A Spoiler Free Review
Oathbreakers is, by far, the best of the three Vows and Honor series. It follows one story from beginning to end and does that very well. It was the most fun I’ve had reading a Valdemar book in a while.
Sometimes I’m glad I decided to read the short stories that accompany a series. This is one of those times. Essentially knowing who the dead man Tarma, Kethry, and Jadrek came across is and what that sword is… makes it a bit more fun. Just being like “ah, so they are getting it back.”
I am absolutely fucking pissed about Kethry being able to work magic in Valdemar. No vrondi appear to pester her. Everyone around her can still talk about magic perfectly fine. It’s like the rules surrounding Vanyel’s lovely anti-magic spell thing suddenly just don’t matter and it doesn’t exist. What. The Actual. Fuck. Lackey. I probably wouldn’t be so mad if I hadn’t read these in chronological order and hadn’t had it hammered home through three back-to-back series about how vrondi swarm magic users in Valdemar and magic can’t be talked about very easily within Valdemaran borders. As it is, I’m pissed.
So… where on the scale of Susan to Renesmee does the name “Megrarthon” rate?
Although I am largely enjoying Oathbreakers, I am finding Kethry and Jadrek pining after each other really gross. Just from a personal standpoint. I don’t enjoy mushiness, especially when the people being mushy just aren’t talking to each other. I am glad they worked themselves out in the end. Getting the back-and-forth that wasn’t really a back-and-forth was annoying. Add to that Jadrek thinking Tarma was unaware of he and Kethry’s relationship… ai yai yai…
I like that Kethry is able to siphon off the energy from all the Hawks being pissed off. Using anger as magical energy is pretty neat when someone thinks to use it.
Favorite Lines
"You can't stop knowledge; you shouldn't try. If you do, half the time it's the wrong people that get it first." - Kethry
"Keth, power brings with it the need to make moral judgments; history proves that." - Jadrek
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