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hebberelle's review against another edition
4.0
Let me preface this by saying how much I love Mercedes Lackey and how I absolutely did cry twice in this book. First when the companions appeared and second when Sydney disappeared.
What I wanted: I was hoping for a gloriously magical tale of how the first companions appeared, how the first Heralds were chosen, how they felt and what they had to deal with in terms of everyone else's reactions, then how they set about organizing the future.
What we got: fully 50% of this was day to day minutiae for running a kingdom. It was slow and pretty boring. We also got sunsinger and shadowdancer, but they were mooney teenagers that just happened to have useful gifts. The Companions didn't appear until fully 48% into the novel. THEN it was still minutiae for another 25% of the book until the reader could figure out it was good ole' Falconsbane (Ma'ar) again and it was a battle for the rest of the novel. It felt VERY railroaded and formulaic, almost as if Lackey is trying to wrap up every last bit of Valdemar history and toss it all into this one book.
Still, 4 stars because it's well done and still Misty, and she made my cry.
What I wanted: I was hoping for a gloriously magical tale of how the first companions appeared, how the first Heralds were chosen, how they felt and what they had to deal with in terms of everyone else's reactions, then how they set about organizing the future.
What we got: fully 50% of this was day to day minutiae for running a kingdom. It was slow and pretty boring. We also got sunsinger and shadowdancer, but they were mooney teenagers that just happened to have useful gifts. The Companions didn't appear until fully 48% into the novel. THEN it was still minutiae for another 25% of the book until the reader could figure out it was good ole' Falconsbane (Ma'ar) again and it was a battle for the rest of the novel. It felt VERY railroaded and formulaic, almost as if Lackey is trying to wrap up every last bit of Valdemar history and toss it all into this one book.
Still, 4 stars because it's well done and still Misty, and she made my cry.
liannekb's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Not recommended to anyone who hasn't been reading the Valdemar series since the beginning, since it's a bit of fanservice for the loyal fans, and doesn't entirely stand on its own.
fezzik's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
atsumeri's review against another edition
adventurous
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
2.75
bookwrm526's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
gondorgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lycaonia's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
grace_b_3's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
greenldydragon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75