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Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #2
Arrow's Flight
Set in the medieval fantasy kingdom of Valdemar, this unique and exciting novel continues the story of Talia. Having mastered the powers necessary to a guardian of the kingdom, she faces the final preparation for her initiation as adviser and protector of the Queen.
318 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
631 books8,884 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 571 reviews
April 27, 2019
If you love Tamora Pierces Lioness you will l think you will love Talia just as much as me.
Talias beginning in book one was heartbreaking and its so good to see Talia grow into herself and her own power. I loved also how it is normal for Heralds to be women, and how the women Talia surround herself with are so different from her. You dont need to be one type of woman to be strong and powerful.
I loved to see Elspeths continuing growth and her attitude change is great from book one.
Also how Talias gift is percieved from other people and how it makes life so much harder. I just have to say that Rolan is great and can I please get an animal like him?
I would highly recommend this series to anyone that are a fan of Maria V. Snyder and Tamora Pierce. Great worldbuilding. Great friendships.
Talias beginning in book one was heartbreaking and its so good to see Talia grow into herself and her own power. I loved also how it is normal for Heralds to be women, and how the women Talia surround herself with are so different from her. You dont need to be one type of woman to be strong and powerful.
I loved to see Elspeths continuing growth and her attitude change is great from book one.
Also how Talias gift is percieved from other people and how it makes life so much harder. I just have to say that Rolan is great and can I please get an animal like him?
I would highly recommend this series to anyone that are a fan of Maria V. Snyder and Tamora Pierce. Great worldbuilding. Great friendships.
June 12, 2012
Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Book 2...
This is not the first 2nd book of a trilogy I've read to suffer from 'dark gloomy valley of emotional despair' syndrome. 1st books are about beginnings, new things and getting to know characters. 3rd books are about resolutions and endings. Middle books are about... slogging through.
Do they have to be? I'm not so sure, but I also don't know if I've read enough to give an accurate judgment. What I *DO* know is I did not enjoy this second book nearly as much as I enjoyed the first.
Positively, I still think the flow of the writing is pleasant, and the pace of world-building enjoyable. Negatively though, I feel like the minor flaws of the first book have grown to cause greater problems in the second. Plot-related challenges to the characters crop up quickly, and just as quickly are put to rest-- for example, the 'problem' of Elspeth not yet having been Chosen and thus her status as Heir in flux was brought up with grave seriousness, and then resolved in the space of ten pages. Moreover, the narrative contradicts itself in her Companion Gwena's status-- one sentence she is stated as Grove-born, and then a few later it is recalled that she was just a shyer member of the Companion herd. (Also? At the end of the book, when the narrative explains extensively to the reader about the two stages of the Truth Spell? All well and good, except this is the SECOND time we the readers see the The Truth Spell in action. After NOT explaining the two stages and just assuming that the reader remembers Book 1's explanation the FIRST time, not only was it confusing to suddenly find the exposition, but it felt demeaning. I am not an absent-minded reader, and I did not forget between that last time Talia used the Truth Spell and this one. Oh, and the book just assumes the reader knows why Kris can't use the second level of the spell but Talia can-- and that's not explained in either Truth Spell Usage plot point. I'm guessing it has to do with the sort of Gift he has, but I COULD HAVE SWORN exposition in the first book placed The Truth Spell as something all Heralds could do to all levels.) The vague and impersonal statement of 'Oh there are Court Intrigues' returns full force, only this time Talia is taken away from those intrigues further as she rides circuit. And then suddenly, for no apparent reason, her shields collapse because of a few poked questions concerning her gift. She was so confidently in control of her gift at the end of Book 1 that the disintegration of her control seemed not only out of character, it did not *logically* make sense. She was amongst THRONGS of people in the capital, and she was exposed to far more than just the Collegium's set of relatively stable minds. Moreover, why had she not discovered or picked up on those rumors while she was in the capital from her Empathy? Moreover moreover, when Talia is taught to shield in Book 1, the event happens within a paragraph and sounds unbelievably easy. Especially because Talia moves through a number of wild emotions throughout the rest of Book 1, and her shields do not waver much. Is it because she is at the Collegium that her shields do not fail before her circuit ride? If so, it would be beneficial to the narrative to say so, because as it is right now the collapse of Talia's mind feels very fabricated.
The circuit-riding itself feels like one long rabbit-trail to the whole of the story so far, especially with how unbalanced it is-- we spend a large part of the narrative sitting with Talia and Kris snowed into their Waystation for chapter upon chapter, and then we watch as they resolve far more interesting village-life events in a handful of pages each. This was the very definition of 'slogging' through long periods of emotionally unpleasant periods for the characters, and I'm sadly surprised to find it after Book 1 felt so warm and radiantly comforting in mood. I understand from an objective point of view that this is the classic 'cocooning' process of character development, the sinking them to depths of hardship before elevating them back up as better people, but after seeing so many narrative choices made in Book 1 in the name of giving the reader a sense of comfort and enjoyment, not to mention many a glossing over of similar emotional growth trends in characters (cf. Talia's growing acceptance of others into her life during her education as a Gray, Elspeth's change from Brat to kind girl) to suddenly decide to write in painful detail this strange emotional shattering feels betrayingly out of step with the previous storytelling. And to hold the reader's head in it for over half the book? We are dancing now with issues of making narrative choices between readerly enjoyment and being 'true to life' in character growth. I would not object so much to the affair, except that so many choices previously have obviously been made in favor of the idealizing the fantasy instead of being 'realistic' (Just take a minute to examine any character presented so far, and it's easy to see the stark strokes they are painted in, either Good or Bad. I would be hard pressed to call any of them 'true-to-life' or 'realistic', but because it's easy to figure out who is good and who is bad, the story is more idyllic) that to send Talia into this dark emotional valley to slowly climb her way out feels completely out of step with everyone else. All the more so because she feels like the only character in the book changing. The narrative has narrowed immensely to focus almost exclusively on Talia and Kris, with a few minor players here and there, and though Kris plays a huge part in it all he merely plays the role of 'rock to cling to' instead of taking on any growth himself. He certainly *helps* Talia in her struggles, but does he struggle himself? His character seems more or less the same at the beginning and at the end, just closer in friendship to Talia. And as for Talia herself, because the emotional spiral felt so fabricated to start with, unfortunately it never felt triumphantly resolved at the end either. The fact that, despite always being under stress and tension because of her shields, she is written with an unwaveringly calm public face I think contributes to this, not to mention the disconcordance with how easily and powerfully she used her Gift in the previous book. Though I can certainly relate/empathize with the feeling of having to 'put on a strong face' in situations when I am in emotional turmoil underneath, I felt like I had lost empathy with the actual *character* of Talia because my willing suspension of disbelief about how her Gift and shields were working had been broken. Oh, and what about Rolan? The first book describes him as an emotional refuge and haven, one that Talia ran to often and took shelter in. Where was he in all this emotional struggle? Did he suddenly lose his ability to provide comfort and love to her? Book 1 establishes Companions as hugely supportive to their Heralds, and I saw very little of that in Book 2, to the point where my believe suspension again was broken.
Also, something must be said concerning the 'floating 3rd person' writing style. I don't recall it ever happening in Book 1, and though it only happened in Book 2 with jumps between Talia and Kris mid-scene (there were in both books POV jumps from scene to scene, but nothing WITHIN the scenes), it happened QUITE A BIT. From some research, it seems the jury is still out on the correctness of writing in this manner, but I contend, at least from what was presented in this book, that it had a narratively weakening effect. I had heard Lackey often used this 'Head-Hopping' writing style, and I've heard Steven King uses it as well, two successful authors, so who's going to argue with that? But I maintain that to switch heads mid-scene means to have to switch bundles of thoughts and emotions, which is flow-distruptive. It bothered me to no end to be jumping back and forth between them mid-scene, often having to backtrack to figure out whose head I was in at the moment to then figure out what THEIR pre-existing knowledge conditions were. And OFTEN, the emotions were just similar enough that the characters muddled together in my head despite trying to keep them separate-- it was hard to separate Talia and Kris after awhile, especially with how long it was just the two of them in that Waystation. On one hand, I can at least say hey, nice piece of symbolic writing... oh, except for the fact that they're not *supposed* to be life-mates, so they shouldn't necessarily be blurring together into one 'general' character. And second, if their characters DID end up just running together, that does not say much for the character defining work put into them.
