Reviews

Truly a baffling book. Not a huge fan of the reincarnated soulmates thing + huge age gap, and once Stef and Vanyel get together the author suddenly realizes there's no more plot left and starts to pull shit out of her ass for 200 pages (no pun intended). I seriously don't know why this book is so LONG when nothing happens!!

I felt like the other 2 books did a pretty good job at balancing pulpy gay angst and fluffy sweetness but this book is so unbalanced-- all the cute fluff is in the first third and then the end is just ridiculously, painfully dark, for NO REASON. There was absolutely no need this book needed a graphic, on-page gang rape scene! And I guess the ending is technically uplifting, but it just feels like a huge bummer.

The other books also had huge gaping holes in them, but I was able to look past those because the books were, otherwise, fun. This book was just a real downer and I honestly don't recommend it.

Content Warnings

djmcewen's review against another edition

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5.0

Very emotional

I read this years ago. The cover attracted me. I had just come out as gay and had no idea that Vanyel was the same. I'd never read a book, much less one that wasn't part of an LGBT niche, featuring a gay male character. I was enthralled.

I would be easy to find the flaws in the portrays of Vanyel, Tylendal and Stefan except for one very important thing; Mercedes Lackey was offering something different, creating a story centered around a gay man and not treating him as someone lesser. How Vanyel began and what he became - a hero willing to give his life to save his people - is a testimony to how much Lackey cared about him.

That aside, it's a hero's journey. Rising up from where he started, becoming a man even with all the pain and loneliness and - given the title of the series I don't think I'm giving anything away - goes out sacrificing himself. He found love, something lasting and eternal.

This series was a prequel to another set of books set in Valdemar. I confess to not having read then even if it might have possibly given me more insight into these books. I think it stands well enough on its own. I will say that despite the title of this one the ending would certainly qualify as "Magic's Promise".

kiki870's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

In true Vanyel style, he was driven hero of the story that risked himself repeatedly to save the kingdom and those he loved. He is the character that I always felt deserved to be truly happy and I am not sure he ever got that in life, not really. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book, some a bit predictable and some far less so. There was one regarding Stefan that I am truly not sure how I feel about, although it does answer a lot of questions. And the ending was a bittersweet one that I appreciated!