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Arrow's Flight

(Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #2)

Mercedes Lackey

4.14 · Rating details · 20,886 ratings · 397 reviews

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.

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Mass Market Paperback, 318 pages

Published September 1st 1987 by DAW (first published 1987)

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Oct 20, 2014 Evgeny rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Talia' story continues right where the previous book left. Our heroine finished her studies and the only thing which stands between her and her acceptance into being a full Herald is one and a half years of internship. Basically she has to patrol the borderlands in the north dispensing Queen's justice and helping defend against the raiders. During one of very heavy snowfalls Talia is trapped with her mentor Kris in a lone shack in the middle of nowhere. The spend most of the book brooding in the ...more

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Apr 24, 2019 Isabel rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Anne Hromalik rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 se 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. ...more

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Feb 15, 2020 Cheryl rated it really liked it

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 pa ...more

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Jan 28, 2019 Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: animals, anthropomorphic, feminism, coming-of-age, diversity, friendship, readalong, morals, tropes, 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 o 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! ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 eriophora rated it it was amazing

Poor Talia. I'd say she hits rock bottom here, but I've finished the trilogy and I know better than to say that. ...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Kathleen rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2017, fantasy, read-in-2010

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 vict ...more

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Feb 24, 2019 Brecht Denijs rated it liked it

Shelves: books-that-i-own, fantasy, one-and-done, high-fantasy, owned-and-read

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 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.
(view spoiler)[ So in the first book we had some romantic feelings between Talia and Skif that I didn't like because they seemed better suited as friends than lovers and Lackey eventually indeed let it play out that way. I was a bit annoyed because why can't men and women have a strong bond without there having to be a sexual or romantic component? Little did I know, things were about to get much, much worse!
So the book starts off with a strange case of instalove between Talia and Dirk. Like most readers, I don't like instalove, but I was willing to put up with it because I did ship the two of them. They seemed to have very matching characters and looked like a good fit for each other. It's funny how Lackey actually tries to defend her instalove plotline by explaining how that is something that is typical for Heralds, but in the process she ends up really cheapening the bond. Making it almost seem more like a compulsion than a choice. Hardly romantic at all.

But this was still ok with me, wasn't really interfering with the plot or anything. But then Talia has to go on her first circuit ride, her last test before becoming a true, full Herald, and her appointed mentor is Kris, Dirk's strikingly handsome best friend. They get snowed in together for about a month and out of nowhere, they start a sexual relationship with each other. The first time they had sex (which was Talia's first time all together) literally came out of nowhere and I was so upset I had to put the book down and read a few chapters of LOTR just so I could calm down enough to get to sleep.

I mean, what the hell? I couldn't be more against this pairing if I tried. Now technically Kris and Talia aren't in love, they're just...well...fuck buddies. Though Lackey prefers to term it "friends/lovers". Puhlease. I'm guessing what she was going for was giving a female character a sexual relationship that wasn't about love and babies as is usually the case in this genre and indeed I've seen her praised for that by other readers. But I never condone a political or moral statement, even one I agree with, when it goes against the grain of the story you're telling and basically makes no sense. I cringed every single time these two got together as there is a very long list as to why they shouldn't.

First off, it simply doesn't make sense. This might be because Lackey has a bad tendency to tell rather than show when it comes to relationships. She tells us that Kris and Talia form a strong bond. Almost sibling like (yeah right!), but it doesn't show. They're usually arguing or uncomfortable around each other, mostly because of Talia's Gift and Kris's poor handling of it as her mentor. I actually cringed a little when he made a sexual joke towards Talia and I felt it go a bit against Talia's character to take it in stride rather than be embarrassed about it. So finding that already awkward, you can imagine how I felt when they were actually having sex. I mean there was no build up to this or hardly any. She has an episode, he holds her, leans in to give her a "brotherly kiss" and suddenly they end up having sex. Let me tell you, I have three sisters, I have never given them a kiss that could possibly, in any way, shape or form lead to that!

