bookishinsomniac's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Oathblood, an anthology of stories about Keth and Tarma before during and after the events of the other Vows and Honor stories, had several hits and misses for me.
Pros:
· I finally got to read the meeting of Keth and Tarma and what finally started their journey together which is what I’ve been missing since the beginning.
· Epilogue- The ending story was also the ending I wanted to Oathbreakers.
Cons:
· Other stories- Besides the first and last stories, I thought this anthology was somewhat pointless. Half the stories were based off of things we had already read in the other books. As much as I like reading Tarma and Keth’s stories there was just no overarching storyline which I don’t enjoy as much.
I’m giving this book 2.5/5 stars. For me this whole book could’ve been taken out and the first story could’ve been a prologue, and the last an epilogue and it would’ve had the same effect.
jesshale's review
3.0
The last in the trilogy about warrior Tarma and sorceress Kethry, this book is a collection of short stories. It includes the origin story about the two, which would have been better placed in the first book and, confusingly repeats two of the stories which appeared in book one.
It is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Repeated material notwithstanding, the stories are fun. "Oathblood" in particular wraps things up nicely for Tarma and Kethry.
It is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Repeated material notwithstanding, the stories are fun. "Oathblood" in particular wraps things up nicely for Tarma and Kethry.
inferiorwit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Vomit, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Death, Confinement, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, and Animal death
libra17's review
4.0
I started this collection of Tarma and Kethry stories because I plan to start the duology and this volume had the initial short story with their meeting. That being said, I very much liked most of the stories, although some were clearly set after the duology so I didn't have all the context needed to really them. Perhaps I'll revisit this book after reading the duology to see if I like the later set short stories better.
melanie_page's review
4.0
Oathblood is distinctly and beautifully female, from the severe cramps Kethry suffers one night to the close friendships between girls who exchange prized gifts, to the way Tarma teaches her male students that she is not subservient to them thanks to her gender. While I was lulled into think Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey would be a simple collection of stories that harken back to the days of serial sci-fi and fantasy magazines, I realized through the passages I marked that there was much more going on — just not in your face.
Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels.
Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels.
aubkabob's review
3.0
I've never been a big fan of The Short Story, and as this IS a collection of short stories (some excerpts from the previous two books), it was a bit of a fight to get through it. (I like longer things, where you have more of a chance to develop a relationship with the characters. Granted, having read two books with Tarma and Kethry before, that "bond" was there, but as I read before going to sleep, many times I would go to read the next night and forget what the hell I was reading, as the story changed every night.)
vivifriend's review
5.0
Some I stories I had already read. It was interesting seeing the change in Warrl. The last story is the best and worth 5 stars alone.
awamiba's review against another edition
Oathblood ([b:Vows and Honor|176797|The Oathbound (Vows and Honor, Book 1)|Mercedes Lackey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172444482s/176797.jpg|2605], Book 3) by Mercedes Lackey (1998)
lordjim13's review against another edition
4.0
This was, somewhat randomly, my first Lackey, and therefore my first of the series. However, as it includes the origin story in amongst the 11 short stories. Most are good sword-and-sorcery fare, with the unusual attraction, as the intro points out, of a pair of women in the comrades-in-arms roles mostly assigned to men. They are a good pair, if a little too flawless at times, but these are not dark or particularly dangerous stories (their gruesome origin aside). The earlier (published and set) ones are better, focusing on the two alone against the odds a bit more. The longer story that finishes and names the book starts slowly and domestically, but has a fun finish. The writing is less atmospheric than some S&S, but full of thoughtful details and well-plotted. The main characters are fun to follow, though in short form it wasn't always easy to tell them apart, as they both think alike, and generally out-think rather than out-fight or -magic their opponents. I'd definitely try the other books in is series, though I've never been too interested in Valdemar (and I can't say that's changed).
bibliotropic's review against another edition
3.0
There are some ups and downs to this book. On the up-side, this book is a bunch of short stories and doesn’t pretend to be anything but that, no half-hearted attempts to string them all together into something resembling a coherent and continuing plot. It was nice to see a few interesting adventures that Tarma and Kethry have suffered through, particularly the one inspired by Murphy’s Law.
Also, I finally got to read the story in which the two main characters met in the first place.
The down side is that about half the book consisted of stories that had been seen in other places, most notably the first book of the Vows and Honor trilogy. This would be fine if it was a standalone book unconnected to another series, but as it was, I’d already read some of what was being presented to me, with few to no changed in the presentation between the original short story and the time it made it to the first book of the trilogy. Rather disappointing, I think, to read what I’d already read, especially when I was expecting new things.
What was interesting, though, was to see the obvious progression of the author’s writing talents. From the earlier stories to the later ones, it’s easy to see Lackey’s style become more solid, more confident as she grows into it. Her sense of humour is evident throughout, though; some things just never change.
Overall, I’m glad I can say that I’ve finally read this trilogy, which I think means I’ve read all the Valdemar novels except for one (and that one’s in the mail as we speak). I’m equally glad, though, to say that I don’t have to read it again; this was definitely my least favourite trilogy in the series. Decent, but not the best.
Also, I finally got to read the story in which the two main characters met in the first place.
The down side is that about half the book consisted of stories that had been seen in other places, most notably the first book of the Vows and Honor trilogy. This would be fine if it was a standalone book unconnected to another series, but as it was, I’d already read some of what was being presented to me, with few to no changed in the presentation between the original short story and the time it made it to the first book of the trilogy. Rather disappointing, I think, to read what I’d already read, especially when I was expecting new things.
What was interesting, though, was to see the obvious progression of the author’s writing talents. From the earlier stories to the later ones, it’s easy to see Lackey’s style become more solid, more confident as she grows into it. Her sense of humour is evident throughout, though; some things just never change.
Overall, I’m glad I can say that I’ve finally read this trilogy, which I think means I’ve read all the Valdemar novels except for one (and that one’s in the mail as we speak). I’m equally glad, though, to say that I don’t have to read it again; this was definitely my least favourite trilogy in the series. Decent, but not the best.