Rating: 
Summary: That's it???
Review: After reading trilogies such as the Mage Winds and the Last Herald Mage, this latest one sunk. The characters are too familiar, and the action is almost predictable. There is a moral lesson for those involved such as Firesong and Karal, but the ending stunk. I've read better Lackey novels then this.
Rating: 
Summary: uplifting!
Review: as someone who has spent way too much money on mercedes lackey books (yes, i own all 21 of the valdemar books, and will undoubtedly be buying owlknight when it comes out in paperback), reading this book (again and again!) makes me feel justified in my purchases! no, of course she is no tolkein. but the world she has created is so vivid and her characters so real, that you can't help becoming totally absorbed. many authors will write a short series, and then when the books become popular, keep writing more and more and eventually end up writing ridiculous books that are nowhere near as good as the first ones were (case in point: the dragonlance series - the chronicles and legends trilogies are absolutely fantastic but the never-ending sequels, in my opinion, are just plain stupid. of course, they're by different authors. but i digress. back to mercedes lackey). where was i? oh yes. mercedes lackey is not like that. in fact, i think her writing has gotten better and better as the series progressed. i did find it hard to get through the long passages about what's going on in the empire - they're the bad guys, you want to know what the characters you care about are doing! SPOILER HERE - STOP IF YOU HAVENT READ THIS BOOK. but in the end the conclusion was definitely satisfying and uplifting. that last line, about karal gaining vision without sight (or whatever the exact line is), makes me choke up every time, especially since karal is in a tie with tarma for my favorite character of all the 21 books. ok, this review has ended up being a bit long and confused, and i'm sorry - anyway - i highly recommend this book. that's all.
Rating: 
Summary: An enthralling saga, but starts a little slowly
Review: I am a large fan of Misty's work and all, don't get me wrong, but this work is not among my favorites. I absolutely loved the series, but it starts off annoyingly slow, really causing my attention to wander. But once it gets going, its a thriller. If you like hearing lots of opinions, READ IT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Satisfying, but tedious at times
Review: I became a Lackey fan with Magic's Pawn, and have just finished my 18th Valdemar novel. When it was all over I was feeling satisfied, a little sad, and hopeful--that Karal's story would continue. I found the resolution of the storms ultimately satisfying, as well as Tremane's transformation. The passages--the REALLY LONG passages--detailing Imperial politics and Melles' intricate plotting were so tedious; I was tempted to skip past them. However, you know in a Lackey novel, you really can't skip it, no matter how painful the going is, because it might be important later. Great read for a fan, but she's not going to win any converts with this one
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I found this story by Mercedes Lackey gripping and fun to read. All of the characters are likeable, though Firesong was pretty annoying at times. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Lackey began with a good idea, then crashed and burned it.
Review: I have been a fan of Lackey's since I first read Arrow's of the Queen, but I have to admitt that I was disappointed when I read Storm Breaking and the other two books in the trilogy. The underlying story of the mage storms was interesting but the developement was weak. In each of the books Karal is used a a mage channel to prevent desaster. I could see it happening once, possibly even twice, but not all three times. Lackey even brought back Vanyel and Stephen for this book and basicly did nothing with them in the end. Overall I can say I will probibly never read Lackey's new books with any regularity. She keeps recycling characters by putting new names on them and using them again and again. Sorry Lackey I used to love you but not any more.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, I liked it.
Review: I have been reading Misty's books for about 10 years now, starting with The Last Herald-Mage series. Since I finished that trilogy, I have purchased every Mercedes Lackey/Valdemar book I can get my hands on. I am eagerly awaiting Take A Thief, the story of Skif pre-Cymry (his Companion), as well as the Valdemar Companion. Anyways, I liked this series. I have read many reviews complaining about Lackey's evil-just-for-the-heck-of-it bad guys. Take a look at Tremane. At first, you want to hate him, because he's from the Eastern Empire. But as we get to know him, it turns out he's not such a bad guy. When he finally took some responsibility (I don't want to spoil the book), I found myself liking him.
As for new Valdemar books, I would like to see a book on the founding and King Valdemar himself. I would also like to see what happens with Selenay's twins, Kris and Lyra. Who becomes Chosen first, who becomes Heir, etc. (Are you reading this, Ms. Lackey?) Getting away from Valdemar itself, I wouldn't mind reading about some of Need's earlier bearers.
Anyways, I like Lackey's books. 'Nuff said.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been better!
Review: I love Storm Warning (5 stars) but feel let down by Storm Rising (3.5 stars) and Storm Breaking (3.5 stars). Main reason being I like my story to concentrate on just one or the maximum 3 characters, which is the case in Storm Warning. Lackey's shift to other characters in the Empire who have their own long long stories to tell in the last 2 books just put me off. Maybe she is trying to build a sense of anticipation and climax but I find myself frustrated and just wish to skip the pages detailing the Empire characters. I wish she has just continued to concentrate on Karal (a lovely character), An'desha and Firesong. However I must compliment her on the last part of Storm Breaking which features three of my favorite persons in the Last Herald Mage Series. This series could have been better but it is still an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A good hero for the Valdermar series
Review: I loved the winds, magic, and arrows trilogys, but I was very dissaponted by this one. Karal was not a very interesting character and niether was An'desha. The only part of this book I really enjoyed was the parts about Darkwind, Elspeth and Treman. Treman was a great character and the book would have been better if it was all about him. The romance between Karal and Naomi was silly. They were so shy around each other and it was very boring. This trilogy probably could have been condenced into one book and been much better.
Rating:
Summary: Mercedes has written better
Review: I loved the winds, magic, and arrows trilogys, but I was very dissaponted by this one. Karal was not a very interesting character and niether was An'desha. The only part of this book I really enjoyed was the parts about Darkwind, Elspeth and Treman. Treman was a great character and the book would have been better if it was all about him. The romance between Karal and Naomi was silly. They were so shy around each other and it was very boring. This trilogy probably could have been condenced into one book and been much better.
|
