Remembering Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey

Okay, so I actually started writing this post on my phone a few days ago, right before I started reading Magic's Promise. I have basically come to the conclusion that I remember next to nothing about this book... and I've read it twice. That said, I do want to share what I do remember, so here we go.

Magic's Promise was my introduction to The Heralds of Valdemar. So weird, I know. It's the second book in The Last Herald Mage trilogy and the (at the time) fifth book in the chronological run... but yeah, it was weird. I remember the cover super vividly from when I pulled it off my dad's shelf, a magical shelf of nonsense, that shelf.

See, my dad is a sci-fi fantasy nerd and I largely get my love of the fantasy genre from him. However, my dad's bookshelf left much to be desired if you were looking for a series to start. I don't remember many full series runs or even starts to series on that shelf. I know he had Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the first Anita Blake omnibus, but most of that bookshelf was random pick-and-mix. Magic's Promise was part of that and I think I largely picked it up because of the horse *cough*Companion*cough* on the front cover.

Looking back on Magic's Promise now, what I remember about the plot is... nonexistent. I remember little bits. Like Jervis wanting to learn Van's fighting style through sparing bouts and that there's a mystery involving Van interviewing some old woman with a brooch... I think. Also, I think Stefan is introduced somewhere in this book, but I can't be sure. I swear, I've read Magic's Promise twice! Once in my pre-teens/teens and once in college. None of it stuck, though!

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to reminisce about my dad's old bookshelf for a hot second. He sadly lost a good chunk of those books to mold... which is another story altogether.

On a slightly separate note: I'm a little over halfway through Magic's Promise at this point and Van remembered that you have to keep the evidence from being disturbed while investigating and so set up this mage-shield thing to keep his evidence from being disturbed. However, he's now spending DAYS away from his crime-scene. Like, Van, sir, I understand you needed to leave quickly and your magic reserves are dead and you were passed out for three days, but your evidence is now literally rotting while you deal with your personal shit! No one ever said Van was good at investigating, but this is breaking my SOD a little.