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Review: Eye Spy (Family Spies #2) by Mercedes Lackey
Overall, this was probably the best new Valdemar book I’ve read and enjoyed in years. That’s not to say that it has no flaws, but overall, Abi is a great, solid character with some truly excellent and original adventures. I’m not going to lie: Part of my enjoyment might be because this is the first…
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Review: Seasons (Tales of Valdemar #13) edited by Mercedes Lackey
Seasonal celebrations were the theme of this collection of tales set in the fantasy world of Valdemar, which acted less as glue holding the collection together and more as an awkward way to pretend all of these stories belonged together. Especially in the cases of the “continuing” stories that feature characters from previous collections. I…
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Review: The Bartered Brides (Elemental Masters #13) by Mercedes Lackey
I’m not going to lie. I significantly prefer the fairy tale retellings in this fantasy series to the Sherlock Holmes pastiches featuring Nan and Sara. I didn’t dislike this book, but I found myself not as invested in the main characters as I could have been. Both women gain new skills and mastery over their…
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Review: The Hills Have Spies (Family Spies #1) by Mercedes Lackey
I haven’t been a huge fan of the first two Valdemar collections starring Mags, but I’ll admit that he’s a lot less annoying as an adult. Luckily, his son Perry is completely different and much easier to handle despite his young age. I enjoyed this adventure featuring both characters, especially the parent-child dynamic aspect. Despite…
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Review: Choices (Tales of Valdemar #12) edited by Mercedes Lackey
What should have been a comforting visit to my favorite land was tempered by the fact that the majority of the stories in this collection were continuations of stories in previous anthologies. I have a decent memory for things I’ve read ages ago, but even with that, some of these tales were hard to dive…
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Review: Pathways (Tales of Valdemar #11) edited by Mercedes Lackey
While I usually call out two specific stories in anthologies, my favorite and the one I’d most like to see expanded into a novel, I’m unable to do that with this Valdemar collection. I enjoyed most of the stories, but none of them jumped out to me as amazing. A few of the stories also…
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Review: Closer to the Chest (Herald Spy #3) by Mercedes Lackey
It’s taken quite a few books, but I think Lackey is back on her stride with her long-running Valdemar series. While I still noticed a few editorial discrepancies, I enjoyed this novel a lot more than any of the previous books that featured Mags and Amily. This particular story acts as a culmination to what…
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Review: A Scandal in Battersea (Elemental Masters #12) by Mercedes Lackey
The novels of Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series take two forms. The first is re-imagined fairy tales set in Edwardian England (and Europe beyond). The second is a more of a traditional (historical) urban fantasy series that centers around a group of magicians, psychics, and mediums in London, starring two plucky young women and their…
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Review: TEMPEST edited by Mercedes Lackey
Favorite story: “Harmless as Serpents” by Rosemary Edghill & Rebecca Fox Perhaps because they are such alien creatures, stories where a point of view character is a Companion always intrigue me. Throw in tantalizing details about the mysterious land of Iftel, the realistic aftereffects of Karse’s religious upheaval, and multiple laugh-out-loud moments, and this was easily…
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Review: CLOSER TO THE HEART (Herald Spy #2) by Mercedes Lackey
This book had the awkward job of pushing along a trilogy plot that I don’t quite understand and a relationship that is already solid. I keep reading Valdemar books because this world has such a special place in my heart, but at this point the drama and intrigue is no longer there for me in…
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Review: A STUDY IN SABLE by Mercedes Lackey
I was excited by both the return of Nan and Sarah in Lackey’s Elemental Masters series and the introduction of this universe’s version of Sherlock Holmes and the Watsons. The aspect of this novel that I was most impressed with was that my brain never once tried to “cast” my mental images of the characters…
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Review: FROM A HIGH TOWER by Mercedes Lackey
I was thrilled that Lackey once again broke the mold with this installment of the Elemental Masters series. Some things were the familiar, such as a modern (well, Victorian-era) retelling of a traditional fairy tale featuring a strong heroine with elemental magic powers. However, like in Blood Red before it, this novel also transported us outside…
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Review: BLOOD RED by Mercedes Lackey
It’s always fun to return to one of my favorite series, and it’s even better when that series manages to consistently surprise you. Though there have been some departures, Lackey’s formula for her Elemental Masters series has been “Traditional fairy tale retold in historical (mostly British) urban fantasy setting and concludes with female elemental master…
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Review: CRUCIBLE edited by Mercedes Lackey
Favorite story: “The Note” by Phaedra Weldon. While many of the stories in this anthology rated between 3 and 4 stars for me and were cute and enjoyable but not amazing, this penultimate tale punched me right in the feels. There are so many things about the life of a Herald that are explored in this tale,…
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The Real World Returns…
My husband and I are home safe from our amazing vacation. We spent a great 10 days aboard Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas, which sailed out of Baltimore to tool around the Caribbean for a few days. The time was well-spent relaxing and recharging and just spending some quality time together before the husband…
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Review: CLOSER TO HOME by Mercedes Lackey
I think my biggest complaint about this book is probably the fact that the back cover text has very, very little to do with the actual plot of the novel. And if that’s my biggest complaint, I will definitely call this book a win. I’ve read every Valdemar book by Mercedes Lackey, many of the…
