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Owlsight (Valdemar: Darian's Tale, Book 2)

Owlsight (Valdemar: Darian's Tale, Book 2)

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I Liked it
Review: It's been a while since I've read any of the Valdamere series, but overall I must say that I really enjoyed the two books in the Owl Triology and can't wait to read the third.

Instead of seeing Valdamere through a completely Valdameran preception, you get to see it through the Hawkbrothers' society in the form of an young boy raised and trained by the Tyledras. Hey after all, not everyone is meant to be a herald, and not all adventures need be cataclysmic! Personally I liked the different angle on the story. Hmmm, I wonder if she is going to have another series soon? I hope so, I really enjoy being surprised and delighted. :)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Zzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Review: Misty Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar trilogy as well as her Last Herald-Mage trilogy were fantastic; they opened me up to the world of fantasy, they erased a lot of the prejudices and stereotypes I had already acquired or might have acquired. Velgarth (which is the world this takes place in) went downhill from there. I hated this book, (I wish there was a 'no stars' option, that's the only reason it rated even 1 star!) it seemed very juvenile and childish to me, and I myself am only thirteen years old! I didn't at all identify with the characters, I didn't laugh or cry, in fact, I only just finished this series and already I've forgotten the name of his insecure Healer mate! The only thing that sustained me throughout the books was the thought of "This is a Mercedes lackey book. Mercedes Lackey is an extremely talented writer, and she is not going to succumb to monotany just because she's pariring up with her husband. It has to get better." Sadly, it did not get better. It got worse. There was no plot- no conflict at all, unless you count Darian's coming-of-age, which I don't. Even that was saccharine and *not* down to earth, too sweet and goody-goody to ever happen. Unless of course you stumble upon a village of mostly saints with the exception of one prostitute, Lilly, and her clients. I truly hope Mercedes Lackey comes out of this decline in her work, because I know she can do much much better than this! I know that she wrote this book for young adults, but I *am* a young adult! I don't not like the way she wrote Firesong in either- he because something a kin to a saint in stead of the arrogant mage Velgarth fans know and love. Ugh. If you are an avid fan of Misty's works, only then would I suggest this book because then you would know her talent already, and it delves into the Cataclysm and the remnants of the Eastern Empire. Actually, I don't remember if that happened in this book or the next one, but it doesn't really matter. However, if you must read them, save your money and get it from the library. Enjoy your hours of misery as you quickly skim through this redundant and somewhat shallow book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Read our Review!
Review: This book was okay, but not up to usual Lackey standards. A few of the things that bothered me... 1. hair. Silverfox is supposed to hair down to his ankles. Firesong's hair is white, as stated in the winds trilogy. 2. eyes. Firesong's eyes are blue, not silver. 3. Firesong and Silverfox's relationship. Come on. For all the mentioning of 'ashke,' the two guys seem like casual acquaintences, not lovers. And why would Starfall think so negatively of Silverfox's profession when the Tayledras 'do it like kestrals'? (as mentioned in Winds) 4. There was no villain. Even though I like coming-of-age novels, they're not fun to read when the characters are so goody-goodyish. 5. Also, I'd love to know just exactly how many years have past since the Storms trilogy. In Winds, Firesong wasn't even 30.In this one, he's like what, 40? I'd read this just if you want to read more about Firesong. But even he's taken a turn for the goody-goodies.....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Day-to-day (but not boring!) life of Darian and others
Review: I liked both this book and #1 (#3 I didn't like as much).I like reading what their(Darian's,Keisha's,and others) day-to-day life was like,and I appreciate the amount of detail that really makes me feel as part of them.At the same time,while this book doesn't describe earthshaking events,it's exciting and has many interesting things happening.This book is,basically,about personal relationships with the events as the background.I've reread it quite a few times,and I enjoyed it. Hope you also will!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not the best Lackey work out there...
Review: I love all the Heralds of Valdemar series and although the Owlflight series is fun, it didn't quite capture my attention like Arrows or the Last Herald-Mage trilogy. I would suggest reading those to appreciate Ms Lackey's talent.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Read Into the Story
Review: I was at a Convention (let's not get into that) where Misty read parts of these stories to her fans. While many on this Review board seem to find her recent stories "not Up to her Standard" I found them Extremely entertaining and I cannot wait until I can afford the next ones. The reason I find these books entertaining is because of Double Entendre. That is all I will say, Look up the word if you have to and read the stories again

