Arrow's Fall (The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 3)

Rating:
Summary: Best of the three
Review: I finished the third book the Arrows of the Queen trilogy, Arrows Fall, by Mercedes Lackey. It is by far the best novel of the three, but in the wider scheme of fiction and even fantasy...it remains mediocre. Since this book was written early in Lackey's writing career, you can see how her style and plots improve from one novel to the next. That said, the villians are still cardboard; right down to the evil laugh. The main characters, such as Talia, Dirk, Kris, and Elspeth, become more fleshed-out though. They become more understandable to the reader and their personalities finally become consistent.

More than issue with the plot, this time, I find her writing style simplistic. The voices of the characters, their senses of humor, are very similar to each other. Everyone has an annoying cute petname like "catling" or "dearling" and too often, regular dialog is punctuated with exclamation marks. It gets annoying because it's over-used and unnecessary.

I also had issues with the part of the book in which Talia is captured and imprisoned by the evil Prince Ancar and raped and tortured. Her rape gets about a paragraph of attention and is written off as if it's not a big deal because she's so devastated by the death of her friend and that she might never have the chance to make things right between her and Elspeth and her and Dirk.

I was placated somewhat to see the after-effects of rape brought up and dealt with but it was a bit too easily resolved (oh, we've got mind-Healers for that!).

Rating:
Summary: I will never grow tired of this amazing book
Review: I Have loved Mercedes Lackey since I first picked up Arrows of the Queen in 1996. The Arrows series is at least tied for my favorite along with the Magic series. The characters in Arrow's Fall are so 3d, you can hear their tone and see their expressions with every turned page. The plot is well written, and my heart went out to Kris long before the end of the book. I cried for so long.. I had to put the book down for a few minutes. But I think the ending was one of the best I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!
Review: I have read all of the Arrow's series and this is by far the best, with a sad, but GREAT ending. I must admit I cried for hours but when i finished it i was craving more! This is a must read but it would help to read the other two first. Talia, Kris, Elspeth, Rolan, and Dirk not to mention everyone else are great and strong characters. I fell in love with them and this book!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Magical, And Heart-Wrenching!!
Review: I love the Herald trilogy, and all the rest of Misty's books that I've read! Misty is my most very favorite author, and I simply cannot see how anyone can NOT like her books! For those of you who have said that Arrow's Fall was a bit graphic, you must think watching the news is graphic! Those so-called "graphic" elements are a wonderful touch of reality in an otherwise fantasy world. They happen in real life EVERY DAY, and they are all over the news! And I would like to say that I am "only" 15, and I was 14 when I first read her books, and I wasn't at all disturbed by the events marked "graphic"! If you can't handle it, then simply crawl back under the rock from whence you came. For those of you who have yet to read her books, you have no idea what you are missing! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fall in love with Talia and her friends! Excellent books!!

Rating:
Summary: Extremly enjoyable!
Review: I loved it! That awful Ancar he is worse than Emperor Orzon in Emperor Mage. If you liked this book I suggest you read the Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce and/or The Immortals Series also by her. I liked it because it was action packed advenures. I loved the chracters and I cried my heart out when they killed Kris I loved the ending!

Rating:
Summary: one of the best books ever!!!!!
Review: I read a lot of fantasy but this book really got me hooked. I cried a lot through it and couldn't wait to read the other 2. Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors and I suggest this book to anyone who likes fantasy!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Stunning!!!
Review: I read these books the first time when I was about 13, and at the time was completely absorbed and having read them since (I'm now 21) I've picked up on many things that I never before noticed. Talia is one of the best realised heroines in modern fantasy and her trials during this story are both heart wrenching and inspiring - it is a tale of loyalty and betrayal, love and hate, all tied together in a magical kingdom where you are seen for who you are and not what.

Rating:
Summary: This book rocked!
Review: I really loved the trilogy involving Talia. I could relate to her more than, well, Vanyel, for instance :). Read this trilogy as a great start to Valdemar!

Rating:
Summary: Not the best, but DEFINATELY not the worst
Review: I sort of got tired of the "poor Talia" bit. Don't get me wrong , I Adore Lackeys work, but it just isn't as good as say... The Mage Winds, in which the characters are realistc and have flaws [they also, I may add, defend themselves]. Talia is always in the right, which just isn't possible.But overall, it was a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the Arrows trilogy -- a real tearjerker!
Review: I think that this book is Lackey's best out of the Arrows trilogy. I have read this book many times, and still cry every time at the end. Make sure to have a lot of tissues. The character and plot development is excellent, and it is truly an enjoyable read. The ending is also very good, and the villian may come as a surprise to some