Reviews

Beyond by Mercedes Lackey

riley_97ri's review against another edition

5.0

This was such amazing and surprising fun and funny read, I had many good laughs between the gut reaching worries as the plot thicken.
Another amazing book by Mercedes Lackey, wonderful and easy to love characters and smooth and engaging writing. I couldn’t ask for a better book on the founding of Valdemar and I’m and very excited to get my hands on the second instalment!
5/5

drshakespeare's review

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

lunarchfey's review

5.0

I really enjoyed this! I've read many of the older Valdemar books quite a few times since my teens, and this felt simultaneously nostalgic as well as fresh and new. A lot of the staples I enjoyed were there, combined with some up-to-date commentary-slash-satire on current events (and honestly a much stronger writing hand from the author after decades of practice, of course).

Kordas was a much more interesting narrator than I though he'd be (pleasantly interesting and slightly unhinged in a good way), and Delia a good counterpoint who felt like a Talia for a different generation. Some solid queer rep in the supporting cast, and a lot of interesting and unique characters. And I loved-loved the Dolls. Looking forward to the next books in this series.

bea_evans's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Saw the third in this series and went back to get the first. Haven’t read any of her stuff in a while. Weird mix of modernity and fantasy, but I guess that makes sense a bit because they had technology that was lost in the transition. But some of the exclamations were a little too modern and threw me out of the story at times.

gmancam's review

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

ktlyonswoodhams's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

beary_bookwormish's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Mercedes is truly my favorite adult fantasy author. She has captivated me with the world of Velgarth since I read Arrows of the Queen in High School over 30 years ago. Which makes me one of her earliest Valdemar recruits, lol About 14 years ago I separated from my first husband and most of my library went into storage. When I remarried my second husband and new father in law insisted that I pare down my library. It would not be an over estimation to say that over the next three years I was harassed into parting with over 3/4 of my book collection. My Mercedes Lackey novels were some of the novels I refused to part with. Considering I own all of the novels written before 2012, that's quite a few novels. That includes novels outside of the Valdemar world, to include the novels in the worlds of the Jouster, Elemental Master, and the Obsidian Trilogy written w/ James Mallory. I have been waiting approximately 20 years to devour this piece of Valdemars history, and once again Mercedes did not disappoint.

junereadsbooks's review against another edition

Not for me

lesemensch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

milliemudd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

3.5