Generally speaking, I also saw some dismaying signs of what I disliked so much in The Obsidian Trilogy beginning to appear-- a marked tendency to attempt dramatic irony that falls flat, a feeling of fabrication of issues, and a mishandling of climactic moments (Okay, seriously, those two messenger heralds at the end? How much more stilted in terms of forcing the plot can you get? 'You realize you just punished him, Talia.' 'Yes, and I would do it again.' 'Well okay then! Kudos!' Glad you two could suddenly appear for a dialogue line or two in order to vindicate Talia and then JUST VANISH.) I might not be so disappointed with Book 2 if it weren't for how Book 1 really seemed so different from The Obsidian Trilogy stuff, far removed and not making the same mistakes. Also too, a definite feeling of some 'long-term goal', in this case shepherding Elspeth through 'Court Intrigues' (It feels very much like a meaningless buzzword-phrase at this point) to becoming true Heir and eventual ruler, which then disappears into the background for hugely long periods of time while Talia's journey to become properly trained as a Herald in order to do that meanders on for years. I fear for the final book is going wrap up the 'Court Intrigues' Plot A very suddenly and shortly, and only when the nested Plot B of Talia's Herald Training is, further meanderingly, resolved... though I hope I'm wrong.
So, in sum, Book 2 was disappointing. Not necessarily on its own merit, but rather when set next to its predecessor, its flaws become more obvious and sad. Book 1 was SO GOOD at stretching willing suspension of disbelief without breaking it; Book 2 did not manage the same level of finesse. The increasing contradictions in world-building or scene-building logic were frustrating, and further tore at the believability of the narrative. Finally, the long drawn-out unpleasant descent into Talia's emotional psyche felt claustrophobic and suffocating in its 'true-to-life'-ness to an audience who in Book 1 had grown used to the narrative making choices that instead idealized the fantasy. Then, there were so few characters in Book 2, and those that were there presented simply, without real complexity. Finally, Narrative flow was at times difficult to follow due to the head-hopping, and the pace swung between relentless meandering and sudden stutters of 'OHTHERE'SAPROBLEMYAYWEFIXEDIT!'. I do hope the 3rd book redeems the series for me.
This is not the first 2nd book of a trilogy I've read to suffer from 'dark gloomy valley of emotional despair' syndrome. 1st books are about beginnings, new things and getting to know characters. 3rd books are about resolutions and endings. Middle books are about... slogging through.
Do they have to be? I'm not so sure, but I also don't know if I've read enough to give an accurate judgment. What I *DO* know is I did not enjoy this second book nearly as much as I enjoyed the first.
Positively, I still think the flow of the writing is pleasant, and the pace of world-building enjoyable. Negatively though, I feel like the minor flaws of the first book have grown to cause greater problems in the second. Plot-related challenges to the characters crop up quickly, and just as quickly are put to rest-- for example, the 'problem' of Elspeth not yet having been Chosen and thus her status as Heir in flux was brought up with grave seriousness, and then resolved in the space of ten pages. Moreover, the narrative contradicts itself in her Companion Gwena's status-- one sentence she is stated as Grove-born, and then a few later it is recalled that she was just a shyer member of the Companion herd. (Also? At the end of the book, when the narrative explains extensively to the reader about the two stages of the Truth Spell? All well and good, except this is the SECOND time we the readers see the The Truth Spell in action. After NOT explaining the two stages and just assuming that the reader remembers Book 1's explanation the FIRST time, not only was it confusing to suddenly find the exposition, but it felt demeaning. I am not an absent-minded reader, and I did not forget between that last time Talia used the Truth Spell and this one. Oh, and the book just assumes the reader knows why Kris can't use the second level of the spell but Talia can-- and that's not explained in either Truth Spell Usage plot point. I'm guessing it has to do with the sort of Gift he has, but I COULD HAVE SWORN exposition in the first book placed The Truth Spell as something all Heralds could do to all levels.) The vague and impersonal statement of 'Oh there are Court Intrigues' returns full force, only this time Talia is taken away from those intrigues further as she rides circuit. And then suddenly, for no apparent reason, her shields collapse because of a few poked questions concerning her gift. She was so confidently in control of her gift at the end of Book 1 that the disintegration of her control seemed not only out of character, it did not *logically* make sense. She was amongst THRONGS of people in the capital, and she was exposed to far more than just the Collegium's set of relatively stable minds. Moreover, why had she not discovered or picked up on those rumors while she was in the capital from her Empathy? Moreover moreover, when Talia is taught to shield in Book 1, the event happens within a paragraph and sounds unbelievably easy. Especially because Talia moves through a number of wild emotions throughout the rest of Book 1, and her shields do not waver much. Is it because she is at the Collegium that her shields do not fail before her circuit ride? If so, it would be beneficial to the narrative to say so, because as it is right now the collapse of Talia's mind feels very fabricated.
The circuit-riding itself feels like one long rabbit-trail to the whole of the story so far, especially with how unbalanced it is-- we spend a large part of the narrative sitting with Talia and Kris snowed into their Waystation for chapter upon chapter, and then we watch as they resolve far more interesting village-life events in a handful of pages each. This was the very definition of 'slogging' through long periods of emotionally unpleasant periods for the characters, and I'm sadly surprised to find it after Book 1 felt so warm and radiantly comforting in mood. I understand from an objective point of view that this is the classic 'cocooning' process of character development, the sinking them to depths of hardship before elevating them back up as better people, but after seeing so many narrative choices made in Book 1 in the name of giving the reader a sense of comfort and enjoyment, not to mention many a glossing over of similar emotional growth trends in characters (cf. Talia's growing acceptance of others into her life during her education as a Gray, Elspeth's change from Brat to kind girl) to suddenly decide to write in painful detail this strange emotional shattering feels betrayingly out of step with the previous storytelling. And to hold the reader's head in it for over half the book? We are dancing now with issues of making narrative choices between readerly enjoyment and being 'true to life' in character growth. I would not object so much to the affair, except that so many choices previously have obviously been made in favor of the idealizing the fantasy instead of being 'realistic' (Just take a minute to examine any character presented so far, and it's easy to see the stark strokes they are painted in, either Good or Bad. I would be hard pressed to call any of them 'true-to-life' or 'realistic', but because it's easy to figure out who is good and who is bad, the story is more idyllic) that to send Talia into this dark emotional valley to slowly climb her way out feels completely out of step with everyone else. All the more so because she feels like the only character in the book changing. The narrative has narrowed immensely to focus almost exclusively on Talia and Kris, with a few minor players here and there, and though Kris plays a huge part in it all he merely plays the role of 'rock to cling to' instead of taking on any growth himself. He certainly *helps* Talia in her struggles, but does he struggle himself? His character seems more or less the same at the beginning and at the end, just closer in friendship to Talia. And as for Talia herself, because the emotional spiral felt so fabricated to start with, unfortunately it never felt triumphantly resolved at the end either. The fact that, despite always being under stress and tension because of her shields, she is written with an unwaveringly calm public face I think contributes to this, not to mention the disconcordance with how easily and powerfully she used her Gift in the previous book. Though I can certainly relate/empathize with the feeling of having to 'put on a strong face' in situations when I am in emotional turmoil underneath, I felt like I had lost empathy with the actual *character* of Talia because my willing suspension of disbelief about how her Gift and shields were working had been broken. Oh, and what about Rolan? The first book describes him as an emotional refuge and haven, one that Talia ran to often and took shelter in. Where was he in all this emotional struggle? Did he suddenly lose his ability to provide comfort and love to her? Book 1 establishes Companions as hugely supportive to their Heralds, and I saw very little of that in Book 2, to the point where my believe suspension again was broken.
