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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For a last book in series, it was a bit of a let-down. It felt like a whole lot of filler and flashbacks and rehash. This could have been a lot better.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ratings - completed series:
#1 Foundation: ★★★★☆
#2 Intrigues: ★★★★☆
#3 Changes: ★★★★☆
#4 Redoubt: ★★★★☆
#5 Bastion (this book): ★★★☆☆
#1 Foundation: ★★★★☆
#2 Intrigues: ★★★★☆
#3 Changes: ★★★★☆
#4 Redoubt: ★★★★☆
#5 Bastion (this book): ★★★☆☆
I keep seeing sulky reviews posted on this series, and it makes me want to go "oh come on guys, grow up". You are literally reading a series of books about magical horses who choose teenagers to save the realm. You don't read Valdemar books for delicate prose stylings and fraught moral dilemmas, you read them for a dedication to happy endings despite bad things happening, and world building that verges on info dump (characters who care about how things work? I LOVE IT), and ridiculous plots somehow treated reasonably. I mean, this series includes the aforementioned magical horses, a semi-sentient rock, teenage spy rings, and the orphaned heir to a nation of assassins. (It's AMAZING.)
Sure, if you wanted Game of Thrones, you might find this series to be disappointing, but if you paid the SMALLEST amount of attention to the text before, you would know that you weren't getting GoT.
Sigh.
So yes, I quite enjoyed this series, and I have no shame about doing so. I thought Lackey dealt well with some of the ethical issues the other books often tended to skate past (written in the 80s, and all), and I greatly enjoyed the pragmatic nature of the MC. And I also enjoyed all the other characters. My roommates can attest to how much I was chortling while reading this.
MORE MAGS. MORE AMILY. MORE EVERYONE.
Sure, if you wanted Game of Thrones, you might find this series to be disappointing, but if you paid the SMALLEST amount of attention to the text before, you would know that you weren't getting GoT.
Sigh.
So yes, I quite enjoyed this series, and I have no shame about doing so. I thought Lackey dealt well with some of the ethical issues the other books often tended to skate past (written in the 80s, and all), and I greatly enjoyed the pragmatic nature of the MC. And I also enjoyed all the other characters. My roommates can attest to how much I was chortling while reading this.
MORE MAGS. MORE AMILY. MORE EVERYONE.
While I enjoyed the book as I enjoy every Mercedes Lackey book I've ever read it didn't hold the magic for me that some do. I started into the Valdemar world with The Last Harold Mage. Which I read as the compendium including all 3 books at once. After that book which I loved so much I refused to read any of Lackey's other writings for more than 10 years as I was afraid that none of the other books she had would hold up to my love for Van and his story. I hesitantly read another one I believe my next step into this universe was through the Black Gryphon and I loved it as well and so at that point I was off reading all of the books I could get my hands on. I loved the first one in this series and I enjoyed the others as well but for this one it really seemed as though there was not nearly as much action as I would have enjoyed. While I enjoyed seeing them in the towns I think the climax of the book was short lived and honestly I wasn't nervous for any of the main characters in the book.
I find these books so very comforting and satisfying.
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No