Intrigues (2010 original; edició 2011)

This trilogy is set two generations after Vanyel’s life as the Collegium is being built to deal with the influx of new Heralds and the expansion of Valdemar’s size. Mags is a former slave, rescued from a terrible life in jewel mining, and has to learn to navigate his new status. It’s a lot about him getting cuddles and dealing with making friends; did not feel very high stakes. ( )

I like the books Mercedes Lackey writes, she is good at creating a believable world and people to populate it. While her writing is not the strongest I do find it engaging ang and enjoyable. I like a series I can live inside of and her books are ones that have characters I feel invested in and a world I believe could exist. ( )

Choked up so good toward the end. ( )

Hooked by the first book, I had to finish the series. Is there a sixth in the works? Hope so! ( )

Not as good as book one. Too much time spent on the idiot plot of everyone believing that Mags, who had just discovered that he was really from a non-Valdamaran family and that his parents were hostages of the bandits, not bandits themselves and no one had been able to identify the language they spoke, must secretly be a foreign assassin. That's some advance planning, get a pre-verbal baby taken in by bad people in the hope that he would be chosen by a Companion, rescued, taken to the capital to live and somehow get into palace and kill the king. Where was anyone with common sense? Also obvious that this was written after Harry Potter and Quidditch hit big. Kirball, the new invented game for Herald Trainees and others to play, was an obvious response to that, with horses and Companions instead of brooms. Moving on to book three, the overall story didn't progress very far here. ( )