Also, something must be said concerning the 'floating 3rd person' writing style. I don't recall it ever happening in Book 1, and though it only happened in Book 2 with jumps between Talia and Kris mid-scene (there were in both books POV jumps from scene to scene, but nothing WITHIN the scenes), it happened QUITE A BIT. From some research, it seems the jury is still out on the correctness of writing in this manner, but I contend, at least from what was presented in this book, that it had a narratively weakening effect. I had heard Lackey often used this 'Head-Hopping' writing style, and I've heard Steven King uses it as well, two successful authors, so who's going to argue with that? But I maintain that to switch heads mid-scene means to have to switch bundles of thoughts and emotions, which is flow-distruptive. It bothered me to no end to be jumping back and forth between them mid-scene, often having to backtrack to figure out whose head I was in at the moment to then figure out what THEIR pre-existing knowledge conditions were. And OFTEN, the emotions were just similar enough that the characters muddled together in my head despite trying to keep them separate-- it was hard to separate Talia and Kris after awhile, especially with how long it was just the two of them in that Waystation. On one hand, I can at least say hey, nice piece of symbolic writing... oh, except for the fact that they're not *supposed* to be life-mates, so they shouldn't necessarily be blurring together into one 'general' character. And second, if their characters DID end up just running together, that does not say much for the character defining work put into them.
Generally speaking, I also saw some dismaying signs of what I disliked so much in The Obsidian Trilogy beginning to appear-- a marked tendency to attempt dramatic irony that falls flat, a feeling of fabrication of issues, and a mishandling of climactic moments (Okay, seriously, those two messenger heralds at the end? How much more stilted in terms of forcing the plot can you get? 'You realize you just punished him, Talia.' 'Yes, and I would do it again.' 'Well okay then! Kudos!' Glad you two could suddenly appear for a dialogue line or two in order to vindicate Talia and then JUST VANISH.) I might not be so disappointed with Book 2 if it weren't for how Book 1 really seemed so different from The Obsidian Trilogy stuff, far removed and not making the same mistakes. Also too, a definite feeling of some 'long-term goal', in this case shepherding Elspeth through 'Court Intrigues' (It feels very much like a meaningless buzzword-phrase at this point) to becoming true Heir and eventual ruler, which then disappears into the background for hugely long periods of time while Talia's journey to become properly trained as a Herald in order to do that meanders on for years. I fear for the final book is going wrap up the 'Court Intrigues' Plot A very suddenly and shortly, and only when the nested Plot B of Talia's Herald Training is, further meanderingly, resolved... though I hope I'm wrong.
So, in sum, Book 2 was disappointing. Not necessarily on its own merit, but rather when set next to its predecessor, its flaws become more obvious and sad. Book 1 was SO GOOD at stretching willing suspension of disbelief without breaking it; Book 2 did not manage the same level of finesse. The increasing contradictions in world-building or scene-building logic were frustrating, and further tore at the believability of the narrative. Finally, the long drawn-out unpleasant descent into Talia's emotional psyche felt claustrophobic and suffocating in its 'true-to-life'-ness to an audience who in Book 1 had grown used to the narrative making choices that instead idealized the fantasy. Then, there were so few characters in Book 2, and those that were there presented simply, without real complexity. Finally, Narrative flow was at times difficult to follow due to the head-hopping, and the pace swung between relentless meandering and sudden stutters of 'OHTHERE'SAPROBLEMYAYWEFIXEDIT!'. I do hope the 3rd book redeems the series for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2019
Oh dear. Oh my. Oh dear. What am I going to do with you?
To say I was a disappointed with this book would be an understatement. I was ready to two star this, but, I had to concede that it wasn't a bad book. It just had a lot of bad elements to it and it could have been so. Much. Better!
The long and short of it, is that this book suffers heavily from middle book syndrome. The second in a trilogy with only a few key things that need to happen and a lot of the rest feels like just filler.
It occurred to me that Lackey actually reminds me of Rowling in that she's great at world building and creating characters, but she sucks at romantic subplots or sexuality. It bothered me in the first book a little, but because the romantic/sexual subplot takes up such a big portion of this book, it kind of ruined it for me. It doesn't help that the other big subplot is poorly executed as well. If it wasn't for the overall world of Valdemar that I love and the strong beginning and reasonably strong finish to this book, I would have had to two star it and that would have made me very sad.
Because pretty much all of my complaints are plot related, I'm going to have to spoiler cloak most of it. What I can reveal without spoiling too much, I think, is that one subplot that bothered me was Talia's struggle with her powers. Now the idea is definitely not bad in and of itself, especially seeing as she's the only known Herald with these powers. But the way it was implemented was poor. Rather than troubles developing as her powers grown, it is suddenly revealed that in five years of Collegium training, she was never even been taught the bare basics of controlling these powers. Really? Most important Herald trainee in I don't know how long and nobody bothered to check up on her mental powers?
When her mentor discovers this, he tells her to hide her lack of control as it would scare people and ruin the name of the Heralds and the Collegium. I agree with that assessment and that is because the Collegium done fucked up and (as much as I love her) Talia shouldn't be out in the field like this and people have good reason to fear her. Her mentor then tries to very brutishly whip Talia into shape in the short time that they're on the road, school of hard knocks style, supported in this by Talia's supposedly loving companion Rolan. Meh, I didn't care for this, it was lazy, didn't make sense and REALLY should have been dealt with in the first book. As I said, this felt like filler.
Now we come to the thing that really ruined things for me and even caused me to put the book down and read something else for a few days as I found myself getting far too wound up about it: the huge, horrible and absolutely unnecessary romantic subplot. Sit tight, this is a big rant.
This book had so much potential, there were plagues, mysterious beings in the woods and unexplained bandits showing up. If this book had actually focussed on Talia growing as a Herald instead of a very ill advised affair between two people who are so wrong for each other, this would have been awesome. Instead, most of her Circuit ride is glanced over in very short episodes, while a very large portion of the middle of the book is spent on the month the two of them are snowed in. While not a bad book, this just feels like a very big, wasted opportunity.
To say I was a disappointed with this book would be an understatement. I was ready to two star this, but, I had to concede that it wasn't a bad book. It just had a lot of bad elements to it and it could have been so. Much. Better!
The long and short of it, is that this book suffers heavily from middle book syndrome. The second in a trilogy with only a few key things that need to happen and a lot of the rest feels like just filler.
It occurred to me that Lackey actually reminds me of Rowling in that she's great at world building and creating characters, but she sucks at romantic subplots or sexuality. It bothered me in the first book a little, but because the romantic/sexual subplot takes up such a big portion of this book, it kind of ruined it for me. It doesn't help that the other big subplot is poorly executed as well. If it wasn't for the overall world of Valdemar that I love and the strong beginning and reasonably strong finish to this book, I would have had to two star it and that would have made me very sad.
Because pretty much all of my complaints are plot related, I'm going to have to spoiler cloak most of it. What I can reveal without spoiling too much, I think, is that one subplot that bothered me was Talia's struggle with her powers. Now the idea is definitely not bad in and of itself, especially seeing as she's the only known Herald with these powers. But the way it was implemented was poor. Rather than troubles developing as her powers grown, it is suddenly revealed that in five years of Collegium training, she was never even been taught the bare basics of controlling these powers. Really? Most important Herald trainee in I don't know how long and nobody bothered to check up on her mental powers?
When her mentor discovers this, he tells her to hide her lack of control as it would scare people and ruin the name of the Heralds and the Collegium. I agree with that assessment and that is because the Collegium done fucked up and (as much as I love her) Talia shouldn't be out in the field like this and people have good reason to fear her. Her mentor then tries to very brutishly whip Talia into shape in the short time that they're on the road, school of hard knocks style, supported in this by Talia's supposedly loving companion Rolan. Meh, I didn't care for this, it was lazy, didn't make sense and REALLY should have been dealt with in the first book. As I said, this felt like filler.
