Rating: 
Summary: An introspective Valdemar tale
Review: ~<p~ especially her sister Shandi is driving her crazy. Still, formal training is out of the question, at least for now, because the townsfolk have no one else to turn to for assistance. <p novel in the "Owl fantasy" trilogy, OWLSIGHT, is a well written tale as expected from the talented duo of Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon. However, this time the story lacks the vigorous action of the debut novel or Ms. Lackey's "Valdemar" series (same setting). This novel is more introspective, providing much insight, mostly through the filter of how Keisha sees and reacts to the noises that appears to be overwhelming her at any given moment. Fans of the series and fantasy tales in~ general will take pleasure from this book that offers a quieter glimpse of the Valdemar universe and will look forward to the final story, OWLKNIGHT.<p
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing for Mercedes Lackey
Review: I'm sorry to say that I consider this the worst book Misty has written, bar none. I felt no sense of urgency until I was approximately 7/8ths of the way through the book, and when a conflict *finally* arrived, it and the ending were terribly predictable. I'd recommend this book for people like myself who are in love with Valdemar and can't stand the thought of missing a single tidbit, but non-Misty fans would probably hate it. If you've never read any of the Valdemar books, go for the "Last Herald Mage" trilogy - don't bother with this one unless you become addicted. Misty can do much better than this!
Rating: 
Summary: a nice read - but not up to Misty's standards
Review: OwlSight is a good story as far as it goes, but it doesn't measure up to the standards set by Misty's previous books. The portrayel of the characters seen in OwlFlight were good, and stayed fairly true to form. However, I was dissappointed with the manner in which some of the "older" characters from previous books were portrayed. It seems to me that they lacked their usual character. Misty also needs to write longer books (they keep getting shorter and shorter) with more content and depth. Overall I'd say read it if you're a Valdemar fan, but I wouldn't rate it as highly as some of her other work.
Rating: 
Summary: Better then Owlflight, Classic Lackey
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read. The story had a lot more meat to it then Owlflight. It was great to meet up with old characters (friends) and see how they are doing. If I had one bad thing to say about this book, it would be that it was too short, I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: AGAIN OUT STANDING!!!!!
Review: Ms. Lackyey and Mr Dixon has done it again. A wonderful story. From the first page Owlsight pulls you in to the story and makes you a part of it. I can't wait for the next book. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Could've been better.....
Review: Don't be completely dismayed by the two stars: I try to avoid rate inflation and only give five stars to something extraordinary. Even at the height of her writing abilities, I wouldn't give any of her novels more than a four. At this point, though, I've started buying Misty's novels more out of love of Jody A. Lee's cover art and misguided hope for improvement than real expectation of quality. As a friend said, her novels have grown formulaic--which wouldn't be insurmountable if they didn't derive more from the flaws of their prequels than their strengths. Characters are not so much shallowly depicted as they are simply uninteresting and even old friends like Kerowyn and Firesong are blander than stale pita bread. Other than glop about Keisha and Darien's personal lives, plot doesn't kick in until more than halfway through, when the "barbarian" horde everyone had been going on about finally arrives. I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the xenophobia of the Hawkbrothers. For people who complained about what goody goodies the characters were, I can't subscribe to that view myself--maybe it just seems that way because the only viewpoints we really get are theirs and they never ask themselves whether their views might be wrong. "Owlsight" is the most ethnocentric of the Velgarth books to date: this in spite of the fact that the characters displaying the xenophobia comprise a host of different humans and non-humans (Taleydras, Valdemarans, Heralds, Companions, gryphons, dyheli, kyree, tervardi, etc.) all of whom appear incapable of conceiving that the "barbarian" horde approaching might be no more barbaric than they themselves. Perhaps Lackey thought without this blindsidedness there wouldn't be much of a story, but she handled it somewhat unbelievably. For example, Darian is shocked at the notion that Northern tribes might be as different from one another as Taleydras and Valdemarans, as if he had truly never thought of it before. For all the passages Lackey expends on their endless, "indepth" discussions, this implies that Darian's thinktank of friends and colleagues is doing a childishly pathetic job. A pathetic job indeed. There is a great deal in this book that goes flagrantly against the message of previous novels in this series. The Heralds, who should be acting as third parties, make things worse. One might expect them to at least remark on the usage of the term "barbarian" but they adopt it themselves without question. Nor do Kerowyn and Eldan make an effort to uphold the Valdemaran motto "There is no one true way." Regardless of the fact that the Ghost Cat tribe has not done anything wrong, there is no attempt to contact them on decent terms. Instead the big plan is to "pull a Cortez" and pretend to be spirit people so as to overawe them. Even then, when the tribe does nothing wrong and, according to Valdemaran law as depicted in previous books, they have done nothing undeserving of the free