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charmedrandi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stacis16's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
A year ago, I read Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy, set in her fantasy kingdom of Valdemar, which notably features magical companion horses that bond to humans. I was held throughout the trilogy by the protagonist, Vanyel, whom I cared about greatly. "Arrows of the Queen" begins another Valdemar trilogy, and, once again, I quickly grew attached to the protagonist, Talia, who is turning thirteen as the book opens, and whose life is starved of affection or hope. Spoilers ahead.
The unqualified support that Talia receives from several of the other characters also felt close to wish fulfillment. Yet, importantly, this worked well for me. Maybe because the other characters seemed less idealized, or maybe because kindness moves me greatly, both in fiction and in real life. I cared about Talia. I cared about the secondary characters. I loved how they helped each other.
Minor notes:
#1. "Arrows of the Queen" reminded me strongly of Anne McCaffrey's books about Menolly, "Dragonsong" and "Dragonsinger," which I read and re-read when I was growing up.
#2. I very much appreciate that both this book and the Last Herald Mage trilogy contain positive portrayals of LGBTQ characters.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoiler
I found this a somewhat uneven book. For instance, pages 2 through 4 jump from Talia's direct experience into her imaginative participation in a book she's reading, which I found disconcerting. And sometimes the prose switches to a flat summary/statement mode, rather than its usual immersive mode. The Companion horses are so flawlessly perfect that they seem like wish fulfillment. I wanted one, yet they didn't quite seem real. [I understand that they are fantastical, but when I'm immersed in a story, the magical can seem real.]The unqualified support that Talia receives from several of the other characters also felt close to wish fulfillment. Yet, importantly, this worked well for me. Maybe because the other characters seemed less idealized, or maybe because kindness moves me greatly, both in fiction and in real life. I cared about Talia. I cared about the secondary characters. I loved how they helped each other.
Minor notes:
#1. "Arrows of the Queen" reminded me strongly of Anne McCaffrey's books about Menolly, "Dragonsong" and "Dragonsinger," which I read and re-read when I was growing up.
#2. I very much appreciate that both this book and the Last Herald Mage trilogy contain positive portrayals of LGBTQ characters.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
eclairedelune's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
sandramarie's review against another edition
4.0
I've never read Mercedes Lackey before. This was quite an introduction! I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
tuliptrees's review against another edition
2.0
Hmmmm. I’m a bit confused. Maybe this was the wrong Mercedes Lackey book to start with? Maybe her writing gets better with time? This one was published in 1987 and I know she’s written a lot since then. I felt like there wasn’t much of a plot. The story jumped around a lot and didn’t flow well. There wasn’t a whole lot of character or world development. I didn’t feel very connected to anyone, even the main character. That said, I bought the trilogy, so I’ll see what happens next. Maybe. Someday.
jmoses's review against another edition
4.0
This was among one of my first forays into Fantasy when I was younger. Needless to say it stuck with me, and I pretty much fanboy love all of these books, even though some of the writing isn't the best.
saunteringvaguelydownward's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
bluestjuice's review against another edition
3.0
So, I've never read any of Mercedes Lackey's fiction in my adolescence. This is a pity, probably, because this book is exactly tailored to the adolescent fantasy reader. I'm going to be rather critical in this review so I want to preface this by making it clear that despite its many flaws, Arrows of the Queen was quite readable and I was interested in what would come next despite its lack of much character development or a terribly involved plot. This is something of a feat, and I credit it as much to the world building as anything else.
So. I'm serious when I say I would have probably loved this as a teenager, and not even because I was obsessed with horses (I wasn't, really) - though this series would hit those buttons, too. But this has the classic Pern-esque every-fantasy-novel-ever trope of an adolescent child who doesn't fit in at all with her dull daily life. Talia's childhood in Sensholding, a fringe outpost characterized by strict obedience, repressed emotions, and a patriarchal power structure which includes polygamy, is rough. She's underloved and her unique qualities are not appreciated, just like every teenager everywhere. The novel pivots at the point where she flees an arranged marriage and encounters a horse which carries her away from the holding and into the heartland of the kingdom.