Now we come to the thing that really ruined things for me and even caused me to put the book down and read something else for a few days as I found myself getting far too wound up about it: the huge, horrible and absolutely unnecessary romantic subplot. Sit tight, this is a big rant.
This book had so much potential, there were plagues, mysterious beings in the woods and unexplained bandits showing up. If this book had actually focussed on Talia growing as a Herald instead of a very ill advised affair between two people who are so wrong for each other, this would have been awesome. Instead, most of her Circuit ride is glanced over in very short episodes, while a very large portion of the middle of the book is spent on the month the two of them are snowed in. While not a bad book, this just feels like a very big, wasted opportunity.
July 7, 2021
Talia's 4-5 years of Herald training has come to an end and she's finally getting into her whites. Now all that's left is her 2 year circuit riding where she's partnered with a Senior Herald and learns to dispense justice. As suits her upbringing she's put on a circuit that's right on the border of Valdemar near the Forest of Sorrow where the legendary Vanyel died and laid a curse upon the woods.
Talia's partnered with pretty boy Kris who is Talia's opposite. He was born to a privileged elite family and is sheltered in the manners of border life and the hardships that the people have to deal with. The two balance each other out nicely and Talia is good and knocking Kris off his pedestale of "women worship." Kris has some inner depth that made me forget how conceded he could be at times. Their relationship is put to the test as Kris tells Talia about some rumors about her misusing her Empath gift. Spiraling her into a destructive state of mind that sends her emotions and powers against her.
It's definitely a good read dealing with the laws that need to be upheld in the rural areas. Things as mundane as taxes to sadistic raping fathers. Those scenes where thrilling and kept me guessing as the mundane and life threatening issues popped up to test Talia. The thing that really slowed this read down—probably making it one of the less appreciated book in Talia's trilogy—is that a vast majority of the novel takes place in a Herald waystation where Talia and Kris are snowed in with their Companions and pack animals. The two's relationship clearly grows and becomes something beautiful. Looking back on my previous re-reads of this book I confess I never really appreciated the time spent with Talia getting retrained in her gift. At times it can be a bit boring as they dig themselves out, survive getting snowed in, and the stress of Talia's out of control gifts and self-esteem.
Another thing that was fantastic about Arrow's Flight is the sexual relationship. Lackey shows readers that love can develop between two people/characters with out it being some kind of huge "soulmate" thing. They share something sweet and endearing, but still can manage to remain friends. It was one of the first love scenes I had read, up until then male authors I had been reading had kisses then implied that the two had a slept together. Even today I will say that the love scenes are nicely done. They don't have the graphic detail that some of todays writers go into detail about, but it definitely gets the deed done. Lackey doesn't gloss over the bits about Talia's lost virginity nor does she paint her ladies who enjoy a little bedroom time as sluts. After all a little randiness among Heralds is quite fine.
Just like in the first book Lackey uses her page time wisely. Characters from the previous book still get page time and their stories told even if they never make an appearance. The plot may not be as complicated as the first book, but this one still manages perfectly with the political drama even though the two are out in the middle of no where. Key things are still being setup even if there was some isolation time for the characters.
This may be the slowest book in the Arrows of the Queen trilogy, but it's still well worth the read. Talia's journey to become Queen's Own is finally truly beginning, and the emotional growth helps to show Talia that she needs to accept help from other people. The adventure clearly shows the tough decisions that Heralds have to deal with even if they aren't the Queen's Own. It also emphasizes the different types of love that people can feel for friends with out turning into a soap fest.
Sexual Content: There is no mistaking what's going on, but it's clearly not as graphic as some of the newer books out there. Again there are some homosexual themes, though not with the main character.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.
Originally posted at Book Whispers.
Talia's partnered with pretty boy Kris who is Talia's opposite. He was born to a privileged elite family and is sheltered in the manners of border life and the hardships that the people have to deal with. The two balance each other out nicely and Talia is good and knocking Kris off his pedestale of "women worship." Kris has some inner depth that made me forget how conceded he could be at times. Their relationship is put to the test as Kris tells Talia about some rumors about her misusing her Empath gift. Spiraling her into a destructive state of mind that sends her emotions and powers against her.
It's definitely a good read dealing with the laws that need to be upheld in the rural areas. Things as mundane as taxes to sadistic raping fathers. Those scenes where thrilling and kept me guessing as the mundane and life threatening issues popped up to test Talia. The thing that really slowed this read down—probably making it one of the less appreciated book in Talia's trilogy—is that a vast majority of the novel takes place in a Herald waystation where Talia and Kris are snowed in with their Companions and pack animals. The two's relationship clearly grows and becomes something beautiful. Looking back on my previous re-reads of this book I confess I never really appreciated the time spent with Talia getting retrained in her gift. At times it can be a bit boring as they dig themselves out, survive getting snowed in, and the stress of Talia's out of control gifts and self-esteem.
Another thing that was fantastic about Arrow's Flight is the sexual relationship. Lackey shows readers that love can develop between two people/characters with out it being some kind of huge "soulmate" thing. They share something sweet and endearing, but still can manage to remain friends. It was one of the first love scenes I had read, up until then male authors I had been reading had kisses then implied that the two had a slept together. Even today I will say that the love scenes are nicely done. They don't have the graphic detail that some of todays writers go into detail about, but it definitely gets the deed done. Lackey doesn't gloss over the bits about Talia's lost virginity nor does she paint her ladies who enjoy a little bedroom time as sluts. After all a little randiness among Heralds is quite fine.
Just like in the first book Lackey uses her page time wisely. Characters from the previous book still get page time and their stories told even if they never make an appearance. The plot may not be as complicated as the first book, but this one still manages perfectly with the political drama even though the two are out in the middle of no where. Key things are still being setup even if there was some isolation time for the characters.
This may be the slowest book in the Arrows of the Queen trilogy, but it's still well worth the read. Talia's journey to become Queen's Own is finally truly beginning, and the emotional growth helps to show Talia that she needs to accept help from other people. The adventure clearly shows the tough decisions that Heralds have to deal with even if they aren't the Queen's Own. It also emphasizes the different types of love that people can feel for friends with out turning into a soap fest.
Sexual Content: There is no mistaking what's going on, but it's clearly not as graphic as some of the newer books out there. Again there are some homosexual themes, though not with the main character.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.
Originally posted at Book Whispers.
July 5, 2018
This was a very frustrating read, enough so that I gave up partway through. Given the enjoyment I got from the first book in the series, it was very disappointing. Why? Where to begin...let's try making a list:
1) One of the things I enjoyed most about book 1, Arrows of the Queen, was Talia's growth from an abused, repressed child to a confident, wise-beyond-her-years Herald. For this installment in the series, the author undoes all of Talia's emotional growth and reverts her back to that insecure, hesitating child. All because of some court rumours. Seriously? As soon as Talia finds out about the rumours, the bulk of the narrative becomes focused on her lack of confidence and internal processing of her self-doubt. It was rather tedious after a while.
2) The fact the Kris so easily doubts Talia's ability to control her gift is highly questionable to me, given that so much emphasis is placed on the inerrancy of a Companion's choice. Ronan chose Talia to be the Queen's Own. According to every single character we've met in this world, the Companions never make mistakes. Everyone apparently knows and accepts this as a truth - they've based their entire system of government on it. And yet Kris, who is surely at least somewhat aware of his uncle's political aspirations, immediately and continuously doubts Talia based on a question from his uncle regarding her character? What?
3) I cannot stand a plot that only works if the characters don't talk to each other. If Talia had just once mentioned to Kris all the doubts she was now having, or if Kris had just once pushed her a bit to find out what was wrong, or spoken to her about his own doubts, instead of repressing and dancing around the issue, this book would have been over by chapter 4. Incredibly frustrating.
Maybe the book picks up in the latter half, but the pacing would have to be incredibly fast for anything significant to happen beyond getting Talia back to where she was at the end of book 1. Oh well. I may try to find a synopsis and then skip ahead to book 3, as I really do enjoy the world of the series and kind of want to see where it goes. Hopefully things will improve.
