Reserved for the Cat

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Reserved for the Cat
Author	Mercedes Lackey
Cover artist	Jody A. Lee
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Elemental Masters
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	DAW
Publication date	2007
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	328 pp
ISBN	ISBN 978-0-7564-0362-1
Preceded by	The Wizard of London

Reserved for the Cat (2007) is a novel by Mercedes Lackey, part of her Elemental Masters series. It is set in England and is based on the fairy tale Puss In Boots.

[edit] Plot summary

Ninette Dupond was a dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet who was chosen to be the lead when the principal dancer is injured. She is fired when her performance receives good reviews but also when she catches the eye of the principal's patron. Poor and desperate, Ninette is surprised when she finds a tomcat that is able to psychically talk to her. The cat, Thomas, convinces Ninette to migrate to England and become a principal dancer there. With no better options, Ninette takes the chance despite her disbelief in magic.

On the way, Thomas teaches her English, instructs her on the basics of the magical world and convinces her to adopt the identity of the Russian ballerina, Nina Tchereslavsky. Thomas is also able to convince the owner of a music revue, Nigel Barret, who is an Elemental Master of Air to take 'Nina' on as the main act of his show. In a ploy based on the fairy tale, Nigel and his partners discover Nina shipwrecked on a beach near Blackpool. Inspired, Nigel and his partners, Arthur and Wolf, create a production based on the experience.

Suspecting foul play, Nigel enlists the help of Elemental Master of Fire and stage magician, Jonathon Hightower to help him determine if there is a threat to Nina's life. The threat becomes real, when the real Nina Tchereslavsky discovers Ninette's impersonation. The danger in this is that the real 'Nina' is also a troll that is able to absorb people's identities and their memories.