sanction of their people, the Valdemaran/Taleydras alliance does not appear to make any follow-up on communications with them. Instead, there is discussion of burning the entire tribe to death to avoid the sickness they carry. It would be one thing if this option were coached as a last-ditch course of action: however, Kerowyn discusses it casually and seems to consider it their first. Kerowyn is portrayed in pretty poor terms all around: when the Healers under her command discuss possible steps they might take for healing the "barbarians," she bursts in on them in an immature fashion, yelling that they are stupid for even thinking of such a thing, apparently unable to tell apart discussion from action and forgetting that it is in fact her Healers' *jobs* to think about this stuff. However, the Healers are also not without flaw when one makes a distasteful remark about being reluctant to heal people who eat their food raw--something that a Healer simply would not be capable of saying in Lackey's world as it has been portrayed till now. Not only is there a breakdown in communication with the tribe but within the Valdemaran-Taleydras ranks as well...for no good reason. Leaving aside the ethical questions of kidnapping a "barbarian" for medical experiments without even asking if anyone with the disease would like to volunteer, what is it that prevents Keisha and Darien from mentioning it to their friends? They could easily get their little scheme okayed, considering all the callousness that these people have demonstrated towards the "barbarians." The kidnapping is then followed by a forcible mental "language transaction" that basically amounts to what Lackey has in the past referred to as "mindrape." Keisha and Darian, however, do not give it a moment's thought. All this is not to say that this xenophobia might not have been a valuable element of the book. It was certainly the most interesting. The problem is that it wasn't handled well at all: it was overwritten to the point of unbelievability, and it wasn't explored as it could have been. Characters hold their xenophobic views without change. No one plays Devil's Advocate (beyond Darian's superficial speech about wanting to drop women and children off of cliffs but knowing that he has to wait and see the tribe before he does) and so, until the kidnapping of Hywel, there is no real sense of another side, and then it is too late to provide anything interesting. All is apparently justified by the ease with which parties interact in the next book, "Owlknight," when "barbarian" appears to be a word of the past and Ghost Cat lives in peaceable coexistence with the Taleydras-Valdemarans. There is no reference to the process which has made this possible and which could have provided some real meat for the book. Instead it becomes merely glossed over and pointless: an exercise in prejudice and xenophobia without rhyme, reason or reward.
Rating:
Summary: Give her a break...
Review: Owlsight may not live up to the expectations set by the Last Herald-Mage or the Arrows of the Queen, but it was definitely the highlight of the series. Darian has grown up a bit, and there's a lot of good character development. I also found the storyline a little more interesting than those of Owlflight and Owlknight. Overall, I liked it, but if I re-read it I'll probably read it as a stand-alone rather than part of the trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: The magic has all but died
Review: This book was wonderful. I think there is much more going on story wise than alot of the negative reviewers picked up on. At the end of Storm Breaking magic was shattered remember people? The big magics had all but vanished other than of course the magic done by blood sacrifice or many working in concert. Yes Firesong is a shadow of himself but rightly so. He lost almost all in the aftermath of the last book. And as for his eyes being silver as one person said. Magic "bleaches" out the user or did you not remember? All eyes of magic users turn a lighter shade and their hair eventually goes silver as do their bondbirds. Now as for the plot I think that Mercedes Lackey did well introducing us to the world that now has little or no magic. Or rather, magic that is scattered like rain all over and no longer in pools (nodes) or streams (ley lines). She is letting us know that now the Big magics are gone there are going to be more occurances of weirdling beasts, nomad and barbarian tribes, and other possible kingdoms that might test the Valdemar, Karasite, Hawkbrother, and Shin'a'nin alliance. Don't let the bad ratings discourage you loyal Mercedes Lackey fans! Read on with the other two in this series and see what she is setting us up for next!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a step up...
Review: Well, I finally got around to reading this second book in the trilogy, and I must say, it's a step up from the first! The characters were more realistic and compelling, and the plot was more engaging. Not only did we get a closer look at Darian, we also saw a different side to the 'barbarians'. The new character, Keisha, was a very refreshing departure from her usual 'I wanna die' depressed teens. There are some annoying aspects that are beginning to surface in her novels... does every main character *have* to be an Adept level mage? You can only get so many spins from this point of view, and honestly, it's getting quite boring. I would like to see some books where the focus is around normal magic-less citizens of Valdemar. This is a whole side of Valdemar that Lackey has barely touched upon! All in all, the book was a surprisingly good read, considering the first one. I simply wish Lackey would discuss other aspects of Valdemar, ones that readers haven't gotten much information on.
Rating:
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.....
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