Originally published: 1993
Page count: 411
Dates read: 9/26/23-10/21/23
2023 book goal progress: 19 out of 23
Author Challenge: Mercedes Lackey
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.
Description on back of book:
First sentence:
"Ancar, King of Hardorn, slumped in the cushioned embrace of his throne and stared out into the empty Great Hall."
Favorite quotes:
"Remember, together you are far stronger than you are individually.
Description on back of book:
Valdemar is once again in peril, threatened by Ancar of Hardorn, who has long sought to seize control of the kingdom by any means at his command. Yet this time Ancar may well achieve his goal, for by harnessing the power of a Dark Adept, he has set into motion a magical strike against Valdemar the like of which hasn’t been attempted in more than five hundred years.
With Valdemar’s ancient spell-generated protections finally breaking down, Queen Selenay, Herald-Princess Elspeth, and their people could soon be left defenseless against an enemy armed with spells no one in Valdemar has the knowledge to withstand. As the long-dormant magic of Valdemar begins to awaken, Elspeth finds that she too has a mysterious ally—a powerful spirit from the long-forgotten past.
First sentence:
"Ancar, King of Hardorn, slumped in the cushioned embrace of his throne and stared out into the empty Great Hall."
Favorite quotes:
"Remember, together you are far stronger than you are individually.
I think that is something no enemy will be prepared for."
"The mage who knows how to use simple spells cleverly
is just as effective as the Adept with no imagination."
"There is no such thing as perfection, or a 'perfect' love.
I doubt there's even perfection in the Havens.
Wouldn't perfection be a bore?"
"Tell a big enough lie, and everyone will believe it
simply because it is too audacious not to be the truth."
"A brave man is simply someone who doesn't let his cowardice and fear stop him.
Hellfires, boy, we're all cowards at some time or another."
"You're a Healing Adept, boy, but you don't need magic to Heal.
Just words. And kindness, and care."
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.3/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 7
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Review:
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.3/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 7
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Review:
This is a good story and a good conclusion to the trilogy. New, seemingly, significant characters were introduced in the beginning, but then they weren't in the rest of the story, which was a disappointment. They finally defeated all 3 BBEGs, 2 of which have been around since the first published trilogy. It was an entertaining and (mostly) satisfying end, but the victory almost seemed too easy for how powerful all 3 of these evil mages were written to be. The book wrapped things up nicely but also left a new cliffhanger for the next trilogy.
Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Mercedes Lackey have the last words:
"A good, solid love is something infinitely rare and difficult to maintain because you don't know everything your partner is feeling. Love takes work. Love means being able to apologize and mean it when you blunder. Love is worth fighting for! One of the very things that made Van and I have a lovematch as well as a lifebonding was that we were so different. It is like a marriage - you marry who you think your beloved is, and then discover who they really are over the years. It's that discovery that makes a marriage work."
