rescues the in shock child. Seeing potential in little Rosa, her “Papa” Earth Magician tutors her to be more than a healer.

Years later, Rosa has become the first female Earth Master. However, gender groundbreaking means nothing to obsessed Rosa as she never has forgotten the brutality that occurred to her grandmother. Thus her fixated mission in life is to eradicate the malevolent especially werewolves who assault the innocent. As she becomes a super slayer, Rosa struggles with etiquette when forced to join society.

The ninth Elemental Masters fairy tale (see Steadfast) is a delightful twisting rendition of Little Red Riding Hood after the wolf swallowed grandma. Rosa is a terrific protagonist who keeps the engaging nineteenth century storyline with its rich Central European background focused as she is great at killing evil but horrible at gala decorum.

Harriet Klausner

A fantastic empowering book. In the Victorian era, little red riding hood grows up to be a Matter of the Hunt and fights bad vampires and werewolves. She also learns how to get by in Victorian Society.

I like Lackey's Elementsl Master's series. However, this one reads like it is a rainy day and you sitting down with a cup of tea and nothing else to do. Enjoyable, but it takes a bit to get beyond her youth and training.

I always enjoy Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series. This one really made me think of the Godmother series with the variations on fariy tales and folklore. I am always a little disspointed with the shortness of some of M. Lackey's stories, but they are still a fun read and I find myself buying then on pre-order since I can't wait for the next one.

Heroes and heroines that are believable and relatable! And I really wouldn't mind a sequel or two... The adventures pull you right in and keep the pages turning. Yet, another success of a tale retold and made completely fresh!

Little Red Riding Hood meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but with Mercedes Lackey's wonderful and masterful twist! A must-read that I couldn't put down! Lackey steeps her background into the rich subculture and brings the reader into that world effortlessly, then buckles them up for a wild roller coaster ride that leaves them wanting more!

Blood Red continues the expansion of the Elemental Masters series with a surprising introduction to Little Red Riding Hood in Transylvania and the Schwartzwald. Once again we're introduced to new ways of Elemental mastery with a twist. A good read!

Interesting steampunk intrigue, and gives backstory on a few characters from the Parasol protectorate which was nice. It is a YA novel but if you enjoyed the adult books she has written, you'll want to read these as well.