I found it rather unbelievable how completely distinct the holding culture was from the culture of all the rest of the people in the kingdom - it doesn't seem to make sense that they would be able to maintain this relatively isolated and unique way of life while sharing borders with the more ordinary citizens in the next town over. The biggest problem with this part of the book, however, is how very perfect Talia is at all things. She reaches the Heralds' Collegium and discovers that the horse - make that Companion - that she's bonded with happens to be the horse of the Queen's Own Herald, making her the herald presumptive for this position which is the second highest in the Kingdom. The wish fulfillment fantasy here is pretty overwhelming, and it continues as she is introduced to the different parts of her new world, in which she discovers that there was never anything wrong with her, it's just that her family and culture didn't understand her. Now she is modest and self-effacing, charming and cordial, a bit shy and standoffish, but not to worry, teachers and trainers and other students just warm to her by the strength of her winning personality. It turns out she's a whiz at bringing bratty children to heel. She might not have any formal fighting training but that's okay, the surreptitious archery she did with her brother a few times as a kid puts her on par to be as good as any other archer after a few practices. She's a super-talented horseman: they can't teach her anything. She discovers a latent (and wholly unnecessary) gift for singing. She's wise beyond her years and offers insightful guidance and counsel to the adult Queen at the age of 14. She develops a talent for emotional mind-reading and has to train to defend herself from all the emotions swirling around. It just... meh. It's too much. It's every adolescent fantasy of finding the perfect place where everyone will adore you just the way you are, made real.
The plot pretty much at this point becomes a episodic wandering melange of super-light political intrigue, and relationship-building episodes that see Talia making friends, struggling with bullying, taking on more responsibility, etc. The main plot thread that traverses the whole thing involves a plot against the Queen, but Lackey isn't interested in really digging into this plot in any meaningful way. We never even find out the names of the courtiers involved in it, because we aren't supposed to care. This plot thread is a vehicle to allow Talia to look good by discovering secrets and helping to secure evidence that can be used to incriminate the schemers.
Anyway, I had been warned that this is a weak link in the series, and that they improve (it was apparently also the first). The writing was engaging and I did like certain elements of the way the world was designed (although parts of it I found silly). So I'll be reading on in the hopes of more elaborate character development and storylines in future books.
So. I'm serious when I say I would have probably loved this as a teenager, and not even because I was obsessed with horses (I wasn't, really) - though this series would hit those buttons, too. But this has the classic Pern-esque every-fantasy-novel-ever trope of an adolescent child who doesn't fit in at all with her dull daily life. Talia's childhood in Sensholding, a fringe outpost characterized by strict obedience, repressed emotions, and a patriarchal power structure which includes polygamy, is rough. She's underloved and her unique qualities are not appreciated, just like every teenager everywhere. The novel pivots at the point where she flees an arranged marriage and encounters a horse which carries her away from the holding and into the heartland of the kingdom.
I found it rather unbelievable how completely distinct the holding culture was from the culture of all the rest of the people in the kingdom - it doesn't seem to make sense that they would be able to maintain this relatively isolated and unique way of life while sharing borders with the more ordinary citizens in the next town over. The biggest problem with this part of the book, however, is how very perfect Talia is at all things. She reaches the Heralds' Collegium and discovers that the horse - make that Companion - that she's bonded with happens to be the horse of the Queen's Own Herald, making her the herald presumptive for this position which is the second highest in the Kingdom. The wish fulfillment fantasy here is pretty overwhelming, and it continues as she is introduced to the different parts of her new world, in which she discovers that there was never anything wrong with her, it's just that her family and culture didn't understand her. Now she is modest and self-effacing, charming and cordial, a bit shy and standoffish, but not to worry, teachers and trainers and other students just warm to her by the strength of her winning personality. It turns out she's a whiz at bringing bratty children to heel. She might not have any formal fighting training but that's okay, the surreptitious archery she did with her brother a few times as a kid puts her on par to be as good as any other archer after a few practices. She's a super-talented horseman: they can't teach her anything. She discovers a latent (and wholly unnecessary) gift for singing. She's wise beyond her years and offers insightful guidance and counsel to the adult Queen at the age of 14. She develops a talent for emotional mind-reading and has to train to defend herself from all the emotions swirling around. It just... meh. It's too much. It's every adolescent fantasy of finding the perfect place where everyone will adore you just the way you are, made real.
The plot pretty much at this point becomes a episodic wandering melange of super-light political intrigue, and relationship-building episodes that see Talia making friends, struggling with bullying, taking on more responsibility, etc. The main plot thread that traverses the whole thing involves a plot against the Queen, but Lackey isn't interested in really digging into this plot in any meaningful way. We never even find out the names of the courtiers involved in it, because we aren't supposed to care. This plot thread is a vehicle to allow Talia to look good by discovering secrets and helping to secure evidence that can be used to incriminate the schemers.
Anyway, I had been warned that this is a weak link in the series, and that they improve (it was apparently also the first). The writing was engaging and I did like certain elements of the way the world was designed (although parts of it I found silly). So I'll be reading on in the hopes of more elaborate character development and storylines in future books.
mryan888's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0