This really made me dislike the characters. There is no restraint whatsoever. This is especially strange for Talia who has actually held back in spite of opportunities for five years and now all of a sudden she decides to go for it...with the best friend of the guy she's in love with. (makes me wish that her first would have actually been with Skif after all) It gets worse when you realise that Dirk has suffered a lot as being in the shadow of his handsome best friend as far as women are concerned. He was elated when Talia proclaimed that she wasn't tempted by handsome features and that there wasn't much danger of her and Kris being out in the field alone. Nice one, Talia. Right now, I feel that Dirk is just way too good for you.
Kris is even worse. Whilst Talia may not have known exactly how much Dirk has suffered under women choosing Kris over him, he does and he knows full well just how much his best friend is into this girl and he STILL decides to sleep with her. What a douche! He even keeps calling her “little bird” which is a nickname Dirk uses to refer to her! This just creeps me out! The fact that he's actually taking her virginity makes it only feel all the worse. And he's her mentor for gods' sake. She a young teenage woman under his responsibility, show some fucking restraint already!

Now I could have forgiven this if it was just a spur of the moment kind of thing, but no. There is no guilt, no second guessing, they just go right on fucking for the rest of the book. I also could have forgiven this is Kris was perhaps in love with Talia, or Talia maybe started to doubt her feelings for Dirk or something, but again no, he just fancies her sexually and as a friend and so does she. I mean, they even talk about Dirk and what a great couple he and Talia could make in between their sex sessions. I could not believe what I was reading, not once did either of them think "I don't know, maybe we shouldn't be doing this, neither of us needs it that badly, this could really complicate things and it might really hurt a person we both care a great deal about". Not once! How self-centred and shallow are these people?

Just when I thought this whole situation couldn't get worse, it did. It finally occurs to them think critically about their relationship, because neither of them is in love and they're afraid the other one might be. You'd think this might be a good point to stop having sex and maybe talk to each other? Forget it, let's just ignore the problem and keep having sex. Eventually Dirk sends them a gift which reminds them of the possible life bond he and Talia might share, because we are already talking about it like that besides the fact that she’s currently in a sexual relationship with another man and hasn't had a single romantic moment with Dirk. This finally triggers Kris to talk to Talia about how she might be feeling more for him than he for her and she responds by getting angry and literally knocking him out. This is them followed by a naked chase in a lake until she calms down and then she proceeds to have sex with him again! I couldn't believe what I was reading at that point and this is where I put the book down and didn't come back to it again until I had calmed down a few days.

Lackey tries to play this off as just a friends with benefits type of deal but fails miserably as the two start acting lovey dovey around each other, calling one another things like "Love" and "Dearheart" and whatnot. If she wanted to write an actual romantic subplot she either should have left the attraction to Dirk out of it all together or have had the latter be Talia's mentor and have an actual love story. This lukewarm, very wrong, in between just ruined things for me. She also tries to paint it off as no big deal. Casual sex between strangers or acquaintances may be a thing, but sex between friends is more often than not very messy and should not be entered into on a whim and having sex with your crush's best friend/your best friend's crush is ALWAYS going to be problematic. This is what bothered me the most about all of it, I think. Literally at no point in the novel does Lackey make it seem that what Talia and Kris are doing might be wrong or ill-advised, while I can give a very long list of why it is. (hide spoiler)]

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. ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Mike (the Paladin) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-finish

Yeah 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. ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 Sarah rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, ya

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 insecur 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. ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ rated it liked it

Shelves: part-of-a-series, borrowed-library, read-in-2019, 3-and-a-half-stars, fantasy

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 ...more

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Mar 30, 2013 David H. rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

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. (view spoiler) I was also reminded, as in the way of these things of events that will happen in the next book which I think ...more

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Dec 12, 2015 terpkristin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, kindle, ya, 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... ...more

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Dec 06, 2020 Sotiris Karaiskos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasy

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 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. ...more

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Jul 08, 2017 Katie rated it liked it

Shelves: on-overdrive-arlington, genre-fantasy, owned-on-my-bookshelf, books-that-are-rated-highly, rating-3-stars

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 ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Dave Packard rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle, sword

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!

