A review by mary_soon_lee
Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey

4.0

This is the final book in Mercedes Lackey's fantasy trilogy "The Last Herald Mage." I found the first two volumes an almost-unbroken pleasure, this one slightly less so. I enjoyed it very much, but, although it did complete the arc of the trilogy, it felt a little rougher. There were several points where I felt as if an important scene had been skipped over, a scene that mattered to the main characters, a scene that I missed. Despite this, the story held me from start to finish, because I cared about the characters. I've cared deeply about Vanyel throughout the trilogy, and in this third volume, I was also very drawn to Stefen. There are other reasons to enjoy the trilogy, but it is primarily on the strength of my attachment to the characters that I highly recommend it.

SpoilerI note that I was offput by the age gap between Stefen and Vanyel. It didn't break the story for me, but it skated close to the edge. Curiously enough, I had a similar difficulty with Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner books, which, like this trilogy, I mostly enjoyed immensely, thanks to the appeal of the characters.