1) One of the things I enjoyed most about book 1, Arrows of the Queen, was Talia's growth from an abused, repressed child to a confident, wise-beyond-her-years Herald. For this installment in the series, the author undoes all of Talia's emotional growth and reverts her back to that insecure, hesitating child. All because of some court rumours. Seriously? As soon as Talia finds out about the rumours, the bulk of the narrative becomes focused on her lack of confidence and internal processing of her self-doubt. It was rather tedious after a while.
2) The fact the Kris so easily doubts Talia's ability to control her gift is highly questionable to me, given that so much emphasis is placed on the inerrancy of a Companion's choice. Ronan chose Talia to be the Queen's Own. According to every single character we've met in this world, the Companions never make mistakes. Everyone apparently knows and accepts this as a truth - they've based their entire system of government on it. And yet Kris, who is surely at least somewhat aware of his uncle's political aspirations, immediately and continuously doubts Talia based on a question from his uncle regarding her character? What?
3) I cannot stand a plot that only works if the characters don't talk to each other. If Talia had just once mentioned to Kris all the doubts she was now having, or if Kris had just once pushed her a bit to find out what was wrong, or spoken to her about his own doubts, instead of repressing and dancing around the issue, this book would have been over by chapter 4. Incredibly frustrating.
Maybe the book picks up in the latter half, but the pacing would have to be incredibly fast for anything significant to happen beyond getting Talia back to where she was at the end of book 1. Oh well. I may try to find a synopsis and then skip ahead to book 3, as I really do enjoy the world of the series and kind of want to see where it goes. Hopefully things will improve.
February 15, 2020
This is very much a middle book, taking place mostly in a very short time frame, but Lackey makes it oh-so enjoyable nonetheless.
It is somewhat darker/ more mature than the first book. Talia is grown-up, and has a *lot* of hard work to do. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, hold her tight, but she's a "little bird" and she needs to grow strong enough for not only independence but adversity, and to fledge her wings and fly.
(Little bird is a sort of pet name, sort of respectful nickname. Not patronizing, though it seems so at first. Read and find out.)
The scanned copy on openlibrary.org is dark on most pages and blurry on several. If you can get this from your library or ILL, I recommend that you d!o so.
And now I'm biting my nails for the third book! Thank you for this buddy read to get me to read them!
It is somewhat darker/ more mature than the first book. Talia is grown-up, and has a *lot* of hard work to do. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, hold her tight, but she's a "little bird" and she needs to grow strong enough for not only independence but adversity, and to fledge her wings and fly.
(Little bird is a sort of pet name, sort of respectful nickname. Not patronizing, though it seems so at first. Read and find out.)
The scanned copy on openlibrary.org is dark on most pages and blurry on several. If you can get this from your library or ILL, I recommend that you d!o so.
And now I'm biting my nails for the third book! Thank you for this buddy read to get me to read them!
August 15, 2020
Poor Talia. I'd say she hits rock bottom here, but I've finished the trilogy and I know better than to say that.
January 28, 2019
When Arrow's Fight begins, it is immediately apparent that the style of this novel will be different than its predecessor. Lackey has given the reader most of the background they need on Heralds. We're no longer learning about who they are and what they do in an scholastic setting (or being explained to as Talia "processes" this information). Instead, we are learning through Talia's experiences. I am thankful that this book is more character-focused. Not that Arrows of the Queen wasn't focused on characters, but this plot focused on internal development of Talia more than anything else.
Before I dig into the meat of this story, and Talia's development, can I just take a moment to say that Kris and Dirk might be one of my favorite bromances in all of literature? Lackey nailed both of their personalities clearly while giving them an incredible brotherly dynamic. Their endless teasing in the first few chapters sold me immediately. I am in love with them both. It's a pity we spent so little time with both of these characters together. I really hope Arrow's Fall gives us more time with Kris and Dirk!
Arrow's Flight focuses on Talia's emotional and internal development. These flaws are at the fore for us to explore. Many of these are a continuation of the flaws we explored in Arrows of the Queen, such as Talia's inability to ask for assistance. Talia's power and confidence have been significantly set back from the woman she grew into at the Collegium. While I found this focus compelling, it also made for some challenging reading. Arrow's Flight definitely suffers from "middle book syndrome".
The tension and drama in Arrows Flight would have been a lot less dramatic if Talia had just TALKED to people. I get it, I get it. She's 19, this is tied to her character flaws, etc. etc. etc. But I struggle with plots which could be more easily resolved with adults having discussions. There are certainly many physical things which push forward the plot and create drama: bandits, plague, life-threatening snowstorms, etc. But as far as the difficult questions this book is truly exploring, the drama all comes from Talia's silence and internal debate.
Arrows Flight has a weaker hook than book 1 and clearly suffers from "middle book syndrome". But it's clear to me that Lackey is on her way to developing a strong voice in the fantasy genre. She's brought to much to the table for Talia and the Heralds of Valdemar. I am looking forward to seeing how Talia's story concludes and continuing my adventures in Valdemar!
Before I dig into the meat of this story, and Talia's development, can I just take a moment to say that Kris and Dirk might be one of my favorite bromances in all of literature? Lackey nailed both of their personalities clearly while giving them an incredible brotherly dynamic. Their endless teasing in the first few chapters sold me immediately. I am in love with them both. It's a pity we spent so little time with both of these characters together. I really hope Arrow's Fall gives us more time with Kris and Dirk!
Arrow's Flight focuses on Talia's emotional and internal development. These flaws are at the fore for us to explore. Many of these are a continuation of the flaws we explored in Arrows of the Queen, such as Talia's inability to ask for assistance. Talia's power and confidence have been significantly set back from the woman she grew into at the Collegium. While I found this focus compelling, it also made for some challenging reading. Arrow's Flight definitely suffers from "middle book syndrome".
The tension and drama in Arrows Flight would have been a lot less dramatic if Talia had just TALKED to people. I get it, I get it. She's 19, this is tied to her character flaws, etc. etc. etc. But I struggle with plots which could be more easily resolved with adults having discussions. There are certainly many physical things which push forward the plot and create drama: bandits, plague, life-threatening snowstorms, etc. But as far as the difficult questions this book is truly exploring, the drama all comes from Talia's silence and internal debate.
Arrows Flight has a weaker hook than book 1 and clearly suffers from "middle book syndrome". But it's clear to me that Lackey is on her way to developing a strong voice in the fantasy genre. She's brought to much to the table for Talia and the Heralds of Valdemar. I am looking forward to seeing how Talia's story concludes and continuing my adventures in Valdemar!
Shelved as 'on-hold-for-now'
May 15, 2024DNF @ 25%
I am just not in the mood for this right now. Will try again later.
I am just not in the mood for this right now. Will try again later.
July 26, 2023
I really enjoyed the first half/two thirds of this book, but found the end somewhat dwindled.
February 27, 2021
3.5 stars
I liked this one more than the first but I still found some things unsatisfying.
I liked that we got a more contained story than the first one, and things are still being set up for the intrigue at court even though we don't spend any time in court during this book, since Talia's starting her internship which means a year and a half on tour in one of the border sectors. They don't leave court behind entirely since some rumors about Talia's Gift follows them, and this causes problems for Talia and her mentor Kris. It was good to see the ethical and moral implications of Talia's Gift addressed but the conclusion to all that was sort of a letdown since the book spends pages on Talia's struggles with it and then very little time on how she eventually improves. Then there's the whole
Then there's the weird direction Talia and Kris's relationship takes, all the while they're worrying about Dirk, who Talia likes and who likes her. It just really didn't seem necessary. I did really enjoy their friendship though.
If the ending hadn't been so rushed, I would've given this a full four stars, but for now, the issues with Talia's gift seems to have either been put off for later or resolved in an uncomfortable way. Since a lot of the conflicts in the first book were solved off-page, it could go either way.
I liked this one more than the first but I still found some things unsatisfying.
