A review by bummerdays
Closer to Home by Mercedes Lackey

4.0

I rarely review a Lackey book. Mostly because I'm extremely biased. I love her books. But this one? Those 4 stars should be read like this 2 because of Amily's Gift, and the other 2 because I cannot bring myself to give Lackey less than 4 stars. Those are loyalty stars, pity stars even. I must say that I have no real problems with this book. It was just lackluster? It was Romeo and Juliet but not really. No characters grew and developed... Except perhaps the remaining parents of Romeo and Juliet at the end of the book. I feel like Lackey knocked Nikolas off a bridge just to put him conveniently out of the way without killing him. Which strikes me as not at all like her... When has she ever spared a character's life like that? He served no purpose by surviving except to tell Mags of the thieving kids... To be completely honest, despite knowing these characters for 6 books now I would not give a rat's ass if any of them died. I'm serious. I would care more if Violetta's little puppy Star died. They are simply... Flat. There's no emotions there to sway me. No great villain to terrify me, or worse... For me to sympathize with. No romance that isn't mundane. Where's the fights? The mistakes? The change and growth?? Of course Mags's books have all been kind of bland... So bland that when I started this one I couldn't even remember what happened in the last one. I read them and then promptly forget everything that happened. Although still to this day I could tell you the exact plot of Brightly Burning. I don't know... I wish Lackey would reassess. This series is salvageable... These characters could become unforgettable and important. But she's got to try something different.