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It is not bad, and you might enjoy it!
Review: I read some of the comments on the sequel to this, and I must conclude that I am either helplessly in love with Mercedes Lackey's and Larry Dixon's writing style, or that the books in this series are actually rather nice to read. OwlSight certainly doesn't have as much action and wild adventure as the other series that these two wrote, but it helps to satisfy my thirst for extra knowledge on the subject of the Hawkbrothers and their non-human associates. I like Darian a lot, but in a book with these authors' names on the cover that is to be expected. It is very easy to understand if you already know what all of the typical Mercedes Lackey vocabulary means, so if you are a fan of hers you are all set. Overall I loved it, and it made me laugh more than any of the other books she wrote except for the Vows and Honor duology. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not up to the Lackey Standard I'm used to expecting
Review: Although this book was a pleasant read-thats about all it was. We saw gradual, even paced character development with few surprises. We saw even less "action" or other situation conflict. It plodded along, seeming predictable at times. Mercedes Lackey is among my favorite authors and I did enjoy the first book in this trilogy but I do not plan on buying the third book. I was disappointed with this book but would encourage new readers to give her other books a try.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Even worse than the first
Review: (See my review of Owlflight for a more detailed overall gripe about the series.)

This time around we follow the tale of Keisha, the healer of Errold's Grove. Once again, a stock character in a stock tale---this one made even worse by even *more* tedious pointless rambling than there was in the first book (which at least had the crutch of an actual plot to help alleviate the tedium).

However, this story's biggest flaw lies in its failure to exploit the most interesting characters---the Hawkbrothers. Once again, we've got a good chance to see their daily life, and it's simply glossed over. A possible enriching facet which *could* have been used to make the Hawkbrothers more well-rounded and interesting---their mild xenophobia toward outsiders---was mentioned, then simply ignored.

This is the last Lackey series I'll be reading. Period.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good but Flat
Review: This book is well-written (what Mercedes Lackey book isn't?) and has very good detail and description. She's obviously done a great deal of research into the life of a rural herbalist, and has spent a lot of time mentally crafting the village and Vales. Unfortunately, she sacrifices plot and conflict for this, cramming the climax into a few chapters at the end, as if she suddenly realized that a deadline was approaching and she'd spent all her time describing the Vale and Keisha's work. Also, I found myself reading passages thinking that they could have been summed up in a few sentences--do we really need to know EXACTLY how Keisha decides what things to take when she moves? Most annoying, to me, was that none of the characters had any real character flaws. One of the great things about Lackey's Valdemar books is the humanness of the characters: Elspeth is impetuous and sometimes arrogant, Vanyel shuts himself off, Amberdrake won't believe that he's a leader. Unfortunately, she seems to have misplaced this knack for this series. Keisha is kind, sensible, and generous, and most of her minor "flaws" are simply the result of an untrained Gift; Darian is kind, sensible, generous, and eloquent to boot. And the Tayledras have suddenly turned into Purveyors Of All That Is Useful, rather than an isolated, forest-dwelling people with a small population who carry on a very limited trade of luxury goods for basic supplies. And Firesong, who was kind but fickle and EXTREMELY arrogant in the Winds trilogy, has not only mellowed but is in this book utterly calm and humble and seems to have lost any sense of vanity. Though I usually love Lackey's books, I was getting thoroughly sick of Darian and Keisha by the end. To sum up: this book is pretty good, but not up to Lackey's usual standard. It's fairly fun, especially if you like lots of description, but slow-moving, and understandable even to those unfamiliar with the series. Don't expect it to be on the level of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy, though, or to be a gripping adventure story.


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