I liked that we got a more contained story than the first one, and things are still being set up for the intrigue at court even though we don't spend any time in court during this book, since Talia's starting her internship which means a year and a half on tour in one of the border sectors. They don't leave court behind entirely since some rumors about Talia's Gift follows them, and this causes problems for Talia and her mentor Kris. It was good to see the ethical and moral implications of Talia's Gift addressed but the conclusion to all that was sort of a letdown since the book spends pages on Talia's struggles with it and then very little time on how she eventually improves. Then there's the whole
Then there's the weird direction Talia and Kris's relationship takes, all the while they're worrying about Dirk, who Talia likes and who likes her. It just really didn't seem necessary. I did really enjoy their friendship though.
If the ending hadn't been so rushed, I would've given this a full four stars, but for now, the issues with Talia's gift seems to have either been put off for later or resolved in an uncomfortable way. Since a lot of the conflicts in the first book were solved off-page, it could go either way.
April 13, 2017
Talia has problems with her empathy in this book, which I liked because everything within her own power seemed to come far to easily in the first novel. Two people of opposite sex are snowed in on the road, make out, and it does not lead to everlasting love and babies. I really like Lackey's style.
2017 Reread Update: The little touches really make this story last the test of time where other genre fiction from the time often seems dated. Abortion is absolutely a reasonable option for a rape victim. Having sex is not the end all be all of a relationship. Sex work is problem, but not a moral deficit on the part of the woman. Rape is not sex. And there are a hundred other issues that have nothing at all to do with sex, which a circuit judge has to deal with, woman or not. My favorite judgment continues to be when Talia sees past the dispute brought to her by two plaintiffs and points out a serious underlying issue that no one asked her to deal with.
This is very obviously the second book in a trilogy, but that is no bad thing. It's an important part of Talia's journey. I highly recommend the world of Valdemar, but definitely start this set of books with Arrows of the Queen.
2017 Reread Update: The little touches really make this story last the test of time where other genre fiction from the time often seems dated. Abortion is absolutely a reasonable option for a rape victim. Having sex is not the end all be all of a relationship. Sex work is problem, but not a moral deficit on the part of the woman. Rape is not sex. And there are a hundred other issues that have nothing at all to do with sex, which a circuit judge has to deal with, woman or not. My favorite judgment continues to be when Talia sees past the dispute brought to her by two plaintiffs and points out a serious underlying issue that no one asked her to deal with.
This is very obviously the second book in a trilogy, but that is no bad thing. It's an important part of Talia's journey. I highly recommend the world of Valdemar, but definitely start this set of books with Arrows of the Queen.
December 29, 2017
Far too much of this book suffers from the I can't talk about how I am feeling or what is going wrong plot device. This turned what should have been a great book into something rather weak. It is full of angst, Talia regresses as a character and it is slow. Add in grammar and typo issues, which didn't bother me in the previous book but became much more noticeable with the lack of character or plot movement, and there wasn't a lot to love in this book.
The book had a decent start and end but the middle was rough at best. Still, I will finish the trilogy.
The book had a decent start and end but the middle was rough at best. Still, I will finish the trilogy.
Read
January 19, 2020Yeah I laid it aside. With giggles and dances still going on a quarter of the way through the book and continual thoughts about lovers, life partners, marriage...and aour young girl now qualified to be the next Queen...
as noted laid it aside. Not really "my cup of tea". Enjoy if it's for you.
as noted laid it aside. Not really "my cup of tea". Enjoy if it's for you.
April 17, 2012
Apart from the plot entirely relying on two people not discussing the obvious for half the book, I was absolutely disgusted by the attitude toward sex and relationships in this book. The main instance (though dozens are referenced and the entire group of Heralds is clearly stated to have sex freely, including threesomes) is of Kris and Talia entering into an intimate relationship, with no intention on either side of it meaning anything more than "friendship" and even after they discuss this and the fact that Talia is drawn to a mutual friend, they continue to have sex for the rest of the book. What the hell? If someone says they don't love you and are pretty sure they love your friend, your supposed best friend, you just keep having sex? And lady, what on earth is supposed to make me believe you care about the other guy when you won't stop sleeping with this one? The whole situation gave me such an icky feeling. Wanted the bleach for my mind after this and that is no way to feel after reading a book. So, no. Never, under any circumstances, would I recommend this book. The third one does not improve matters and I would heartily steer clear of this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2022
Another fantastic book from Mercedes Lackey, especially considering I read this straight after the first book. I adored the slow build up, and the entire snowed in chapters. Talia and Kris' growing friendship, and their regard for each other, not excluding Dirk and the part he will have to play made this story for me. It has all the fun of being a Herald outside of war time, but still with enough excitement and challenges to keep the book flowing.
I'm super glad I downloaded this as a set of three online; you can go straight from one book to another and they were reasonably cheap (around $4.30 for the three books) I will admit, I didn't stop reading and moved onto book three immediately, so events in this book have kind of merged into one. Still, an enjoyable second book and a great bridge to book three!
I'm super glad I downloaded this as a set of three online; you can go straight from one book to another and they were reasonably cheap (around $4.30 for the three books) I will admit, I didn't stop reading and moved onto book three immediately, so events in this book have kind of merged into one. Still, an enjoyable second book and a great bridge to book three!
June 10, 2020
While I still greatly enjoyed this, there were a few parts that annoyed me. I loved seeing the completion of Talia's training as a Herald, though I found it frustrating to read about her particular troubles, as I felt like it just dragged on repetitively. I was also reminded, as in the way of these things of events that will happen in the next book which I think will hit me pretty hard. I continue to love revisiting this world. Despite some of the background politics, it's a pretty hopeful setting.
December 21, 2015
Probably closer to 3.5 stars but rounding up. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Arrows of the Queen. I recently learned that the trilogy was originally written as one book and split into three; it makes the stopping points make more sense. I think this one moved a little more slowly than the first one, but it dealt with more interesting topics. Onto the third...
October 1, 2022
This is some of the cringiest sludge I’ve ever read, with a disgusting sexual relationship featuring a mentor not only taking physical advantage of his mentee but also emotionally abusing her all while the book portrays it as normal and even *helpful* to her. Big yuck.
I’ve already read other works by Lackey, and I know she can write better than this. I will at least try the 3rd book in this trilogy, but I think I will be avoiding her early work after this.
I’ve already read other works by Lackey, and I know she can write better than this. I will at least try the 3rd book in this trilogy, but I think I will be avoiding her early work after this.
July 18, 2018
Mmm, I liked the first book in the series, but in this one the main character is more grown-up, and was so preoccupied with sex and with shoveling snow that it was kind of boring and pointless. I anticipated lots of magic and fighting, of which there is hardly any, so I was disappointed. It is the second book in a trilogy, I believe, so hopefully the third book will get to the goods!
December 7, 2020
In this second part, the girl of the first book is now a woman, so suitable to undertake her first mission in the most remote areas of the Kingdom. There she will encounter difficult weather conditions, wicked and violent people and many signs that something is wrong, but the biggest difficulties are internal as she tries to learn to control her powers and overcome doubt, internal and external, in a way which requires a lot of effort, a lot of anger and a lot of tears. Apart from being a servant of the Kingdom, however, she is also a woman ...
This is done in a book that is the first step after the introduction of the first part, which means that our horizons are opened to the wider world, but also to the internal issues of our heroine. This means, of course, that the book was also a test of whether this series was able to offer more, a test that the author certainly passed successfully and thus explains the great impact of this series on the reading public. I really like that it has more depth, while offering us a dose of gentle adventure that keeps the interest without distracting the reader from the substance.