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Apr 07, 2011 Deborah Ideiosepius rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-reading-challenge, wordpress, fantasy

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 positi ...more

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Sep 30, 2018 Alyssa Nelson rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

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 ...more

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Nov 08, 2015 Jeanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, read-2015, read-women

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-o ...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Gretchen rated it it was amazing

Again, only a five star book because of tween girl reading nostalgia (a powerful thing). It’s nice to see more the the kingdom in this one, and for the most part I like the dynamic between Kris and Talia. The intimate parts are...awkward. And ugh, the pet names. I *hate* pet names in books like this - they never sound natural and it’s like their use is signaling intimacy that hasn’t been shown or earned. There’s some more here too about retributive justice that I think was easier to gloss over w ...more

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May 12, 2011 Brittany rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

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.
(view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 05, 2015 Bryce rated it liked it

None of this shit ever happened to Harry Potter.

Talia continues her training to become a full-fledged Herald, although during her year-long internship she faces major set backs in terms of her power and her confidence. She's out of control, constantly on the verge of breaking down and taking anyone near her down with her.

While I like the fact that Talia's heroic journey isn't one straight, ascending line into awesomeness, I was not necessarily keen on reading such a bleak story at this moment ...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Diana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy-read, read-in-2011, read-in-2017, re-read

Re-read 2019
Another dip into Talia's arc. This time Talia is away from the Collegium learning more of what she needs to do a Queen's Own.

Re-read 2017

The second book in Talia's series. It mostly focuses on her leaving the collegium and actually being a herald though she's still in training. However, it's not as simple as the description I gave sounds, multiple things happen and even though she's out of Haven issues from the city keep affecting her. Still one of my favorite series by this author. ...more

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Sep 16, 2017 Lisa rated it it was ok

1.5 stars - Not horrible but this book went downhill significantly compared to Arrows of the Queen. All the confidence and self esteem that Talia built in book 1 vanished, and her self pity got out of hand. I also didn't care for who was selected for her internship (and the intimate events that followed). The way of Heralds being "loose" in relationships didn't sit well with me and Talia's uncertainty made me feel depressed. Bluntly, this book sucked as book 2 but I will finish the series for th ...more

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Jan 17, 2016 AndrewP rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016-bookshelf-clearance, fantasy, read-in-2016

Book two of this trilogy. The early part of this book I enjoyed quite a bit more than the first book as there was a lot less 'magical horses' silliness and more character development. However, that was about all that happened. Great characters but little else.

I have read that the final volume is a great conclusion so I will be continuing on later in the year. ...more

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Jul 18, 2018 Nicole rated it it was ok

Shelves: new-read

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!

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Nov 29, 2020 Strix rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lady-protagonist, fantasy

A fascinating exploration of mental health, the ethics of being a magical empath, and a disaster survival novel all in one. What a book!

The premise is, Talia finally sets out on her first circuit - she goes on a year long ride with a mentor around the northern territories of Valdemar and stops at every small village and dispenses the Queen's Justice and fends off bandits and other problems.

The majority of the book is spent deep in character study, as shortly after the circuit begins, her control ...more

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Jun 06, 2020 Mary Soon Lee rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This is the middle book in the first Valdemar trilogy, Valdemar being a very popular fantasy setting that features human Heralds bonded to magical intelligent Companion horses. It continues Talia's story, and I found it both better and worse than the opening installment. Better in that the prose/storytelling seemed smoother. Spoilers ahead. (view spoiler) ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Octavia Cade rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

I remember reading the first book in this series and liking it, and I like the sequel just as much. Talia has nearly completed her Herald training, and all that's left is an internship where she and an older Herald patrol the border regions, keeping lines of communication open and meting out justice and doing all the usual Herald things. And it's all enjoyable enough, but it does seem like marking time - a series of episodic events that don't move the larger story forward any. I don't know that ...more

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Sep 01, 2018 Liz rated it really liked it

Second book in the Heralds of Valdemar series. I had forgotten how much I liked this series so it is going to be a pleasure to re-read all the books. I really like how the author builds her world without overwhelming the reader with more information than you can absorb. And an good job on character development as well as an exciting story. Am not sure I will be able to spread out the books like I originally planned to do as I am truly caught in her world.

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About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey

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Mercedes 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 & M Mercedes 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 ...more