Althea Ann's Reviews > Firebird

Better than much of Lackey's work, this novel retells the Russian legend of the Firebird (with plenty of editorial embellishment). Ilya, a handsome Russian prince with a habit of womanizing, seems like he has everything going for him – except that his seven lunkhead brothers want to kill him, and their father doesn't particularly care. After a rash of mysterious thefts of rare cherries from a prized orchard, Ilya discovers that the culprit is a beautiful and magical bird-woman. Using the chaos she's thrown the household into to escape his family, he finds himself on a quest to rescue a dozen gorgeous tsarinas from an enchanted castle... but will he ever learn the true meaning of love?
Recommended for fans of re-told fairy tales, such as those by Jane Yolen, and much of Terri Windling & Ellen Datlow's Fairy Tale series.