Σε αυτό το δεύτερο μέρος το κορίτσι του πρώτου βιβλίου είναι πια γυναίκα, oπότε κατάλληλη για να αναλάβει την πρώτη της αποστολή στις πιο απομακρυσμένες περιοχές του Βασιλείου. Εκεί θα συναντήσει δύσκολες καιρικές συνθήκες, πονηρούς και βίαιους ανθρώπους και πολλές ενδείξεις ότι κάτι δεν πάει καλά, οι μεγαλύτερες δυσκολίες όμως είναι εσωτερικές καθώς προσπαθεί να μάθει να ελέγχει τις δυνάμεις της και να νικήσει την αμφισβήτηση, την εσωτερική και την εξωτερική, σε έναν δρόμο που απαιτεί πολλή προσπάθεια, πολύ θυμό και πολλά δάκρυα. Εκτός από υπηρέτρια του Βασιλείου, όμως, είναι και γυναίκα...
Αυτά γίνονται σε ένα βιβλίο που είναι το πρώτο βήμα μετά την εισαγωγή του πρώτου μέρους, κάτι που σημαίνει ότι ανοίγουν οι ορίζοντες μας στον ευρύτερο κόσμο, αλλά και στα εσωτερικά ζητήματα της ηρωίδας μας. Αυτό σημαίνει, βέβαια, ότι το βιβλίο ήταν και ένα τεστ για το αν αυτή η σειρά ήταν ικανή να προσφέρει περισσότερα πράγματα, ένα τεστ που σίγουρα η συγγραφέας το πέρασε με επιτυχία και έτσι εξηγείται η μεγάλη απήχηση αυτής της σειράς στο αναγνωστικό κοινό. Μου αρέσει πολύ που έχει περισσότερο βάθος, προσφέροντάς μας παράλληλα μία δόση ήπιας περιπέτειας που κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον χωρίς να αποσπά τον αναγνώστη από την ουσία.
This is done in a book that is the first step after the introduction of the first part, which means that our horizons are opened to the wider world, but also to the internal issues of our heroine. This means, of course, that the book was also a test of whether this series was able to offer more, a test that the author certainly passed successfully and thus explains the great impact of this series on the reading public. I really like that it has more depth, while offering us a dose of gentle adventure that keeps the interest without distracting the reader from the substance.
Σε αυτό το δεύτερο μέρος το κορίτσι του πρώτου βιβλίου είναι πια γυναίκα, oπότε κατάλληλη για να αναλάβει την πρώτη της αποστολή στις πιο απομακρυσμένες περιοχές του Βασιλείου. Εκεί θα συναντήσει δύσκολες καιρικές συνθήκες, πονηρούς και βίαιους ανθρώπους και πολλές ενδείξεις ότι κάτι δεν πάει καλά, οι μεγαλύτερες δυσκολίες όμως είναι εσωτερικές καθώς προσπαθεί να μάθει να ελέγχει τις δυνάμεις της και να νικήσει την αμφισβήτηση, την εσωτερική και την εξωτερική, σε έναν δρόμο που απαιτεί πολλή προσπάθεια, πολύ θυμό και πολλά δάκρυα. Εκτός από υπηρέτρια του Βασιλείου, όμως, είναι και γυναίκα...
Αυτά γίνονται σε ένα βιβλίο που είναι το πρώτο βήμα μετά την εισαγωγή του πρώτου μέρους, κάτι που σημαίνει ότι ανοίγουν οι ορίζοντες μας στον ευρύτερο κόσμο, αλλά και στα εσωτερικά ζητήματα της ηρωίδας μας. Αυτό σημαίνει, βέβαια, ότι το βιβλίο ήταν και ένα τεστ για το αν αυτή η σειρά ήταν ικανή να προσφέρει περισσότερα πράγματα, ένα τεστ που σίγουρα η συγγραφέας το πέρασε με επιτυχία και έτσι εξηγείται η μεγάλη απήχηση αυτής της σειράς στο αναγνωστικό κοινό. Μου αρέσει πολύ που έχει περισσότερο βάθος, προσφέροντάς μας παράλληλα μία δόση ήπιας περιπέτειας που κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον χωρίς να αποσπά τον αναγνώστη από την ουσία.
December 12, 2022
It had been a long time since I read the first book in this series, but I was able to jump back into it with ease. There's a handy explanation of the world in the beginning with a bit of a recap, and that's all that I really needed to know. It almost kind of works as a standalone. I expected more action from this book, but it doesn't seem to be that kind of a story. The conflicts are more personal as Talia goes through more training and faces doubts about her own power, and it's a real internal struggle for her. I thought it was an interesting thing to explore. Nothing really major happens. She interns with another Herald named Kris. They help people resolve problems, and that's about it. It's pretty low-key, but I didn't mind it.
July 8, 2017
I'm tired of having to struggle for what seems to come easily to everyone else.
I started this book more than a month ago, but only got about 20 pages in before I was absorbed in something else. I picked it up again today, and started again from the beginning.
I enjoyed reading it, but it felt a bit like both too little and too much happened over the course of about 300 pages. There was some interesting character development, and I continue to like Talia as a protagonist, but there was very little urgency to the plot at any point.
I'm still planning to read the next book, which I've heard is a good conclusion to the trilogy.
I started this book more than a month ago, but only got about 20 pages in before I was absorbed in something else. I picked it up again today, and started again from the beginning.
I enjoyed reading it, but it felt a bit like both too little and too much happened over the course of about 300 pages. There was some interesting character development, and I continue to like Talia as a protagonist, but there was very little urgency to the plot at any point.
I'm still planning to read the next book, which I've heard is a good conclusion to the trilogy.
July 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this book, probably even more than the first one.
When I started it I was worried Talia was going to become super overpowered (since she already kinda was in book one) but I really liked the way the author went about it. Like the point when her self-doubt sent her spiraling down?? Oof so well written. Also her friendship with Kris is just 🥺🥺 I love that when Talia is around her friends she becomes an absolute menace
When I started it I was worried Talia was going to become super overpowered (since she already kinda was in book one) but I really liked the way the author went about it. Like the point when her self-doubt sent her spiraling down?? Oof so well written. Also her friendship with Kris is just 🥺🥺 I love that when Talia is around her friends she becomes an absolute menace
December 27, 2018
Finally continuing on the Heralds books. Interesting though choppy book with some highs and lows, but probably enough to get me to read the last one!
March 27, 2024
Man, that was a slog. The ending was super cool but doesn't really make up for the rest, where so little actually happens.
January 13, 2023
So, I'm still enjoying these books because I do like many of these characters, and I enjoy the heralds mythos, but I'm going to admit Arrow's Flight was very hard to get through. I want to believe it is because it is an older book, and this behavior didn't seem so problematic at the time, but to me, it was extremely upsetting.
Spoilers Below:
TLDR: Kris is EXTREMELY problematic.
Kris seems obviously abusive to me. And, Talia is such a people pleaser and so subservient to others that she gets walked all over, gaslighted, and develops suicidal ideation DIRECTLY because of his behavior. Her gift was not an issue at all in the first book, but maybe if there had more hints, this wouldn't have been such a jolt. Either way, no problems exist until Kris brings them up. He is constantly doubting her, even when he feels bad. He yells at her when she is already feeling scared and guilty. When she is suicidal, he screams at her. He's worried she'll kill them all.... but he's the one creating this agony for her. Ironically, he seems to have zero empathy. They immediately jump into bed after he blames her for projecting her emotions. She loses her virginity to someone who clearly has all the power in a problematic relationship. The book makes a big deal that she doesn't love him, so it is ok, but he has so much control over her that it feels gross. He might be nice to her at times while in the cabin, but he never seems to respect her. And even if she has a true love somewhere else, her first sexual experience is with a man who thinks his feelings for her could be made up, blames her for being too emotional, and makes her feel small all the time. She is an 18 year old girl. This would be damaging.
When she expresses her doubts about his uncle, Kris says "holding a grudge is rather childish and why are you refusing to listen." (which is obviously exactly what he has done the whole book) He is convincing her nothing is wrong, when clearly there is something, which makes her more upset, and then he yells at her for projecting those emotions. It's so upsetting. Every time he yells at her she cries and apologizes to him. It is so obviously unhealthy. He also defends his uncle by saying he is old fashioned, and that he hates the poor. Real strong recommendation. He is defending what is obviously a bad guy and again blaming the queen's most trusted advisor for doubting some random noble, and when Talia makes good points, he gaslights her. They never resolve this issue. Talia has literally solved conspiracies before. It seems likely that she might be right.
They form this friendship because he teaches her, and I respect that this was an important lesson to learn, and I think they could have discussed that she needed more control in the book, so she doesn't end up like a dangerous empath (thinking of the character in The Atlas Six), but Talia's constant apologizing makes this guy seem truly horrible. He takes advantage of her damaged state at every turn. He knows she's been abused, and he is very obviously manipulating and definitely emotional abusing her.
I like Talia, and I can't wait to read more about Elspeth, but adding this doubt about Talia come from such a slimy guy was troubling. It is a miracle she could recover from her time with him at all. I think it is likely she would now doubt every friendship she has ever had because she would be worried she is manipulating them. The book did not want this to be the conflict, but it really felt like it is a huge conflict.
Spoilers Below:
TLDR: Kris is EXTREMELY problematic.
Kris seems obviously abusive to me. And, Talia is such a people pleaser and so subservient to others that she gets walked all over, gaslighted, and develops suicidal ideation DIRECTLY because of his behavior. Her gift was not an issue at all in the first book, but maybe if there had more hints, this wouldn't have been such a jolt. Either way, no problems exist until Kris brings them up. He is constantly doubting her, even when he feels bad. He yells at her when she is already feeling scared and guilty. When she is suicidal, he screams at her. He's worried she'll kill them all.... but he's the one creating this agony for her. Ironically, he seems to have zero empathy. They immediately jump into bed after he blames her for projecting her emotions. She loses her virginity to someone who clearly has all the power in a problematic relationship. The book makes a big deal that she doesn't love him, so it is ok, but he has so much control over her that it feels gross. He might be nice to her at times while in the cabin, but he never seems to respect her. And even if she has a true love somewhere else, her first sexual experience is with a man who thinks his feelings for her could be made up, blames her for being too emotional, and makes her feel small all the time. She is an 18 year old girl. This would be damaging.
When she expresses her doubts about his uncle, Kris says "holding a grudge is rather childish and why are you refusing to listen." (which is obviously exactly what he has done the whole book) He is convincing her nothing is wrong, when clearly there is something, which makes her more upset, and then he yells at her for projecting those emotions. It's so upsetting. Every time he yells at her she cries and apologizes to him. It is so obviously unhealthy. He also defends his uncle by saying he is old fashioned, and that he hates the poor. Real strong recommendation. He is defending what is obviously a bad guy and again blaming the queen's most trusted advisor for doubting some random noble, and when Talia makes good points, he gaslights her. They never resolve this issue. Talia has literally solved conspiracies before. It seems likely that she might be right.
They form this friendship because he teaches her, and I respect that this was an important lesson to learn, and I think they could have discussed that she needed more control in the book, so she doesn't end up like a dangerous empath (thinking of the character in The Atlas Six), but Talia's constant apologizing makes this guy seem truly horrible. He takes advantage of her damaged state at every turn. He knows she's been abused, and he is very obviously manipulating and definitely emotional abusing her.
I like Talia, and I can't wait to read more about Elspeth, but adding this doubt about Talia come from such a slimy guy was troubling. It is a miracle she could recover from her time with him at all. I think it is likely she would now doubt every friendship she has ever had because she would be worried she is manipulating them. The book did not want this to be the conflict, but it really felt like it is a huge conflict.
January 21, 2019
This is the second in the authors 'Arrows' trillogy and I would strongly recommend reading the first before you read this one. The characters were established in the first book, as was the background to the story and I doubt if one could enjoy it as much without that background as a recap does not really cut it. It would also probably help if you had previous acquaintance with Mercades Lackeys Valdemar books.
Talia has finally earned the rank of full Herald, as well as having established a position for herself among the Heralds, a good relationship with both Queen and Heir and a full and busy life at court. Now however she must face her internship; a year and a half of riding circuit with an adviser in a border sector.
The challenges Talia faces here are different to the ones in the first book, the challenges of snow storms and bandits and then, finally of finding that her gift of empathy had NOT been properly trained and when this gift goes rogue she and her partner Kris have to train it back into functionality.
This book is quite different in a lot of ways to the first one and it showcases a lot of different aspects of the kingdom of Valdemar and the daily duties of the Heralds. It is well written and while it does not feel especially fast paced there is certainly always something going on. It is a nice continuation of Talia's story and sets us up of the finally book very well. There is a sort of feeling of 'to be continued in the next book' which is inevitable in a middle book of a series, but the story arch concludes well enough.
Talia has finally earned the rank of full Herald, as well as having established a position for herself among the Heralds, a good relationship with both Queen and Heir and a full and busy life at court. Now however she must face her internship; a year and a half of riding circuit with an adviser in a border sector.
The challenges Talia faces here are different to the ones in the first book, the challenges of snow storms and bandits and then, finally of finding that her gift of empathy had NOT been properly trained and when this gift goes rogue she and her partner Kris have to train it back into functionality.
This book is quite different in a lot of ways to the first one and it showcases a lot of different aspects of the kingdom of Valdemar and the daily duties of the Heralds. It is well written and while it does not feel especially fast paced there is certainly always something going on. It is a nice continuation of Talia's story and sets us up of the finally book very well. There is a sort of feeling of 'to be continued in the next book' which is inevitable in a middle book of a series, but the story arch concludes well enough.
December 18, 2018
This book continues the story of Talia as she serves her year of apprenticeship with the heralds.
It’s nice to see her step away from politics and have to deal with actually being on the road and putting her training into practice. It was also fun to get to know another character who was only briefly mentioned in the first book. I did find this book to be a bit dull, however. A lot of time is spent on how Talia is having trouble with her powers and the endless feedback loop of her being unsure of herself and worrying about what people are thinking about her, and what that might do to the princess. While it provided some great time to develop more characters, I’m not sure this really needed to be a full novel to accomplish what it did.
With that said, I’m sure it’s nothing more than the middle book slump that sometimes happens in trilogies, so I’m not put off by the series as a whole. I’m excited to read the third book so the story straightens itself out and contains more substantial conflict. I see why the development was important to the story, I just wish it could have been done with a more exciting plot.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
It’s nice to see her step away from politics and have to deal with actually being on the road and putting her training into practice. It was also fun to get to know another character who was only briefly mentioned in the first book. I did find this book to be a bit dull, however. A lot of time is spent on how Talia is having trouble with her powers and the endless feedback loop of her being unsure of herself and worrying about what people are thinking about her, and what that might do to the princess. While it provided some great time to develop more characters, I’m not sure this really needed to be a full novel to accomplish what it did.
With that said, I’m sure it’s nothing more than the middle book slump that sometimes happens in trilogies, so I’m not put off by the series as a whole. I’m excited to read the third book so the story straightens itself out and contains more substantial conflict. I see why the development was important to the story, I just wish it could have been done with a more exciting plot.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
November 9, 2015
While the first volume of this trilogy set the stage for the story, this second one threw the main character, Talia, Queen's Own, to the wolves. Queen's Own is second only to the queen. She is expected to be totally honest with the queen in a way that most people are unable to do. Unfortunately, Talia is sent on am 18-month long internship to a sector on the kingdom's border during a period when the court is unstable. While in her sector of the kingdom, she needs to gather control over her out-of-control powers. (Imagine adolescence on massive doses of steroids.)
This is a lovely book about coming of age, friendship, justice, and mastering one's strengths and weaknesses during dangerous times. I had been worrying about finishing this trilogy and having to say good-bye to these characters. Instead, Lackey has 100+ books, many on the kingdom of Valdemar. I may not come up for air.
This is a lovely book about coming of age, friendship, justice, and mastering one's strengths and weaknesses during dangerous times. I had been worrying about finishing this trilogy and having to say good-bye to these characters. Instead, Lackey has 100+ books, many on the kingdom of Valdemar. I may not come up for air.
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